Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act has entered fully into force as of Saturday 1st September, and therefore, eligible persons may request information by downloading this application (FOI request form MT)(FOI request form EN) and send it to the following address: foi.mfa@gov.mt. Persons holding an e-ID may forward requests through www.foi.gov.mt. Applications may also be collected from the Ministry’s reception desk at 20 Melita Street, Valletta. Payments should be made at the cash office at the Directorate for Financial Management, at 331 St. Paul Street, Valletta. Payments may be made in cash or cheque payable to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Payments in relation to requests made to the Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs Department may also be made either in cash or cheque payable to the Director – Expatriate and Citizenship Affairs. Payments may be made at the Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs Department, 3 Castille Place, Valletta.
Opening Hours: Winter and Summer: (Monday to Friday) - 8:30 – 11:30
Winter (Tuesday and Thursday): 14:00 – 16:00
Application Forms
- Freedom of Information Request Form (MT) (EN)
- Freedom of Information Complaint Form (MT) (EN)
- Freedom of Information Complaint to IDPC Form (MT) (EN)
Legislation
- Freedom of Information Act (MT) (EN)
- Legal Notice 218 of 2009 (Commencement Notice) (MT) (EN)
- Legal Notice 157 of 2010 (Notice of Coming into Force) (MT) (EN)
- Legal Notice 158 of 2010 (Fees charged by Public Authorities for Access to Documents Regulations) (MT) (EN)
- Legal Notice 159 of 2010 (Timeframes for Lodging Complaints and Requests for Investigation and Review Regulations) (MT) (EN)
- Legal Notice 160 of 2010 (Applications and other Forms Regulations) (MT) (EN)
- Legal Notice 156 of 2012 (Commencement Notice) (MT/EN)
For further information, one may contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 21242191/21242853
Information relating to the Public authorities within the Ministry
Permanent Secretariat
Entities covered:
· Office of the Permanent Secretary
· Directorate General for Economic and European Affairs inclusive of:
(i) Directorate for European Affairs:
(ii) Directorate for European General Affairs and Economic Co-operation
· Directorate General for Political Affairs inclusive of:
(i) Directorate for External Relations and Mediterranean Affairs;
(ii) Directorate for Multilaterals and Global Issues
· Directorate, Protocol and Consular Services
· Directorate for Financial Management
· Information Management Office
· Central Visa Unit
General Description of the categories of Documents held by Office of the Permanent Secretary
- Strategic Objectives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Documentation related to the European Council
- Documentation related to the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
- European Union Explanatory Memoranda and related documentation
- Multilateral and Bilateral International Agreements
- Documentation related to Sanctions Monitoring Board
- Documentation related to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and EU sanctions/restrictive measures
- Documentation related to EXPOs
- Documentation related to outgoing and incoming trade and investment delegations
- Documentation related to business enquiries and trade fairs
- Documentation related to Development and Humanitarian Aid Contributions
- Documentation related to crises situations in various countries
- Documentation related to the 10th European Development Fund and the Development Cooperation Instrument
- Documentation related to expressions of interest from local NGOs for co-financing overseas development projects
- Reports from NGOs implementing projects co-funded by the Ministry
- Documentation related to the European Development Days (EDD)
- Documentation related to Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)
- Documentation related to Council Working Groups
- Policy documents and related working documents in respect of various EU Working Groups/ UN concerning development and Humanitarian Aid
- Documentation related to scholarships and scholarships applications
- Documentation related to consular affairs and consular assistance
- Documentation related to Appointments of Ambassadors and Honorary Consuls
- Applications for visas for entry into third countries not represented in Malta
- Specimen signatures of professionals/public officers for the purposes of authenticating documents
- Host nation agreements with international organisations
- Malta’s Diplomatic and Consular Representation; and Diplomatic and Consular Representation in Malta
- Documentation related to diplomatic clearances of military/state aircrafts and vessels
- Requests for approval for conferment of decorations
- Documentation related to the implementation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
- Contracts related to lease agreements and employment
- Internal circulars
- Inventory
- Documentation related to procurement
- Classification and Grading of the Diplomatic Service
- Documentation related to Human Resources matters
- Quotations related to IT hardware, software and services
- Contracts and agreements related to IT Services
- Policies related to security practices and measures
- Manuals of IT Systems and software
Description of all manuals and similar types of documents which contain policies, principles or rules or guidelines in accordance with which decisions or recommendations are made in respect of members of the public
- Tsunami Relief Committee – Guidelines for submission of project proposals.
- Scholarship Section – Quality Service Charter (See Section related to Scholarships under the Services Heading)
- Authentication of Documents Section – procedures as per Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirements of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (See Section related to Authentication of Documents under the Services Heading)
- Travel manual
- Brochure on Diplomatic and Consular Protection (Decision of the Council of the European Union of 19 December 1995)
- Conditions of Service for officers serving overseas
- Manual for newly recruited Diplomats
- Manual pertaining to the Electronic Cash Management System (ECMS)
Department of Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs
General Description of the categories of Documents held by the Department of Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs
· Documentation related to civil status
· Documentation related to applications for permanent residence
· Documentation related to applications for citizenship
· Intra Department and intra Ministerial documents
Description of all manuals and similar types of documents which contain policies, principles or rules or guidelines in accordance with which decisions or recommendations are made in respect of members of the public
Citizenship Section:
· Citizenship by Birth / Descent
· Citizenship by Registration
· Citizenship by Naturalisation
· Dual Nationality
· Confirmation of Citizenship for Registration of Foreign Documents
· Freedom of Movement
Residence Section:
· Residence permits for third country nationals
· Registration certificates and residence cards for EU/EEA nationals and their family members
· Residence permits in respect of Exempt persons
Information relating to the Internal Complaints Procedure
An applicant whose request for information is refused, or who is otherwise not satisfied with the information provided, its format or the extension of the deadline for the submission of the notification indicating whether a request would be met or not, may address a complaint to the Ministry.
The complaint should be addressed to the Ministry’s FOI Officer, who shall bring the complaint to the attention of the officer responsible. The officer responsible shall reply to the applicant within 10 working days from the receipt of the complaint. The applicant shall also be informed that he or she may appeal the decision or otherwise address a complaint to the Information and Data Protection Commissioner in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (Cap. 496 of the Laws of Malta).
The officer responsible shall inform the applicant of the decision taken with respect to his or her complaint, and in the event of confirmation of a decision not to release the pertinent information, shall explain the reasons thereof. Whenever the applicant’s complaint is related to the format of the information provided or to an extension of the deadline for the submission of the notification indicating whether a request would be met or not by the Ministry, and the original decision is upheld, the applicant shall be given an explanation as to why his or her complaint cannot be positively addressed.
An applicant may also make use of the Internal Complaints Procedure to report failure to meet deadlines or to send notifications. In those cases where the request for information can be met, but has not been met within the deadlines specified by the Act, the officer responsible shall waive any applicable fees for the submission of information.
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