Euro Tax Consulting

Euro Tax Consulting is a small, owner-managed advisory firm in Attard that has helped entrepreneurs build and run companies in Malta since 2013. Most of its clients are business owners, executives and family offices from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the region often shortened to DACH, but it works in English and its services suit any internationally active entrepreneur looking at Malta as a base.

The firm covers the whole journey: an initial structuring conversation, forming the company, opening the bank account, setting up a holding structure, filing tax returns and refund claims, keeping the books, running payroll, finding grants and moving the family over. On VisitMalta.co.uk it appears in our directory of accountants in Malta.

A conservative approach to tax planning

The firm's guiding idea is the German principle of the honourable merchant, the Ehrbarer Kaufmann, which stands for honesty, prudence and long-term thinking in business. In practice that means a deliberately cautious style of advice. Aggressive tax schemes, unclear sources of funds and business models aimed only at quick profit do not fit, and the firm reserves the right to turn down an engagement after assessing a prospective client.

Quality is backed by ISO 9001 certification, held since 2019, which gives documented processes and quality controls that banks and tax authorities recognise. Euro Tax Consulting is also a Xero Certified Partner, so clients who prefer cloud accounting can keep their books in Xero with the team's support.

The firm currently looks after around 100 active clients and draws on a network of 345 partners, including licensed Maltese lawyers, auditors and tax advisers, with cross-border expertise from Spain and Cyprus. Rather than trying to be the biggest or cheapest option, it aims to be the most thorough, with every service managed together instead of split between several providers.

Company formation and getting operational

Setting up a Maltese private limited company is quick on paper: registration with the Malta Business Registry typically takes two to five business days from signing. The harder part is the operational set-up, and the business setup service treats it as one coordinated project. It covers the Memorandum and Articles of Association and share structure, a physical office or registered office service that meets substance requirements, corporate tax and VAT registration including an intra-community VAT number, employer registration with Jobsplus, and trade licences or sector permits where needed.

Bank account opening is a particular focus. Maltese banks apply strict know-your-customer checks, and the team prepares the KYC documentation, makes introductions to Maltese and EU banks and follows the application through to activation. Full operational readiness, with bank account, VAT number, employer registration and office in place, usually takes four to eight weeks, and the project ends with a handover pack of certificates, registrations and a compliance calendar.

For a UK reader comparing options, our explainer on how Malta's corporate tax structure works is useful background before the first call.

Holding structures, tax filing and substance

A large part of the work involves Malta holding companies. The team designs structures around the client's business, exit plans and home-country tax position, sets them up to qualify for Malta's participation exemption on qualifying dividends and capital gains, aligns them with Malta's network of more than 75 double tax treaties, integrates existing operating companies and plans share structures for a future sale or succession from the start.

Tax filing covers the full corporate tax return and the application for the six-sevenths refund available to shareholders under Malta's full imputation system. Because those benefits depend on real economic presence, the substance and licensing service focuses on POEM compliance (the place of effective management, meaning where key decisions are actually taken), sound governance with documented board meetings, and licensing with the MFSA or the Malta Gaming Authority where a business needs it. Our guides to financial services in Malta and iGaming companies in Malta describe those regulated sectors.

The firm also works alongside existing tax advisers and lawyers abroad, acting as the local Maltese contact while they keep overall coordination at home. For an overview of the personal tax side, see our guide to Malta tax for UK nationals.

Bookkeeping, payroll and grants

Ongoing accounting includes recording transactions, reconciliations and preparing financial statements. The payroll service runs the monthly cycle from gross-to-net calculations to payslips in English or German, files the monthly FS5 returns with the Commissioner for Revenue, calculates and files social security contributions, issues the annual FS3 certificates and registers new staff with Jobsplus and the other authorities. It also handles expatriate employees, including A1 social security certificates and liaison with their home-country accountants, and quotes a monthly fee based on headcount.

On funding, Euro Tax Consulting helps clients secure EU and Malta Enterprise support such as investment grants, tax credits and research and development incentives. Business valuations for restructurings, transactions and exit planning are carried out with its valuation partner.

Relocation support for families and key staff

Moving to Malta is about more than residence papers, and the relocation service treats housing, schools, healthcare and banking as part of the same plan. The team assesses which residence route fits, including ordinary residence, non-dom status, the Global Residence Programme and the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, and prepares the applications. Ordinary residence registration typically takes two to six weeks, while Global Residence Programme and permanent residence applications can take three to nine months because of due diligence.

Practical help covers property search, viewings and contract review, school placement including German-speaking options, personal bank accounts, health insurance, converting an EU driving licence and registering a vehicle, followed by support with renewals and everyday questions for the first six to twelve months. Our UK guide to relocating to Malta covers the same ground from a British perspective, and anyone planning to keep working for an employer abroad should also read our guide to living in Malta as a digital nomad.

The team and partner network

Alfons Schwarte founded the firm in 2013 and is its Managing Director. He has more than 25 years of business and finance experience, a bachelor's degree in economics and finance, and speaks English and German. Since 2021 he has represented the BVMW, Germany's Federal Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, in Malta, and the firm is also linked to the Federal Economic Senate. Michela Arena, an ACCA-qualified accountant who speaks English and Italian, is Finance Manager and Tax Advisor, and Enrica Annese, the Accounting Officer, supports company administration, bank account openings and coordination with trust specialists.

Specialist partners extend the team. Prof. Dr. Adrian Cloer of Forvis Mazars advises on international and European tax law, Dr. Martin Trost on business valuation and exit taxation, and Patrick Rode, a German attorney registered in Malta as a European lawyer, on international corporate law. Dr. Mary Grace Vella of MGV Advocates covers Maltese law, anti-money laundering and governance, Petros Nacouzi of Mazars Cyprus supports audits and cross-border structuring, and Stefanie Weber provides certified translations in German, English and Spanish and helps clients find property. The Remarkable Collective, a Maltese group covering recruitment, training, compliance and marketing, is a further partner.

The firm also organises events, including the International Business and Investment Forum Malta in June 2026, a full day on tax structuring and cross-border investment. Back in 2021 the Times of Malta covered the opening of the BVMW office on the island, with Alfons Schwarte and Michela Arena explaining how German companies could use Malta as a gateway to new European markets.

Starting a conversation with Euro Tax Consulting

The office is at The Peak Business Centre on Triq Santa Katerina in Attard, a residential town in the centre of Malta a short drive from the old capital described in our Mdina guide. Clients flying in for meetings can stay at one of the hotels in Mdina and Rabat nearby.

Work follows four steps: a free initial consultation to review your situation and goals, a tailored strategy with an implementation roadmap, the implementation itself, and ongoing support with accounting, tax and compliance. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page to describe what you are planning, and we will pass your message to Euro Tax Consulting so the team can reply to you directly.