Written by 14th July 2025
Amendments to the Companies Act
The Malta Business Registry (MBR) hereby informs the public that the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2025 has been enacted by Parliament (Act no. XVIII of 2025) and published in the Gazette on 11th July 2025. Provisions of this amending Act shall enter into force on such date that is to be determined in a separate Legal Notice.
The scope and reasons of this amending Act are principally to clarify certain company classifications and status, streamline requirements to reflect the needs of the financial industry, improving communication requirements between the Registrar and commercial partnerships through the proper up-keeping of an electronic mail address, and to grant the legislative power to the Minister to provide for regulations in relation to the registered office of commercial partnerships and for the formation, registration, and governance of limited liability companies consistent with this Act that are intended to operate in specific economic sectors.
Companies and their officers, as well as stakeholders in general are therefore encouraged to familiarise themselves with the amendments, particularly those procedures that seek to enhance and alleviate certain administrative procedures. Such instances include a director’s declaration instead of an expert’s report in cases whereby a consideration other than cash does not exceed the monetary value of 50,000 euro; a clarification regarding the voting rights of usufructuaries of shares; a new simplified dissolution procedures applicable to certain companies satisfying certain criteria as provided by the law; as well as a new procedure concerning certain companies which would have had their name struck off the register, were re-instated by the court for a definite time period and which for some reason would require to have such period within which to remain so re-instated on the register extended. The latter would be possible by filing a joint application together with the Registrar accompanied by documentary evidence backing the request to the court.
In order to better understand each amending provision, one may always refer to the User Guidelines which seek to guide companies, their officers and all stakeholders involved throughout the process.
Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas
Registrar & CEO
14 ta’ Lulju 2025
Nota Informattiva – Pubblikazzjoni ta’ Leġiżlazzjoni
Emendi fl-Att dwar il-Kumpaniji
Ir-Reġistru tan-Negozju ta’ Malta (MBR) b’dan jinforma lill-pubbliku li l-Att dwar il-Kumpaniji (Emenda), 2025 ġie maħruġ mill-Parlament (l-Att Nru XVIII tal-2025) u ppubblikat fil-Gazzetta fil-11 ta’ Lulju 2025. Id-dispożizzjonijiet ta’ dan l-Att emendatorju għandhom jidħlu fis-seħħ f’dik id-data li għandha tiġi determinata b’permezz ta’ Avviż Legali separat.
L-għan u r-raġunijiet ta’ dan l-Att emendatorju huma prinċipalment biex jiġu ċċarati ċerti klassifikazzjonijiet u status tal-kumpaniji, jiġu ssimplifikati r-rekwiżiti sabiex jirriflettu l-ħtiġijiet tal-industrija finanzjarja, jittejbu r-rekwiżiti ta’ komunikazzjoni bejn ir-Reġistratur u s-soċjetajiet kummerċjali permezz tal-aġġornament xieraq ta’ indirizz tal-posta elettronika, u sabiex il-Ministru jingħata s-setgħa leġiżlattiva biex jipprovdi regolamenti fir-rigward tal-uffiċċju rreġistrat tas-soċjetajiet kummerċjali u għall-formazzjoni, r-reġistrazzjoni u l-governanza ta’ kumpaniji b’responsabbiltà limitata konsistenti ma’ dan l-Att li huma maħsuba biex joperaw f’setturi ekonomiċi speċifiċi.
Għaldaqstant, il-kumpaniji u l-uffiċjali tagħhom, kif ukoll il-partijiet ikkonċernati b’mod ġenerali huma mħeġġa jiffamiljarizzaw ruħhom mal-emendi, b’mod partikolari dawk il-proċeduri li jfittxu li jtejbu u jtaffu ċerti proċeduri amministrattivi. Tali każijiet jinkludu dikjarazzjoni tad-direttur minflok rapport ta’ espert f’każijiet fejn xi kunsiderazzjoni għajr flus kontanti ma tkunx taqbeż il-valur monetarju ta’ EUR 50 000; kjarifika dwar id-drittijiet tal-vot tal-użufruttwarji tal-ishma; proċeduri ta’ xoljiment simplifikati ġodda applikabbli għal ċerti kumpaniji li jissodisfaw ċerti kriterji kif provdut mil-liġi; kif ukoll proċedura ġdida li tikkonċerna dawk il-kumpaniji li isimhom ikun tneħħa mir-reġistru, iżda b’permezz ta’ ordni mill-qorti, tali isem ikun reġa ddaħħal fuq ir-reġistru għal perjodu ta’ żmien definit u li għal xi raġuni jkunu jeħtieġu li jkollhom tali perjodu li fih jibqgħu hekk imdaħħla fir-reġistru estiż. Dan tal-aħħar ikun possibbli billi jiġi ppreżentat rikors konġunt mill-parti interessata flimkien mar-Reġistratur, akkumpanjat b’evidenza dokumentarja li ssostni t-talba lill-qorti.
Sabiex nifhmu aħjar kull dispożizzjoni emendatorja, wieħed dejjem jista’ jirreferi għal-Linji Gwida għall-Utenti li jfittxu li jiggwidaw lill-kumpaniji, lill-uffiċjali tagħhom u lill-partijiet ikkonċernati kollha involuti matul il-proċess.
Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas
Reġistratur u Kap Eżekuttiv