KOTA BHARU, May 29 – The Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) has settled a total of 2,373 cases of citizenship status applications under Article 15(2) of the Federal Constitution on May 24, 2024 involving applications received at the National Registration Department (NRD) offices throughout Malaysia.
NRD director-general Badrul Hisham Alias said the matter was to issue a decision on the applications for citizenship of a child born abroad to a mother who is a citizen.
“All these approvals were made by the Minister of Home Affairs in line with the MADANI government’s promise.
“Most of the cases of late birth registration of children in the border states which are Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Perak are caused by ‘irregular marriages’ in which the marriages abroad were not re-registered in Malaysia,” he said.
He told reporters after the Menyemai Kasih Rakyat (Mekar) programme for the presentation of identification documents to disabled person Afiq Aiman Mohd Abdullah, 22, in Kampung Kadok in Kampung Chenok, Batu 8, Kadok, on Wednesday.
Badrul Hisyam said irregular and unregistered marriages are among the main causes of most children born without identity documents.
“The practice of second marriages abroad without permission and couples not re-registering their marriage status in the country causes difficulty in registering children as citizens.
“We recommend any couple who married abroad to reregister their marriage because it has a big impact on the citizenship status of the child later on,” he said.
