Sceberras Trigona Notaries

Almost every property purchase in Malta passes through a notary, and the same is true of wills, loan deeds and many family agreements. Sceberras Trigona Notaries & Associates is a long-established practice for exactly this work, with one office in Valletta and another in the village of Ħal Lija, a short drive from Mdina and the central towns. Clients range from first-time buyers to people drawing up a will, and the practice is used to dealing with buyers who live abroad.

A Maltese notary is a public officer who drafts and publishes deeds, checks title and files the paperwork, which is a wider job than a UK conveyancing solicitor usually does. If you are comparing professionals, our directory of notaries in Malta lists the other practices on the island, and this page explains what Sceberras Trigona offers so you can decide whether to send an enquiry.

A family practice since 1946

The firm dates its beginning to 15 April 1946, the day Notary Dr Alexander Sceberras Trigona published his first contract. In 1976 his son, Notary Dr Alexander Joseph Sceberras Trigona, joined the office; he is a former Foreign Minister of Malta. The third generation arrived in 2017 with Notary Dr Alexia Sceberras Trigona, and her husband, the lawyer Dr Steven Zammit Briffa, joined in 2020.

The wider team includes a trainee notary, Maria Krista Tabone Bartolo, and the office manager, Ms Frida Micallef, who has worked under all three generations of the family and greets clients at the office. Its watchwords are integrity, diligence and responsiveness, and continuity is its main strength: the same family has handled Maltese contracts for close to eighty years.

For a UK client this matters in a practical way. Property and inheritance deeds in Malta are often kept and referred to for decades, and an established office can usually trace earlier documents and explain how they were prepared.

Buying a home: promise of sale and deed of sale

Maltese property purchases normally happen in two steps. The first is the promise of sale agreement, known locally as the konvenju. It is a binding contract between buyer and seller that fixes the price, the payment schedule and any conditions that must be met before the sale completes. The notary examines the legal title, searches for outstanding debts and checks the property against planning and building rules before the agreement is signed.

The konvenju is usually accompanied by a deposit of around ten per cent of the price, which the notary holds as a guarantee. The notary also explains the effect of the conditions, such as permits, deadlines and what happens if a party fails to meet them, so that both sides understand their rights before committing.

The second step is the deed of sale, or kuntratt ta' bejgħ, which transfers ownership. The practice investigates title, transfers and the liabilities of the parties, researches the root of title, and then drafts the public deed. Where a bank loan is involved, the notary works with the lender, reflects the loan terms in the deed and deals with securities such as hypothecs and privileges. Where there is no loan, the notary oversees the payment process directly.

The notary also handles the tax formalities. Duty on documents, known as stamp duty or boll, is normally paid by the buyer, while final withholding tax is normally paid by the seller. The practice gives guidance on what is payable and on any exemptions available under schemes that open from time to time. If you are budgeting for a purchase, our guide to Malta tax for UK nationals gives wider background, and our guide to relocating to Malta from the UK covers the other steps of a move.

Buying property in Malta as a foreigner

Non-Maltese buyers often need an Acquisition of Immovable Property permit, known as an AIP permit, before they can buy. The exception is property in the Special Designated Areas, where purchases can be made without one. The areas are Tignè Point in Sliema, Portomaso and the Pender Place and Mercury Towers developments in St Julian's, and Fort Chambray in Għajnsielem, Gozo.

The practice advises whether your intended purchase needs a permit and handles the application when it does. It also explains the applicable stamp duty, final withholding tax and other charges, keeps clients informed about incentives currently open to investors, liaises with estate agents and carries out due diligence on the legal standing of the property.

If you are still choosing an area, our overview of where to stay in Malta by area is a useful way to compare towns before you view anything, and our guide to Valletta describes the capital where one of the practice's offices is based. For wider context on the island's economy and standing, see our financial services in Malta overview.

Wills and succession

Will drafting is the second pillar of the practice. A will sets out how property, money and belongings pass after death, and it can also name guardians for minor children and record funeral wishes. The notaries work with each client to reflect their circumstances, and the practice stresses the difference between testate succession, where a will governs the estate, and intestate succession, where Maltese law decides who inherits because there is no will.

The office also drafts unica charta wills, which are joint wills made by a couple in a single document. Because both people are bound by the same text, the practice advises carefully so that the will reflects the wishes and interests of each partner. Existing wills can be reviewed and updated when life changes, and the practice handles the process with confidentiality.

For British owners of a Maltese home or retirees who have moved to the island, a Maltese will is a practical way to deal with property here. The practice also prepares declarations of causa mortis transmissions, the document used to record how an estate passes after a death.

Anyone considering a longer stay can read our guide to working remotely and nomad residence in Malta before deciding how much of their affairs to arrange locally.

Loans, family deeds and other contracts

The practice formalises loan agreements, or kuntratt ta' self, covering home loans, business loans and personal loans. The notary drafts or reviews the agreement so that the loan amount, repayment schedule, interest and any security or guarantees are clear, whether the client is the borrower or the lender, and explains what the client is agreeing to.

Family and property deeds make up much of the rest of the services list. These include partition (diviżjoni), donation (donazzjoni), the deed of emphyteusis and redemption of ground rent, matrimonial regimes and prenuptial agreements, contracts of personal separation and separation of estates, and cohabitation agreements. The office also prepares powers of attorney and affidavits, and carries out notarisations, witnessing of signatures and document authentication.

Some of these services help overseas clients who cannot be in Malta in person, because a power of attorney lets a trusted representative sign on your behalf. If a transaction needs wider legal advice, a litigation or company matter for example, you may also want a law firm, and our directory includes Advocates Primei, a Malta law firm. Buyers who need help with permits and visas can look at ACC Malta Immigration Advisors, and those who need bookkeeping or tax filing can look at Accounting Services in the directory.

Offices and how to start

The Valletta office is at 203/4 Old Bakery Street, in the heart of the capital, and the second office is at 10 Triq Il-Kbira in Ħal Lija. Both receive clients by appointment only, so you should arrange a time before you travel. Visitors flying in for a signing will find direct routes from London on our page about flights to Malta from the UK, and our listing of hotels in Valletta covers places to stay close to the Old Bakery Street office.

The practice does not publish fees on its website, so the cost of a deed depends on the transaction. The best first step is a short message saying what you want to do: buy or sell a home, make a will, formalise a loan or arrange a power of attorney. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the notaries, who will reply to you directly.