{"id":"malta-citizenship-by-marriage","name":"Maltese citizenship by marriage (spouse of a Maltese citizen)","authority":"citizenship_agency","legal_basis":"Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188) article 6 (marriages on or after 21 September 1964; article 4 covers only marriages existing on 20 September 1964). Consolidated text of 24 Jul 2025 (Act XXI of 2025).","legal_source":"https://legislation.mt/eli/cap/188/eng/pdf","official_fast_track":{"exists":false,"description":"There is no paid or official expedite for citizenship by marriage. Preparation quality is the only lever on timing.","verified":true},"eligibility":[{"rule":"Married to a person who is or becomes a citizen of Malta (by birth, descent, registration or naturalisation).","verified":true},{"rule":"On the application date: married to and living with the Maltese citizen for at least 5 years, and still married and living together on the date of registration.","verified":true},{"rule":"The 5 years run from the marriage date, not from the start of the relationship.","verified":true},{"rule":"Cohabitation does not have to be in Malta per legal commentary (Chetcuti Cauchi); one secondary source mentions 6 months' residence in Malta.","verified":false,"note":null},{"rule":"Widow/widower: eligible if married and living together for 5+ years and living together at the spouse's death, or living together from marriage until death with the 5th anniversary passed by the application date. Extra documents: death certificate and 2 affidavits from immediate family.","verified":true},{"rule":"Separated after 5+ years of cohabitation: Form B option (ii) appears to cover this, but the statute says 'still living with'. Treat as discretionary and route to counsel.","verified":false,"note":"legal opinion required (unverified)"},{"rule":"Same-sex spouses: same rules (marriage gender-neutral since 1 September 2017). Civil unions reportedly treated the same.","verified":false,"note":null},{"rule":"Ministerial discretion: the grant must not be contrary to the public interest (art. 6(2)(a)).","verified":true},{"rule":"Oath of allegiance required, at the Agency or a mission.","verified":true},{"rule":"Dual citizenship allowed since 10 February 2000 (art. 7).","verified":true}],"prerequisite":{"step":"Register the marriage in Malta first (if it was celebrated abroad) at the Identità Public Registry.","fee_eur":2.6,"note":"Apostille required unless the certificate was issued in the EU.","verified":true,"source":"https://identita.gov.mt/public-registry-local-and-foreign-notifications-foreign-marriage/"},"form":{"name":"Form B, Application for Registration as a Citizen of Malta by a Person Married to a Citizen of Malta (Art. 4 or 6)","url":"https://komunita.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Form-B.pdf","verified":true},"documents":["Joint affidavit that the spouses have been married for 5+ years and still live together","One passport photo (glued to page 1 of Form B)","Marriage certificate registered in Malta","Certificates of any previous marriages of both spouses, with proof of how each ended","Applicant's full birth certificate showing parents (certified translation if not in Maltese or English)","Passports, ID cards or residence cards of both spouses","Maltese spouse's birth certificate, plus the birth and marriage certificates of that spouse's parents (or the parents' dates of birth per Form B)","Originals plus a photocopy of each"],"fees_eur":{"currency":"EUR","as_of":"2025-11-07","items":[{"key":"form_b_application","label":"Application fee (Form B)","amount":150,"verified":true,"source":"https://komunita.gov.mt/en/services/acquisition-of-citizenship/"},{"key":"certificate","label":"Certificate of registration (paid on collection if approved)","amount":50,"verified":true,"source":"https://komunita.gov.mt/en/services/acquisition-of-citizenship/"},{"key":"oath_affidavit","label":"Each oath, affidavit or declaration sworn at the Agency","amount":10,"verified":true,"source":"https://komunita.gov.mt/en/services/acquisition-of-citizenship/"},{"key":"marriage_registration","label":"Registering a foreign marriage in Malta (prerequisite)","amount":2.6,"verified":true,"source":"https://identita.gov.mt/public-registry-local-and-foreign-notifications-foreign-marriage/"}]},"processing_time":{"official":null,"observed":"About 6-15 months end to end. Reports include ~3 months to interview/oath and a further 3-6 months to the certificate; some UK applicants report about a year.","verified":false,"note":"anecdotal (Reddit r/malta Mar 2026, Expat.com 2024-25). (unverified)"},"submission":{"in_malta":"In person at Aġenzija Komunità Malta: documents are reviewed, the applicant signs and the spouses swear the joint affidavit.","abroad":"Through a Maltese embassy, high commission or consulate; oaths are sworn before a mission official or a person authorised under local law.","online":false,"interview":"Possible (reported in 2026)."