Changes to the citizenship law will allow second generation Maltese born outside of the country to apply
for Maltese citizenship. The government announced the launch of the new citizenship act
on Tuesday in a press conference addressed by Minister for Justice and Home
Affairs Tonio Borg.
The changes are a result of reforms to the citizenship
law, which were launched last February. Through
the reforms children of Maltese parents who were not born in Maltese
Islands
can apply to become bearers of Maltese citizenship and passport.
This will also automatically enable such
persons to become European Union citizens.
The reform launched in February follows
through on reforms undertaken in 2000, where dual citizenship no longer
remained tied to emigration or one’s birth in Malta and was in turn granted to
all those who once bore Maltese citizenship and lost it after being naturalized
in another country.
The revised laws also apply to persons of
Maltese blood, who established themselves in Alexandria
in Egypt, Gibraltar and Sfax in Tunisia.
When the reforms were announced earlier
during the year, they were welcomed by Australia, where several Maltese migrated
to in the 1960s.
