Last Updated on October 17, 2022
| Government Agency | Malta Business Registry (“MBR”) |
| Description of the agency’s structure | The MBR is headed by the Registrar of Companies who performs all the functions and duties of the Chief Executive Officer as stipulated in the Public Administration Act. He is also vested with the legal and judicial representation. The Deputy Registrar is appointed to aid the Registrar of Companies in the execution of his duties. The MBR organisational structure consists of the Executive Committee, Board of Management and the following Departments: – Registry of Commercial Partnerships – Legal and Enforcement Unit – Compliance Unit – Human Resources and Development Unit – Finance and Administration Unit – Information and Communications Technology Unit – International Affairs, Research and Communications Unit – Office of the Official Receiver |
| Description of the department/directorate/entity’s functions and responsibilities | The MBR, established under Subsidiary Legislation 595.27, is a government agency tasked to function as a public registry for commercial partnerships and to execute those functions and duties relating to the registration of new commercial partnerships. The MBR is also in charge of the register of beneficial owners of commercial partnerships. In addition to this, the MBR is tasked with carrying out all additional duties imposed on the Registrar of Companies in accordance with Article 401 of the Companies Act. |
| General description of the categories of documents the department/directorate/entity holds (including exempt documents) | The Agency holds documents falling under the following main categories: 1) Website maintained by the Registrar of Companies on all commercial partnerships registered in Malta including basic information, annual returns and annual accounts, all notifications and publications required by law; 2) All information on the website mentioned in (1) are kept also as hard copy; 3) Supporting documents requested by the Registrar in relation to commercial partnerships; 4) Register on beneficial owners of commercial partnerships; 5) Reports on the findings of MBR representatives during on-site inspections carried out at the offices of CSP’s; 6) Internal policies; 7) Published policies and notices; 8) Memoranda of Understanding and related exchange of information documents 9) Copies of agreements entered into by MBR with third parties; Dossiers related to procurement; 10) Human Resources documents; 11) Staff Self-Development scheme files; 12) Health and Safety documents; 13) Legislation (Local and EU); 14) Project Proposals and Implementation Reports; 15) Submission of EU surveys; 16) Court judgement decrees and notification by courts; 17) Court summons; 18) Statistics; 19) Internal notices and communications issued Note: Some of the information listed above is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (Cap. 496). |
| Description of all manuals and similar types of documents which contain policies, principles, rules or guidelines in accordance with which decisions or recommendations are made in respect of members of the public (including bodies corporate and employees of the public authority in their personal capacity) | – Staff Handbook – Standard Operating Procedures – Maltese and EU Legislations – Public Procurement Regulations Note: As regards Documents filed in accordance with the Companies Act, it is notified that these documents are already available for public scrutiny. |
| Statement of the information that needs to be available to members of the public who wish to obtain access to official documents from the public authority, which statement shall include particulars of the officer or officers to whom requests for such access should be sent | The FOI officer of the MBR may be contacted by e-mail on foi.mbr@mbr.mt or by telephone FOI Requests may be submitted by e-mail to foi.mbr@mbr.mt or through the FOI Portal www.foi.gov.mt via the e-ID or through the online form. |
| Details of Internal Complaints Procedure | An applicant whose request for information is refused, or who is otherwise not satisfied with the information provided, its format or the extension of the deadline for the submission of the notification indicating whether a request would be met or not, may address a complaint to the MBR’s FOI Officer. The complaint should be addressed to FOI Officer of the MBR who shall bring the complaint to the attention of the Chairperson of the Board of Management. The latter shall reply to the applicant within 10 working days from the receipt of the complaint. The applicant shall also be informed that he or she may appeal the decision or otherwise address a complaint to the Information and Data Protection Commissioner in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (Cap. 496 of the Laws of Malta). The officer responsible shall inform the applicant of the decision taken with respect to his or her complaint, and in the event of confirmation of a decision not to release the pertinent information, shall explain the reasons thereof. Whenever the applicant’s complaint is related to the format of the information provided or to an extension of the deadline for the submission of the notification indicating whether a request would be met or not by the Authority, and the original decision is upheld, the applicant shall be given an explanation as to why his or her complaint cannot be positively addressed. An applicant may also make use of the Internal Complaints Procedure to report failure to meet deadlines or to send notifications. |
| Other Information | Complaints may be submitted by e-mail to foi.mbr@mbr.mt or through the FOI Portal www.foi.gov.mt via the e-ID or through the online form. Accepted payment modalities: cash, cheques or credit cards. |
| MBR Contact Details | Address: AM Business Centre, Triq il-Labour, Zejtun, ZTN 2402, Telephone: Generic e-mail address: info.mbr@mbr.mt Website: https://mbr.mt/ |