ACT No. XVII of 2025 AN ACT to amend the Postal Services Act, Cap. 254.

I assent.

(L.S.)

MYRIAM SPITERI DEBONO

President

11th July, 2025

ACT No. XVII of 2025

AN ACT to amend the Postal Services Act, Cap. 254.

BE IT ENACTED by the President, by and with the advice and

consent of the House of Representatives, in this present Parliament

assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:-

(1) The short title of this Act is the Postal Services Short title and

(Amendment) Act, 2025 and this Act shall be read and construed as commencement.

one with the Postal Services Act, hereinafter referred to as the Cap. 254.

"principal Act".

(2)

This Act shall come into force on such date as the Minister

responsible for posts may by notice in the Gazette establish, and

different dates may be so established for different provisions or

purposes of this Act.

Article 2 of the principal Act shall be amended as follows

Amendment of

article 2 of the

principal Act.

(a)

the definition "article" thereof shall be deleted;

(b) immediately after the definition "officer of a postal

operator" thereof there shall be added the following new

definition

" "parcel" means a postal article which is not an item

of correspondence, the weight of which does not exceed

twenty kilograms (20kg) and the dimensions of which fall

within the limits of size laid down in Agreements

concerning Postal Parcels adopted by the Universal Postal

Union as may be amended from time to time, or by any

other convention as the Authority may prescribe;"; and

(c) in the definition "universal service provider" the

words "by notice in the Gazette" shall be deleted.

Article 17 of the principal Act shall be amended as follows

(a) sub-article (2) thereof shall be substituted by the

following new sub-article

"(2) The universal service in the context of the

provision of postal services for the purposes of this Act

means the services listed in the Second Schedule, which

services and any such conditions applicable thereto as may

be listed in the said Schedule may, from time to time, be

amended by the Minister after consultation with the

Authority by means of an order."; and

(b) in sub-article (3) thereof, the words "as defined in

this article" shall be substituted by the words "as defined in the

Second Schedule".

In article 17A of the principal Act the words "by notice in the

Gazette", wherever they occur, shall be deleted.

In sub-paragraph (i) of paragraph (b) of sub-article (1) of

article 17B of the principal Act the words "as required in article

17(2)(a), or" shall be substituted by the words "as required in

accordance with paragraph (a) of the Second Schedule, or".

Article 43 of the principal Act shall be amended as follows

(a) sub-article (2) thereof shall be substituted by the

following new sub-article

"(2) The postal operator may also return to the

sender under such conditions as he may deem fit or

otherwise deal with it as he may deem appropriate, any

postal article which is in course of transmission by post

whenever he is satisfied that such postal article has been

posted by mistake or has been posted with wrong or

missing contents."; and

(b) immediately after sub-article (2) thereof there shall

be added the following new sub-article

"(3) The postal operator shall keep a register

recording any actions he takes in pursuance of the

provisions of this article and shall when requested by the

Authority forward to it information on the actions taken.".

In the Schedule to the principal Act the word "SCHEDULE" Amendment of

the Schedule to

shall be substituted by the words "FIRST SCHEDULE".

the principal

Act.

Immediately after the First Schedule to the principal Act, as Addition of new

Schedule to the

amended, there shall be added the following new Schedule

principal Act.

"SECOND SCHEDULE

(Article 17(2))

The universal service in the context of the provision of

postal services for the purposes of this Act means

(a) that on not less than five (5) working

days a week, save in circumstances deemed

exceptional by the Authority, there shall be at least

(i) one (1) clearance of postal

articles; and

(ii) one (1) delivery to the home or

premises of every person in Malta or, as the

Authority considers appropriate, under such

conditions as it may determine from time to

time, to appropriate installations

Provided that the Authority may

determine the working days when the

universal service is to be provided;

(b) that as a minimum the following

services are provided

(i) the clearance, sorting, transport

and distribution of postal articles up to two

kilograms (2kg) in weight;

(ii) the clearance, sorting, transport

and distribution of parcels up to ten kilograms

(10kg) in weight

Provided that parcels received

from other Member States of the European

Union and other countries which are

signatories to the Universal Postal Convention

of the Universal Postal Union, and weighing

up to twenty kilograms (20kg), are delivered

throughout Malta;

(iii) services for registered articles;

(iv) services for insured articles within

Malta and to and from all countries which, as

signatories to the Universal Postal Convention

of the Universal Postal Union, declare their

willingness to admit such items whether

reciprocally or in one (1) direction only;

(v) services free of charge for the

blind or partially sighted persons as may be

determined by the Authority; and

(vi) a basic counter service throughout

Malta.".

Passed by the House of Representatives at Sitting No. 364 of the 7th

July, 2025.

ANĠLU FARRUGIA

Speaker

ELEANOR SCERRI

Clerk of the House of Representatives

€0.54