KUALA LUMPUR – Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers will automatically be granted Malaysian citizenship from June or July this year. This new provision comes after Parliament approved constitutional amendments on citizenship last year.
Saifuddin explained that the timeline reflects the Home Ministry's plans, with the process having taken time due to necessary amendments to the Citizenship Regulations 1964, which had to be drafted in both Malay and English and reviewed by the Attorney General’s Chambers, Bernama reported.
“After that, we had to prepare the relevant documents and forms, notify Malaysian missions worldwide, and then obtain royal consent and gazettement,” he said during the Home Ministry’s 2026 New Year Message event today.
The minister hailed the move as a significant achievement of the MADANI Government, aiming to ensure justice for mothers who have long struggled to secure citizenship for their children.
While this new development takes effect, Saifuddin noted that citizenship applications continue to be processed. He reported that, for 2025, he set a target to resolve 20,000 citizenship applications. As of yesterday, 20,032 cases have been decided, surpassing the target by 32.
He also highlighted a notable improvement in the backlog of applications. When he took office, nearly 50,000 applications were pending, but the number has now reduced to under 4,000.
“I am optimistic that cases pending for up to 15 years can be resolved. By the first quarter of this year, decisions on long-outstanding applications will be completed,” he added.
In a separate development, Saifuddin announced that 35 huffaz, most of whom are inmates at Kajang Prison, had successfully completed a rehabilitation module. The programme will now be expanded to other prisons across Malaysia, in collaboration with state Islamic religious departments, and could potentially become a national movement.
The minister also noted that societal acceptance remains a significant challenge for former inmates upon their release. Several initiatives have been put in place to assist, including the Licensed Release, Compulsory Attendance Orders, and Community Reintegration Programmes, supported by nearly 900 employers in the plantation and agricultural sectors.
Additionally, 22 halfway houses have been established nationwide to support former inmates who have been rejected by their families or communities.
Malaysia’s recidivism rate is currently around 12 per cent, but it is considerably lower among participants in licensed release and compulsory attendance programmes, with only one in 800 reoffending. - January 8, 2026
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