Speed up citizenship approval for kids born to Malaysian women overseas, govt told

The Association of Family Support and Welfare Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (Family Frontiers) today urged the National Registration Department (JPN) to speed up citizenship approval for children born overseas to Malaysian women.

Family Frontiers spokesman Bina Ramanand said some 70 Malaysian mothers had submitted citizenship documents under Borang D or the foreign birth registration form for overseas-born children, with some submitted in December 2021. None has received an update on the matter.

“We are wondering why the processing should take so long. The mothers who checked the status were told it would take six months to process,” she told reporters after following up on the issue at JPN’s headquarters in Putrajaya today.

On Sept 9 last year, the High Court declared that children born overseas to Malaysian women married to foreigners should be given automatic citizenship.

The High Court also ordered the government to issue the relevant documents including identity cards to such children.

Ummal Remiza Khaja Mohideen, who is fighting for her eldest daughter’s right to Malaysian citizenship, said she submitted the relevant documents to JPN in March but was still waiting for an answer.

Ummul Remiza is married to a Nigerian and has two other children who were born in Malaysia.