Malta's civil registration system is administered by Identita (formerly Identity Malta Agency), which manages the Registru Pubbliku (Public Registry). Identita issues birth certificates (certifikat tat-twelid), marriage certificates (certifikat taz-zwieg), death certificates (certifikat tal-mewt), and other civil status records through its online portal at certifikati.gov.mt.
A distinctive feature of Maltese civil documents is their bilingual nature — Malta has two official languages, Maltese (Malti) and English, and many official documents contain text in both. This can simplify translation requirements when the target language is English, as key data fields may already be in English. However, the Maltese-language portions require translators with specialized knowledge of Maltese orthography, including the unique characters gh (g with dot above), h (h with stroke), and z (z with dot above).
Civil status certificates can be ordered online through certifikati.gov.mt with optional apostille service for an additional EUR 12 per certificate. Under EU Regulation 2016/1191, Maltese civil status documents may be accompanied by multilingual standard forms for use in other EU member states, potentially eliminating the need for translation altogether within the EU.







