Who owns what in a marriage in Malta?
Malta's default is a community of acquests: what the spouses acquire during the marriage is shared, and each keeps their own earlier property.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
What applies by default
Property acquired during the marriage is part of the community of acquests. Property from before the marriage, gifts and inheritances are personal.
When the marriage ends in divorce
The community of acquests is divided in equal shares.
A marriage contract
Spouses can choose separation of property by a public deed.
What stays your own, and gifts
Property from before the marriage, gifts and inheritances stay personal.
If one spouse is a foreigner
In member states that take part in the EU Matrimonial Property Regulation, common rules decide which law governs the spouses' property. Check whether this country takes part.
Understand the legal system first
Malta belongs to the Mixed: civil and common law family. Family law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.
Read the Malta legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Can a foreigner buy property in Malta? →
Official sources
Take it further
Inheritance, marriage, children, property and arrest rules in one PDF, with questions for a lawyer.
Set the property rules before the marriage, in your own terms.
For couples who live together without marrying.
Marriage, divorce, custody and support, step by step.
Divide property and settle the terms in writing.
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s marital property guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.
