Currency
Malta's currency is decimal. The Maltese Lira (Lm) is the unit of currency and is divided into 100 cents

Entry Requirements
Citizens of Commonwealth countries, UK dependencies, members of the Council of Europe and visitors from the USA do not require a visa.

Language
The people speak their own tongue - Maltese, a language of Semitic origin. Through the ages, many foreign words, particularly Italian, became part of the language, and Maltese is the only Semitic language written in Latin characters. English is one of two official languages and is widely spoken in Malta and Gozo

Religion
The majority of Maltese are Roman Catholic. There are small Anglican, Church of Scotland, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Methodists and Muslim communities.

Electricity
The electrical supply is 240 volts, single phase, 50 cycles. The 13 amp, three-pin rectangular sockets are used in Malta

Banks
Banking hours usually are between 8.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays; they are open until 11.30 a.m. on Saturdays. Some banks are open to the public for longer hours. Opening hours change for the winter and summer seasons. Foreign exchange facilities are available at the International Airport on a 24-hour basis all year round. There are also a number of automated foreign exchange machines scattered around the islands as well at automated teller machines (ATMs). Also, a number of exchange brokers operate on the islands.

Time in Malta
Malta is on central European Time (CET), that is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in winter and two hours from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. The islands are six hours ahead of Eastern Seaboard Time (EST) in winter and seven ahead from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in September.

Shopping
All shopping arcades and shops are situated in very central places and visitors may easily reach these localities either by private or public transport. Shops are open daily from 09.00hrs to 13.00hrs and from 16.00hrs to 19.00hrs.

In commercial areas frequented by tourists however, most shops remain open until approximately 10.00 pm. The shops in these localities offer all that customers may need such as food, fashionable clothes for all types of occasions and clients, souvenirs, shoes, hifi equipment and household accessories. Shops are not open on Sundays and public holidays.

Major credit cards, travellers cheques and eurocheques are accepted at most leading shops and restaurants. Card-holders should check with their credit/charge card company for details on merchant acceptability and other services that may be available.