The Embassy of Malta in Italy is urging people to travel with both their ID card and passport, warning in a statement about a high number of thefts in crowded places.

"To all travelling to Italy and its islands, please avoid travelling with just the Maltese ID card or just the Maltese passport.

"We recommend travelling with both documents. The documents should be kept separately. At the moment many thefts are being reported, thus we recommend travellers exercise caution, especially on the metro and in crowded places."

EU citizens can travel through the Schengen area with just their ID cards. 

Schengen is an agreement between most EU countries and some non-EU countries that allows unrestricted movement of people.

Social media users who read the embassy's warning provided tips on keeping documents safe while on holiday.

One suggested keeping the original ID in the hotel and a copy in their purse, but another said it would be better to keep both documents on one's person but in separate pockets.

Others asked why it was only the Maltese embassy in Italy making such recommendations when one could get robbed anywhere.

"Is the Maltese government telling us politely that the Maltese ID card is not being accepted in Italy? If so, why? Isn't this very very serious? What's going on? Can we be honest with the people please," one social media user asked.

Last month, Times of Malta reported that the government and European Commission have agreed on an interim solution for Malta’s border because the country is unlikely to have the technology required for Schengen countries by the deadline of October.

The agreement follows the Commission’s concerns, expressed a few months ago, that Malta is lagging behind in implementing the Entry/Exit System (EES) technology.