Maltese Citizenship by Descent in 2026: Who Qualifies, Forms K and M, and What the 2028 Date Means

Who qualifies for Maltese citizenship by descent?

Maltese citizenship by descent is open to a person born outside Malta who proves direct descent from an ancestor born in Malta whose own parent was also born in Malta, so the family line must contain two consecutive generations born in Malta, and that person can then register as a citizen under article 5(3) of the Maltese Citizenship Act.

The two Malta-born generations can sit anywhere above you in the direct line. A grandparent born in Malta whose father or mother was also born in Malta is the most common case, but the link can run further back. People born before 21 September 1964 register under article 3(3), which uses the same test. Since 1 August 2007 the route has been open to second and later generations born abroad, which is why many Maltese families in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States now look at it.

Registration is an entitlement once the link is proven, with two conditions set by the law: the Minister must be satisfied that granting citizenship is not contrary to the public interest, and an adult applicant takes the oath of allegiance. The text of the law is in the Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188).

Is registration by descent the same as being Maltese automatically?

Registration by descent is not the same as automatic citizenship: a child born abroad on or after 1 August 1989 to a parent who was a Maltese citizen at the time of the birth is already Maltese without any application, while registration by descent is for people whose link runs through earlier generations or through a parent who was not a citizen at their birth.

The difference matters because the paperwork is different. Someone who is Maltese automatically only needs the foreign birth registered with the Public Registry, then a passport. Someone who registers by descent applies to Aġenzija Komunità Malta, pays the application fee and receives a certificate of registration. People born between 21 September 1964 and 31 July 1989 to a Maltese mother follow a third route, Form I. Our guide Is my child automatically Maltese? explains the automatic rules in detail.

What are Forms K and M?

Form K and Form M are the two application forms for registering as a Maltese citizen by descent: an adult applies in their own name on Form K, which includes the declaration and the oath of allegiance, while a child under 18 is registered on Form M by a parent or a court-authorised tutor, with an affidavit from the foreign parent consenting to the application.

Both forms are published by Aġenzija Komunità Malta, which handles citizenship applications for the Minister. Each family member files separately: a parent and two children make three applications, each with its own fee. Where a child's application depends on a parent's registration, the order of filing matters, and it is worth planning the family's applications together.

What documents do you need to prove descent?

A registration by descent needs your full birth certificate, passport and a photograph, your parents' birth and marriage certificates, and the birth and marriage certificates of your ancestors that show two consecutive generations born in Malta, plus the death certificate of the relevant parent where applicable, all as originals with a photocopy of each.

The Agency obtains certificates held by the Maltese Public Registry itself once you give it the correct details, which helps families abroad. Foreign records and church records must come from you, with a certified translation where they are not in Maltese or English, and documents issued outside the EU usually need an apostille. For a child on Form M, add both parents' identity documents and the foreign parent's affidavit. The Agency may ask for further documents in individual cases.

The hardest part is usually the chain itself. Old records can carry different spellings of the same surname, Italianised or anglicised first names, or a parish record where a civil one is missing. Reconciling those differences before you apply is the single most useful thing you can do. If you would like help with that part, book a free consultation with Mirabello Consultancy.

What does the 2028 date in the law mean?

The 2028 date comes from Act XXI of 2025, in force since 24 July 2025, which replaced the dates in the descent provisions of the Maltese Citizenship Act with 1 August 2028; those dates concern the applicant's parent or ancestor in the chain, such as whether that person died before the date or was alive on it, and they are not a deadline for applying.

No official text says that registration by descent closes on 1 August 2028. The Parliament of Malta described the change as extending the date when the family link is treated as severed following the death of the relevant parent. In plain terms, the rules decide when a generation in the chain that never registered breaks the link for those who come after it, and the amendment moved that date to 1 August 2028.

How this applies to a particular family depends on the facts, especially where a parent in the chain is living and has not registered. We do not give a general answer on that point: we refer each such case to a warranted Maltese advocate before anything is filed. The amending law is published on legislation.mt.

How much does Maltese citizenship by descent cost?

Maltese citizenship by descent costs a government fee of €150 for Form K or Form M, plus €50 paid on collection of the certificate if the application is granted, and €10 for each oath, declaration or affidavit sworn at Aġenzija Komunità Malta, while apostilles, certified translations and any mission charges are paid separately.

For a family the fees add up per person, because each applicant files separately. The larger cost is often the records: ordering certificates from several countries, apostilles and translations. Our own service fee is confirmed per case and shown separately from government fees, which are paid at cost. The official fee table is on Aġenzija Komunità Malta's acquisition of citizenship page.

How do you apply from abroad?

Applicants abroad apply through Malta's embassies and high commissions, where the oath of allegiance and declarations are sworn before an authorised mission official or another person empowered under local law, and the application then goes to Aġenzija Komunità Malta in Malta. There is no online application and no published processing time.

Once the application is granted, you become a citizen of Malta from the date on your certificate of registration, which is collected from the Agency. For people born abroad, the Agency writes to the Public Registry so the foreign birth can be registered in Malta, and you can then apply for a Maltese identity card and passport; our guide to Maltese passports from abroad covers that step. Malta has allowed dual citizenship since 10 February 2000, so under Maltese law you keep your existing nationality; check whether your other country allows it too.

Will your children be Maltese too?

Children of a person who registered by descent are not Maltese automatically, because citizenship acquired by registration on the basis of descent is not transmitted to the registrant's children, so each child registers in their own right under the same descent rule, a minor on Form M, with the parent's certificate of registration added to the file.

That rule is why families often plan several generations at once. A parent who registers first gives the children a documented link and a certificate to include in their own applications. Where a living parent has not registered, the 2025 amendment makes individual advice important before the children apply. Our Maltese citizen services page and our guide for Maltese citizens abroad set out the wider family picture.

How Mirabello Consultancy helps with descent applications

Mirabello Consultancy is a Swiss advisory firm with offices in Zurich, Dubai and Hong Kong SAR, and we help descendants of Maltese families remotely. You can apply yourself; we are useful for the parts that take time: tracing the two Malta-born generations through civil and parish records, reconciling names and dates across countries, coordinating apostilles and certified translations, preparing Form K or Form M, and following the application through to the certificate.

We never claim to speed up or influence a decision, and no one can. Government fees are paid at cost and shown separately, and questions of legal interpretation are referred to a warranted Maltese advocate. Our Maltese citizenship by descent service sets out the full scope, and the related routes for families are on our newborn registration service and citizenship by descent overview.