A certificate of Maltese citizenship is mainly issued on request of a foreign Government in order to prove one’s national status. A request from the country’s authority should be produced before the certificate can be issued. Should a certificate of Maltese citizenship be required for other purposes, the applicant would need justifications. This certificate is issued against a fee of €15.

The Citizenship Unit will require the applicant’s:

• Birth certificate;
• Father’s birth certificate;
• Parents’ marriage certificate;
• Passport; &
• Identity card.

A married woman or widow will also have to submit her marriage certificate. Furthermore, if her husband or late husband was born in Malta, the Citizenship Unit will also require (i) his birth certificate, (ii) his father’s birth certificate and (iii) his parents’ marriage certificate.

Notes:
In certain cases additional documents may be required;

• As from 16th April 2010, the Citizenship Unit ceased to request civil status certificates issued by Public Registry Office of Malta in connection with the services provided by the same Unit. The Citizenship Unit shall obtain the necessary certificates on behalf of the enquirer/applicant;
• It is, however, the responsibility of the enquirer/applicant to provide the Citizenship Unit with the correct information in order to acquire the correct certificates. Although not obligatory, the presentation of a readily available marriage certificate would facilitate matters. The Citizenship Unit will retain a copy of the certificate;
• In this regard the enquirer/applicant is requested to complete Form B;
• Applicants would need to present Birth/Marriage certificates issued by foreign
  Authorities and local Ecclesiastical Authorities when these records are not available at the Public Registry.

Provided that the applicant is over eighteen (18) years of age, an individual may submit an application if he/she is a:

• Foreigner or stateless person;
• Has resided in Malta throughout the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the
  date of application; &
• Has resided in Malta for an aggregate period of a minimum of four (4) years, during the
  six (6) years preceding the above period of twelve (12) months;
• Person of good character;
• Has adequate knowledge of Maltese or English language*;
• Would be a suitable citizen of Malta.

* This requirement shall not apply to any person of full age but not of full capacity on behalf of whom anapplication is submitted with the authorisation of the Civil Court (Voluntary Jurisdiction).

Prior to submitting an application, the applicants would need to set an appointment with the Citizenship Unit so that a residence certificate is compiled. In this regard, applicants would need to provide the Officer with (i) their current passport and (ii) all other expired passports in their possession (covering their period of residence in Malta).

The applicant would need to submit additional documents once the Citizenship Unit assesses the above certificate and confirms that the applicant is eligible to proceed with his/her
application.

Parent/s, including those who were non-Maltese and one/both eventually acquired Maltese citizenship, may submit an application on behalf of their children in order to be naturalized as citizens of Malta.

Notes:

• In certain cases additional documents may be requested;
• As from 16th April 2010, the Citizenship Unit ceased to request civil status certificates issued by Public Registry Office of Malta in connection with the services provided by the same Unit. The Citizenship Unit shall obtain the necessary certificates on behalf of the enquirer/applicant;
• It is, however, the responsibility of the enquirer/applicant to provide the Citizenship Unit with the correct information in order to acquire the correct certificates. Although not obligatory, the presentation of a readily available marriage certificate would facilitate matters. The Citizenship Unit will retain a copy of the certificate;
• Applicants would need to present Birth/Marriage certificates issued by foreign Authorities and local Ecclesiastical Authorities when these records are not available at the Public Registry.
• A list is annually published in the Government Gazette which contains the full name of all those persons who were naturalised as citizens of Malta during the preceding year.
• Malta accepts dual or multiple citizenship, however, the persons concerned are advised to verify whether their country’s citizenship law permits this since the voluntary acquisition of another citizenship may lead to the loss of their current one (refer to Dual/Multiple Citizenship).

1. The applicant would need to submit the necessary documents to the Citizenship Unit;
2. Once the Citizenship Unit reviews the documents submitted, the applicant will verify the content and sign the filled in application form;
3. The applicant would need two (2) sponsors (who are not relatives) in order to complete
   the application process. Their signature would need to be witnessed and countersigned by another person.

Applicants may choose any of the following as their first sponsor:

• A member of Parliament;
• A judge;
• A magistrate;
• An advocate;
• A notary public;
• A legal procurator;
• A medical practitioner;
• A public officer not below the rank of principal;
• A police officer not below the rank of inspector;
• An officer of the Armed Forces of Malta not below the rank of captain;
• A parish priest.

The second sponsor may be any citizen of Malta who does not belong to any of the above-mentioned professions.

