The European Court of Justice ordered Malta to close its “golden passport” program, the one of the last of its kind in Europe that allows wealthy people to buy EU citizenship, even after the small island country suspended the program for citizens of Russia and Belarus.

Malta's so-called golden passport scheme that lets people become citizens through financial investment is contrary to European law, the EU's top court has ruled.The EU commission took Malta to court in 2022 over the scheme,

The European Court of Justice found it illegal for Malta to offer citizenship — and thus entry to the European Union — for a very high price. The island nation's cash-for-citizenship scheme has long been controversial.