Religious or civil, any couple wanting to get married in Malta must request a Publication of Marriage Banns from the Marriage Registry of Malta at least 2-3 months prior to the wedding.
What You Need
Ideally, book an appointment with the registry to avoid any further hassle with the process.
You’ll need to take the following documents with you to the appointment, in order to request the Publication of Marriage Banns:
- Photocopies of the ID cards of both witnesses
- The original and photocopies of both parties
- Birth Certificates – only if applicants are not registered on the public registry
Once you’ve collated these documents, there are still a few things you need to take into consideration in order to ensure the request runs smoothly.
What to Know
You’ll need to know where the ceremony will be taking place, this is ideal for civil registrations as it allows the registry to appoint an officiator much more easily. And, the same goes for the dates of the wedding, it’ll all ensure your request is efficient and there are no high hurdle to jump over to get the paperwork you need to marry the love of your life.
You will also need the full name of the celebrant, if you’re having a religious wedding.
You’ll also need the bride to have decided on her surname situation.
The certificates obtained during the Marriage Preparation Course are required for any couples wishing to marry under church faith.
***
UPDATE: Some readers have inquired about foreign Birth Certificates and their eligibility. We can confirm, for anyone wondering, when submitting a certificate that isn’t in English or Maltese you will need to have them translated and signed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will need to stamp the documents to counter sign the translations.
***
Around 10 days prior to the wedding, the couple is able to collect 3 documents. Submit these to your Parish Priest for the ceremony. After the ceremony, the couple is to sign the Marriage Certificate. The bride is to use her maiden name, or previous surname if widowed.
Couples marrying in Gozo need to follow the process through the Public Registry of Gozo.
If you would like to contact the Maltese Marriage Registry, call on 356 25904241 / 356 25904247 or send an email at pubreg.marriage@gov.mt.
Are you organising your wedding? Click the banner below to contact multiple wedding vendors at once for FREE!
