Part one · 2 steps
Visa & residency
Start the Malta Retirement Programme (MRP) path
Income thresholds and paths change often — verify with Malta's consulate. The current read:
From our Sliema research
MRP (as of 2025-26) sets NO fixed minimum income, but your pension must be remitted to Malta and form at least 75% of your Maltese chargeable income. The real gate is property: buy €275k (€220k in Gozo/South Malta) OR rent €9,600/yr (€8,750 Gozo/South) — Sliema rents sit comfortably above the rent floor. Costs: €2,500 non-refundable application fee, €7,500/yr minimum tax (+€500 per dependent), private health insurance required. Couples apply jointly (spouse added as dependent). Separately, the unofficially-cited '~$27k income / $40k net worth' figure refers to the EU/EEA ordinary-residence self-sufficiency route, NOT the MRP. US citizens are non-EU, so MRP (or the Global Residence Programme) is the relevant track. Use a licensed Maltese agent.
Read the full Sliema profile →Get key documents apostilled + certified-translated
Birth/marriage certificates, background checks — start early; it's slow, and every residency application wants them.
Our visa paperwork guide →Part two · 3 steps
Healthcare
Map your care in Sliema
Know where you'd go before you need it — the hospital for something serious, the specialist, the pharmacy that speaks English. Here's our current read:
From our Sliema research
Genuinely strong. Public Mater Dei Hospital (Msida, ~15 min away) is large, modern and fully English-speaking; St James Hospital has a private facility in Sliema itself. Care is EU-quality and on-island, so no need to fly out for acute care; the nearest ultra-specialized centers are in Italy/UK (~2-3h flight). Expats use public care out-of-pocket or carry private insurance (~€400-1,600/yr).
Read the full Sliema profile →Know what Medicare does — and doesn't — cover abroad
Original Medicare generally doesn't cover care outside the US. Whatever your plan becomes, it has to answer that gap.
Medicare abroad, explained →Compare international / expat health insurance
See what international health plans actually cover — and what they cost.
Part three · 5 steps
Money & taxes
Pressure-test your Sliema budget
A comfortable month in Sliema runs about $3,873 for a couple, at current exchange rates. Build your own version on top of that base — your rent tier, your healthcare, your flights home — and see what's left over.
Build the real monthly number →Understand US taxes as an expat in Malta
You still file US taxes abroad, and FBAR applies once foreign accounts pass $10,000. The country side matters just as much:
From our Sliema research
Non-doms taxed on remittance basis (territorial for offshore-kept funds). MRP: flat 15% on foreign income remitted to Malta, €7,500/yr minimum. US-Malta treaty: US Social Security and US government pensions taxable only in the US. US citizens still owe US tax on worldwide income (treaty/FTC reduce double tax).
Read the full Sliema profile →Set up low-fee international money transfers
Bank wires quietly cost 3–5% in bad FX; specialists are far cheaper.
Have someone check the retirement math before you commit
Plan day-to-day cash + card access (and a backup card)
Check your cards' foreign-ATM fees before you go, and carry a backup card on a different network in case one gets swallowed.
Part four · 4 steps
The scouting trip
Book the Sliema reconnaissance trip
Not a vacation — a rehearsal. Rent in an ordinary neighborhood for a few weeks and live a normal week: groceries, buses, a doctor's appointment, a quiet Tuesday. Getting there and back:
From our Sliema research
Far from the US. Delta launched the first-ever nonstop, JFK-Malta (~10h20m, ~3x/week), but it's seasonal (Jun-Oct 2026). The rest of the year and for any city other than NYC it's a 1-stop via a European hub (London, Frankfurt, Rome, Munich), realistically 13-18h door-to-door from much of the US.
Read the full Sliema profile →Compare trip insurance for the scouting trip
Read the safety picture for yourself
Sliema sits under a US State Department Level 1 (“exercise normal precautions”) advisory. Check the current one before you book, then weigh it against the on-the-ground picture:
From our Sliema research
US State Dept Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions, as of 2026) — one of the safest EU countries. Violent crime is rare; the realistic risks are pickpocketing and petty/opportunistic theft in tourist areas plus newcomer-targeted scams. Reckless driving and chaotic traffic are a bigger day-to-day hazard than crime.
Read the full Sliema profile →Test the season, not the postcard
Every place has a month the brochures skip. If you can, scout in the worst one:
From our Sliema research
Hot, dry summers (Jul-Aug regularly 32-35C with high humidity and heavy AC use) and mild, wet, windy winters (12-16C). Sea breeze helps. Oct-Mar is the pleasant stretch; high summer is hot and tourist-packed.
Read the full Sliema profile →Part five · 6 steps
The move itself
Rent first — live a full season before you even think about buying
The single biggest regret-saver. The market isn't going anywhere.
Book a short-term furnished rental for your landing
Give yourself 1–3 months to find the right neighborhood.
Decide what to ship, store, or sell
Shipping a household is expensive; many movers regret over-shipping.
Re-home your US mail before you go
Banks, the IRS, Medicare — the mail keeps coming after you leave. Keep a US address you check from anywhere, or hand the whole job to a service.
Sort pet import + airline requirements early
Timelines for vaccines and paperwork can be months.
Our pet-move guide →Scan and cloud-back-up every key document
Passports, prescriptions, insurance cards, the marriage certificate — one folder you can open from any phone, anywhere.
Part six · 3 steps
Settling in
Find your people in Sliema
Loneliness is the #1 reason people move home — build the community before you build anything else. What's already there:
From our Sliema research
Sliema/St Julian's is the heart of Malta's international community — heavy on Brits, Italians, North/Eastern Europeans and a wave of younger remote-workers and iGaming staff, plus retirees. Skews younger and more transient than a classic retiree colony; American retirees specifically are a small slice. English-language meetups, clubs and services are easy to find.
Read the full Sliema profile →Join the expat community before you arrive
Start the conversations months before the flight.
Our community guide →Set up a local SIM + home internet
If your phone's unlocked, an eSIM can cover you from day one; sort home internet once you have an address.
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