Maltese citizenship by descent: through parents, grandparents and roots

Maltese citizenship by descent is not passport purchase

Let us clarify the main point first to avoid confusing two completely different paths. In April 2025, the EU Court recognized Malta's "citizenship by investment" program as illegal - you can no longer buy a Maltese passport for money. However, citizenship by descent remains and operates on different logic: the state does not sell you status, but recognizes a connection that already exists in your family tree. If by blood you are a descendant of Maltese citizens, Malta considers you in some degree as its own - the question is only how close this connection is.

Maltese citizenship by roots is also called citizenship by registration. It is a way to obtain a full EU passport without moving, without a residence requirement, and without a language exam - unlike naturalization, which requires years of actual residence. The logic is simple: you do not integrate into society anew because your family was already part of it.

But this simplicity has a downside - evidence. The entire procedure relies on documents that confirm the family line from you to a Maltese ancestor. The more distant the ancestor, the stricter the conditions and the more papers you will need to obtain from archives. More details follow.

Who suits the roots path: three typical situations

Over years of practice, we see that almost all inquiries regarding Maltese roots fall into three scenarios. Determine which applies to you - your entire strategy depends on it.

• Father or mother is a Maltese citizen. The most straightforward case. If you were born outside the island but one parent was a Maltese citizen at the time of your birth, you are typically a citizen by descent - only formalities and registration remain.
• Grandfather or grandmother were born in Malta, and your father or mother were too. This is the path for second and subsequent generations of emigrants. The key here is two consecutive generations born on the island along the direct line.
• Maltese roots deeper, great-grandfather emigrants. The most complex scenario: the more distant the ancestor and the more generations born abroad, the higher the risk that the family line has been "broken" under law. Such cases require precise date analysis.

Malta is a country with a long history of emigration: Maltese people massively left for Australia, Britain, the USA, and Canada. Therefore, descendants with passport rights number in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, and many do not even suspect such a possibility. If the family keeps old Maltese certificates, it is worth examining carefully.

Maltese citizenship through parents: direct blood

The closest and simplest connection is through father or mother. Maltese law is based on the principle of blood (jus sanguinis): a child inherits citizenship from a parent regardless of where he or she was born. If at the moment of your birth at least one parent was a Maltese citizen, you are a Maltese citizen by descent as a matter of birth.

What this means in practice:

• Place of birth does not matter. You could have been born in Moscow, London, or Sydney - the connection follows the parent, not the territory.
• The paternal and maternal lines are equivalent. Modern law makes no distinction: citizenship is transmitted through both paternal and maternal lines (historically there were restrictions through the mother, but these have long been removed).
• Residence requirement and language are not needed. For direct blood descent, you are not required to reside on the island or pass an exam in Maltese or English.

Technically, this is formalized as birth registration: you submit a record of yourself as a citizen, confirming your parental status and your connection to it. If the parent themselves acquired citizenship by descent (for example, their parents are Maltese), the chain must be confirmed by documentation at each step. We maintain the basic set and procedure in our material on Malta citizenship documents.

Malta citizenship through grandparents: two generations on the island

This is where things get most interesting and simultaneously most delicate. Prior to the 2007 reform, the transmission of citizenship by descent was limited to essentially one generation born abroad. The 2007 amendments expanded this right: descendants of the second and subsequent generations of Maltese emigrants can now apply for registration—but under strict conditions.

The condition is as follows: you must be a direct lineal descendant of an ancestor born in Malta, and your parent in this line must also have been born in Malta. In simpler terms— two consecutive generations born on the island.

Let us illustrate with a real example. Suppose your grandfather on your mother's side was born in Malta and then emigrated. Your mother was also born in Malta, and only after that did the family move abroad, where you were born. In this chain, two generations (grandfather and mother) were born on the island—which means you have the right to register as a Maltese citizen as a direct descendant.

But if only your grandfather was born in Malta while your mother was born abroad, you have no direct right under this provision: the second generation does not "belong" to the island by birthplace. This is not always a dead end—sometimes the situation is salvaged by the fact that the parent managed to formalize Maltese citizenship themselves—but it requires separate analysis.

Conditions and family line: table "relationship—basis—what to prove"

Let us compile all options into one table. This is the framework by which a lawyer determines whether you have the right and how to exercise it. The key principle in all rows is the same: the more distant the Maltese ancestor, the more documents and stricter the conditions regarding the birthplace of generations.

