";s:4:"text";s:4392:" Many take their destiny into their own hands and leverage their wealth to make a safer, more secure home for their family.Malta’s citizenship by investment program is one of the most popular ways to fast track this process.Malta has a lot to offer, including possibly the sunniest weather in Europe and one of the continent’s most favorable tax systems.Even with all of these advantages, it might be the easiest place in the European Union to quickly get a passport — at a price. You can also add dependents to your application for an added cost. Malta, a small but absolutely charming Mediterranean island, offers people an opportunity to travel the world and operate under financially liberal laws. Property taxes and stamp duties are minimal, and the country has no inheritance taxes, gift taxes, wealth taxes, or municipal taxes. This is great if you want to do business or invest in Europe, or if you want your children to be able to access European universities, among many other perks. Of course, you would need to have genuine ties to the country and to have lived in Malta for years. That means living here legally for one year, so two years in total.When they were designing the program, the Maltese government and their consultants were sure to bake plenty of due-diligence steps into the process. That will go up if you include family members in your application or opt to buy a more expensive property. Yes, dual citizenship is legal in Malta. . The Malta Individual Investor Program (MIIP) was created to provide high-value investors with a good moral character an opportunity to obtain Maltese citizenship by making a substantial investment in the country.Today, the program allows investors who make a contribution to Malta’s Government Fund, an investment in government-sanctioned bonds or stocks, and a real estate investment to become Maltese citizens through investment, provided they meet other criteria set forth by the Maltese government.The Maltese program has quickly become the most exclusive citizenship by investment program in the world. The call came after the company’s claims that the new citizenship programme is expected to be €150,000 more expensive, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. The Maltese government will then take another month to further review your documents and complete their due diligence, and you will receive conditional approval by the end of 120 days.The next step in this process is to complete all of your investment requirements.Once your application is conditionally approved, you will need to pay the rest of your €650,000 contribution (or more if you have dependents) by the five-month mark.You will have more time to complete the other two requirements – the real estate and the government bonds, but by your eighth month of residence, you will need to prove that you have met the minimum standards for both.Step 4: Receive Your Certificate of Naturalization Once you have completed your application, fulfilled your 12 months of residence, and met the investment requirements, you can collect your Maltese Certificate of Naturalization.When you become a naturalized citizen of Malta, you can apply for and receive a Maltese passport.Although the program is certainly on the more expensive side compared to other CBI programs, Malta citizenship by investment comes with a number of excellent benefits that you should consider.. As a Maltese citizen, you will be able to legally live, work, and travel in all of the European Union, without any border control. . Plus candidates and their family need to be of “exceptional character.”Basically, unlike Malta where the prerequisites are relatively achievable, Austria wants to attract expat billionaires who could already pass as Austrians.Since 2013, Cyprus has had one of the most popular citizenship-by-investment schemes in Europe.It was particularly favored by those in a hurry for a new passport because the process could be completed within 90 days. Furthermore, Cyprus is not part of the Schengen zone, so their passport does not come with nearly the same freedom of movement you get with a Maltese passport.Moldova is emerging as an Eastern European country keen on improving their government coffers by selling passports.