What are some of the common reasons that applicants to the Maltese citizenship program are denied?

Answers

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  Elena Koltsova

  Family Office Limited

  April 18, 2018

  According to our information, the percentage of refusal is about 20 percent. There is no official information on the refusal reasons, but from the open source information it is clear that the main reason for refusal is a due diligence concern. If you are a PEP or have any reputational issues, the chance of being refused goes higher. It is also extremely important how you generated your total net worth. In general, the due diligence process on the Malta citizenship program is very strict. Therefore, if you have reasonable concerns about being accepted under the MIIP, you might wish to consider other countries, as from our experience other programs have much lower expectations on due diligence issues. At the same time, if you participate in Malta program, it would be very important to complete all forms and provide all supporting documents as accurately as possible. Your agent will guide you on this in a due course.

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  James Scerri Worley

  Advocates Primei

  April 21, 2018

  The main issues relating to a denied application would be issues relating to matters that come out of the due diligence. Applicants who are not deemed to have a clean record are refused. Also, applicants who do not provide a clear source of funds and source of wealth on their income and wealth will also be refused. Accepting such clients would go against the security of Malta.

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  George Mangion

  PKF Malta

  April 25, 2018

  First and foremost, the government authority in charge of the Malta Individual Investor Programme (MIIP) maintains a list of prohibited countries; this is the primary filtering phase for applications. The list is made up of the following jurisdictions: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Afghanistan. By way of statistics, the fourth annual report published by the office of the MIIP in December 2017 for the 12-month period between July 2016 and June 2017 reveals that since its inception in 2014, the total amount of applications for the MIIP submitted reached 1,101. Out of these submissions, the total number of naturalized citizens through the end of June 2017 stands at 566. The authority undertakes an extensive due-diligence procedure when reviewing its applications and deciding which applications shall reach naturalization stage. Indeed, this is why the timeframe for a single application is of a minimum of 12 months. From our end, as accredited agents, we thoroughly review applications and supporting documentation so as to make sure that upon submission, an application is in line with the guidelines issued by the authority, thereby increasing the chances of success at application stage. This, however, is subject to the applicant providing us with all necessary information (about his background, capital etc.) to ensure that the same complies with the regulations and requirements of the program.