Important detail regarding dates: in the transitional provisions of the law, 1 August 2007 and related deadlines are mentioned. If the parent linking the generations was alive on that date, they generally must have formalized Maltese citizenship themselves for the descendant's registration. There are also provisions under which a parent who died before a certain deadline and had the right to citizenship is considered to have acquired it for the purposes of your application. These subtleties determine the outcome of the case—they cannot be assessed "at a glance."

Processing timelines and what affects speed

One of the advantages of the ancestry route is relatively predictable timelines. With a complete and correct package of documents, consideration of a citizenship by descent application takes approximately 3 to 9 months. This is noticeably faster than naturalization, which takes years.

But these months are only the final stage. The actual end-to-end timeline depends on how much time is spent on preparation:

• Collection of archival documents. If your ancestors' certificates are in hand - it is quick. If they need to be requested from Maltese and foreign archives - this can take several weeks and become the longest stage.
• Apostille and translations. Legalization of documents from different countries proceeds in parallel but requires time and care.
• Recovery of lost birth certificates. If an ancestor's document has not been preserved, its recovery through archives can extend the process by months.
• Complexity of the line. The more generations and the further back the ancestor, the more thorough the verification - and the longer the coordination.

Therefore, a realistic estimate: the application itself takes months, and the entire preparation plus consideration takes from six months to one and a half years depending on the state of your family archive. The earlier you start collecting documents, the shorter the final timeline.

Dual citizenship: you do not need to renounce your passport

An important practical question for most applicants: will you have to renounce your current citizenship? The answer is no. Malta allows dual and multiple citizenship. Following amendments to the Citizenship Act of 2000, those acquiring Maltese citizenship are not required to renounce their previous passports.

What this means in practice:

• You retain your own passport. Maltese citizenship is added to your existing citizenship, not replacing it.
• The second country also decides. Retaining your previous citizenship also depends on your country's laws: if it allows dual citizenship - there are no issues. This point should be checked separately according to your jurisdiction.
• Citizenship is passed down. By obtaining a passport through ancestry, you will be able to pass Maltese citizenship to your own children - the connection continues.

A Maltese passport is full EU citizenship: the right to live, work, and study freely in any EU country, visa-free entry to dozens of countries, and access to the European financial system. And all of this - without relocation and without renouncing what you already have. What exactly a Maltese passport gives you, we cover in an article about the Maltese passport and its opportunities.

Restoration of Maltese citizenship: recovering a lost connection

A separate story concerns those whose families once had Maltese citizenship but lost it. Prior to the 2000 amendments, Malta in certain cases required renunciation of Maltese citizenship upon acquiring another - and many emigrants lost their Maltese passport when naturalizing in Australia, Britain, or Canada.

Today, the law views this differently. For former Maltese citizens and their descendants, restoration and registration mechanisms are provided - to recover the connection lost due to previous strict rules. If your father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother were Maltese but "lost" their citizenship upon emigration, this does not mean the door is closed.

What is important to understand about restoration:

• A lost ancestor's citizenship is not a death sentence. The mere fact that an ancestor once renounced a Maltese passport today often does not deprive descendants of the right to registration.
• It all comes down to documents and dates. You need to trace your ancestor's citizenship history: when they were born, when and how they lost Maltese status, what the law of that period said.
• Each case is individual. Restoration and registration through a lost line is the most "legal" part of this topic, where transitional provisions determine everything.

If your family history contains a Maltese trace that was broken one or two generations ago, it makes sense not to dismiss it, but to verify your right specifically based on dates and documents.

Common mistakes and myths about Maltese ancestry

The topic of ancestry has accumulated myths, and because of them people either miss their right or, conversely, spend years hoping for something that does not exist. Let us address the most common misconceptions.

• "Since my grandfather is from Malta - I am entitled to a passport." Not necessarily. The grandfather route requires two generations in a row born on the island. If a parent was born abroad, there is no direct right under this provision.
• "The main thing is to prove one Maltese ancestor." No, you must prove the entire line without gaps: every birth and every marriage between you and the ancestor.
• "I will have to renounce my own citizenship." False - Malta permits dual citizenship.
• "It is expensive, like buying a passport." This is a different path: you pay for document processing and state fees, not an "investment" contribution for citizenship by investment, which no longer exists.
• "Ancestors' documents are lost - that's the end of it." Archives are often recovered: both Maltese and foreign ones. Loss of a birth certificate is a challenge, not a dead end.

Main advice: do not assess your right based on rumors and forums. A single misunderstood birth year of an ancestor changes the conclusion to the opposite. It is better to verify your ancestral line once with a lawyer than to make plans on an erroneous basis.