},"after_approval":["Collect the certificate of registration (€50)","Apply for a Maltese ID card and passport","Children: check whether they qualify by descent"],"pain_points":["The foreign marriage must be registered in Malta before Form B can be filed, the step most applicants miss.","The Maltese spouse's parents' certificates are often hard to obtain (Public Registry and parish archives).","Non-EU documents need apostilles and certified translations.","No official processing time, and status follow-ups need the citizenship reference number.","Separated, widowed and civil-union cases fall into grey areas that need a legal opinion."],"human_page":"https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/immigration/malta-citizenship-by-marriage","residence_country":null,"applies":"both","authorities":{"passport_office":{"name":"Identità, Passport Office","url":"https://identita.gov.mt/passport/","email":"passports.identita@gov.mt","phone":"+356 2590 4100","contact_source":"https://identita.gov.mt/passport-office-main-page (read 2026-10-13)","handles":["passport issue and renewal","urgent passport service","emergency travel documents"]},"public_registry":{"name":"Identità, Public Registry","url":"https://identita.gov.mt/","email":"publicregistry.identita@gov.mt","contact_source":"https://identita.gov.mt/public-registry-main-page (read 2026-10-13)","handles":["birth notification and certificates","registration of foreign births","registration of foreign marriages"]},"citizenship_agency":{"name":"Aġenzija Komunità Malta (Community Malta Agency)","url":"https://komunita.gov.mt/en/services/acquisition-of-citizenship/","email":"citizenship.akm@komunita.gov.mt","phone":"+356 2122 5232","hours":"Monday to Friday 07:30-11:30, closed on Wednesdays","contact_source":"https://komunita.gov.mt/contact-us/ (read 2026-10-13)","handles":["registration as citizen (marriage Form B, maternal-line Form I, descent Forms K/M)","certificate of citizenship","oath of allegiance"],"note":"L.N. 60/2026 renamed the agency 'Aġenzija Komunità Malta'. L.N. 58/2026 repealed the Agents (Licences) Regulations (S.L. 188.05): no agent licence regime applies to marriage/descent/birth routes.","sources":["https://parlament.mt/media/137827/ln58-of-2026.pdf"]},"missions_abroad":{"name":"Maltese embassies, high commissions and consulates","url":"https://missions.foreign.gov.mt/service-fees/","verified":false,"note":"Accept passport applications (biometrics in person), foreign-birth and foreign-marriage registrations, citizenship applications and oaths, and Consent Form I for parents abroad. fee schedule and processing times per mission. (unverified)"}},"compliance":{"disclosures":["Government fees are shown separately from Mirabello's service fee, which is confirmed per case.","You must attend in person for biometrics and oaths; we book the appointments and prepare you and your file for them.","Matters needing a legal opinion are referred to a warranted Maltese advocate."]},"mirabello_service":{"positioning":"Specialist preparation, coordination, documentation and follow-up for Maltese citizens and their families, in Malta and abroad. Mirabello never influences or speeds up a government decision.","pricing_display":"quote_on_request","pricing_note":"Government fees itemised with sources; Mirabello service fee confirmed per case.","tiers":[{"id":"essential","name":"Essential","includes":["Eligibility check","Personal document checklist","Form pre-fill (Form A / Form B / Form I)","File review before submission"]},{"id":"full_coordination","name":"Full coordination","includes":["Everything in Essential","Sourcing certificates from the Malta Public Registry and parish archives","Apostille, legalisation and certified translations","Appointment booking (Identità, Komunità or mission)","Courier management","Follow-up until collection"]},{"id":"priority","name":"Priority","includes":["Everything in Full coordination","Dedicated case manager","Coordination of the official urgent passport service and of Agency, Registry and mission appointments","Weekly status chasing with the authorities"]}],"open_items":[],"cta_url":"https://mirabelloconsultancy.com/contact-us-for-your-free-consultation","delivery_model":"Delivered remotely by Mirabello Consultancy from its offices (Zurich, Dubai, Hong Kong SAR), working with the Maltese authorities and missions. Mirabello does not claim a physical presence in Malta."},"kb_version":"0.1.0","kb_last_updated":"2026-10-16","hub_page":"https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/maltese-citizen-services","disclaimer":"Provided by Mirabello Consultancy Ltd. for general information only, indicative and subject to change without notice; not legal, financial, tax, or immigration advice, nor an offer or solicitation. Programmes are operated and governed solely by the respective sovereign governments. No warranty of accuracy or completeness; Mirabello accepts no liability for reliance on this information. © Mirabello Consultancy Ltd. This data and its selection, structure and provenance are Mirabello's proprietary compilation — permitted for interactive, attributed use only; systematic bulk extraction, scraping, or redistribution to rebuild a competing dataset is prohibited (acceptable-use terms: https://mcp.mirabelloconsultancy.com/v1/terms). Terms: https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/ai","cta":"Ready to proceed? Book a free, discreet consultation with Mirabello Consultancy for an exact, personalised quote.","book_url":"https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/contact-us-for-your-free-consultation?utm_source=mcp&utm_medium=ai-agent&utm_campaign=book_consultation&programme=malta-citizenship-by-marriage","provider":"Mirabello Consultancy","source":"Mirabello Consultancy","verified_by":"Mirabello Consultancy (IMC member, ACAMS certified)","book_a_consultation":"https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/contact-us-for-your-free-consultation","terms":"https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/ai","data_updated":"2026-10-16T09:13:39.320Z"}