Malta

Data Sources
Company Identifiers
Search Capabilities
Quirks & Gotchas
Mappings
Data Availability
Example API Responses

Data Sources

Malta uses a single official registry for all company data. For a given entity, data comes from one source — there is no cross-registry merging.

BAROS (Malta Business Registry Online System) — Operated by the Malta Business Registry (MBR), established under Subsidiary Legislation 497.27. BAROS is the central company register for all commercial partnerships in Malta. The API provides structured company data including company name, legal form (type + subtype), status, registration date, registered address, share capital (authorised and issued), directors, secretaries, legal/judicial representatives, and involved parties (auditors, subscribers, etc.). It also provides a document listing and fee-based document retrieval via a purchase-pay-download flow. BAROS replaced the legacy paper-based registry system and is governed by the Companies Act 1995 (Cap. 386).

API Authentication: The BAROS API uses OAuth2 authentication via Azure B2C with Keycloak, secured by TOTP-based multi-factor authentication. Token lifecycle management (refresh, re-authentication) is handled automatically by the system.

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Company Type	Source	Format	Example	Notes
All companies	BAROS	C + space + digits	`C 2833`	Standard Malta company number issued by MBR

Malta Company Number Format: Malta company numbers consist of the letter C followed by a space and digits (e.g., C 2833). The search regex pattern is ^C\s+\d+. The space between C and the number is part of the official format.

Identifiers in API Response

Once you retrieve company data, the identifiers object contains all available identifiers for that entity:

Identifier Type	Format	Example	Found In
`registrationNumber`	C + space + digits	`C 2833`	All registered companies
`uuid`	UUID v4	`a1b2c3d4-e5f6-...`	Internal BAROS identifier (used for document retrieval)

The uuid is an internal BAROS identifier not visible to end users. It is resolved automatically from the registration number when needed for document listing and retrieval.

Search Capabilities

Search Type	Pattern	Example	Match Type	Expected Results
By Company Number	C + space + digits	`C 2833`	Exact	Single company (1 result)
By Name	Text string (min 3 chars)	`"Valletta Holdings"`	Partial	Multiple results

No VAT search: Unlike many EU countries, Malta does not support VAT number-based company search through the BAROS API. Use the company number (C + digits) for exact matching.

Search Performance: Identifier-based searches (C + digits) use exact matching and always return a single result. Name searches use partial matching and may return many results. Both search types query the BAROS API live.

Quirks & Gotchas

Quirk	Details
TOTP-based authentication	The BAROS API requires OAuth2 + TOTP multi-factor authentication. Token refresh is handled automatically but may occasionally cause brief delays on first request.
Fee-based documents	All Malta documents cost between EUR 1 and EUR 10. Documents are cached permanently (99-year TTL) to avoid duplicate purchases.
Company number format includes space	Malta company numbers include a space after the `C` prefix (e.g., `C 2833`). The space is normalized during search (whitespace-insensitive matching).
UUID required for document retrieval	Document listing and retrieval require the internal BAROS `uuid`, not the registration number. The system resolves this automatically via the company profile.
No dedicated shareholders endpoint	BAROS does not provide a dedicated shareholders endpoint. Partial shareholder data may come from `involved_parties` (subscribers).
Activity codes are AI-inferred	Malta’s registry does not provide standardized activity codes (NACE/ISIC). All activity classifications are AI-inferred from company type descriptions. The `isAIInferred` flag is always `true`.
Document names are AI-enriched	Raw BAROS document metadata contains basic filing names. AI enrichment adds human-readable names, descriptions, periods, and category classifications (e.g., `financialStatements`, `articlesOfAssociation`).
Multiple person arrays	Company data splits persons across four separate arrays (`directors`, `secretaries`, `representatives`, `involved_parties`), each with different data structures.
No UBO data	BAROS does not expose Ultimate Beneficial Owner data through its API. Malta’s Register of Beneficial Owners (regulated under S.L. 386.19) is not publicly accessible via BAROS.
Purchase-pay-download flow	Document retrieval requires three sequential API calls: create purchase, process payment, then download. This is handled automatically.
Legal form is type + subtype	The local legal form name is composed from `company_type.type` and `company_type.subtype` (e.g., “Limited Liability Company (Private Exempt)”). The `suffix` field provides the abbreviated form (e.g., “Ltd.”, “P.L.C.”).

