Cap. 16 Art. 66NJurisdiction of the court regarding divorce.

(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, the courts of civil jurisdiction shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine a demand for divorce only if at least one of the following requirements is satisfied:

(a) at least one of the spouses was domiciled in Malta on the date of the filing of the demand for divorce before the competent civil court;

(b) at least one of the spouses was ordinarily resident in Malta for a period of one year immediately preceding the filing of the demand for divorce.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-article (1), where a cause for personal separation in accordance with Sub-Title III of this Title is pending before a court of civil jurisdiction in Malta, including a cause being heard at appeal stage, and the court has jurisdiction to hear and determine that cause, the courts of civil jurisdiction in Malta shall also have jurisdiction to hear and * determine a demand for divorce between the same parties.

*Article 11 of Act XIV of 2011: "11. (1) There shall be a Committee to be known as "the Committee for the Adaptation of Laws due to the introduction of Divorce".

(2) The Committee shall consist of a representative of the Minister, who shall be the Chairperson, and of two other members one of whom shall be a representative of the Minister responsible for Social Policy and the other shall be a representative of the Minister responsible for Finance.

(3) The Committee shall have the function of advising the Prime Minister on any amendments that have to be made to any law or regulation which, directly or indirectly, refers to personal separation between the spouses for the purpose of adapting the same to the introduction of divorce.

(4) The Committee shall until the 29th February 2012 make a report of its recommendations to the Prime Minister.

(5) Without prejudice to the powers of the Parliament of Malta, the Prime Minister may, by means of an order made until the 30th June 2012 make any amendments to any law or regulation as indicated in sub-article (3) as may appear to him to be necessary or expedient and those amendments may be given retroactive effect as from st the 1 October 2011, saving any acquired rights.

(6) Any order made in accordance with the provisions of sub-article (5) shall as soon as may be after it is made, be laid on the Table of the House and shall have effect upon the lapse of the period of twenty-eight days after it is so laid, unless the House within that period resolves that the order be annulled or amended, whereupon that order shall have no effect or shall have effect as amended, as the case may be.

(7) In reckoning for the purposes of sub-article (6) any period of twenty-eight days therein referred to, no account shall be taken of any time during which the House is not in session or during which it is adjourned for more than seven days.".