Identity Malta Agency launches the Annual Report for the year 2022.

Identity Malta has launched its Annual Report for the year 2022, which highlights the achievements as well as numerical statistics that represent the work’s objective and future vision.

Colonel Mark Mallia, CEO of Identity Malta Agency, noted that this effort has resulted in significant accomplishments for all the staff, especially following the difficult times we endured because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have gone through two years that offered various challenges, but despite this, the year 2022 brought with it a sense of optimism and encouragement, and this is clearly reflected in the work done by the agency during the year 2022,” said the CEO.

The CEO highlighted that the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions and procedures had created new challenges and constraints for certain departments within the agency. “However, the willingness of every worker to work together has led us to restart operations with the greatest efficiency,” Colonel Mallia emphasised.

The CEO concluded that the figures presented in the Annual Report demonstrate how important the work and devotion of the employees is for the agency to continue to give the best possible service.

The opening hours of the Passport Office were extended, for a period that also included Sundays. This was done to reduce waiting times and to make application submissions easier and more flexible. This development was extended with the introduction of an online Appointment System for commonly used services, where the client may choose the most convenient day and time in order to be provided with the requested service. From its inception in March through December of last year, this system was used to book 106,970 (one hundred and sixty thousand, nine hundred and seventy) appointments.

From May through December, the Customer Care & Support Unit answered over 69,000 (sixty-nine thousand) phone calls and little under 119,508 (one hundred and nineteen thousand, five hundred and eight) emails – with August and October being two of the busiest months, with approximately 18,000 (eighteen thousand) emails handled each month. August was also the busiest month in terms of calls answered by the Customer Care and Support Unit, with about 15,000 (fifteen thousand) calls. During the same time period, this Section’s employees met with 768 clients in person at the Agency’s Office in Msida.
The Compliance Unit, which also saw an extension in its responsibilities last year, saw significant increases in its operation. During the previous year, the unit conducted 40 inspections, carried out around 680 (six hundred and eighty) interviews, and resolved nearly 200 cases.

In terms of National Identity, the Passport Office issued over 67,000 passports (66,980 passports) in 2022. The busiest months for the office were May and August, with almost 11,500 (eleven thousand five hundred) new passports issued in August alone.

The Identity Cards Unit also saw a rise in the number of new identity cards issued. Over 42,000 Identity Cards were issued in 2022. (A total of 42,021 Identity Cards). An equivalent number of new eID Accounts were activated by the same unit, with roughly 41,210 eID accounts enabled. Through the eID, this unit also registered over 12 million transactions.

The agency’s digital investment has clearly increased, as over 60% of Certificates, which include birth, death, and marriage certificates, were requested through the digital platform.
During the previous year, 90% of births and more than 60% of deaths were registered in the Public Registry office located in Mater Dei Hospital, and as a result the demand for this service from this same office continues to grow year after year.
The Searches Unit was similarly busy in 2022, with over 206,000 (two hundred and sixty thousand) research orders and over 84,000 (eighty-four thousand) notes processed.

The CEO commended all agency employees for their hard efforts and commitment to meeting every challenge while continuing to provide excellent and top-quality service.