Nationality rules differ enormously between countries, and this is not a page that can tell you whether you qualify. Some countries pass citizenship down indefinitely; others stop at one generation born abroad, require registration before a deadline, or do not permit dual nationality at all. What follows is how to find out for Malta, and what to settle before you spend anything.
Quick facts
Malta has four consular offices in the United States, in Dallas, Duvall, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. With more than one, the office that matters is the one whose district covers your state of residence — and that is not always the nearest.
Maltese consular offices in the United States
Applications and enquiries go through the office whose district covers your state, though the decision itself is taken in Malta:
The questions that decide your case
- How far down does descent run? Through a parent is common; through a grandparent is much rarer; through a great-grandparent is unusual anywhere.
- Is there a deadline? Several countries require a child born abroad to be registered within a set period, after which the claim is lost.
- Does Malta permit dual nationality? Yes, expressly. Article 7 of the Citizenship Act says it in one line: it is lawful for any person to be a citizen of Malta and at the same time a citizen of another country. Nothing to file, and acquiring another nationality is not a ground of loss for anyone.
- Does the line pass through either parent? Some nationality laws were paternal for decades and were reformed later, sometimes with retroactive effect.
- What obligations come with it? Military service and tax residence attach to nationality in some countries regardless of where you live.
Documents a claim by descent normally rests on
- Birth certificates establishing the unbroken line, each certified for use abroad.
- Marriage certificates covering every change of surname in that line.
- The ancestor’s Maltese passport, identity card or other proof of nationality.
- Evidence of whether and when an ancestor naturalised elsewhere, which in some countries breaks the line.
- Translations into Maltese or English where required.
Before spending money on this
Ask the consular office what Maltese law actually allows in your circumstances before engaging anyone to help with it. Genealogists and specialist firms exist and can be useful where records are old or scattered, but they are not a substitute for knowing whether the claim exists at all — and that answer is free.
If your own immigration position in the United States is unresolved, take advice from an immigration lawyer before approaching any foreign authority.
Maltese citizenship and the U.S. oath
Article 7 of the Maltese Citizenship Act, Chapter 188 of the Laws of Malta, states that "it shall be lawful for any person to be a citizen of Malta, and at the same time a citizen of another country." Malta opened this with the reform of 2000; the consolidated text carries no amendment note against article 7, so we do not state a precise date.
Renunciation under article 13 is voluntary and open to someone who holds another nationality. Deprivation under article 14 reaches only citizens by registration or naturalisation, and acquiring a foreign nationality is not among its grounds.
Article 9 is the one worth reading if you think you lost it. A person who was a citizen of Malta under the Act or under the pre-2000 Constitution, who lived outside Malta for an aggregate of at least six years and acquired or retained another citizenship, is deemed never to have ceased to be a citizen of Malta. Many Maltese-Americans who assume they gave it up decades ago never did.
Checked on 7 October 2026 against the consolidated Maltese Citizenship Act.
Office names, addresses and telephone numbers on this page come from our directory, and the count above is taken from the same records as the listing. Procedural rules come from the authority itself — always confirm with the office that covers you. Apostille status checked against the HCCH official status table on 2026-10-05.