Problem getting my passport

Hi jmuthe,

it sounds a bit like the passus in the application form for a new British passport while living in Germany.

It can be any person from public life who has known you for more than two year. One time I used my bank manager, the next time it was my family doctor. A school teacher can also issue public documents.

There must be some official person who knows you for more than two years and who can do you the favour.-)))

Cheers
Ricky

Are they asking for a Maltese or a USA recommender? If Maltese, do you not have some connection to a Maltese business person through your family connections? If USA, a friend that owns a business?
In our experience these type of recommenders appear to be acceptable to the authorities as they can easily be verified.

I am confused about your answers. The recommender is not just someone who will signs my document but they must also have a rubber stamp to stamp the document. I may be wrong but I believe that the only people who have rubber stamps are licensed notaries. You guys told me that the recommender could be a business owner or a teacher. I have a cousin who is a teacher and my mother's cousin is a business owner.  However, if they are not notaries, they wouldn't have a rubber stamp and if they don't have a rubber stamp then how could they stamp the document? To answer rooikat's question; the Maltese Consulate of New York did not tell me that the reccommender had to be Maltese or American. They just need someone who can sign and stamp it.

Hi jmuthe,

with the UK passport renewal in Germany the consulate did not require a rubber stamp but an official person , even German, who would sign and confirm . They give their name and contact details anyway. I never had a problem with a German bank manager signing my application in Germany. Even a teacher has a school stamp !

Even I have a rubber stamp with my name and address !

They don't have to be notaries , they have to have an official function and have known you for two years.



Cheers
Ricky

In order to understand me better I think that it would be best if you look at the form by copying and pasting this link:
http://www.foreign.gov.mt/Library/PDF/0 … 20Form.pdf
Once you look at the form, scroll down to section 8. In that section you will see an oval that says, "Recommender's Rubber Stamp". I believe that is where the recommender has to apply their rubber stamp. Ricky said that UK passport renewal form may not need a rubber stamp but if you look at the form, it clearly shows where the stamp has to go. Why would it have that oval if a recommender doesn't need to stamp it? Also, when they say a rubber stamp, doesn't it have to be an official rubber stamp from a notary? You said that you have a rubber stamp with your name and address. Does that mean that I could just buy a rubber stamp from any office supply store, put the name and address of my cousin (who is a teacher) on the stamp and have her use it to stamp my document? If so, then wouldn't it be easy for anybody to just buy a rubber stamp from an office supply store, and forge that part of the document?

Hi jmuthe,

according to the passport office the recommender should be a 'professional' or priest.

If you take the form word-by-word you will actually need a Maltese recommender as they ask for an ID card number and not a passport number.

I would just have your professional recommender fill in the form with US passport number. If an official stamp ( school stamp?) is available stamp the field otherwise just leave it.

You have to take the form in personally anyway as they take your photo and fingerprints.

Cheers
Ricky

As a general rule and in very simple terms - the person needs to be of professional standing, judge, policeman, doctor, lawyer, teacher etc etc etc. if they have a rubber stamp fine - if they dont - no need to worry as long as they give their contact details and signature. Plus its better if they have known you for two years or so...although in my experience that bit is much harder to establish, as i dont kn ow a judge, a policeman, lawyer or a teacher - doctors may be the best option.

Re Ricky's comment about a Maltese recommender: In the UK the recommender for a passport application has to be a UK recommender, that's why I asked that question. We had a UK business owner recommending us in our application for our UK passports and it was plain sailing. (They didn't stamp it but included their business registration number). By the way, from what I can deduce, non of the forum people responding to this query have actually applied for a Maltese passport, so we are all in the dark:

that is true Rooikat.

Hi rooikat,

I did actually have to apply for a British passport and renewal in Germany as I'm British and used the regular application form. The British consulate in Frankfurt and later Düsseldorf did never make a deal about my German co-signees! This would be similar to jmuthes situation in NY.

As already stated I used bank managers/teachers and also the local doctor all who knew me for more than two years.

If the Maltese really want a Maltese ID card holder recommender in New York then jmuthe has a problem because Maltese resident outside of Malta don't have Maltese ID cards ( or at least they shouldn't -)))

Cheers
Ricky

Quote: If the Maltese really want a Maltese ID card holder recommender in New York then jmuthe has a problem because Maltese resident outside of Malta don't have Maltese ID cards ( or at least they shouldn't -)))

I get that. My point was, send the documentation for signature to someone his family knows in Malta and they can return it to him to be submitted. Failing that, wait till he reaches Malta, get it signed and then submit. BTW - NHS doctors won't endorse these type of documents - it's against 'practice policy'

A maltese citizen living outside of Malta shouldn't have an id card, but they can have an id number

For Canadian Passports we have sort of the same requirements but they were flexible in terms of who your reccomendor ir (so I imagined it should be similar for Malteses) so I checked here
http://www.passaporti.gov.mt

and it says:

Ordinary passports for first time applicants (adults over 18 years of age)

Form A filled and signed on Section 8 by a recommender (a professional person or a priest) who should have known you for 2 years.

so in that sense it is similar to the canadian passport, the condition is the 2 years, they told you that it COULD be a Notary but it does not have to be a Notary I guess...
Good Luck

I called the Maltese Consulate and they told me that the person signing it doesn't have to be a notary but they have to have a rubber stamp. However, I don't know what type of professions have rubber stamps that aren't notaries. Some of you told me to get one from a teacher. I mentioned before that I have a cousin that is a teacher and asked if they are given any type of rubber stamps. She told me that the teachers aren't given any type of rubber stamp, at least not where I live. Furthermore, what is the purpose of a recommender? I hear that it is to prove I am who I say I am. However, if I go to the consulate personally and show them ID then why is that not good enough? You might say that it is because that ID could be forged but so could the reccommender's rubber stamp and signature.

A recommender is someone of 'good standing' in a community and whose background can be checked by either the police, revenue offices etc etc. The information on a 'rubber stamp' would have to contain a link to a registered business or a registered professional. In this way the 'authorities' could delve into the background of the recommender if they wanted to in order to assess if they have any criminal charges or documentation on file. That's just the way it works throughout the civilised world - you will just have to bite the bullet and comply

And before you ask......if the recommender is recommending you and they are of 'good standing', then the assumption is that you are of 'good standing' unless proved otherwise. Presenting yourself with an ID is not an indication, especially if you are not a business owner or professional whose background is easier to check..