Getting a Maltese ID Card – The Residence Document

Update: This article is outdated. I have covered this topic in detail in my Guide to Moving to Malta.

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If you are a European living and working in Malta, you will inevitably have to deal with the topic of getting an ID card. To be clear, this ID is not a replacement for your passport; you remain a citizen of your home country and keep your national ID. Instead, it serves as proof that you live in Malta and are a resident here. Practically speaking, it allows you to pay "local" prices for things like bus fares rather than tourist rates.

System changes lead to delays

When I first moved to Malta, applying for this ID was a completely unbureaucratic process. I simply walked into the relevant authority, they took down my address and snapped a photo, and that was it. I was the proud owner of a Maltese ID card—I had made it; I was a resident. Since then, however, more and more Europeans have moved to Malta, and the authorities have struggled to keep up with the volume, leading to an overhaul of the system.

Applying for the Residence Document is mandatory

These days, you don't technically apply for an ID card anymore, but rather for a so-called Residence Document. This replaces the previous ID card system. In reality, you still receive a physical card, so there is no practical change for you day-to-day. It is worth noting that you are legally required to apply for this Residence Document if you are resident in Malta.

Long waiting times for the card to be issued

There are several ways to apply. Unfortunately, in recent months, this process has been anything but organized. Previously, you could book an appointment with the authorities. However, it was not uncommon to wait nearly six months for a slot. At the time of writing, they have stopped issuing new appointments altogether.

The second option is a written application, which companies often handle on behalf of their employees. But even here, you might find yourself waiting up to half a year for your documents to be processed.

Residence Document for early risers

The third option—which we have had experience with at Dr. Werner & Partners—involves getting up early. Personally, I am an early riser, so showing up at the ID office at 7:00 AM is not a problem for me. And you really do need to be there that early to secure one of the roughly 50 slots available per day. These spots are in high demand, so you need patience and stamina. While you do walk away with your preliminary documents on the same day, the process can drag on for several hours. But as I learned from my grandfather, at the end of the day, it is the result that counts—and that is what matters here.