Mappings

Company Status

Company status is determined deterministically from the company_state.state field in the BAROS API response. The active flag is set deterministically (state === 'Active'). AI enrichment adds the standardized status mapping.

Local Status	Standardized Status	Notes
Active	Active	Company is currently operational
Dissolved	Closed	Company has been formally dissolved
Struck Off	Closed	Company removed from register (defunct procedure)
Being Struck Off	Closed	Company is in the process of being struck off
In Liquidation	Closed	Company is undergoing liquidation proceedings
Being Wound Up	Closed	Company is in the process of winding up

Malta’s Companies Act 1995 provides for three forms of dissolution and winding up: Members’ Voluntary Winding Up (solvent), Creditors’ Voluntary Winding Up (insolvent), and Court Winding Up (by court order). A simplified voluntary dissolution procedure (Article 214A) was introduced for companies with minimal recent activity.

Legal Forms

Malta legal forms are derived deterministically from the company_type field in the BAROS API, which provides both a type (e.g., “Limited Liability Company”) and subtype (e.g., “Private Exempt”). The combination is used as the local name. Standardization and ISO 20275 codes are then AI-enriched.

Limited Liability Companies

Type	Subtype	Suffix	Standardized	ISO 20275
Limited Liability Company	Private Exempt	Ltd.	Limited Liability Company	`3Z6P`
Limited Liability Company	Private Non-Exempt	Ltd.	Limited Liability Company	`3Z6P`
Limited Liability Company	Public Exempt	P.L.C.	Corporation	`5GYT`
Limited Liability Company	Public Non-Exempt	P.L.C.	Corporation	`5GYT`

Private vs Public: A private company may have a maximum of 50 shareholders, may not invite the public to subscribe for shares, and restricts share transfer rights. A public company has no such restrictions. Exempt vs Non-Exempt: An exempt company has fewer regulatory obligations (e.g., audit exemption eligibility under S.L. 386.20). The minimum authorised share capital is EUR 1,164.69 for private companies and EUR 46,587.47 for public companies.

Partnerships

Type	Subtype	Standardized	ISO 20275
Partnership en nom collectif	—	Partnership	`DPNM`
Partnership en commandite	—	Partnership	`DPNM`

A partnership en nom collectif (general partnership) has partners who are jointly and severally liable. A partnership en commandite (limited partnership) has at least one general partner (unlimited liability) and one limited partner (liability limited to contribution). Both are governed by the Companies Act 1995.

Investment Vehicles & Special Structures

Type	Subtype	Standardized	ISO 20275
Investment Company with Variable Share Capital (SICAV)	—	Corporation	-
Investment Company with Fixed Share Capital (INVCO)	—	Corporation	-
Cell Company	—	Corporation	-
Incorporated Cell Company	—	Corporation	-

Other Forms

Type	Subtype	Standardized	ISO 20275
Overseas Company	—	Branch or Representative Office	-
Sole Trader	—	Sole Proprietorship	`GRPM`
Cooperative	—	Cooperative	-
Foundation	—	Nonprofit Organization	-

The company_type.legislation field (e.g., “Companies Act 1995”) is available but not used for legal form classification. ISO 20275 codes are AI-enriched — the four confirmed ELF codes for Malta are 3Z6P (Private Limited Company), 5GYT (Public Limited Company), DPNM (Partnership), and GRPM (Sole Trader). Other forms receive AI-assigned codes where available.

Legal Representatives

Legal representatives are extracted deterministically from the BAROS API directors and representatives arrays. Role enrichment (English translation, ISO 5009 codes) is applied by AI in the workflow.

API Source	Role Assigned	Classification	Person Types
`directors[]`	Director	Legal Representative	Natural persons
`representatives[]` (Legal Representative)	Legal Representative	Legal Representative	Natural persons, legal entities
`representatives[]` (Judicial Representative)	Judicial Representative	Legal Representative	Natural persons

Both individuals and corporate entities can serve as representatives. When a representatives[] entry has legal_person.type of NATURAL_PERSON, it is classified as a legal representative (individual). When the type is LEGAL_ENTITY or UNCATEGORISED_LEGAL_PERSON, the entry defaults to other key person (company type), unless the role explicitly indicates representative authority.

Other Key Persons

Other key persons are extracted from the secretaries and involved_parties arrays. They do not have statutory authority to bind the company.

