Frequently Asked Questions
Deliveries to Malta take approximately 3 to 6 days from when the automated settlement email is received by the applicant. Your order will be delivered by regular or registered (tracked) post. Delivery within EU countries takes approximately 2 to 4 weeks while deliveries outside the EU may take up to approximately 6 to 8 weeks.
If you have not received your order please send an email to publicregistry.identita@gov.mt, so that we can assist you in tracing it. All orders submitted locally through registered post and international deliveries worldwide may be tracked at https://www.maltapost.com/tracking#/tracking
Upon submitting your order, you will receive an automated email containing your order reference number. If you do not receive the email within a few minutes, please check your spam or junk inbox, as it may have been redirected there. If the email is still not received, kindly contact us at publicregistry.identita@gov.mt for further assistance.
Unless you have the basic necessary information to request a certificate, (names, surnames, dates, names of parents, etc.) it is recommended that you consult with the local parish first to obtain these details. We recommend that:
- for a Birth Certificate, you check with the parish where the baptism took place and obtain the baptism certificate;
- for a Marriage Certificate, you check with the parish where the marriage took place;
- for a Death Certificate, you check with the parish where the funeral was held.
Once you have gathered all the required details, you may submit your order, and the Public Registry will be able to issue the certificate as requested.
If you selected the 'unregistered' option when you submitted your local order (all foreign orders are delivered through registered post), the Public Registry would not be able to assist in tracing such orders. However, if you opted for the ‘registered’ option and the Public Registry determines there was an issue, a complaint will be filed with MaltaPost. Once MaltaPost concludes the investigation related to the whereabouts of your order and the Public Registry is satisfied with the outcome, we will be able to send replacements for the lost orders accordingly.
If you ordered your certificates with registered post-delivery and the delivery timeframe has passed, please email us on publicregistry.identita@gov.mt and include your order reference number from the automated email, so that we can investigate further.
The extract (A4 size) certificate is a summary of the full (A3 size) certificate. The full certificate is a true copy of the original Act of birth, marriage or death (as applicable).
Yes, certificates may be purchased from the Gozo Public Registry in the same manner as those purchased from the Malta Public Registry.
Certificates ordered online from https://certifikati.identita.gov.mt/en/Home cost:
- Extract certificate: €2.50 each
- Full certificate: €9.95 each
- Free status certificate: €5.15 each
Certificates purchased directly from the Public Registry Offices in Malta or Gozo cost:
- Extract certificate: €2.60 each
- Full certificate: €10.25 each
- Free status certificate: €5.15 each
Please ensure that you are filling in all mandatory fields, marked with a red asterisk (*), when attempting to submit your order online. Also, kindly check that you are entering the correct information in the appropriate fields. For example, if you are entering a date in the date-of-birth field, ensure that you do not inadvertently include any other any symbols or characters other than numbers. If the issue persists, kindly send us a screenshot of the issue that you are encountering to publicregistry.identita@gov.mt and we will assist you accordingly.
Our certificates of birth, marriage, civil union, cohabitation and death do not have an expiry date. However, the free status certificate does have an expiry date and it expires after 3 months from the date of issue.
Yes, however please ensure that the recipient who will be collecting the order at the Public Registry, will have the order reference number (which the applicant received via email, shortly after submitting the online order).
If the applicant has the required information, anyone can purchase any civil status certificate.
Civil status certificates are issued to applicants who are single, divorced, had their marriage annulled or are widowed.
The Public Registry provides the following civil status certificates:
- Birth
- Adoption
- Marriage
- Civil Union
- Cohabitation
- Free Status
- Death
Yes, it can. When submitting your order online, within the ‘Free status: apply for a free status certificate’ page, choose the correct option within section 03a
Our civil status certificates are bilingual, issued in both Maltese and English languages. However, we provide multilingual standard forms which may be issued together with the civil status certificate, translated to the following official EU languages:
- Austrian
- Belgian
- Bulgarian
- Croatian
- Cypriot
- Czech
- Danish
- Estonian
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Greek
- Hungarian
- Irish
- Italian
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Luxembourgish
- Dutch
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Slovakian
- Slovenian
- Spanish
- Swedish
No, such content will not be featured on the multilingual standard form and can only be translated by a private translator.
Only the related extract certificate can be purchased online. The full adoption certificate can only be purchased at the Public Registry in person. Adoption certificates may be purchased only by:
- the adopted person if 18 years of age and over.
- either of the adopters.
- anyone who has a Power of Attorney which specifically states that the full adoption certificate may be collected by the person as authorised by the applicant (if over 18) or by the adopters.
Please wait for the automated SMS/email confirmation that the birth certificate has been registered accordingly, before ordering the birth certificate online or purchasing the certificate in-person at the Public Registry.
