Exasperated foreign residents applying for a new identity card are starting to despair as they are left in the dark about the procedure.
People who spoke to The Times after failing to get through to the Department for Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs described the situation as “chaotic”, “disgraceful” and “in shambles”.
The department is in the process of replacing ID cards for non-Maltese nationals with e-residence cards. When the system was launched in January, department director Mariella Grech said applications for the new card had to be submitted in person after seeking an appointment via e-mail.
However, some applicants who sent an e-mail at the beginning of February said they still had not received an acknowledgment.
Readers said they sent about five e-mails and were still waiting for a reply, while messages sent in recent weeks were bouncing back.
When they tried calling the department, they found “permanently engaged lines” or the receiver was picked up but no one answered.
Others gave up and headed to the office in Valletta, where, after waiting for hours, they managed to obtain an appointment.
A Maltese woman married to a German national described the situation at the office as one of “panic and chaos”.
“There was no one at the reception and no one seemed to know anything. They sent us from one room to another. We felt overwhelmed. It was a situation of panic and confusion but we finally managed to speak to someone and set an appointment... for July.”
Expats have expressed concern about the validity of their current documents because non-Maltese nationals’ ID cards, will expire at the end of this month but appointments are being set for June and July.
The department had explained that residence documents issued before January 10 would remain valid for identification purposes until the end of June.
Questions on the prevailing situation, including what documents they can use after June 30 if they require proof of residence, were unanswered at the time of writing.
Oisin Jones-Dillon, from the European Union Citizens Against Discrimination – Malta, said that implementing the e-residence card scheme was illegal under EU law on at least two counts.
Firstly, it is illegal that non-Maltese EU citizens already in possession of a registration certificate are required not only to re-apply for a residence document but also to resubmit copies of personal documentation already held or issued by the authorities.
It was also illegal for the authorities to fail to provide non-Maltese EU applicants with residence documents immediately upon presentation of the required papers on their first visit to the department.
Another point raised by foreigners who have to apply for the new card is that those living in Gozo have to travel all the way to Malta and wait for hours until someone sees to their request to set an appointment.
They will then have to return with the application forms and the necessary documents.
A British man married to a Maltese suggested opening an office in Gozo for old and unwell expats who found it hard to travel to Valletta at least twice to obtain a new ID card.
The man, who has been a Gozitan resident for the past 10 years, went to the capital following unanswered e-mails and calls. He said the process seemed to be turning into a “complete and utter fiasco”.
“What a shock! People and queues everywhere. It was like being in a refugee camp of some war-torn country,” he said. He was eventually given an appointment for the last week of June.
For some, however, the trouble does not stop here. The new ID card and the temporary receipt provided until it is issued are not recognised by certain bus drivers or entities such as the VAT Department.