Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188), article 17

17. (1) In this Act - (a) any reference to the father of a person shall, in relation to a person born out of wedl ock and not legitimated be construed as a reference to the mother of that person: Provided that any reference to the father of a person born after the 1st January 2005 shall be construed as a reference to the par ent of that person; (b) a n y r e f e r e n c e t o t h e f a t h e r o f a p e r s o n w h o w a s lawfully adopted before the 1st January, 1977, shall be construed as a reference to t he adopter and in the case of a joint adoption, the male adopter; (c) any reference to the parents of a person who was lawfully adopted on or after the 1st August, 1989, and who was on the effective date of his adoption under the age of ten years, shall be construed as a reference to the adopters; and (d) any reference to the parents of a person who was lawfully adopted on or after the 1st August 2020 and who was on the effective date of his adoption under the age of eighteen (18) years, shall be construed as a reference to the adopters. (2) For the purposes of this Act: (a) th e a d o pt i on o f a n y p e r s o n ma d e o n or a f te r t he 1s t January 1977 and before the 1st August 1989 shall be without effect and shall be treated as if it had not been made; (b) th e a d o pt i on o f a n y p e r s o n ma d e o n or a f te r t he 1s t August, 1989 and before the 1st August 2020 who on the effective date of his adoption was ten (10) years or over, shall be without effect and shall be treated as if it had not been made; (c) an adoption of any person made on or after the 1st August 2020 who on the effective date of his adoption was eighteen (18) years or over, shall be without effect and shall be treated as if it had not been made. (3) Where after the commencement of this Act a newborn infant is found abandoned in any place in Malta, that infant sh all, unless the contrary is shown, be deemed to have been born in Ma lta and in any such case the provisions of the third proviso to art icle 5(1) shall apply to such infant. Posthumous children. Renumbered by: IV . 2000.4.