Malta Launches Start-Up Youths Scheme to Support Young First-Time Founders

The Maltese Government, through a joint initiative by the Malta Business Registry (MBR) and Malta Enterprise, has officially launched the Youth-Led Start-Up Support Scheme. This allows young entrepreneurs, aged between 18 and 30, to recover key registration and legal costs when setting up a new business. This forms part of a broader manifesto commitment to encourage youth entrepreneurship and lower the barriers to starting a business.

The process is straightforward. Eligible companies first pay the relevant fees to the MBR, then apply to Malta Enterprise for a refund within six months of filing their incorporation documents or annual return. Support runs for up to five years. Over that period, it covers both incorporation fees and annual return fees, easing the ongoing administrative costs that come with running a new company.

Legal costs are covered too. Young founders can receive financial assistance towards the legal work involved in establishing and incorporating their company during its first year. Education is another key pillar. Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said participants will also receive education on the responsibilities involved in running a business, giving them a practical grounding from the very start. 

“Our vision is clear,” Schembri said. “We want Malta to continue being the ideal destination for start-ups and entrepreneurs,” " he added, setting out the government’s ambition for the country’s start-up community. Both agencies back the move. MBR CEO Geraldine Spiteri Lucas and Malta Enterprise CEO George Gregory each expressed their organisations’ support for young people looking to take their first steps into business.

The scheme builds on earlier reforms. In March 2026, Malta introduced the Companies Act (Youth Enterprise) Regulations, published as Legal Notice 56 of 2026, allowing people aged 16 and 17 to set up their own limited liability companies within a structured, mentor-supported framework branded Intrapriża16. The two measures complement each other. One opens the door to supervised entrepreneurship for teenagers, while the other eases the early costs faced by first-time founders aged 18 to 30.