Any citizen of Malta may act as sponsor provided that he/she did not acquire Maltese citizenship by naturalisation and that he/she is over eighteen (18) years of age.

4. Applicants would then need to submit a complete application form to the Citizenship Unit and will administer the necessary oaths, including the Oath of Allegiance to the Republic of Malta*.

* This requirement shall not apply to any person of full age but not of full capacity on behalf of whom an application is submitted with the authorisation of the Civil Court (Voluntary Jurisdiction).

Besides the fees in view of the oaths administered, applicants would need to pay €450.

The application will be processed by the Citizenship Unit and successful applicants will be naturalised as citizens of Malta. Successful applicants will be considered citizens of Malta from the date shown on their certificate of naturalisation, onwards. Then they will be asked to personally call at the Citizenship Unit to collect their certificate against a fee of €50.

If the applicant was born abroad, the Citizenship Unit will address a letter to the Director of Public Registry so that his/her birth certificate may be registered at the Public Registry Office. Applicants must present this letter to the Public Registry along with their original birthcertificate, and an official translation in English or Maltese, or a photocopy of the certificate duly certified by either a Notary Public, an Advocate or a Legal Procurator.

Section 7 of the Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188) stipulates that “it shall be lawful for any person to be a citizen of Malta, and at the same time a citizen of another country.” Hence, following the amendments enacted on 10th February 2000, Maltese citizens who acquire a foreign citizenship/s may retain their Maltese citizenship, whilst foreigners who acquire Maltese citizenship by registration or naturalization may also retain such citizenship together with their foreign citizenship (provided that this does not prejudice foreign legislation which prohibits dual citizenship for its own nationals).

Furthermore, Maltese citizens who had previously lost their citizenship prior to the enactment of the said amendments have automatically reacquired their Maltese citizenship if they satisfy the conditions hereunder. If not, they need to apply to be registered as citizens of Malta.

Automatic Reacquisition of Maltese citizenship by former citizens In view of the said amendments, which came into effect on 10th February 2000, all those who:

• became citizens of Malta automatically on or after 21st September 1964 by birth or by
  descent;
• subsequently lost Maltese citizenship; &
• have resided outside Malta for an aggregate period of at least six (6) years,

have automatically re-acquired Maltese citizenship and deemed to have never lost their Maltese citizenship.

Persons who had not attained their 19th birthday on 10 February 2000.

Those persons who on 10th February 2000 had not yet attained their 19th birthday and held another citizenship, apart from that of Malta, retained such citizenship as they were no longer required to renounce their foreign citizenship in order not to lose their Maltese citizenship.

Former citizens of Malta who do not qualify for automatic reacquisition of Maltese citizenship

Those persons who do not qualify for the automatic re-acquisition of Maltese citizenship (because prior to the year 2000 amendments they either (i) did not spend six (6) years abroad or (ii) they were citizens of Malta by registration or naturalization when they acquired their foreign citizenship) would need to apply to be registered as citizens of Malta (refer to MalteseCitizenship by Registration).

If the person automatically qualifies for dual citizenship, he/she needs to present the following:

• Birth certificate;
• Marriage certificate (where applicable);
• Father’s birth certificate;
• Parents’ marriage certificate;
• A certificate showing the date of acquisition of the citizenship the individual presently holds (if this was acquired by registration or by naturalization);
• Present passport (Maltese and/or non-Maltese);
• Documentary evidence showing that the person has resided abroad for an aggregate period of at least six (6) years. This should include one’s passport/s for the period/s concerned.

If one’s previous passports were lost or destroyed, he/she may produce one of the following documents instead:

• A residence certificate normally issued by the Immigration Authorities of the respective country (such certificates have been issued in Australia, Canada and Italy);
• A statement showing one’s annual earnings over a number of years (for example, the Canada Pension Plan Contributor statement or the Social Security Earnings statement issued by the United States authorities);
• A letter from his/her previous or present employer/s giving his/her employment history (this should include dates of employment engagement and termination);
• A confirmation of one’s annual contributions paid under the National Insurance Scheme of the adoptive country (for example, the statements issued in the United Kingdom by Contributions Agencies);
• Authorities’ confirmation of any school or college that he/she attended (if the person acquired the citizenship of his/her adoptive country when he/she was still a minor);
• Any other document deemed acceptable by the Citizenship Unit which proves that the person has resided outside Malta for an aggregate period of at least six (6) years.

