Key facts
- First-time buyers
- No duty on first €200,000
- Maximum saving
- €10,000
- Annual grant (first-time)
- €1,000 a year for 10 years
- Deposit assistance
- Homes up to €250,000
- Second-time buyers
- Refund of duty on first €86,000
- Persons with disability
- Refund on first €150,000
Buying your own home in Malta is supported by a set of schemes that reduce, refund or offset the cost. The best known is the first-time buyer exemption, which removes stamp duty on the first €200,000 of the price. Second-time buyers moving home can reclaim part of their duty too.
First-time buyers
Stamp duty exemption
A first-time buyer pays no duty on the first €200,000 of the price; anything above is charged at the standard 5%. The maximum saving is therefore €10,000.
| Price | Standard duty (5%) | First-time buyer pays | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| €180,000 | €9,000 | €0 | €9,000 |
| €280,000 | €14,000 | €4,000 | €10,000 |
| €450,000 | €22,500 | €12,500 | €10,000 |
Who qualifies
- The schemes are for EU buyers. Non-EU buyers pay stamp duty at a flat 5% and do not qualify for these reliefs or the Urban Conservation Area benefits.
- You must not have owned or acquired immovable property in Malta or Gozo before the date of the promise of sale.
- The property must become your sole ordinary residence.
- Since Budget 2026, buyers who previously owned only non-residential property — a garage, a field — keep their first-time-buyer status for their first home.
The exemption has been extended by successive Budgets, most recently to transfers up to the end of 2025, with documents due by February 2026. Confirm the current cut-off with your notary.
Grants and deposit help
Budget 2026 also:
- made permanent the grant of €1,000 a year for ten years for first-time buyers;
- announced a deposit assistance scheme for first-time buyers of homes worth up to €250,000.
These are administered separately from the duty exemption, with their own applications.
Second-time buyers
Homeowners who sell their home to buy another as their residence can claim a refund of the duty paid on the first €86,000 of the new property — €4,300. For persons with a disability, or their guardians, the refund covers the first €150,000 (€7,500). The refund is claimed after the purchase and depends on selling the previous home within the permitted timeframe. The scheme was extended by Budget 2026; check the cut-off date before relying on it.
Other reliefs to know about
- Urban Conservation Areas and vacant properties: for EU residents, exemptions on duty and property transfer tax on the first part of the value, plus grants for first-time buyers — see UCA incentives. Not available to non-EU buyers.
Making your claim
- Tell your notary early, before the promise of sale, which scheme you expect to use.
- Sign the declarations in the promise of sale and the deed confirming your eligibility.
- Keep proof that the property is your residence — for example your ID card address and utility registration — as conditions can be checked afterwards.