API Source	Role	Person Types	Notes
`secretaries[]`	Secretary	Individual	Required by law for all Malta companies
`involved_parties[]` (AUDITOR)	Auditor	Individual or Company	Statutory auditor
`involved_parties[]` (SUBSCRIBERS)	Subscriber	Individual or Company	Initial shareholders at incorporation
`involved_parties[]` (other keys)	Varies by `type.name`	Individual or Company	Other involved party types

The involved_parties array uses a type object with name and key fields to classify party roles. The key field values (e.g., AUDITOR, SUBSCRIBERS) determine the role assignment. Both natural persons and legal entities (including uncategorised legal persons) can appear as involved parties.

Shareholders

Malta does not provide a dedicated shareholders API endpoint through BAROS. Shareholder information is not directly available in the structured company profile.

Data Source	What It Provides	Limitations
`involved_parties` (SUBSCRIBERS)	Initial subscribers at incorporation	Only founding shareholders, no current ownership
Documents (Annual Returns)	Full shareholder list	Requires document purchase (EUR 2-4), unstructured PDF
Documents (Memorandum & Articles)	Initial shareholding structure	Requires document purchase (EUR 5-7), unstructured PDF

For comprehensive shareholder data in Malta, document retrieval (Annual Returns or Memorandum and Articles of Association) is required. The involved_parties array with SUBSCRIBERS type only provides information about the initial shareholders at incorporation, not current ownership.

Activity Code Mapping

Malta does not provide official activity codes (NACE, ISIC) directly through the BAROS API. Activity information is derived from the company type and subtype description, then AI-enriched to provide NACE and ISIC codes.

Company Type + Subtype Description --> AI Inference --> NACE Rev. 2 / ISIC Rev. 4

Classification	Source	AI Inferred?
NACE	Derived from company type description	Yes (always)
ISIC	Derived from NACE or company type description	Yes (always)

Since Malta’s registry does not provide standardized activity codes, all NACE and ISIC classifications are AI-inferred. The isAIInferred flag will always be true for Malta activity codes. The activityDescription field is composed from company_type.type + company_type.subtype (e.g., “Limited Liability Company - Private Exempt”), which provides limited signal for meaningful activity classification.

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Data Type	Commercial Companies	Partnerships	Notes
Company Profile	✅ Async	✅ Async	Full structured data from BAROS
Legal Representatives	✅	✅	Directors + representatives arrays
Other Key Persons	✅	✅	Secretaries + involved parties arrays
Shareholders	⚠️ Limited	⚠️ Limited	Only initial subscribers from `involved_parties`
Ultimate Beneficial Owners	❌	❌	Not available via BAROS API
Establishments	❌	❌	Not available via BAROS API
Activity Codes	⚠️ AI-inferred	⚠️ AI-inferred	Derived from company type description
Documents	✅	✅	Fee-based retrieval (EUR 1-10 per document)

Legend: ✅ Available | ❌ Not Available | ⚠️ Conditionally Available | Async = Asynchronous processing

Documents by Company Type

Malta documents are fee-based and retrieved through the BAROS API using a three-step purchase-pay-download flow. Document types and pricing are determined by the charge field in the document metadata. Document names, descriptions, and categories are AI-enriched from raw BAROS metadata.

Charge (EUR)	Typical Document Types	SKU	Notes
EUR 10	Prospectus	`MALTA_DOCUMENT_PROSPECTUS`	Public companies only
EUR 7 / EUR 5	Memorandum & Articles of Association, Annual Accounts	`MALTA_DOCUMENT_ARTICLES_OF_ASSOCIATION`	Key corporate documents
EUR 4 / EUR 2	Annual Returns	`MALTA_DOCUMENT_FINANCIALS`	Financial statements
EUR 3 / EUR 1 / Free	Other filings (notices, forms, resolutions)	`MALTA_DOCUMENT_OTHER`	Miscellaneous filings

Paid Documents: All Malta documents incur a fee ranging from EUR 1 to EUR 10 per document. Documents are purchased and cached permanently (99-year TTL) to avoid duplicate charges. The document listing itself (available documents) is free.

Document Classification: Malta documents are classified into API categories (e.g., articlesOfAssociation, financialStatements, officialPublications) by AI parsing using Gemini. The raw BAROS data provides document metadata including name, type (with short_name, key, charge), inserted_at (filing date), filing_year, and document_number.

