Couples who marry abroad reminded to register when back home

 

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail with Hasmida in Kajang after handing over birth certificates for her four children after their plight was brought up in a viral video.

KAJANG: 

Malaysian couples who tie the knot overseas should immediately register their marriage upon returning home to avoid problems arising with their children’s citizenship status, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Parents should promptly register the birth of their children to avoid complicating citizenship applications, he said.

“Failure to register their marriage (in Malaysia) will make things difficult when a child is born, as a marriage certificate is crucial to decide on a child’s citizenship status.

“It is also mandatory to register the birth of a child within the stipulated 60 days,” Saifuddin told reporters at the Kajang Hospital here today.

He had earlier presented birth certificates and MyKid cards to a Malaysian mother known as Hasmida, 33, after the national registration department (JPN) approved the citizenship applications for her four children.

Mother’s tears of joy

Hasmida shed tears of joy upon receiving the documents and aid, saying she had tried several times to register her children as citizens over the past five years.

She said her past applications were stalled as she could not afford to pay the late registration fines and other related fees.

“I’m very grateful to receive these documents. They are lifelines for my children,” she added.

Hasmida’s children were not registered upon birth, while her marriage with her now-divorced husband took place in Thailand and was not registered with any Malaysian authority.

The Selangor JPN took notice of the children’s stateless status after Hasmida’s plight was highlighted in a TikTok video which went viral.

Saifuddin said JPN found that the children were eligible for citizenship status as the mother was a Malaysian.

“The mother’s hometown is in Sabah and she possesses a MyKad. Any child can obtain citizenship if one of the parents is Malaysian. Therefore, JPN immediately processed their applications under the category of late registration,” he said.

The government also provided Hasmida with some cash aid to ease her burden as a single mother. - FMT