Please wait for the automated SMS/email confirmation that the death certificate has been registered accordingly, before ordering the death certificate online or purchasing the certificate in-person at the Public Registry.
Please wait for the automated SMS/email confirmation that the marriage certificate has been registered accordingly, before ordering the marriage certificate online or purchasing the certificate in-person at the Public Registry.
You need to apply for a full marriage certificate. Within the annotations section on the full marriage certificate (located on the right-hand side of the certificate), you will find the annotation related to the separation, divorce or annulment.
You need to purchase the full civil status certificate.
You need to get the full birth certificate.
The full death certificate shows the cause of death.
You need to access https://certifikati.identita.gov.mt/en/Home, which is the official website dedicated to all online certificate orders. You may log in using your e-ID.
Applicants who do not have, or prefer not to use, their e-ID may still access the website and order the required certificates as visitors.
When logging in via e-ID, any civil status certificates directly linked to you will be automatically displayed.
Please ensure that you have entered the correct card details and that sufficient funds are available. If you have 3D Secure authentication enabled, make sure you approve the transaction on your mobile device.
If the issue persists, kindly attempt the payment using a different card.
Please contact us by email at publicregistry.identita@gov.mt and include your order reference number together with the correct details, so that we can assist you accordingly.
Kindly return the incorrect civil status certificate to the Public Registry, either in person or by post, so that we may issue and send you the correct certificate.
Yes, this is possible. However, we recommend that you provide us with the approximate period during which the birth, marriage, or death occurred in order to simplify the manual search process.
Please note that the birth, marriage, and death indexes are organised by year; therefore, manual searches may be extensive. Manual searches can be carried out at the Public Registry against a fee of €8.50 per hour.
Kindly send an email to publicregistry.identita@gov.mt so that we can schedule an appointment for you to carry out the manual search.
Our records date back to 1863. If you require birth, marriage, or death records that occurred prior to 1863, please contact the local parish where the baptism, marriage, or funeral took place, as applicable.
Yes, our premises are fully accessible to wheelchair users.
Yes, this is possible. Kindly purchase the full birth certificate, which includes the time of birth.
Civil status certificates may only be purchased either in person from the Public Registry in Malta or the Public Registry in Gozo, or online through our website: https://certifikati.identita.gov.mt/en/Home
No, there is no need to visit our offices in person. You may order the required civil status certificates online through https://certifikati.identita.gov.mt/en/Home. The certificates will then be sent by post to any address of your choice, both in Malta and abroad.
Yes, you may obtain civil status certificates registered at the Public Registry in Gozo from the Public Registry in Malta. The same applies in reverse; certificates registered in Malta may also be obtained from the Public Registry in Gozo.
No, there is no need to present your physical ID card when purchasing your own birth or marriage certificate, except in cases relating to adoptions.
Yes, the physical ID card must be presented by the adopters, the adult (18+) adoptee, or any person holding a Power of Attorney to purchase the full adoption certificate.
Please visit the following website: https://certifikati.identita.gov.mt/en/Home
We accept VISA, Mastercard, and Cashlink cards.
Yes, the following civil status certificates are issued within a few minutes when purchased in person:
- Birth
- Adoption
- Marriage
- Civil Union
- Cohabitation
- Death
However, free status certificates are not issued immediately and will be available seven (7) days from the date of application.
Yes, you may either collect the certificate from the Public Registry after seven (7) days or request that it be sent by post to any address in Malta.
If you are residing abroad, the certificate must be ordered online in order to be sent overseas.
Yes, this is possible; however, you are required to arrange the courier yourself.
If you choose this option, please select the ‘Collect Personally’ delivery method when submitting your online order so that your order is retained at the Public Registry.
Afterwards, kindly send an email to publicregistry.identita@gov.mt informing us that you have appointed a courier to collect the order on your behalf.
Please provide the following details, as applicable:
For a Birth or Adoption Certificate:
- Name and surname of the person (or adopted person) appearing on the certificate
- Date of birth
- Town and country of birth
- Names and surnames of both parents or adopters
For a Marriage, Civil Union, or Cohabitation Certificate:
- Names and surnames of both spouses, partners, or cohabitants
- Date of marriage, civil union, or cohabitation
- Town and country where the marriage, civil union, or cohabitation took place
For a Death Certificate:
- Name and surname of the deceased
- Date of death
- Town and country of death
- Names and surnames of both parents
For a Free Status Certificate:
- Name and surname of the person concerned
- Date of birth
- Town and country of birth
- Names and surnames of both parents
If the person has previously been married, in a civil union, or in a cohabitation, or is a widow or widower, the relevant date of the previous marriage or the date of death of the spouse is required, where applicable.
If some of the above details are unavailable, we may still be able to assist you; however, providing as much information as possible will enable us to locate the required civil status certificate more efficiently.