Registration of a child's name can be made using Maltese-language characters, Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Communities Alex Muscat announced in a statement today.

The first Maltese name that has been registered on the Public Registry electronic system is Ġanni (John) using the letter 'Ġ' in the Maltese alphabet.

"From now on all parents who wish to give their children names that embrace the Maltese alphabet can do so thanks to a strong investment that the Identity Malta Agency has made in a type of software which integrates identity cards, certificates and passports together", said the parliamentary secretary.

He reiterated that when names were registered manually in, the use of the Maltese alphabet with Maltese characters was possible, but over time, the process was digitised and the programme which was used did not allow it.

Muscat said that it was a shortcoming by the state for a child born in Malta to not have the option to be named by a name incorporating Maltese letters. "So, we addressed this irregularity in our systems in order to provide a choice to all parents who give their children a Maltese name and above all continue to care for our mother tongue, because our language encompasses the identity and history of our people throughout the ages.”

Chief Executive of the Identity Malta Agency Anton Sevasta explained that in the coming days the same agency will be in a position to start receiving requests for minor corrections in this regard. The legal amendments tabled will allow those with a registered Maltese name which does not use the Maltese alphabet to open a request before the Director of Public Registry wherein they can make this correction without the need for an application to the Court.   

This service will be provided free of charge with the main aim of removing bureaucracies in applications for the selection of names. Those individuals who will make this type of correction will be issued with a passport that will have the same expiry date as well as a new ID card free of charge.

The general public will be notified immediately upon the entry into force of this service within the following period.