Example API Responses

All examples use placeholder data. Query: POST /company with { "id": "<id>", "countryCode": "MT", "dataPoints": ["companyProfile"] }

Active Private Limited Company (Private Exempt)

{
  "company": {
    "id": "C 12345",
    "countryCode": "MT",
    "identifiers": { "registrationNumber": "C 12345" },
    "legalName": "Example Malta Holdings Ltd.",
    "registrationDate": "2010-04-15",
    "activityDescription": "Limited Liability Company - Private Exempt",
    "status": { "localName": "Active", "active": true, "statusDetailsBeta": { "status": "ACTIVE" } },
    "legalForm": { "localName": "Limited Liability Company (Private Exempt)", "standardized": "Limited Liability Company", "iso20275Code": "3Z6P" },
    "capital": { "amount": 1200, "currency": "EUR", "formatted": "1200 EUR" },
    "activities": {
      "NACE": [{ "code": "6420", "description": "Activities of holding companies", "isAIInferred": true }],
      "ISIC": [{ "code": "6420", "description": "Activities of holding companies", "isAIInferred": true }]
    },
    "legalAddress": { "addressLine1": "42 Republic Street", "city": "Valletta", "postalCode": "VLT 1234", "countryCode": "MT" }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    { "type": "individual", "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" }, "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Mr John BORG", "firstName": "John", "lastName": "BORG" } } },
    { "type": "individual", "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" }, "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Ms Maria CAMILLERI", "firstName": "Maria", "lastName": "CAMILLERI" } } }
  ],
  "otherKeyPersons": [
    { "type": "individual", "role": { "localName": "Secretary", "standardized": "Secretary" }, "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Mr Paul ZAMMIT", "firstName": "Paul", "lastName": "ZAMMIT" } } },
    { "type": "company", "role": { "localName": "Auditor", "standardized": "Auditor" }, "company": { "legalName": "ABC Audit Services Ltd.", "id": "C 99999", "countryCode": "MT" } }
  ]
}

Public Limited Company (P.L.C.)

{
  "company": {
    "id": "C 22222",
    "countryCode": "MT",
    "identifiers": { "registrationNumber": "C 22222" },
    "legalName": "Example International Holdings P.L.C.",
    "registrationDate": "2000-03-10",
    "activityDescription": "Limited Liability Company - Public Non-Exempt",
    "status": { "localName": "Active", "active": true, "statusDetailsBeta": { "status": "ACTIVE" } },
    "legalForm": { "localName": "Limited Liability Company (Public Non-Exempt)", "standardized": "Corporation", "iso20275Code": "5GYT" },
    "capital": { "amount": 500000, "currency": "EUR", "formatted": "500000 EUR" },
    "activities": {
      "NACE": [{ "code": "6420", "description": "Activities of holding companies", "isAIInferred": true }],
      "ISIC": [{ "code": "6420", "description": "Activities of holding companies", "isAIInferred": true }]
    },
    "legalAddress": { "addressLine1": "Tower Business Centre, Level 5", "city": "Swatar", "postalCode": "BKR 4012", "countryCode": "MT" }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    { "type": "individual", "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" }, "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Mr Joseph VELLA", "firstName": "Joseph", "lastName": "VELLA" } } },
    { "type": "individual", "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" }, "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Ms Anna FARRUGIA", "firstName": "Anna", "lastName": "FARRUGIA" } } }
  ],
  "otherKeyPersons": [
    { "type": "individual", "role": { "localName": "Secretary", "standardized": "Secretary" }, "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Dr Mark GRECH", "firstName": "Mark", "lastName": "GRECH" } } }
  ]
}

Dissolved Company

{
  "company": {
    "id": "C 33333",
    "countryCode": "MT",
    "identifiers": { "registrationNumber": "C 33333" },
    "legalName": "Old Trading Company Ltd.",
    "registrationDate": "1998-07-22",
    "activityDescription": "Limited Liability Company - Private Non-Exempt",
    "status": { "localName": "Dissolved", "active": false, "statusDetailsBeta": { "status": "CLOSED" } },
    "legalForm": { "localName": "Limited Liability Company (Private Non-Exempt)", "standardized": "Limited Liability Company", "iso20275Code": "3Z6P" },
    "capital": { "amount": 5000, "currency": "EUR", "formatted": "5000 EUR" },
    "legalAddress": { "addressLine1": "15 Triq il-Kbira", "city": "Mosta", "postalCode": "MST 1011", "countryCode": "MT" }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    { "type": "individual", "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" }, "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Mr Toni GALEA", "firstName": "Toni", "lastName": "GALEA" } } }
  ]
}

Note: Dissolved companies have active: false and status Dissolved. Historical data (directors, secretaries) is preserved in the response.

