Contents

Who we are

This Charter

How to contact us

Opening hours

Our service standards

Our services

How you can help us

If you are not satisfied with our service

Learning from you

Who we are

The Civil Status Section is part of the Public Registry Department and we are housed at number 26, Old Treasury Street, Valletta. This Department forms part of the Land and Public Registry Division. We are responsible for the issuance of certificates of births, marriages and deaths certificates as well as of Free Status Certificates.

This Charter outlines the services we provide and the standards of service we aim to achieve and which you can expect from us. It also tells you what to do if you would like our service to change or improve. We regularly monitor and seek to improve the quality of our customer service according to standards in the Quality Service Charter. Through this Charter we are committing ourselves to providing you with a quality service.

How to contact us

You can contact us by

• coming personally or writing to the

Director

Public Registry

197, Merchants Street

Valletta CMR 02

Malta

The Civil Status Section is accessible from

26,

Old Treasury Street

Valletta CMR 02

Malta

• phoning us on 21238210 and 21249231/2
• sending an e-mail at pubreg.civilstatus@gov.mt
• accessing the Department’s website www.certifikati.gov.mt

Our service standards

When you visit our Office we will

• be quick, courteous and helpful
• welcome you in a clean and friendly environment
• serve you within 20 minutes.

When you phone us you can expect us to

• answer promptly
• identify ourselves.

When you send us an email, you can expect us to

• send you an answer within 24 hours from when we receive your email.

When you send a letter/application to us you can expect us to

• issue certificates requested within 1 working day.

• when certificates are requested these will be processed within five working days from the day the request is received. This is due to the fact that payments are usually made by cheques and money orders drawn by foreign banks or in foreign currency.

In providing information we will

• give you the most accurate, up-to-date information available to us.

You can order copies of birth, marriage and death certificates by

• calling personally at this address

Public Registry

Civil Status Section

26

Old Treasury Street

Valletta CMR02

• collecting the relative application forms (according to your needs) from Police Stations, Local Council offices, the Public Registry or downloading them from the Department’s website www.certifikati.gov.mt. These forms duly filled are to be sent to the Director, Public Registy, 197, Merchants Street, Valletta CMR 02 together with the relative payment, namely, €2.33 (Lm1.00) for an extract and €9.32 (Lm4) for each copy of a full certificate.

What you should bring with you

When coming to the office to collect the certificates you should bring

• in the case of a birth certificate the name, surname and date of birth of the person whose certificate is required
• in the case of a death certificate the name, surname and date of death of the person whose certificate is required
• in the case of a marriage certificate the names, surnames and date of marriage of the spouses whose certificate is required
• moreover, in all cases, the name and surname of the parents of the persons whose certificate is required

What you can expect from us

• not to keep you waiting more than 20 minutes to be attended to
• in the case of a request for a certificate, which is not yet entered in our database, issue your certificate within two working days in the case of an extract and within four working days in the case of a full certificate
• maintain confidentiality in all cases.

You can also, by a more efficient means, from the comfort of your home or from any other place where an Internet facility is available, order and pay on-line for a birth, marriage or death certificate. This service is available on a twenty-four hour basis, seven days a week. All you have to do is to access the Public Registry website www.certifikati.gov.mt, duly fill your application and pay on-line. You will then receive the relative certificate/certificates by post.

Using this electronic system we are committed

• to send you an instant electronic acknowledgment of the receipt of your application
• to send you an e-mail, if you have an e-mail account, advising you that the certificate/s requested by you has/have been processed and that they will be/were posted to you at the address you gave us
• if your application is for some reason or other not accepted we will inform you accordingly giving you an explanation for this rejection.

To order a Free Status Certificate, the applicant is requested to produce the birth certificate of the person in respect of whom the certificate is to be issued. The applicant duly fills and endorses an application form. The certificate is issued within five working days from the date of the application. The fee is €4.66 (Lm2) and the certificate may be collected by the applicant or someone delegated by him/her for the purpose. This certificate is valid up to three months from the date of issue.

It is pertinent to point out that all certificates issued by this Section and intended to be used abroad need the authentication of the "Protocol Section" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Merchants Street, Valletta.

Personal information provided is protected and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2001.

You may help us deliver a better service by

• being courteous and co-operative with our staff
• providing us with accurate and correct information.

If you think that we have failed to maintain our service delivery standards for these services and you want to lodge a complaint, you may write to us at the following address:

The Director

Public Registry

197 Merchants Street

Valletta CMR 02

Malta

or sending an email at pubreg.civilstatus@gov.mt

We will send you an acknowledgement within two working days of the receipt of your letter and a full reply within ten working days.

You can also lodge a complaint, make a suggestion or ask a question by accessing the Customer Care System at www.servizz.gov.mt

We continuously strive to provide a service that meets your needs and we welcome any comments and suggestions for service improvement. Kindly give us your comments and suggestions by filling a Feedback Form and leaving it in the suggestion box which is available at our office or sending it by post.

“Values displayed in Maltese lira are based on the rate of €1=Lm0.429300 and are for information purposes only.”

All information is correct at time of going to print. Information is continuously updated on the Charter Support Unit website and on the Public Registry website.

January 2004

Published by the Charter Support Unit, OPM

http://www. servicecharters.gov.mt

Printed at the Government Press