What a cookie is
A cookie is a small file a website places in your browser to remember information between page visits. Cookies can be set by the site you are visiting (“first-party cookies”) or by third-party services the site loads, such as analytics or advertising platforms. This page explains exactly which cookies are present on I Belong Malta, and which are not.
Cookies this site currently uses
I Belong Malta uses Vercel Analytics to understand, in aggregate, which pages are useful and which links people follow. Vercel Analytics is designed to work without setting tracking cookies or persistent personal identifiers in your browser. No cookie is placed on your device for analytics purposes — the aggregate figures are derived from anonymous request data rather than a stored identifier.
Outside of Vercel Analytics, this site sets no first-party cookies. It has no user accounts, no login system, no shopping cart, and no persistent session state of any kind, so there is no functional need for them.
Cookies this site does not currently use
- Advertising cookies — no advertising is currently shown on this site, and no advertising network (including Google AdSense) is active. See the section below for how this will be handled if advertising is enabled in future.
- Social media tracking pixels — no Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, or equivalent tracking pixel is loaded.
- Retargeting or behavioural profiling cookies — none.
- Session or login cookies — none. The site has no accounts and no login flow.
If advertising is enabled in future
I Belong Malta may at some point display conservative editorial advertising through a platform such as Google AdSense. If and when that happens, the advertising platform will set its own cookies in your browser to serve relevant ads, cap how often you see the same ad, and measure ad performance. For Google AdSense specifically, this includes Google’s ad-serving and measurement cookies.
Before advertising is enabled, this Cookie Policy will be updated to name the specific platform and cookies in use, and the “Last verified” date above will be changed. Advertising will also only be enabled on pages where it is clearly separate from official-portal links and navigation — no ad will be placed where it could be mistaken for official guidance or an official application button.
When advertising is active, a cookie-consent mechanism will be added to this site where required by applicable law (for example, for visitors from the European Economic Area under the ePrivacy Directive and GDPR).
Outbound links and third-party cookies
This site links to official government websites and other guides in the Malta Guide Network. Once you follow one of those links, you are subject to that destination’s own cookie and privacy practices — this policy covers only I Belong Malta itself.
How to manage or block cookies
All major browsers allow you to view, manage, and delete cookies through their settings. You can also configure your browser to block cookies from specific sites or entirely. Because this site currently sets no tracking or advertising cookies, blocking cookies will not affect your experience here. If advertising is enabled in future and you wish to opt out of personalised ads, you will be able to do so through the consent mechanism on this site or through Google’s own ad personalisation settings.
Questions about this policy
If you have a question about cookies or how this site handles your data, use the contact form. If this policy changes, the “Last verified” date above will be updated.