Home / Maltese Citizen Services / Malta Citizenship by Descent
If two consecutive generations of your family were born in Malta, you may be entitled to register as a Maltese citizen, wherever you were born. Mirabello Consultancy traces the family records, prepares Form K or Form M and follows your application with Aġenzija Komunità Malta.
Book a free consultationThe short answer
A person born outside Malta can register as a Maltese citizen under article 5(3) of the Maltese Citizenship Act by proving direct descent from an ancestor born in Malta whose parent was also born in Malta. Adults apply on Form K and minors on Form M. The fee is €150, plus €50 for the certificate if approved.
Evidence: Official source · Mirabello MCP data · As of 2026-10-16
At a glance
| Basis | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Family link | Direct descent from an ancestor born in Malta whose own parent was also born in Malta |
| Where you were born | Outside Malta; article 5(3) if born on or after 21 September 1964, article 3(3) if born before |
| Generations | Since 1 August 2007, open to second and later generations born abroad |
| Already Maltese? | Not needed if you were born abroad on or after 1 August 1989 to a parent who was a Maltese citizen at your birth |
| Public interest and oath | The grant must not be contrary to the public interest, and adults take the oath of allegiance |
| Dual citizenship | Permitted since 10 February 2000. You keep your existing nationality where its own law allows |
Step by step
In detail
A person born outside Malta can register as a citizen of Malta if they prove that they descend in the direct line from an ancestor born in Malta whose own parent was also born in Malta. In practice that means two consecutive generations born in Malta somewhere up your family line, for example a grandparent born in Malta whose father or mother was also born in Malta. The right comes from article 5(3) of the Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188) for people born on or after 21 September 1964, and from article 3(3) for those born before that date.
Since 1 August 2007 the route has been open to second and later generations born abroad. Registration is an entitlement once the family link is proven, subject to two conditions: the Minister must be satisfied that the grant is not contrary to the public interest, and an adult applicant takes the oath of allegiance.
Many children of Maltese citizens never need this route. 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 Maltese automatically, and only needs the foreign birth registered in Malta. Registration by descent is for people whose link runs further back, or through a parent who was not a citizen when they were born.
Citizenship acquired by registration on the basis of descent is not passed on automatically. A child of someone who registered by descent registers in their own right, under the same rule, and the family file then includes the parent's certificate of registration.
Act XXI of 2025, in force since 24 July 2025, 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, for example whether that person died before the date or was alive on it, which decides when the family link is treated as broken. No official text says that registration by descent closes in 2028, and the date is not a deadline for applicants. How the rules apply where a parent in the chain is living and has not registered depends on the family's facts, and we refer those cases to a warranted Maltese advocate before anything is filed.
Adults apply in their own name on Form K, which includes the declaration and the oath of allegiance. 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 the application for the Minister.
The Agency asks for originals with a photocopy of each, and returns the originals:
The Agency obtains certificates held by the Maltese Public Registry itself once you give the correct details; foreign records and church records come from you, with a certified translation where they are not in Maltese or English. Further documents may be requested in individual cases.
The application fee is €150 for Form K or Form M, and €50 is paid on collection of the certificate if the application is granted. Each oath, declaration or affidavit sworn at the Agency costs €10. Applications are made at the Agency in Malta or through Malta's embassies and high commissions abroad, where oaths are sworn before an authorised official. There is no online application and no published processing time.
You become a citizen of Malta from the date on your certificate of registration. For people born abroad, the Agency then writes to the Public Registry so the foreign birth can be registered in Malta, and you can apply for a Maltese identity card and passport. Malta has allowed dual citizenship since 10 February 2000; check whether your other nationality allows it too.
Mirabello Consultancy is a Swiss advisory firm with offices in Zurich, Dubai and Hong Kong SAR, and we support descendants of Maltese families remotely. You can apply yourself; our role is the part that takes time: tracing the two Malta-born generations through civil and parish records, reconciling names and dates across countries, sourcing apostilles and certified translations, preparing Form K or Form M, and following the application to the certificate. Government fees are paid at cost and shown separately, our fee is confirmed per case, and questions of legal interpretation are referred to a warranted Maltese advocate. The official sources are the Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188) and Aġenzija Komunità Malta's acquisition of citizenship page.
Guides
Questions
Yes, if the family line includes two consecutive generations born in Malta. A grandparent born in Malta whose own father or mother was also born in Malta gives you a direct-line link, and you can register under article 5(3) of the Maltese Citizenship Act with Form K. Each link in the chain must be proven with birth and marriage records.
Usually not. 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 Maltese automatically, and only the foreign birth needs registering in Malta. Different rules apply to people born between 1964 and 1989 to a Maltese mother, who register with Form I.
No official text sets a closing date for registration by descent. Act XXI of 2025 changed the dates in the descent provisions to 1 August 2028, but those dates concern the applicant's parent or ancestor, not the applicant's own application. Where a parent in the chain is living and has not registered, take individual legal advice before you apply.
The government fee is €150 for Form K or Form M, plus €50 for the certificate if the application is granted, and €10 for each oath, declaration or affidavit sworn at the Agency. Apostilles, certified translations and any mission charges are additional.
Yes. Applications can be made through Malta's embassies and high commissions, where the oath of allegiance and declarations are sworn before an authorised official or another person empowered under local law. There is no online application.
No official processing time is published. The time that families can control is the preparation: tracing and documenting two Malta-born generations is usually the longest part, and a complete file avoids requests for further documents.
Not automatically. 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 rule, using Form M for a minor. The file then includes the parent's certificate of registration.
Book a free consultation. Tell us what you know about your Maltese family line, and we will confirm the route, the records to trace and the documents your application needs.
Information, not legal advice. Government fees and rules can change; a specialist confirms your case against current official sources.
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