New I.D. card rules
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Until I joined ´ó¿§¸£ÀûÓ°Ôº, as well as looking at britishexpat.com website, I have only just discovered that the relevant residency is Ordinary Residency (OR). No one has told me anything about OR and from what I know of other Brits living in Malta they don't know anything about OR either. Consequently, there must be a lot of expats like me in Malta who do not have residency permits
I have never been told I need health insurance either
Just wondering what will happen when - eventually - I get an appointment to apply for the new e-residence card and pitch up without any existing residency permit!
I know of some expats whose income, like mine, comes from the UK and who, like me, are taxed in the UK. I still have a GP in the UK and get any medicine I need from there. The consensus of opinion among us is to let our existing ID cards expire as of 31 March and just live as tourists. I wonder how many others might be thinking of doing the same
if you spend more than 3 months in Malta you have to get the eresidency docs
if you work in Malta you have to get the eresidency docs (with a few exceptions for temporary work)
if you spend more than 6 months in a calendar year to have to fill in a tax return
as for the NI / SSC number she didnt need anything just asked for it on the basis that she was about to start part time work - i think she was asked for her id card number but that was all...not sure at this stage if they would accept an eu passport (altho i suspect not).... and as far as the law is concerned everyone whether working or not has a responsibility to get an NI / SSC number - they then issue you with a unique number and a card.
avro698 wrote:I live here permanently. I visit the UK three or four times a year
In that case you are legally resident in Malta, unless each stay here is less than 3 months. That means you shouldn't be using a GP in the UK, you shouldn't be using a UK issued EHIC when in Malta, and should be filing a Malta tax return (assuming you spend more than half the year in Malta).
avro698 wrote:There is no requirement for any EU citizen to have to leave the EU country they have moved to live in every three months if that country is their permanent residence
correct, but if you stay more than 3 months you have to apply for the eresidence card. You cannot have Malta as your permanent residence and be a tourist, its one or the other
I have a UK local government pension which, under UK law, cannot be converted overseas. I am taxed in the UK. Under the bilateral arrangement between many countries, including Malta and the UK, I cannot be taxed twice. UK law for occupational pensions for retired public sector workers, such as myself, prevents me from transfering my pension to Malta or any other country I might move to live in, therefore I do not have to register for tax in Malta
I have a UK address which entitles me to have a UK GP and to be prescribed free medication there
I am not eligible for an EHIC. To be so, I have to be either working or in receipt of the UK state pension - I am neither. The pensions department in Newcastle will not issue me with a Form S1 to apply for an EHIC because, according to their definition, I am not a pensioner. Once I start receiving the UK state pension in 2.5 years time I will be eligible to receive an S1 and, therefore, to apply for an EHIC.
- you still have to fill in a tax return in Malta. You are still liable to tax, but you can offset any tax paid in the UK against your Malta tax bill
My point is that I know other expats in a similar situation as myself who receive their income from the UK and are taxed in the UK, therefore they cannot be taxed in Malta. The new e-residence system is making them feel it is not worth all the trouble applying for it so they are thinking of just using their passports when they need to produce ID. I'm not saying I intend doing the same but I can understand their logic
"The new e-residence system is making them feel it is not worth all the trouble applying for it so they are thinking of just using their passports when they need to produce ID. I'm not saying I intend doing the same but I can understand their logic " I also understand the logic, I'm merely saying what the law is
avro698 wrote:Not so. I receive no income from Malta so what is there to be taxed? The Maltese government cannot tax me on my UK pension. There are long-standing bi-lateral agreements between countries that prevent double taxation
you are liable to tax on income you generate in Malta or bring into Malta.
You misunderstand double taxation treaties. lets say you have a UK pension of £ 20,000 and pay tax of £ 3,000 in the UK. If you bring all that pension into Malta, you are liable to tax of say £ 5,000, but as you paid tax in the UK of £3,000, your Malta tax bill is only £ 2,000
avro698 wrote:Yes, I am eligible for a UK GP because I have a UK local government pension and have a UK address.
only if you are UK resident !
avro698 wrote:. UK and Malta are signaturies to the treaty which prevents double taxation.
see my example above - thats how double taxation treaty works. If you don't bring your pension into Malta you wont pay tax on it, but presumably you are bringing in some income into Malta
avro698 wrote:No, that's the point! My income is in the UK. I cannot bring my pension into Malta even if I wanted to, UK local government law prevents me from doing so. As I am taxed in the UK, paid my NI contributions for more than 40 years and have an address in the UK, I am entitled to full NHS treatment.
we are going round in circles, and so this is my last comment
1. NHS cover is based solely on residence in the UK. If you are resident in Malta you cannot be resident in the UK. The fact you paid NI contribs for 40 years is irrelevant.
2. you are liable to tax in Malta on any income you bring into Malta if you live here more than half a calendar year. You can offset tax already paid in the UK by applying the double taxation treaty. I'm not talking of transferring your pension pot to Malta, but transferring money, either electronically into a bank account, through an ATM, spending money on a credit card or bringing in physical cash.
"I know other expats in the same situation as myself, mostly retired former British military personnel or public sector workers like me " and I know of many as well, but that doesn't make it legal.
If you apply for the eresidence document you may set off a chain of events that lead to you losing NHS entitlement and receiving tax demands/penalties from Malta. I'm sorry to be blunt, but your understanding of tax, residence and immigration laws, and what is required to be eligible to NHS cover is flawed. Just because others are doing the same doesn't mean its legal.Anyway, thats it from me.
wensu wrote:Â i have no idea what forms are needed as the gov website is a clear as mud.
are you EU or non-EU ?
are you working or self sufficient ?
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