Identità handed 112 people over to the police for further investigations and possible legal action during the first six months of 2026, as the agency stepped up enforcement related to residence permits and its internal processes, figures published by the agency show.
The agency said it remained committed to providing efficient, secure, accessible and high-quality services to Maltese citizens and foreign residents, while publishing statistics covering the first half of 2026.
Identità said it had strengthened its enforcement efforts during the period, both in relation to residence permits and its internal processes.
Its Compliance Unit opened a total of 301 investigations between January and June, of which 242 were concluded. A further 29 cases opened during the previous year were also concluded during the same period.
The agency also carried out 122 inspections, including joint operations with other government entities and authorities, representing an increase of 30 inspections compared with the same period last year.
Identità said these enforcement exercises resulted in 112 people being detained and handed over to the police for further investigations and legal action.
The Compliance Unit also conducted 371 interviews related to freedom of movement and processed more than 3,000 deregistration requests submitted by property owners seeking to remove people who had left their registered addresses without notifying the agency.
These exercises led to the revocation of 407 residence permits.
Meanwhile, the Public Registries in Malta and Gozo registered 2,375 births during the first six months of the year, comprising 1,216 boys and 1,159 girls.
A total of 2,209 births were registered in Malta, including 1,135 boys and 1,074 girls, while 166 births were registered in Gozo, comprising 81 boys and 85 girls.
The number of deaths registered across Malta and Gozo stood at 2,206, including 1,106 men and 1,100 women.
Malta registered 2,004 deaths, split between 1,003 men and 1,001 women, while 202 deaths were registered in Gozo, comprising 103 men and 99 women.
A total of 956 marriages were registered during the period, including 871 in Malta and 85 in Gozo.
The Public Registry in Malta issued 40,386 civil status certificates, comprising 19,974 birth certificates, 7,250 marriage certificates and 13,162 death certificates.
The Gozo Public Registry issued a further 3,030 certificates, including 1,130 birth certificates, 412 marriage certificates and 1,488 death certificates.
Identità's Searches Section processed 113,151 searches, comprising 7,884 testamentary searches, 54,244 normal searches, 38,344 updates and 12,679 other searches.
A total of 41,917 notes were submitted, of which 37,169 were filed in Malta and 4,748 in Gozo.
The Passport Office issued 30,107 passports and travel documents across different categories. Of these, 25,193 were issued following applications submitted in Malta, 2,001 in Gozo and 2,913 through Maltese embassies, consulates and representations abroad.
The total included 89 Emergency Travel Documents and 167 Documents of Identity, which are issued for a single journey to allow European Union and non-European Union citizens respectively to leave Malta.
Identità also issued 30,334 identity cards to Maltese citizens in Malta and Gozo during the first six months of the year, including 1,591 first-time identity cards.
The agency said this represented a decline following the completion of the national identity card renewal exercise. A further 1,771 applications were submitted through the identity card renewal service offered at local councils.
More than eight million transactions were also carried out through e-ID accounts during the first half of 2026.
Identità said the figures reflect the commitment and professionalism of its employees and that it will continue investing in improving its services, strengthening the security of its processes and keeping customers at the centre of every initiative, the statement said.