Civil Code (Cap. 16), article 278A

278A. (1) The Director of Public Registry may refrain from registering the name or names given to the child in the relativ e act of birth, if the name or names, given to the child: (a) is shorter than three letters; (b) includes numbers or symbols; (c) is a common surname in Malta; (d) is derived from an obscene or offensive word or it consists of a word or words associated with sexual activity; or (e) exposes the child to ridicule or contempt. (2) It shall be lawful for any person to request the Director of the Public Registry, by means of a signed declaration submitted in Form V contained in Part II of the First Schedule to this Code, to make an annotation in his act of birth or in the Adopted Person s Register in order to: (a) correct any minor spelling variations to his name; (b) u s e a " t o b e c a l l e d n a m e " r e s u l t i n g f r o m a n y a c t o f civil status of such person or from a Maltese identification document or passport: Provided that such act of civil status or Maltese identification document or passport of such person was issued prior to 1st December 2012; (c) correct his name to reflect t he Maltese diacritic letters of the Maltese alphabet. (3) The declaration made in Form V contained in Part II of the First Schedule to this Code shall be irrevocable and shall be accepted by the Director of the Public Registry upon the paymen t of a fee as prescribed by the Minister responsible for the Publ ic CIVIL CODE [CAP. 16. 107 Registry. (4) If the Director of the Public Registry allows the request, the annotation referred to above, sha ll be effective as from the da y when he shall enter such modifi cation in the act of birth and t he "extract" mentioned in article 251 shall indicate the particula rs resulting from such annotations. Cap. 258. (5) A person, in respect of whom changes in particulars relating to his change in names have been annotated in accordan ce with the preceding provisions, sh all report the fact to the aut horised officer under the Identity Card and other Identity Documents Act and to the Passport Officer under the Passports Ordinance who s hall issue a new identity card and a new passport that indicate the particulars in accordance with the annotation written in the re lative act. The expenses for the issue o f the new identity card and th e new passport shall be borne by the person who changed his particula rs. Children conceived and born out of wedlock. Amended by: XX.1934.8; XVIII.2004.38; VIII.2007.11; XVIII.2007.4.