Malta Ship Registry Updates Foreign Document Authentication

Transport Malta’s Merchant Shipping Directorate has issued Merchant Shipping Notice 206, introducing a simplified alternative procedure for authenticating foreign documents submitted to the Malta Ship Registry. The notice took effect immediately on the 13 May 2026 and applies to documents executed outside of Malta for the purpose of filing or registration.

For our clients and the wider maritime community, this is a welcome and practical development that should reduce processing times on cross-border transactions.

What’s changed

Until now, foreign documents submitted to the Malta Ship Registry had to be authenticated by a notary, lawyer, or equivalent professional in the jurisdiction of origin and then formally legalised, either through an Apostille under the Hague Convention of 1961 or via the relevant Maltese diplomatic or consular representation. In practice, this has been a common source of delay, particularly in jurisdictions where Apostille processing is slow or consular