Cremation services can now be offered in Malta

Cremation services can now be offered in Malta after the law approved by Parliament in April formally came into force.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar said that she was "proud" and "honoured" to announce that her first Bill was now law. "I thank all those who supported my vision, and look forward to seeing its implementation in the coming months."

Cutajar said that Malta was an open society that allows people to make decisions not just about their life, but also about what happens to them after death. 

The bill will allow people the flexibility to decide what to do with their ashes. It also details that each crematorium will have to have a mortuary, a viewing room, adequate facilities for the extraction of implants from the body, a cremation room and a storage room for remains.

It also stipulates that those operating illegal crematoria will be at risk of a three to five-year prison term and a fine of between €10,000 and €30,000. A national registry will also be set up to record people’s wishes on whether they want to be cremated.