This section contains advice and information for Irish citizens who encounter difficulties in Malta.

General

If you need emergency assistance from the Embassy, our telephone number is +356 21 334 744. If you telephone during Embassy opening hours, one of our consular staff will deal with your call. If you telephone at the weekend or while the Embassy is closed, you will be asked to call the mobile phone number of the duty officer on call.  The Department of Foreign Affairs also has an after hours Duty Officer who may be contacted in emergencies on 00 353 1 4780822.

Loss/ Theft of Passport

If your passport is lost or stolen, you should firstly report the loss or theft to the nearest police station, as soon as possible after the event. The police will issue you with a declaration confirming that you have made the report. You will be required to present this when applying for a replacement travel document.

Secondly, contact the Embassy. The Embassy can issue you with an Emergency Travel Certificate. You will need to present the police report and two passport photographs to apply for an Emergency Travel Certificate. There is a fee of €6 for this service.

If you have been the victim of a crime

The Embassy can:  

• Inform family and friends of your situation
• Help you to transfer funds from home if this is necessary
• Provide a list of English-speaking lawyers
• Assist in liaising with the local police
• In exceptional circumstances, advance funds to you on the basis of a strict undertaking to repay the funds when you return to Ireland
• Assist in arranging repatriation to Ireland

However, the Embassy does not:  

• Give legal advice
• Intervene in court proceedings
• Investigate a crime
• Pay legal costs

If you require urgent medical assistance

The Embassy can:  

• Offer general advice on the local medical services
• Provide a list of local English-speaking doctors
• Assist in liaising with doctors or hospitals
• Assist in repatriation if necessary
• Advise relatives and friends about accidents or illnesses
• Assist in arranging repatriation to Ireland

However, the Embassy does not:

• Pay medical or hospital bills
• Provide medical advice
• Pursue insurance companies about payment of or refund of the cost of medical treatment
• Pursue claims for compensation relating to negligence, injury or any other matter
• Pay for visits by relatives

If you have been arrested or imprisoned

The Embassy can:  

• Arrange for you to be visited by an Embassy official.
• If necessary, provide you with a list of local English-speaking lawyers.
• Advise you about the prison system and about your entitlement to visits, mail and other facilities.
• Bring details of any medical condition you may have to the attention of prison officials.
• Pursue with the prison authorities on your behalf any complaints about ill-treatment or discrimination.
• Pass messages to and from your family.

However, the Embassy cannot:  

• Secure better treatment for Irish citizens than local or other nationals receive.
• Give or pay for legal advice.
• Interfere with or influence the local judicial system.
• Provide any financial assistance while you are in prison.

The Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO) is a voluntary agency that provides assistance to Irish prisoners overseas and to their families in Ireland. The ICPO can be contacted at:

Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas
Columba Centre
St. Patrick’s College
Maynooth
Co Kildare

Tel: 00 353 505 3000
Fax: 00 353 601 6401
Email: icpo@iol.ie

If you require assistance in connection with a death abroad

If a member of your family dies while in Malta, the Embassy will provide all possible assistance in dealing with the formalities that arise in these situations.

The Embassy can:

• Arrange to have the next of kin of the deceased informed by the Garda Siochána
• Assist relatives to appoint a local undertaker
• Assist in procuring documents such as death certificates or medical or police reports
• Assist relatives to communicate with the Police and other Authorities

However the Embassy does not: 

• Investigate the circumstances of the death
• Pay expenses relating to local burial or cremation
• Pay the cost of repatriating the remains
• Pay for relatives to travel to Malta or to accompany the remains to Ireland

If you need help accessing funds

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Irish citizens may experience financial difficulties while abroad. Such situations can usually be resolved easily and quickly by transferring money from Ireland through well known commercial agencies. The Embassy can advise in this regard.

If these channels are not available, the Embassy can ask your relatives and friends to send you funds directly through the Department of Foreign Affairs. A statutory fee of €35 applies to a transfer of funds made through the Department.

The Department is unable, under any circumstances, to give loans or to pay any hotel or other expenses incurred by Irish citizens abroad.

If you need to be repatriated to Ireland

In very exceptional circumstances, where the health and security of an Irish citizen abroad is at risk and there is no way of dealing with the situation satisfactorily locally, the Department of Foreign Affairs may agree to repatriate the person to Ireland. This will be done at the sole discretion of the Department and subject to strict conditions which will be set out clearly in each case. The conditions include a written undertaking to repay all expenses incurred as well as a statutory fee of €35.