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

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 29 — The Home Ministry of Malaysia has finalized all necessary documentation and preparations for a groundbreaking constitutional amendment that will grant citizenship rights to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers. The amendment has been approved by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara, but is now awaiting an effective date to be granted by His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated that the Home Ministry has completed all relevant documentation, including the Citizenship Rules (Regulation 1964) and the required online application forms, and has already notified its diplomatic missions worldwide. The amendment will automatically grant citizenship to children born abroad to Malaysian mothers married to foreign nationals, eliminating the previous requirement for a registration-based application process.

Saifuddin Nasution explained that the amendment garnered support from 216 Members of Parliament who voted in favor of amending the Federal Constitution. He noted that this change is expected to greatly benefit Malaysian women mothers who have been waiting for their children born abroad to obtain citizenship. Out of around 50,000 pending citizenship applications, approximately 7,000 involve children born overseas to Malaysian mothers.