Partnership en nom collectif

{
  "company": {
    "id": "C 44444",
    "countryCode": "MT",
    "identifiers": { "registrationNumber": "C 44444" },
    "legalName": "Borg & Sons Trading",
    "registrationDate": "2015-01-08",
    "activityDescription": "Partnership en nom collectif",
    "status": { "localName": "Active", "active": true, "statusDetailsBeta": { "status": "ACTIVE" } },
    "legalForm": { "localName": "Partnership en nom collectif", "standardized": "Partnership", "iso20275Code": "DPNM" },
    "legalAddress": { "addressLine1": "78 Triq San Pawl", "city": "Rabat", "postalCode": "RBT 1234", "countryCode": "MT" }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    { "type": "individual", "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" }, "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "Mr Noel BORG", "firstName": "Noel", "lastName": "BORG" } } }
  ]
}

Note: Partnerships may not have share capital data. The suffix field is typically absent for partnerships.

Available Documents

Documents are returned when "dataPoints": ["documents"] is requested. Malta documents are fee-based and AI-classified.

{
  "documents": [
    {
      "name": "Annual Return 2024",
      "description": "Company annual return filed for the year 2024",
      "type": "financialStatements",
      "format": "pdf",
      "date": "2024-06-15",
      "period": { "year": 2024 }
    },
    {
      "name": "Memorandum and Articles of Association",
      "description": "Memorandum and Articles of Association filed at incorporation",
      "type": "articlesOfAssociation",
      "format": "pdf",
      "date": "2010-04-15"
    },
    {
      "name": "Change in Directors",
      "description": "Notice of change in company directors",
      "type": "officialPublications",
      "format": "pdf",
      "date": "2022-09-01"
    }
  ]
}

Document pricing summary:

Charge	Typical Content	SKU
EUR 10	Prospectus	`MALTA_DOCUMENT_PROSPECTUS`
EUR 7 / EUR 5	Memorandum & Articles, Annual Accounts	`MALTA_DOCUMENT_ARTICLES_OF_ASSOCIATION`
EUR 4 / EUR 2	Annual Returns	`MALTA_DOCUMENT_FINANCIALS`
EUR 3 / EUR 1 / Free	Other filings	`MALTA_DOCUMENT_OTHER`

Western Europe

Northern Europe

Southern Europe

Central & Eastern Europe

Crown Dependencies & Offshore

Asia & Indian Ocean

Table of Contents

Data Sources

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Identifiers in API Response

Search Capabilities

Quirks & Gotchas

Mappings

Company Status

Legal Forms

Limited Liability Companies

Partnerships

Investment Vehicles & Special Structures

Other Forms

Legal Representatives

Other Key Persons

Shareholders

Activity Code Mapping

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Documents by Company Type

Example API Responses

Western Europe

Northern Europe

Southern Europe

Central & Eastern Europe

Crown Dependencies & Offshore

Asia & Indian Ocean

​Table of Contents

​Data Sources

​Company Identifiers

​Query Identifiers

​Identifiers in API Response

​Search Capabilities

​Quirks & Gotchas

​Mappings

​Company Status

​Legal Forms

​Limited Liability Companies

​Partnerships

​Investment Vehicles & Special Structures

​Other Forms

​Legal Representatives

​Other Key Persons

​Shareholders

​Activity Code Mapping

​Data Availability

​Data Availability Matrix

​Documents by Company Type

​Example API Responses

Table of Contents

Data Sources

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Identifiers in API Response

Search Capabilities

Quirks & Gotchas

Mappings

Company Status

Legal Forms

Limited Liability Companies

Partnerships

Investment Vehicles & Special Structures

Other Forms

Legal Representatives

Other Key Persons

Shareholders

Activity Code Mapping

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Documents by Company Type

Example API Responses