Billionaire Peter Thiel, Republican political patron, is said to be seeking Maltese citizenship, the New York Times reports today.

Thiel has declared a two-bedroom apartment that he rents himself as his address while he works toward a goal he has pursued for about a year: becoming a citizen of Malta, according to documents viewed by The New York Times and three people with knowledge of the matter.

Thiel, 55, is in the process of acquiring at least his third passport even as he expands his financial influence over American politics, the report adds.

Since backing Donald J. Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, the technology investor has become one of the largest individual donors in the midterm elections next month, spending more than $30 million on more than a dozen right-wing Congressional candidates who have decried globalization and pledged to put America first.

Thiel was born in Germany and holds American and New Zealand passports. 

Foreign citizens can buy Maltese and EU citizenship in exchange for around €1 million of investment under the controversial programme.

The European Commission has said it will take Malta to court over the member state's "golden passport" scheme.

Brussels has long criticised the initiative, arguing it encourages corruption and money laundering while complaining the investors do not have any obligation to live in the EU.

The Maltese government has maintained that its system "does not contravene" the EU treaties and reiterates that its citizenship policies fall within its national competence.

The sale of passports generated more than €800 million for Malta between 2014 and 2020, the government said.

See report in full here