Malaysian nationality law

To become a Citizen of Malaysia, a person must meet the requirements of the Malaysia Citizenship Rules 1964.

Requirements

The criteria are

• every person born before Malaysia Day who is a citizen of the Malaysia by virtue of these provisions
• every person who immediately before Merdeka Day, was a citizen of Malaysia by virtue of any of the provisions of the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1948, whether by operation of law or otherwise
• every person born within Malaysia on or after Merdeka Day and before October, 1962
• every person born within Malaysia after September 1962, of whose parents one at least was at the time of the birth either a citizen or permanently resident in Malaysia, or who was not born a citizen of any other country
• every person born outside Malaysia on or after Merdeka Day whose father was a citizen at the time of his birth and either was born in Malaysia or was at the time of the birth in service under the Government of Malaysia or of a State
• every person born outside Malaysia on or after Merdeka Day whose father was a citizen at the time of the birth if the birth was, or is, within 1 year of its occurrence or within such longer period as in any particular case was or is allowed by the Malaysian Government, registered at a consulate of Malaysia or, if it occurred in Singapore, Sarawak, Brunei or North Borneo, registered with the Federal Government
• every person born on or after Malaysia Day, and having any of the qualifications specified below
• every person born within Malaysia of whose parents one at least is at the time of the birth either a citizen or permanently resident in Malaysia and
• every person born outside the Malaysia whose father is at the time of the birth a citizen and either was born in Malaysia or is at the time of the birth in the service of the Federation or of a State and
• every person born outside Malaysia whose father is at the time of the birth a citizen and whose birth is, within 1 year of its occurrence or within such longer period as the Malaysian Government may in any particular case allow, registered at a consulate of Malaysia or, if it occurs in Brunei or in a territory prescribed for this purpose by order of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, registered with the Malaysian Government and
• every person born in Singapore of whose parents one at least is at the time of the birth a citizen and who is not born citizen otherwise than by virtue of this paragraph and
• every person born within Malaysian who is not born a citizen of any country otherwise than by virtue of this paragraph

A person can become a citizen of Malaysia either by registration or naturalization. In cases by registration, where a person is by operation of law is a citizen but have yet to be registered, such person is entitled to citizenship upon application and be registered as a citizen of Malaysia. For cases by naturalization, this refers to the process of admitting a person not a citizen of Malaysia to citizenship. This is subjected to the requirements and conditions of the Federal Government.

Citizenship and immigration

All Malaysian are Federal citizens with no formal citizenships within the individual states. Every citizen is issued with an identity card at birth (MyKid card for persons under the age 12 and MyKad for persons above the age of 12) and must carry the card with him. A citizen is required to present the card to police, or in the case of an emergency, to any military personnel, to be identified.

Malaysia has some of the tightest controls in the world on granting citizenship to aliens. Only in the state of Penang is any person born there granted automatic citizenship regardless of the citizenship of the parents. In all other Malaysian states, the citizenship of the father is considered to be the citizenship of the child. No Malaysian birth certificates will be issued to the child, and the family is required to register the birth of the child in their own embassy or high commission. Women who are seven or more months pregnant are not allowed entry into Malaysia.

Many operations and raids have been conducted to rid Malaysia of illegal aliens. However due to good relationships with neighbouring countries, illegal aliens are often sent back to their country of origin. The bulk of the illegal aliens are Indonesians, Burmese, and Bangladeshis, who often come to Malaysia in search of better lives.

Malaysia allows qualified people who are considered expatriates to hold permanent residency (PR) status. However gaining this status is not an easy process and may take years. Only after proving his or her loyalty to Malaysia can a Permanent Resident status be converted to citizenship.

The tight control is a relic from the communist insurgencies in the middle of the 20th century.

Malaysia does not allow dual-citizenship] [1]. If a Malaysian become a citizen of another country, the person's citizenship will be revoked unless such the other citizenship is obtained through marriage.