The Identity agency is going through the process to renew 160,000 identity cards of Maltese citizens that were issued ten years ago and that will expire between this year and next year. In the last two months there were more than 9,000 people who renewed their identity card. During the next year and a half, more than 160,000 other identity cards will expire and must be renewed with new ones.
An identity card is valid for ten years and every citizen is obliged to see that if the identity card has expired, or is about to expire, apply to renew it in the identity card section at Gattard House, the Blata l’Bajda. During a visit to the unit, the Minister for the Interior, Security and Work Byron Camilleri followed the process of renewing the identity cards, with each of them also having the biometric details of the individual.
Minister Camilleri said that “unlike what happened before 2013, when all Maltese and Gowis had an expired identity card, the Identity agency is nowadays giving absolute priority to renewal efficient and effective of identity cards.” This is being done because the agency has invested well in the tools to work and also in the human resource.
The CEO of Identità, Steve Agius said that the agency is extending its hours so that the public can be better served in view of the increase in requests for the services provided by Identità. He explained that those whose identity card has been closed, or is about to expire, can go to the agency’s offices, Blata l’Bajda, or make an appointment for renewal from the Identity agency’s website: https: //eidbooking.identita.gov.mt/v2/
The identity card was made mandatory by law 49 years ago for those who turn 18 and nowadays this obligation has dropped to 16 years. The new ID cards have a number of strong security features to protect a person’s identity and make it more difficult to manipulate.
