How to Renew a Maltese Passport from Abroad in 2026: A Step-by-Step Guide

Can you renew a Maltese passport without travelling to Malta?

Maltese citizens living abroad can renew a Maltese passport without travelling to Malta, by applying in person at the nearest Maltese embassy, high commission or consulate, which captures their photograph, fingerprints and signature and sends the application to the Identità Passport Office in Malta for a decision and printing. The passport then comes back to you, usually by courier.

What you cannot do is renew online. Because your photograph, fingerprints and signature must be captured in person each time, every Maltese passport renewal involves a personal appearance, either at the Passport Office in Malta or at a mission abroad. Everything around that appearance can be prepared in advance, and preparation is where most of the time is won or lost.

Around one million people worldwide are Maltese or of Maltese descent, and for most of those living abroad the mission is the only realistic place to renew. Nearly every avoidable delay comes from a file that arrives incomplete.

Who decides a Maltese passport application made abroad?

Every Maltese passport application made abroad is decided and printed by the Passport Office of Identità in Malta, the government agency that also runs the Public Registry, while the embassy, high commission or consulate acts as the point of contact that sees you in person, records your biometrics, takes payment and forwards your file to Malta.

Mission staff can tell you what they need and when they can see you, but they do not decide the application and cannot change Identità's requirements. If a document is missing, the file either stops at the mission or travels to Malta and waits there until the gap is filled.

Maltese citizenship itself is administered by a different body, Aġenzija Komunità Malta. That matters in one situation: if your records in Malta are incomplete, a passport application can be held while your Maltese nationality is confirmed. Citizens whose nationality rests on descent, or whose births and parents' marriages were never fully recorded in Malta, are the most likely to meet this step, and it is worth checking your records before you apply rather than after.

How does renewing abroad differ from renewing in Malta?

Renewing a Maltese passport abroad differs from renewing in Malta in four practical ways: you apply through a mission rather than at the Passport Office, you pay mission and courier charges on top of the Identità fee, no official processing time is published, and the 4-working-hour urgent service is available only to applications made in Malta.

Planning matters more abroad than at home: a forgotten document can cost you a new appointment weeks later and another journey to the mission.

What are the steps to renew a Maltese passport from abroad?

The steps to renew a Maltese passport from abroad are to check your passport and ID card position, prepare Form A and compliant photographs, find a recommender if you need one, book an appointment at the nearest Maltese mission, attend in person for biometrics and payment, and then receive the new passport by courier or collect it in Malta.

Step 1: Check your passport and ID card position

Find your previous Maltese passport, even if it has long expired, and check whether you have a valid Maltese ID card. Your answer decides which parts of Form A you complete and whether you need a recommender. If your previous passport was lost or stolen, the process changes, as explained further below.

Step 2: Prepare Form A and your photographs

Form A is the Maltese passport application form, published by Identità on its Passport Office page. Complete it carefully, using your name exactly as it appears in your Maltese records. Photographs must meet Identità's rules: a white background, eyes open, lips closed and no headwear.

Step 3: Find a recommender if you need one

If you do not hold a valid Maltese ID card, one of your photographs must be endorsed by a recommender and Form A sections 7 and 8 must be completed. Solve this before you book, because a qualifying recommender can be hard to find abroad.

Step 4: Book the mission appointment

Contact the nearest Maltese embassy, high commission or consulate and request an appointment. In peak season, appointments at busy missions can be booked out for several weeks. Ask the mission at the same time for its current processing fee, accepted payment methods and courier arrangements.

Step 5: Attend in person

Bring Form A, your previous passport, your ID and your photographs. Your photograph, fingerprints and signature are captured on site, and you pay the Identità fee together with the mission's charges. The mission then sends the application to the Passport Office in Malta.

Step 6: Receive the new passport

The new passport is returned to you by courier, or it can be held for collection in Malta if you tell the mission when you apply.

What documents does the mission need from you?

The documents a Maltese mission needs for an adult passport renewal are Form A, your previous Maltese passport, your original valid Maltese ID card with a copy of both sides, and photographs that meet Identità's rules, with a recommender-endorsed photograph and Form A sections 7 and 8 taking the place of the ID card if you do not hold one.

• Form A, completed and signed, with your details matching your Maltese records exactly.
• Your previous Maltese passport, which is cancelled once the new one is issued.
• Your original valid Maltese ID card and a copy of both sides, or, without one, a photograph endorsed by a recommender.
• Passport photographs on a white background, eyes open, lips closed, no headwear.
• For a lost or stolen passport, Form A section 7 completed by a recommender and an original police report issued in Malta.

Where your citizenship rests on descent and your records in Malta are thin, the mission may also ask for details of your parents' and grandparents' civil status. Gathering those certificates in advance, from the Malta Public Registry or parish records, avoids a file being held while your nationality is confirmed.

How do you find a recommender when you live abroad?

A recommender for an adult Maltese passport must be a Maltese national with a university degree who has known you for at least two years, and Maltese citizens abroad often find this the hardest requirement to meet, because the people who know them best are frequently not Maltese or do not hold a degree.

The recommender confirms your identity on Form A and, where needed, on your photograph. For a child's passport the rule is different: the recommender may be a Maltese, EU or Commonwealth national living in Malta, with a university degree, who has known the child for at least two years.

