Lost or stolen passports

If your passport is stolen or lost during your stay abroad, the embassy or consulate can issue a temporary travelling document that will allow you to travel back to Malta; however, they are not authorised to issue a new passport. You must present a police report to testify that your passport has been lost or stolen, as well as prove your identity and Maltese citizenship. Ideally, you should keep a copy of your passport.

The temporary travelling document is issued in the shortest possible time; however, the process may take longer if the request is made between Friday and Sunday, or if you are far away from the embassy/consulate.

Lost/stolen money or credit cards

If credit cards or money are stolen or lost, the embassy or consulate can give you details on how money can be transferred from Malta, as well as help you contact your local insurance agency in order to be able to make arrangements. You would normally need a police report before making a claim with your insurance agency.

Victims of violence/accidents

The Ministry’s officials are ready to do their utmost in case you are a victim of an accident or a violent act. If possible, officials will visit you in hospital or jail.

The Ministry cannot offer legal or medical assistance, recommend or disburse lawyers, or pay doctor’s bills, but it can advise you on local lawyers and doctors, assist you with the police and try to put you through to your local insurance agency. This is necessary if you cannot speak the country’s official language. If requested, officials can also help you contact your friends or relatives and assist you in travelling back to Malta.

In case of financial difficulties

Due to unforeseen circumstances, one can end up penniless when abroad. In rare cases, some people encounter financial difficulties after having spent a long time working or living abroad.

Such circumstances can be resolved by having a relative or friend transfer an amount of money to you from Malta through a respectable agency. If you wish, the Ministry’s embassies or consulates can help you contact your relatives and friends in Malta. If this type of transaction is not possible, an embassy or consulate official can contact your relatives or friends residing in Malta and make arrangements for the transaction of funds through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A small contribution applies for transactions going through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry is not in a position to lend money or pay hotel bills or any other expenses incurred.

Repatriation

In some cases, people (or relatives of the person) encountering financial difficulties when abroad may decide that the best solution is returning to Malta. In rarer cases, one may be brought back to Malta due to health reasons or other serious problems.

Deaths abroad

The death of relatives and friends when abroad is without any doubt a difficult situation to deal with. For some, the sorrow is aggravated by having to deal with foreign bureaucracy and with a language that they might not comprehend. One may face difficulties when making arrangements for transportation of the corpse to Malta or for burial of the corpse in the country where the death occurred.

On being informed of a Maltese citizen’s death abroad, a diplomatic official or consul contacts the Protocol Directorate and Consular Services within the ambit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that the relatives of the deceased may be contacted as soon as possible.

Consular and embassy officials also help with logistic needs that arise when a Maltese citizen dies abroad. Officials can assist you in the gathering of death certificates and other documents from local authorities, and also get you in contact with a local undertaker who either makes the necessary arrangements for the burial of the deceased locally or else for the transportation of the corpse back to Malta.

The relatives of the deceased must understand that the time required to bring the corpse back to Malta may vary according to the death circumstances or the country’s bureaucratic practices. Although the process usually takes from one week to 10 days, it may take much longer. The embassy or consulate will make continuous contact with the authorities concerned so as to keep the relatives of the deceased up to date.

While the Ministry’s officials do their utmost to respect the desires of the deceased and relatives with regard to funeral arrangements, and are ready to serve as the point of contact between the relatives of the deceased, the authorities and the local undertakers, it may not be possible to satisfy all the requests due to certain country laws, bad weather and other reasons.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not cover repatriation costs. It is also not possible to provide funds for the funeral, bring relatives of the deceased to the place where death has occurred, or accompany the corpse back to Malta.

Contact with relatives of the deceased

In some cases, such as when death is a consequence of violence or traffic accidents, it is necessary for the embassy or consulate to maintain contact with the victim’s relatives for a number of years while police or court investigations are under way. On hearing from the police authorities, the embassy or the consulate will inform the relatives of the victim of new developments on the case. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot carry out investigations and all investigations and interrogations regarding the criminal act committed abroad are the responsibility of the relevant foreign country’s police and judicial authority.

Registration of the birth or death of Maltese citizens abroad

The best way to register the birth or death of Maltese citizens while away from Malta is by sending the birth or death certificate issued by the country where the birth or death occurred to friends or relatives in Malta so that the certificate may be passed on to the Department for Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs.

The department issues an official letter that certifies that the person who was born or died is a Maltese citizen. This letter and the birth or death certificate issued by the foreign country are to be sent to the Public Registry, which will issue the necessary certificate within seven to 10 days.

The first two parts of this article were carried on Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the article will be published in the coming days.