A CLAIM circulating on social media suggests that children born in Malaysia to foreign parents can easily obtain a birth certificate and, in doing so, automatically become Malaysian citizens.
A birth certificate is one of the most important documents a person can own, serving as the foundation for everything from school enrolment to passport applications.
But does holding one automatically make you a citizen?
Verdict:
FALSE
The National Registration Department (NRD) has clarified that a Malaysian birth certificate does not automatically confer citizenship, debunking a claim circulating on social media that suggested otherwise.
The NRD clarified that every birth in Malaysia must be registered, including children born to non-citizen parents, but that registration does not automatically confer Malaysian citizenship.
"A birth certificate proves that a person was born and that the birth was registered, not citizenship," said the NRD.
The NRD added that birth registration is the process of officially recording the fact of a person's birth and cannot be equated with the granting of citizenship status.
Birth registration and citizenship are, according to the NRD, two entirely separate matters.
Citizenship status is determined by the Federal Constitution and applicable law.
To distinguish between the two, the NRD issues different coloured birth certificates depending on the holder's status.
Children born to foreign nationals receive a pink birth certificate, which confirms that the birth has been legally registered but does not indicate Malaysian citizenship.
A green birth certificate is issued to individuals recognised as Malaysian citizens in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
According to MyCheck.my, NRD Director-General Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias said every birth in Malaysia must be registered regardless of the parents' citizenship status.
"The most important thing is that the birth certificate must be issued because the baby was born in Malaysia. So for everyone's information, a birth certificate does not necessarily mean citizenship. If a foreigner living here suddenly gives birth in our kampung, the child still needs a birth certificate," said Datuk Badrul Hisham.
The NRD also clarified that obtaining citizenship is far from straightforward, and that Malaysia imposes strict conditions and a thorough process before anyone is recognised as a citizen.
"Citizenship is not granted indiscriminately. Malaysia has strict conditions and a thorough process before a person is recognised as a citizen," said the NRD.
According to the NRD, there are three ways to obtain Malaysian citizenship: by operation of law under Article 14 of the Federal Constitution, which requires at least one parent to be a citizen; by application and federal government approval under Articles 15, 15A and 16, which cover women married to male citizens, adopted children, children born out of wedlock and children under the care of the Social Welfare Department; and by naturalisation, which requires a foreign national to have resided in Malaysia for at least 12 years.
Sources:
3. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1139588044865292&set=a.601107535380015