Applicants from Russia and CIS: legally and with enhanced compliance.

Separately - about applicants with Russian and other CIS passports. It is important to distinguish two concepts here. Malta's investment programs after 2022 faced restrictions on accepting applications from Russian and Belarusian citizens as part of EU sanctions policy. However, citizenship by descent is not investment and not a purchase of status: it is based on kinship, on recognition of an existing blood connection.

What this means in practice:

• Right by roots is primary. If you have a confirmed Maltese ancestral line, the basis for registration is your descent, not a financial contribution.
• Compliance will be strict. Verification of documents, descent, and the applicant's personal history in current conditions is carried out with particular care - you need to be prepared for this and assemble a clean, transparent package in advance.
• Legal path only. We work strictly within the legal framework, without attempting to circumvent sanctions or conceal facts. If there are nuances, they are discussed at the outset.

Practical conclusion: the presence of Maltese roots in an applicant from the CIS is a real and lawful path to an EU passport, but it requires impeccable document preparation and readiness for enhanced verification. The more transparent the history, the smoother the review process.

What ancestral documents must be collected

Citizenship by heritage is 80% document work. The entire application rests on continuously, without a single gap, proving the family line from you to the Maltese ancestor. Each generation in the chain must be confirmed.

The basic set looks as follows:

• Your documents —full birth certificate, valid passport or identity document, marriage certificate (if you changed your surname), photographs of the required format.
• Documents of the parent—the link in the chain —their full birth certificate (for the grandparent route—issued directly in Malta), marriage certificate, passport.
• Documents of grandparent —full birth certificate issued in Malta, marriage certificate, if necessary—document of citizenship or emigration.
• Linking marriage certificates throughout the line—these are what "stitch together" the surname changes from generation to generation.

All foreign documents typically require apostille and certified translation. A "full" birth certificate (long-form) is not a summary but a detailed document with parental information: it is this that proves the connection between generations. If ancestors' records are lost or the family changed the spelling of their surname upon emigration, you will need to work with archives—a normal, solvable task that simply requires time.

Where to submit: forms and the Aġenzija Komunità Malta

Applications for citizenship by descent and registration are processed by the specialized Aġenzija Komunità Malta—a state agency responsible for citizenship matters, with support from the Identità office. Documents can be submitted either in Malta or through Maltese embassies and consulates abroad—convenient for those living far from the island.

Which form is yours depends on the basis and your birth date:

• Form A —for those claiming citizenship by descent (through parents or grandparents).
• Form D - application for adult applicants.
• Form M - for minor children.

The exact set of forms is selected based on your date of birth and type of relationship - it is easy to make a mistake here, so forms should be prepared together with a lawyer. After submission, the Agency verifies the authenticity of documents and continuity of your family line, and requests additional confirmations if necessary. Current forms and requirements should always be checked on the official Malta government portal (gov.mt).

Where to start checking roots: an expert's perspective.

When someone comes to me with the phrase "I seem to have Maltese roots," I always start not with forms, but with dates and places of birth. It is these, not a general sense of kinship, that determine whether a person has the right. Therefore, the first step is to map out your ancestral line on paper: you, your father or mother, grandfather or grandmother - and for each, note where and when they were born, what country's citizen they were, and whether they lost Maltese status. Very often at this stage it becomes immediately clear whether this is a direct right (through parents), a path through grandparents with a condition of two generations on the island, or a case for individual analysis of transitional rules. Then the main work begins - archives: complete birth and marriage certificates, apostilles, translations. I always advise not to rush with submission until the line is confirmed by documents without a single gap: in matters of roots, success goes not to those who submit faster, but to those who have each generation backed by documentation.

Summary: who is suited for Maltese citizenship by descent.

Maltese citizenship by descent is a path for those who truly have Maltese ancestors: parents who are citizens, grandparents born on the island, or emigrants whose connection to Malta was severed one or two generations ago. It is not a passport purchase (it is prohibited) and not years of relocation, but recognition of an existing blood connection - without residency requirements and language exams along the direct line.

The main success factor is not money, but documents and precise analysis of dates. The right either exists or it does not, and this is determined by the place and year of birth of each ancestor, the transitional rules of 2007, and the continuity of your ancestral line. Therefore, you should begin with a verification of your right, not with collecting all documents indiscriminately.

If you have found a Maltese trace in your family history - do not overlook it: it may lead to a full EU passport for you and your children. Comparing the roots path with other routes is helped by our materials on Maltese citizenship in general and naturalization in Malta, and the list of documents is in the guide to documents for Maltese citizenship..