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The rule in writing
“Malta’s Nomad Residence Permit requires health insurance covering the EU (including Malta) and the UK, for one full year with the premium paid in advance. Travel insurance is not accepted — but a foreign health policy that meets the requirements is explicitly acceptable.”
Official source: Residency Malta Agency — Nomad Residence Permit health-insurance policy — Last verified:
How Malta's public system fits a new arrival
Malta runs a public healthcare system funded through Maltese social security contributions. If you're moving to Malta as an employee or established resident paying into that system, you're inside it.
Most people arriving on the Nomad Residence Permit aren't paying into Maltese social security, so they sit outside the public system entirely and rely on private cover for the length of their stay. That's exactly why the permit is built around a private-insurance requirement rather than a public-system registration step. For the fuller picture, see Expat health insurance in Malta.
Malta's rule: unusually friendly, still two traps
Malta's rule is the friendliest we cover among the Nomad Residence Permit destinations. The Residency Malta Agency's own published framing is that a foreign health policy which meets the requirements is explicitly acceptable, so you aren't locked into a Malta-only insurer.
Two traps still catch people out. First, the territory line: cover has to reach the EU, including Malta itself, and the UK, not just one or the other. Second, the term line: the policy needs a full year of cover with the premium paid in advance, not billed month to month. Travel insurance, however comprehensive it looks, is not accepted under either line. Run both lines against our checklist before you buy, or use policy check on a policy you already hold.
How private cover fits it together
We arrange cover built to that exact territory-and-term shape, then issue the certificate worded for the agency's checklist so it lines up with what a Malta caseworker is looking for. Annual limits run from US$1,000,000 to US$2,000,000, cover starts the same day with no medical exam, and there's a 14-day cooling-off period if you change your mind.
Children aged 0-17 are covered at a flat rate, pre-existing conditions are excluded, and treatment in the US isn't covered. New applicants are accepted up to age 70, with an Essential plan available to 80. Compare costs by age on Real Malta insurance prices by age, read the fuller walkthrough on our Nomad Residence Permit insurance page, or get a quote directly.
Honest limits: Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, including conditions you did not know about. We disclose this before you request a quote. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s.