Baby names restricted, paternity eased and death details hidden in new reform

• Baby names restricted to Maltese/Latin alphabet;
• Easier registration for biological fathers;
• 'Sensitive' causes of death removed from public visibility;
• Adoption-record anomaly fixed

Proposed changes to Malta's public registry would restrict newly registered baby names to the Maltese or Latin alphabet while making it easier for biological fathers to be listed correctly on a child's birth record. 

Home affairs minister, Byron Camilleri, outlined a series of changes he said were aimed at simplifying procedures, reducing bureaucracy and lowering costs for the public.

One of the proposals would ensure that any new name registered in the system is written using the Maltese or Latin-based alphabet.

“This is based on our constitution, which has Maltese and English as the official languages. Therefore, if you are trying to register a name, it needs to be using the Maltese or Latin-based alphabet," he said.

Camilleri said the proposal builds on earlier reforms to modernise the public registry. He recalled controversy in recent years when registry systems did not support Maltese characters, resulting in traditional names such as Ġanni and Ċikka being recorded as Ganni and Cikka.

In late 2020, Identità invested in new software to address the issue, enabling the correct use of the Maltese alphabet. 

The minister said the broader set of amendments is intended to “give people more dignity, less bureaucracy and less costs”. While some measures may affect only a small number of people, he said they would significantly improve specific situations.

Death details restricted

Further changes would affect death certificates. At present, the cause of death is publicly accessible, even in "sensitive cases", Camilleri said. The government is proposing that this information would no longer be publicly visible, although it would still be recorded within the public registry system and accessible through a court order.

Among the proposed changes are new rules concerning the registration of a child’s parent. At present, for example, if a mother has not legally separated or divorced from a former partner but has had a child with someone else, her legal partner is automatically listed as the child’s father, even if he is not the biological parent.

The government is proposing to amend the law so that the biological father can be registered without requiring lengthy procedures or additional costs to correct the record.

Changes are also being proposed in relation to adoption. Currently, in certain cases where a partner adopts a child, the biological parent could also end up being registered as an adoptee. The amendment would ensure that this does not occur and that the parent remains correctly listed.

Another proposal concerns surnames. Amendments introduced in 2021 gave married couples the option to retain their own surnames, adopt their partner’s surname, or combine both surnames in any order, up to a maximum of four.

This flexibility had already been available administratively for five years before the legal amendment in 2021. However, the new proposal would remove the existing five-year time limit linked to these arrangements.

In addition, measures are being introduced to streamline administrative processes. Individuals would no longer be required to appear in person before a notary when submitting personal data. Instead, the information could be transmitted electronically through a dedicated portal currently being developed by the agency.

The proposed amendments have been approved by Cabinet and will now be debated in Parliament.