Notes:

• In certain cases additional documents may be requested;
• As from 16th April 2010, the Citizenship Unit ceased to request civil status certificates issued by Public Registry Office of Malta in connection with the services provided by the same Unit. The Citizenship Unit shall obtain the necessary certificates on behalf of the enquirer/applicant;
• It is, however, the responsibility of the enquirer/applicant to provide the Citizenship Unit with the correct information in order to acquire the correct certificates. Although not obligatory, the presentation of a readily available marriage certificate would facilitate matters. The Citizenship Unit will retain a copy of the certificate;
• In this regard, the enquirer/applicant is kindly requested to complete dual enquiry form A or dual enquiry form B;
• Applicants would need to present Birth/Marriage certificates issued by foreign Authorities and local Ecclesiastical Authorities when these records are not available at the Public Registry.

Confirmation in writing shall be given by the Citizenship Unit following the submission of the relative enquiry form and the required documentation.

A person who is the:

• Spouse of a Maltese citizen married for at least five (5) years and on the date of application is still married and living with that citizen of Malta (Form B);
• Spouse of a citizen of Malta, who on the date of application is still married, but separated de jure or de facto, provided that the couple had lived together for at least five (5) years after the celebration of the marriage(Form B);
• Widow/widower of a person who was a citizen of Malta at the time of his/her death and the widow/widower had been married and living with the now deceased person for at least five (5) years (Form B);
• The widow/widower of a person who was a citizen of Malta at the time of his/her death, and if not for the death of the person, the widower/widower would have been married to that person for five (5) years on the date of application (Form B);
• Widow/widower of a person who passed away before 21st September 1964 and if it were not for his/her death he/she would have automatically become a citizen of Malta (due to the fact that he/she was born in Malta of a parent born in Malta too or was born abroad of a father and a paternal grandparent who were both born in Malta) and the widow/widower was still living with the deceased person at the time of his/her death or separated de jure or de facto after living with the person for at least five (5) years after their marriage celebration (Form B);
• Son/daughter born prior to 21st September 1964 of a female born in Malta and who became or would have become, but for her death, a citizen of Malta on the said date (Form I);
• Son/daughter of a female citizen of Malta (who acquired Maltese citizenship by birth in Malta, and who was a citizen of Malta at the time of the son’s/daughter’s birth) and was born outside Malta on or after 21st  September 1964 and before 1st August 1989 (Form I);
• Former citizen of Malta who does not automatically qualify for dual citizenship because he/she had not resided for a minimum of six (6) years abroad or was formerly a citizen of Malta by Registration or by Naturalization (Form D);
• Descendant, second or subsequent generation, born abroad of an ascendant born in Malta whereby one of the parents of the said ascendant was also born in Malta. If the descendant is a minor, then the person who has authority over the said minor shall submit the relative application on his behalf (Form K \ Form M).

1. Submit the necessary documentation to the Citizenship Unit;
2. Once the Citizenship Unit reviews the documents submitted, the applicant will verify and sign the duly completed application form;
3. If the applicant is a foreign spouse to a citizen of Malta, he/she and his/her Maltese spouse are required to make a joint declaration (affidavit) in order to confirm that they have been living together for a period of at least five (5) years from the date of their marriage and are still living together;
4. The Citizenship Unit will administer the necessary oaths, including the Oath of Allegiance to the Republic of Malta*. Besides the fees pertaining to oaths, applicants would need to pay a prescribed application fee of €150.

* This requirement shall not apply to any person of full age but not of full capacity on behalf of whom an application is submitted with the authorisation of the Civil Court (Voluntary Jurisdiction).  

When applying through one of Malta’s Missions abroad, the administering of the necessary oaths has to be made either before an Official from the Mission, who is duly authorised to act as Commissioner for Oaths, or before a person who, according to the law of the country concerned, is empowered to administer oaths.

The application will be processed by the Citizenship Unit and successful applicants will be registered as citizens of Malta. Successful applicants will be considered citizens of Malta from the date shown on their certificate of naturalisation, onwards. Eventually, they will be asked to call at the Citizenship Unit to collect their certificate against a fee of €50.

If the applicant was born abroad, the Citizenship Unit will address a letter to the Director of Public Registry so that his/her birth certificate may be registered at the Public Registry Office. Applicants must present this letter to the Public Registry along with their original birth certificate, and an official translation in English or Maltese, or a photocopy of the certificate, duly certified by either a Notary Public, an Advocate or a Legal Procurator.

