SEVERAL viral posts have been making its rounds claiming that the National Registration Department (NRD) has launched a campaign to force MyKad holders to update their addresses or face fines up to RM20,000 and even prison time.
The posts left plenty of people nervously eyeing an address they had not got around to changing.
Has the NRD really launched a campaign to force MyKad holders to update their addresses?
Verdict:
FALSE
The NRD said it is not conducting any special campaign or operation to require the public to update their residential address on their MyKad, nor is it taking action against those who have not yet done so.
"The responsibility of ensuring that information on the MyKad remains accurate and up-to-date lies with each cardholder.
"If there is a change to a new and permanent residential address, cardholders are encouraged to visit the NRD to update that information," the department said in a social media post on Wednesday (July 23), adding that the fee for replacing a MyKad is RM10.
The NRD cautioned the public against spreading claims that the government is forcing all citizens to change their MyKad or seeking to profit through the implementation of Regulation 15 of the National Registration Regulations 1990.
"Such claims do not reflect the actual situation and could cause confusion and unease among the public.
"Always verify information from official sources and do not make your own interpretations based on incomplete or out-of-context posts," the statement said.
The viral claim that triggered the NRD's response alleged that failing to update your address after moving could result in legal action, including a fine of up to RM20,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both.
The regulation itself is real and has been in force for decades. Under Regulation 15 of the National Registration Regulations 1990, any Malaysian who changes their residence and stays at the new address for 90 days or more is required to update their identification card to reflect the new address.
The legal obligation exists. The penalties exist. What does not exist is any active campaign by the NRD to enforce them.
The NRD is not saying Regulation 15 does not apply. It is saying it is not hunting down cardholders who have not complied.
The responsibility, as the department put it, lies with each individual cardholder, and the department is encouraging rather than compelling people to keep their information current.
For Malaysians whose MyKad still shows an address they moved out of years ago, the NRD's statement is reassuring in the short term. Nobody is coming to give you a fine tomorrow.
But the regulation remains on the books, the obligation is real, and updating your address at any NRD branch costs RM10 and takes a single visit.
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