Start with Maltese relatives, colleagues and members of your local Maltese community who hold a degree and have known you for two years or more. Ask early, and check that their details are complete and legible on the form.

Not sure whether your documents are complete, or who could act as your recommender? Book a free consultation with Mirabello Consultancy and we will review your file with you before you request the mission appointment.

What does a Maltese passport renewal from abroad cost?

A Maltese passport renewal from abroad costs the same Identità fee as a renewal in Malta, €70 for an adult between September and March or €80 between April and August, plus a processing fee set by each mission and courier charges, which vary by country and are sometimes charged in local currency.

Children's passports follow the same pattern. A passport for a child aged 10 to 15 costs €40 and a passport for a child under 10 costs €16, again with the mission's charges added. If your previous passport was lost, stolen or destroyed while it was still valid, a supplement of €15 is added for the oath you swear about the loss.

We do not quote mission fees in this guide, because they are set by each mission and vary from country to country. Ask your mission for its current charges before your appointment so that you arrive with the right amount and the right payment method. For a full breakdown of every Identità charge, including urgent fees and worked family examples, see our guide to Maltese passport fees in 2026.

How long does a renewal from abroad take?

No official processing time is published for Maltese passports renewed abroad, because the application travels from the mission to the Passport Office in Malta and the new passport travels back, so you should plan for several weeks at least and start well before any travel you have booked.

The 4 working days that apply in Malta are not a useful measure for applications made abroad. Three things decide how long you wait: how soon the mission can see you, how long the file takes to reach Malta and the passport to return, and whether your nationality has to be confirmed before the passport is issued.

Check your passport's expiry date well before you make travel plans. If you are visiting Malta anyway, renewing at the Passport Office there, where the standard time is 4 working days, can be simpler.

Can you get an urgent Maltese passport from abroad?

An urgent Maltese passport can be requested from abroad through the mission, and the urgent fee of €160 for an adult then applies, but the 4-working-hour timeframe of Identità's urgent service applies only to applications made in Malta, and no fixed timeframe is offered for urgent requests made outside Malta.

The urgent service in Malta is the only official fast track in Maltese passport services. It costs €160 for an adult, €80 for a child aged 10 to 15 and €60 for a child under 10, and it suits citizens who are already in Malta or can travel there. No agency, including Mirabello Consultancy, can speed up or influence a decision by the Passport Office. What shortens the wait in practice is a file that is right the first time.

If your passport has been lost or stolen while you are travelling, contact the nearest Maltese mission straight away, as it will advise on travel documents while the replacement is processed. Our guide to a lost or stolen Maltese passport abroad explains the steps.

What should Maltese citizens in Australia, the UK, Canada and the USA plan for?

Maltese citizens in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States should plan for three things that apply in every country: the distance to the nearest Maltese mission, appointment demand during the April to August peak season, and the time a passport spends in transit between the mission and Malta, which together decide how early you should start.

In large countries the nearest mission can be a long journey away, so it pays to prepare every family member's file before you travel, including both parents' consent for any child.

Timing also affects the fee. The adult Identità fee is €80 from April to August and €70 from September to March, so if your passport's expiry gives you the flexibility, applying between September and March costs less and avoids the peak travel season, when mission appointments can be booked out for several weeks.

Finally, families with children born abroad should check that each child's foreign birth has been registered in Malta. A child born abroad cannot receive a first Maltese passport until the birth is registered with the Public Registry, which costs €2.60; our page on newborn registration and the first passport explains the process.

What changes when the passport is for a child, or was lost?

A Maltese passport renewal from abroad becomes more demanding when the applicant is a child, because both parents must sign Form A in front of a recommender with original ink signatures, and when the old passport was lost or stolen, because Identità accepts only an original police report issued in Malta.

For children, a parent who lives in another country signs Consent Form I at a Maltese mission, which sends it to the Passport Office; scanned or electronic signatures are refused. Children under 6 do not attend the appointment. From age 6 they attend for facial biometrics, and abroad a child attends with a parent or guardian. Our guide to a Maltese passport for a child covers consent, photographs and attendance in detail.

For a lost, stolen or destroyed passport that was still valid, the normal fee applies plus a €15 supplement, a recommender completes Form A section 7, and the police report must be an original issued in Malta. Foreign police reports are not accepted, which is the single biggest complication for citizens who lose a passport abroad.

How Mirabello Consultancy helps Maltese citizens abroad

Mirabello Consultancy helps Maltese citizens abroad renew their passports by checking eligibility and documents, preparing Form A, reviewing photographs and recommender details, booking the right mission appointment and following the application through to collection, working remotely from its offices in Zurich, Dubai and Hong Kong SAR, handling your side of the process with the Passport Office and Maltese missions.

You can renew a Maltese passport yourself, and many people do. Our role is to remove the friction, so that you attend one appointment with one complete file. Every decision is made by Identità, and no third party can speed up or influence it. Government fees are paid at cost and shown separately from our service fee, which we confirm per case after a free consultation.

Where a renewal sits inside a larger family question, such as registering a child born abroad or a husband or wife registering as a citizen through Maltese citizenship by marriage, we coordinate the steps so that each certificate is obtained once and used for every application. Read our full Maltese passport renewal service page, or see every service for Maltese families on our Maltese citizen services page. The official adult fee schedule is published on the Identità adult renewals page.