Working as a freelance translator in Malta

[chris5031]

Hello everyone,

I have a question for those of you who currently work or have worked freelance (self-employed) in Malta.

In comparison to other EU countries, from a financial and bureaucratic point of view, how difficult would you say it is to set up and work as a self-employed translator in Malta? I'm thinking specifically of the attitude the government/tax authorities have towards self-employment (whether it is relatively progressive or not), the (amount of) tax/social security contributions in comparison to other EU countries and the general ease of operating in Malta as a freelancer.

I currently work in Portugal and am considering relocating to Malta. Most of my clients are within the EU (mostly France and Belgium).

Thanks for any help you can give me!

[chris5031]

I should also add, as it may be useful to know, that I am an EU citizen (Irish) and that I earn approx. €25K annually. I suppose my other question would be; how cheap/expensive is living in Malta (preferably in comparison to Portugal!) and is it possible to live well on a joint income of approx. €50k (my partner is also self-employed and an EU citizen).

[gozomark]

Hi Chris, and welcome to the forum

Malta's cost of living is maybe 10-20% below UK - no idea how that compares to Portugal. € 50K a year is about double what a Maltese family typically lives on.

many of your other questions are answered in the following

EU citizen moving to Malta Q&A

http://www.britishexpat.com/expatforum/ ... hp?t=21114

covers

1. An EU citizens legal rights - residency, working, students
2. what sort of residency is available ?
3. what do I need to apply for if I want to reside in Malta ?
4. do I need to apply for residency before coming to live in Malta ?
5. do I need an accountant to apply for residency ?
6. do I need health insurance ?
6.1 Do I qualify for public health cover, and if I do, what cover do I have ? Are prescriptions free ?
7. can I work in Malta ?
7.1 How much is income tax ?
7.2 How much are social security contributions ?
8. where do I apply for my residency permit ?
9. where can I get the OR application form ?
10. where do I apply for my ID card ?
11. what documents do I need to apply for OR ?
12. can I vote in Malta ?
13. buying a property FAQ
14. renting a property FAQ
15. Importing a vehicle FAQ
16. What's the procedure for importing/exporting a pet ?
17. Can I use my driving licence in Malta ?
18. Long term residency permit

Read more: http://www.britishexpat.com/expatforum/ ... z1G7bzMEsV

[chris5031]

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it.
I'd just been having a look at that thread actually- it's very comprehensive and useful, thank you.
Tax seems to be similar (slightly less) than Portugal. Social security seems to be a bit higher

Out of curiosity, when you say "If you are not paying social security contributions, one option is to take out private health insurance" do you mean for people who are not working and are therefore not paying SS or do you mean that it is possible to opt to not pay SS (and obviously not be entitled to free health care) and instead pay for private care? In Portugal we pay around 130 Euros a months for SS and in Malta it seems that it would be over 200 Euros each... I'd much rather not pay for private health care than pay SS (I am very young and not really worried about maternity/paternity/sick payments and pension payments at the moment). Although I'm not sure if this is really possible...

[chris5031]

One more (rather random) query. Do you have any idea how much it would cost, in Malta, to learn how to drive (from scratch by taking lessons) and to take the test. Would it be possible to do this entirely in English? I can't drive and would like to learn! I have heard that cars are expensive to buy in Malta but have no idea about the cost of driving lessons/test.

[chris5031]

Sorry, I made a mistake and meant to say :I WOULD much rather pay for private health care than pay SS

[gozomark]

AFAIK if you are employed or self-employed, you can't opt out of SSS

[chris5031]

Yep, that's what I thought...

[pumabob]

Chris,
You said elsewhere that you were originally from N.Ireland?
If so, then you may still qualify as a UK citizen (as well as being Irish) depending on how long you have been in Portugal.

Might be worth looking into as the UK/Malta reciprical health care arrangements are a lot more favourable.

[gozomark]

The reciprocal health agreement only comes into play if someone isn't working

[chris5031]

@Pumabob
Yes, I'm Northern Irish so I have British and Irish passports. I just assumed it wouldn't make a difference which EU passport I used. I suppose it's irrelevant if we are both working though, as Mark said.
Thanks anyway!