Notes

• A list is annually published in the Government Gazette which contains the full name
  of all those persons who were registered and naturalised as citizens of Malta during the
  preceding year.
• Malta accepts dual or multiple citizenship, however, the persons concerned are advised
  to verify whether their country’s citizenship law permits this since the voluntary
  acquisition of another citizenship may lead to the loss of their current one.

Applicants who do not reside in Malta are advised to contact one of Malta’s Embassies or High Commissions for further information with regard to the procedures that they need to follow when submitting an application for registration. The contact details of Malta’s Diplomatic Representations Oversees can be accessed from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion’s website
(https://foreignaffairs.gov.mt/en/Pages/Maltese%20Diplomatic%20Representations%20Overseas/Maltese-Diplomatic-Representations-Overseas.aspx).

1. A spouse of a citizen of Malta would need to submit his/her:
   1. Marriage certificate;
   2. Birth certificate showing parents’ names;
   3. Passport;
   4. Identity card (if available);
   5. Three (3) passport-size photographs of yourself.
   6. Husband’s/Wife’s Birth certificate;
   7. Husband’s/Wife’s Father’s birth certificate;
   8. Husband’s/Wife’s Parents’ marriage certificate;
   9. Husband’s/Wife’s Passport;
   10. Husband’s/Wife’s Identity card.

   In case of separation, the applicant would need to submit a copy of the deed of separation.

2. Widow / Widower of a citizen of Malta would need to submit his/her:
   1. Marriage certificate;
   2. Birth certificate showing parents’ names;
   3. Passport;
   4. Identity card (if available);
   5. Three (3) passport-size photographs of yourself.
   6. Husband’s/Wife’s Birth certificate;
   7. Husband’s/Wife’s Father’s birth certificate;
   8. Husband’s/Wife’s Parents’ marriage certificate;
   9. Deed of separation (if applicable);
   10. Husband’s/Wife’s death certificate;
   11. Husband’s/Wife’s passport if the document is still in his/her possession.
3. A former citizen of Malta would need to submit his/her:
   1. Passport;
   2. Birth certificate
   3. Marriage certificate (if applicable)
   4. Birth certificate of applicant’s parents
   5. A letter stating why the applicant cannot provide 6 years documentary evidence of
      residence abroad or a copy of the Maltese Citizenship Renunciation letter
   6. One passport size photo;
   7. A copy of the applicant’s certificate of acquisition of the citizenship he/she now hold.
4. Son/daughter of a female citizen of Malta would need to submit his/her:
   1. Birth certificate showing parents’ names;
   2. Marriage certificate of applicant (if applicable)
   3. Passport;
   4. One passport size photo;
   5. Birth certificate of applicant’s mother
   6. Mother’s Marriage certificate;
   7. Mother’s passport
   8. Birth certificates of maternal grandparents
   9. Marriage certificate of maternal grandparentsIf the son/daughter was born after 21 st September 1964, the Citizenship Unit may also require documentary evidence showing that the mother was a citizen of Malta at the time of his/her birth.
5. A descendant, second or subsequent generation born abroad of an ascendant who was born in Malta of a parent also born in Malta, would need to submit:
   1. Marriage certificate (if applicable);
   2. Birth and marriage certificates of the individual’s ascendants to show the direct link
      to the ascendant born in Malta;
   3. In the case of third and subsequent generations:
      1. The death certificate of the parent with the direct link to the ascendant born in Malta (if the parent is deceased);
      2. A copy of the certificate of registration as a citizen of Malta of the parent with the direct link to the ascendant born in Malta;
   4. One passport size photo;
   5. Passport.
6. The person who has authority over a minor child (who is the descendant, second or subsequent generation born abroad, of an ascendant born in Malta, of a parent also born in Malta), will be required to submit the documents listed above in (e) in respect of that child together with the documents showing his/her authorization empowering him/her to submit such application.

Notes:

• In certain cases additional documents may be requested;
• As from 16 th April 2010, the Citizenship Unit ceased to request civil status certificates issued by Public Registry Office of Malta in connection with the services provided by the same Unit. The Citizenship Unit shall obtain the necessary certificates on behalf of the enquirer/applicant;
• It is, however, the responsibility of the enquirer/applicant to provide the Citizenship Unit with the correct information in order to acquire the correct certificates. Although not obligatory, the presentation of a readily available marriage certificate would facilitate matters. The Citizenship Unit will retain a copy of the certificate;
• In this regard, the enquirer/applicant is kindly requested to complete Form CEA/27. Applicants will present Birth/Marriage certificates issued by foreign Authorities and local Ecclesiastical Authorities when these records are not available at the Public Registry.