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The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally. It is essentially a product identifier used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, internet retailers and other supply chain participants for ordering, listing, sales records and stock control purposes. The ISBN identifies the registrant as well as the specific title, edition and format. ISBNs were 10 digits in length up to the end of December 2006, but since 1 January 2007 they now always consist of 13 digits. ISBNs are calculated using a specific mathematical formula and include a check digit to validate the number.
The National Book Council is the official agency issuing ISBNs (International Standard Book Number) in Malta in accordance with international standards and obligations. All publications with an ISBN issued by the National Book Council are listed on the ISBN Book Database Malta.
Publishers, as the group, organisation, company or individual who is responsible for initiating the production of a publication, can request an ISBN through our online form for their upcoming publication/s. Applicants are frequently commercial publishers, but they can also be other entities, or the author of the book if the author has chosen to publish their book themselves.
An ISBN can only be issued once a client provides the National Book Council with the details of the publication that will be using the number. Clients can apply for 1 ISBN or up 5 ISBNs at a time providing all the required publication details – this procedure will guarantee that numbers issued will follow a sequence.
Apply for an ISBN by filling the form linked below
As of 1 January 2020 all ISBNs and ISMNs issued by the National Book Council are free of charge. For more information about the ISBN, please consult the ISBN User’s Manual (in Maltese).
Queries can be addressed by email to: michael.mercieca@gov.mt
The International Standard Music Number (ISMN) is a unique number for the identification of all notated music publications from all over the world, whether available for sale, hire or gratis – be it a part, a score, or an element in a multi-media kit. It is designed to rationalize the processing and handling of notated music and the respective bibliographical data for publishing houses, the music trade and libraries.
The National Book Council is the official agent for the issuing of ISMNs in Malta. As of 1 January 2020 the issuing of all ISBNs and ISMNs by the National Book Council are free of charge.
Besides allocating ISBNs / ISMNs to publications, the National Book Council is responsible for collecting data about each publishing entity (be that a person or an organisation) when a first application for ISBNs / ISMNs is made to us, and we update that information during each subsequent application.
The information we collect may include personal data subject to the provision of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), such as an individual contact’s name, e-mail addresses, telephone and mobile numbers, fax numbers and personal postal address. We pass on this information to our suppliers, The International ISBN Agency, so that they may include it in their publicly-available Global Register of Publishers database (GRP).
If we do not receive any notice contrary to this, we consider that you consent sharing your personal information with any third parties. If you wish for any of your details to be withheld from the GRP, please inform us by forwarding an signed email to michael.mercieca@gov.mt. Note that you can also change your preferences after submission of the application by a signed email.
Apply for an ISMN by filling the form linked below