The postal service in Malta has a rich history that dates back to the early modern period. The earliest known letter from Malta is dated 1532, sent during the rule of the Order of St. John (Hospitaller rule) when mail was primarily carried by private vessels between Malta and Sicily. A formal postal service was established by the Order in 1708, with the first post office located at the Casa del Commun Tesoro in Valletta. Fixed postal tariffs based on weight, sheets, and destinations were introduced. Postal markings on mail started appearing in the latter half of the 18th century.
In 1798, during the French occupation of Malta, reforms were made to the postal system, including the introduction of a "Malte" handstamp. After the British took control in 1800, two post offices operated: the Island Post Office handling inland mail and the Packet Office managing mail between Britain and Malta. These offices were initially separate but were amalgamated in 1849 under one Postmaster. British postage stamps began to be used in Malta in 1857.
Malta issued its first postage stamp, the Halfpenny Yellow, in 1860 for local mail, while British stamps were used for foreign mail. The Malta Post Office was officially established in 1885, merging the separate offices, withdrawing British stamps, and introducing Malta's own stamps. The General Post Office moved to Palazzo Parisio in Valletta in 1886. Various improvements were made over time, including introducing numbered handstamps for letter carriers in 1889 and establishing postal districts by 1894.
In 1995, a private limited company Posta Limited was set up to run the postal service, followed by the public limited company MaltaPost taking over in 1998. MaltaPost was gradually privatized between 2002 and 2008 and continues to operate as the main postal service provider in Malta.
Additional historical details include the establishment of Malta’s Poste Magistrali by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in 1966 for philatelic purposes, and various operational developments through the British colonial period and into independence.
This overview highlights Malta’s postal service evolution from early private and Order-run mail delivery to modern national postal operations.