Passport Index has declared the Maltese passport as the ninth most powerful in the world in its 2016 ranking of passports worldwide. Passport Index ranks the world’s passports by analysing which passports offer the most visa free-travel destinations to its holders. The Maltese passport offers visa-free travel to 150 countries in the world, including the United States of America. This ranks it as one of the most attractive passports world-wide.
Malta offers foreign nationals the possibility to acquire a Maltese passport through Citizenship by Investment also known as the Malta Individual Investor Programme (IIP).
The IIP, introduced in Malta in 2013, allows for the granting of a citizenship status, by means of a certificate of naturalisation, to those individuals who contribute to the economic and social development of Malta. The granting of citizenship to these applicants and their dependents is based on such a contribution, but is also subject to a very strict due diligence process, including but not limited to very meticulous background checks of the individual applicants.