Who to call in Malta: the complete directory of who fixes what

📅 Last verified: 12 July 2026
🔗 Official source: servizz.gov
⚠️ General information only — not legal advice. Contact details change. Always confirm with the authority itself, or call 153.

The two numbers to save right now

If you remember nothing else from this page, remember these.

153 is the number almost no expat knows exists. It is servizz.gov, the agency that brings every government service together. Maltese public agencies direct citizens to it in their own official service charters. It is the front door, and it is free.

From a foreign mobile: +356 2125 5153 · Email: servizz@gov.mt · Online: Submit a Complaint

⚠️ Please don't call 112 for a pothole, a noisy party, or a rubbish bag. It is the emergency line, and it may be someone else's only chance to get help. For everything non-urgent, 153 is the number.

The directory

🚨 Emergencies

⚡💧 Utilities — power and water

The most common mistake: people call ARMS when their power goes out. ARMS is the billing company — a joint venture between Enemalta and the Water Services Corporation. It handles bills, accounts and applications. It does not fix faults.

💡 Have your account number or meter number ready — both are printed on your ARMS bill, and the meter number is on the meter itself.

🏘️ Your local council

Councils handle the things immediately around your home. The email format is the same for all 68:

locality.lc@gov.mt

Examples: attard.lc@gov.mt · balzan.lc@gov.mt · birgu.lc@gov.mt · birzebbuga.lc@gov.mt

Write to the Executive Secretary and CC the Mayor. Full instructions and an email template: How to contact your local council.

To find your council's phone number and office hours: the Local Government Division lists all local and regional councils' websites. Or call 153.

🛣️ Roads and infrastructure

Not sure whether your road is arterial or residential? Send it to your council and CC Infrastructure Malta. One of them owns it, and neither can claim they weren't told.

🚗 Parking, traffic and local enforcement

LESA's office: 246 Mater Boni Consilii Street, Fgura FGR 1611 · Mon–Fri 08:00–15:30.

🏗️ Buildings and planning

💡 You do not need to be a citizen, or even a voter, to object to a planning application. Residents of the locality can object. It is one of the few civic rights in Malta that is open to everyone, and almost no expat uses it.

🚌 Public transport

⚖️ When a public body ignores you

This is the section nobody tells expats about.

The Office of the Ombudsman investigates complaints of maladministration against public bodies — including local councils and government agencies.

If a council, a ministry or an agency has treated you unfairly or simply refused to do its job, this is your route — and it is open to you exactly as it is to a Maltese citizen.

ombudsman.org.mt

How to make a report that actually works

Whoever you are writing to, five things get you a response.

1. A precise location. Street name, nearest number or landmark, locality. Authorities act on location, not on names.
2. A one-line subject. "Street lighting out — Triq il-Kbira, Sliema — since 20 June"
3. Facts, not feelings. What is wrong, exactly where, since when. Nothing else.
4. Evidence. A clear photo showing the problem and enough surroundings to identify the spot. Do not photograph people without consent.
5. A specific ask. "Could you please confirm receipt and let me know which department is handling this, and any reference number?"

Then keep everything. Date, recipient, reference number, follow-ups. Without a paper trail you have a feeling. With one, you have a case.

The escalation ladder

If nothing happens:

1. Follow up in writing after about a week — reply to your original email, quote the date, ask for a reference number.
2. Write to the Mayor (for council issues). Councils are political bodies. Mayors do respond to residents who write directly.
3. Go to servizz.gov — call 153 or file a complaint online. They route it and follow it up on your behalf.
4. Go to the Ombudsman — free, independent, open to any resident.
5. Tell us. Report the issue to ExpatVoice.

Most people stop at step 1. Steps 3 and 4 exist precisely for the situation you are in, they cost nothing, and hardly anyone uses them.

Can I do this in English?

Yes. Maltese and English are both official languages of Malta. You have the right to write to any public authority in English and to expect a reply you can understand. servizz.gov (153) operates in English.

In practice, some bodies are fully bilingual and others default to Maltese. If you get a Maltese-only reply and need it in English, ask — politely, in writing.

If you keep hitting a language wall, tell us. It is one of the systemic issues we track, and it only changes when someone can show it happens repeatedly, across many localities.

Tell us too

Reporting fixes your problem. Reporting to us fixes the pattern.

When ExpatVoice sees the same issue raised by residents across many localities — the same council that never replies, the same service that fails, the same wall of Maltese-only responses — that stops being a complaint and becomes evidence. Evidence is what we can take to the people who can actually change it.

Report an issue. Your report is encrypted in your browser: we cannot read it without a key that exists on no server, and we never publish anyone's personal data. The form is anonymous by default.

Corrections

A number that no longer works? A body that has changed name? Tell us: info@expatvoice.mt — we investigate every correction and fix confirmed errors within 7 days. See our Editorial & Accuracy Policy.

This directory is only useful if it is right. Help us keep it that way.

Disclaimer: This guide is a plain-English summary for residents of Malta. It is not legal advice. Phone numbers, websites and responsibilities change. Always confirm with the authority itself, or call 153.