Malta Notarial Records

Research use: These records should contain useful lineage linking information, relationships, some marriage and death information. Because these records exist from before the time of church records, they can be helpful in solving early research problems.

Record type: Records of dowry and marriage contracts, wills, land, mortgage, business, and property records.

Time period: There are wills dating from the late 1300s. The earliest notarial records date from 1465. Wills were not mandatory until 1863. These records continue to the present.

Contents: Names of participants in contracts; names of heirs; relationships, residences; dates of death and sometimes of marriage.

Location: Notarial archives for the island of Malta are found at 3 M.A.Vassalli Street, Valletta and the Notarial archive for Gozo is on Republic Street in the city of Victoria. Pre-1863 wills are at the public registry offices in Valletta and in Victoria.

Population coverage: About 5%.