Malta — MGA licence.
The Malta Gaming Authority is the gold standard EU iGaming licence — passportable across the EU and universally recognised by payment processors.
A considered route,
not a shortcut.
This jurisdiction rewards operators who treat the application as the start of a supervisory relationship.
When this is the right choice
When to consider an alternative
Phases to licence grant.
Pre-application & policy
Weeks 1—8MGA pre-application meeting completed. Corporate entity and governance structure established. Responsible gaming, AML, and technical compliance policies drafted to MGA standard.
Submission
Weeks 8—12Full application submitted to MGA including system certification, key function appointments, business risk assessment, and financial projections.
MGA review & RFI
Months 3—5MGA conducts detailed review of the application. Fit-and-proper assessment of key persons, technical compliance audit, and AML framework evaluation conducted.
Operational compliance & go-live
Months 5—6Compliance conditions resolved. Operating licence issued. Platform goes live under ongoing MGA supervision — quarterly reporting, audit obligations, and player fund protection active.
Cost and regulatory
burden.
Year-one spend is dominated by substance — resident director, office, compliance officer, external audit — not the licence fee itself.
| Cost item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | €5,000 |
| Annual licence fee (B2C, by type) | €25,000 — €35,000 |
| Compliance contribution (% of GGR) | 0.4% — 1.25% |
| Local substance (office, KFHs) | €80,000 — €160,000 / yr |
| External audit & MLRO | €40,000 — €70,000 / yr |
| Year-1 total | ~€180K — €320K |
Malta corporate tax: nominal 35%, with refund mechanisms reducing the effective rate to ~5% for trading subsidiaries. EU-passportable in most B2B contexts.
What founders
ask before filing.
The questions we get on every diagnostic call. If yours isn't here, raise it in the consultation.
Tell us where
you want to
operate.
Forty-five minutes with a partner. Jurisdiction memo within seven days. No retainer required to start.
No retainer required.