Kuala lumpur: A total of 9,528 cases of late birth registration were recorded nationwide last year, largely due to unregistered marriages and a lack of awareness about the legal requirement to register births, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. He stated that the failure to register marriages not only affects the legal status of couples, but also has serious implications for their children when their births go unregistered, limiting access to education, healthcare, and other basic services.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Home Minister emphasized the challenges faced by children who grow up outside the mainstream system. He noted that some children only manage to obtain identity documents after many years, often with assistance from non-governmental organizations, lawyers, and the cooperation of religious departments and relevant authorities. He made these remarks after handing over a birth certificate to a one-year-and-four-month-old baby.
The baby's mother, Nur Hakikah Ismail, 24, is among seven siblings who recently received their birth certificates and identity cards following late registrations due to their parents' unregistered marriage. This situation had affected the issuance of identity documents for the children. The seven siblings, aged between 17 and 30, received approval for their late birth registration applications on December 8, followed by approval for late registration of identity cards on December 23, 2025.
Saifuddin highlighted that under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, the responsibility to register a birth does not rest solely with the parents but also with anyone aware of the birth, including family members and neighbors. In Peninsular Malaysia, births must be registered within 60 days, while in Sabah and Sarawak, registration must be completed within 40 days. A late registration process is available for cases that exceed these periods.
He added that corrective measures implemented by the National Registration Department (NRD) in collaboration with religious authorities have helped ensure affected children are registered as legitimate and able to obtain identity documents such as MyKad. This would enable them to lead more structured lives and prevent the issue from being passed on to future generations.
Saifuddin also mentioned that the government is adopting a grassroots approach through the Menyemai Kasih Rakyat (MEKAR) initiative in Sabah and Sarawak, targeting interior areas, longhouses, and hard-to-reach settlements to identify individuals lacking identification documents. Through MEKAR, NRD officers are deployed to villages and rural areas to assist residents directly, rather than waiting for them to visit government offices. This program, which is already underway, has had a significant impact.
He stressed that the issue of late registration, although involving a small number compared to the country's population, needs immediate attention due to its significant impact on the future of children.