Home Ministry awaits effective date for citizenship rights of children born overseas to Malaysian mothers

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the amendment has been passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara and is currently awaiting a date to be consented to by His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia. — Bernama pic

First Published: Thursday, 29 Oct 2026 1:23 PM MYT

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 29 — The Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) has completed all documentation and preparations regarding the constitutional amendment concerning the citizenship of children born abroad to Malaysian mothers and it is now merely awaiting the determination of an effective date.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the amendment has been passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara and is currently awaiting a date to be consented to by His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.

“At the Ministry of Home Affairs, we have finalised all relevant documentation including the Citizenship Rules (Regulation 1964) and necessary forms, such as those for online applications and have already issued notifications to our diplomatic missions worldwide.

“We are simply waiting for the King to set the date. Should it be set for today, we are prepared to implement it immediately,” he said during his address at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ monthly assembly and Innovation Day celebration here today.

Saifuddin Nasution explained that the amendment allows children born abroad to Malaysian women married to foreign nationals to acquire citizenship automatically by operation of law, replacing the previous requirement for a registration-based application process.

 “This amendment received the support of 216 Members of Parliament who voted in favour of amending the Federal Constitution,” he said.

Previously, Saifuddin Nasution noted that the implementation of this amendment is expected to bring significant relief to Malaysian women mothers who have long awaited the citizenship process for their children born abroad.

Saifuddin Nasution said out of approximately 50,000 pending citizenship applications that required processing, around 7,000 involve children born abroad to Malaysian mothers. —Bernama