In a historic decision, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Malta\u2019s citizenship-by-investment program was illegal, deeming it a \u201cmere commercial transaction\u201d lacking legal legitimacy. This ruling, issued in response to a lawsuit filed by the European Commission, marks the end of the last \u201cgolden passport\u201d program in the European Union.<\/p>\n
Manuel Delia, an anti-corruption activist and executive officer of the civil society organization “Repubblika” in Malta, reacted to the ruling by stating, \u201cYou cannot put a price on citizenship. It\u2019s far more valuable than money.\u201d Delia, who has campaigned against the scheme for years, added that the decision vindicates the work of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, one of the first to warn about the dangers of the program.<\/p>\n
Financial Benefits, but No Genuine Connection<\/strong><\/p>\n Malta’s golden passport program generated over \u20ac1.4 billion for the country. However, critics repeatedly warned that many recipients had no genuine residence in the country. In some cases, the properties they purchased weren\u2019t even livable.<\/p>\n Investigations by the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation revealed that 90% of these visas were granted to Chinese nationals\u2014far more than the number of Chinese citizens actually residing in Malta. This suggested that many were not using their golden visas to live in the country.<\/p>\n While the direct sale of citizenship is now prohibited, similar programs under the name of \u201cresidence by investment\u201d (Golden Visa) continue to operate in several countries, including some EU members. These programs offer residence permits in exchange for real estate purchases or large-scale investments.<\/p>\n Henley & Partners\u2014who previously facilitated Malta’s citizenship program\u2014currently lists 31 countries offering residence-by-investment schemes, with nearly half of them in the EU.<\/p>\n Anna Terrone, a policy expert at Transparency International, warned that such programs continue to open doors for corrupt and wealthy individuals to enter the EU. She called for joint efforts to prevent abuse of these systems.<\/p>\n Malta’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela, defended the financial benefits of the scheme but confirmed that the country would respect the court ruling and adjust its legal framework for citizenship accordingly. However, the key question remains: will the European Union succeed in establishing clear, anti-corruption standards for residence schemes? Or will loopholes remain open for the wealthy?<\/p>\n With the EU\u2019s ban on \u201ccitizenship-by-investment\u201d programs, many wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs are seeking more reliable international alternatives for second citizenship. Dominica\u2019s passport<\/strong> is one of the most popular and trusted programs worldwide, offering second citizenship in under 6 months<\/strong> with a transparent process, no physical residence required<\/strong>, and an affordable investment option<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This passport provides visa-free travel to over 140 countries, including the UK, Schengen Area, and Singapore. As a globally recognized and legal option, it remains the best choice for those seeking a secure and freer future.<\/p>\n Contact us today for a free consultation and start the process.<\/p>\n \u26a0\ufe0f Note: Given recent legal changes, similar programs in countries like Dominica may soon be limited or suspended. Act now to secure your citizenship before it\u2019s too late.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a historic decision, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Malta\u2019s citizenship-by-investment program was illegal, deeming it a \u201cmere commercial transaction\u201d lacking legal legitimacy. This ruling, issued in response to a lawsuit filed by the European Commission, marks the end of the last \u201cgolden passport\u201d program in the European Union. Citizenship, Not a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":18028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18041,"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18040\/revisions\/18041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharifpass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Closed Doors, but Open Pathways<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A Legal, Fast, and Reliable Alternative: Dominica Passport<\/strong><\/h2>\n