The Identity Malta Agency, established in 2013, falls under the responsibility of the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security. This government agency was established with the aim of centralizing key identity databases of all passport records, national identity records, public and land registries and other civil registries. As applicable to government agencies, the Identity Malta Agency as a body corporate has a separate legal personality. This means that the Agency is capable of entering into contracts, of suing and being sued, of acquiring, holding and disposing of any kind of property for the carrying out of its operations.
Establishment of Identity Malta
The Agency was established to exercise specific acts of public administration. Its functions and duties shall relate to matters relating to citizenship, residence permits and work permits, administrative matters related to expatriates, passports, individual investment programmes for expatriates and for those persons who acquire Maltese citizenship, identity cards and other identity documents, acts of civil status, land registration and registration of public deeds. The scope of the Agency’s functions also extends to any such other matter that is ancillary, incidental or consequential to the above mentioned matters.
The Agency shall be headed by the Executive Chairperson who shall perform all the duties and functions as the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency. However, its operations shall be based on an agreement between the Agency and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security.
Identity Malta’s Competences
The Agency’s areas of competence are passports, identity documents, work and residence permits for expatriates, land registration and registration of public deeds, acts of civil status and individual investment programmes.
Its functions and duties require the Agency to assist the Minister responsible for Home Affairs and National Security with any matter relating to Maltese citizenship for the purpose of the execution of the Minister’s duties and functions under the main legislation tackling Maltese citizenship. It shall assist the Minister responsible for matters relating to passports as well as assist in matters relating to identity cards and identity documents. The Agency has a duty to assist the Director of the Public Registry in terms of acts of civil status and registration of public deeds. In addition, in matters relating to land registration in general, the Agency shall assist the Minister responsible for land registration and the Land Registrar to this end.
Competences transferred to Malta Citizenship Agency
Since 2015, the responsibilities for receiving applications, conducting due diligence and recommending approval or rejection to the Minister is the Malta Individual Investor Programme.
