Children of Malays, foreign Muslim spouses can be registered as Malays
KUALA LUMPUR: Children born to Malaysian Malays and foreign Muslim spouses can be registered as Malays, provided they are born from a marriage recognised under Malaysian law, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
Malaysian Malays can register their children with foreign Muslim spouses as Malays, according to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. The ethnicity of the child can be registered under either the Malaysian parent's Malay ethnicity or the foreign parent's ethnicity, provided the marriage is recognized under Malaysian law. However, Saifuddin clarified that marrying a Malaysian of Malay descent does not alter the foreign spouse's ethnicity.
The National Registration Department would not determine the foreign spouse's ethnicity. The designation of a person as a Bumiputera and their eligibility for the associated rights and privileges are not within the department's purview; these matters are determined by the laws, policies, and conditions set by relevant agencies and authorities.
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