Grant for First-Time Buyers (UCA / Vacant / New Property)

Overview

The Ministry for Finance's Grant for First Time Buyers helps genuine first-time buyers purchase a residential property within an Urban Conservation Area, a property built more than twenty years ago and vacant for more than seven, or a new property finished in approved traditional Maltese style. It is separate from the Housing Authority's own First-Time Buyer Scheme, and a buyer who qualifies for both could in principle claim each.

Who This Is For

This is strictly for genuine first-time buyers: the applicant must be acquiring their first immovable property ever, bought inter vivos rather than inherited, and intended as their sole and ordinary residence. Anyone who has bought any immovable property before, of any kind, does not qualify. Only one property per applicant can benefit, and only once.

Eligibility

The applicant must be a resident in Malta, eighteen or over, and buying one of three categories of qualifying property: one within an Urban Conservation Area, one built more than twenty years ago and vacant for more than seven, or a newly built and finished property meeting the competent authority's approved guidelines for traditional Maltese architecture. The property must be purchased on or after the scheme's effective date of 1 January 2025, and the deed of acquisition must be registered with the Malta Tax and Customs Administration under the relevant duty relief rules (Subsidiary Legislation 364.19), with legal proof and a declaration confirming first-time-buyer status submitted alongside it. A buyer who was already on a promise of sale (konvenju) on 1 January 2025, but had not yet signed the final deed, is still covered.

What It Offers

Eligible applicants receive up to €15,000 for a property in Malta, or up to €40,000 for a property in Gozo where the deed of acquisition is signed on or after 1 January 2025. Gozo properties with a deed signed before that date, where the grant has not yet been paid, receive €30,000 instead, assessed against that earlier deed date rather than the later one. Where the property is bought jointly, the final grant is worked out pro rata to each buyer's share.

Applying

Applications go through the official electronic portal only. For UCA properties and properties built more than twenty years ago and vacant for more than seven, the application has to be submitted within six months of the purchase, as shown on the deed of acquisition; anything submitted later is treated as invalid. Owners of new properties instead apply once the property is actually built and finished to the approved guidelines, rather than against a fixed post-purchase deadline. For up to five years after applying, applicants may be asked to produce the original supporting documents; not producing them means refunding the grant, and a fraudulent application can lead to criminal proceedings under the Criminal Code.

What Can End the Grant

Dividing a property that benefited from the grant into separate residential units later means refunding the full amount. The Ministry for Finance can otherwise amend, end, or renew the scheme by publishing a further notice in the Government Gazette.

Source & Verification

This summary is drawn from the Government Gazette notice amending the Grant for First Time Buyers (Notice No. 142, Government Gazette No. 21,381, 24 January 2025), which itself amends the original scheme launched under Government Notice No. 1605 (Gazette No. 20,748, 10 December 2021), and subsequent amendments under Government Notice No. 385 (Gazette No. 20,832, 12 April 2022), Government Notice No. 240 (Gazette No. 21,195, 20 February 2024), and Government Notice No. 1805 (Gazette No. 21,366, 24 December 2024). Cross checked clause by clause and last verified on 8 August 2026. The scheme runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026 and may be modified, ended, or renewed by further Government Gazette notice.

• Scheme page: https://www.servizz.gov.mt/en/Pages/Tax-and-Finance/Taxation/Tax/WEB05381/default.aspx
• Government Gazette Notice No. 142 (PDF): https://finance.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Grant_for_First_Time_Buyers_Jan-2025.pdf

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general awareness only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Schemes are reviewed and amended periodically, so availability, amounts, deadlines and eligibility criteria may have changed since this page was last verified. Always confirm current details on the official scheme page before applying or making any decision.