Registering your Child

If you have just had a baby, you can register his or her birth and get a birth certificate for them at any local office of the government’s National Registration Department, known in Malay as Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN). There is no fee to be paid at NRD if you do this within 60 days of the baby being born. However, after 60 days, you may be charged fees for late registration.

Step 1: Get Birth Registration Form

Get the application forms at the hospital where the baby is born, or at a local office of the National Registration Department (NRD)

Step 2: Visit National Registration Department

Visit a local office of the National Registration Department (NRD) with the completed forms and required documents. You will need the following:

  • Identity documents (UNHCR cards or Under Consideration letter / community cards / passports) – original and copy
  • For parents that are registered with UNHCR, kindly present your UNHCR card or Under Consideration (UC) letter to NRD. If you hold a valid passport, please also provide the passport details to NRD. The passport details will be included in birth certificate of your child for record-keeping purposes. Your passport details will not be shared with your home countries. If you were not able to obtain birth certificates for your children because your UNHCR document had expired, you may approach the nearest NRD branch office again once your UNHCR documents have been renewed.
  • Marriage or divorce certificate of the parents (where applicable) – original and copy
    Please note that NRD only accepts official marriage certificates issued by Malaysian religious authorities or other official registration authority as proof of legal marriage. Community marriage certificates are not accepted at NRD. If you are Muslim and do not have an official marriage certificate, only the mother’s name will be included in the birth certificate. For non-Muslim parents, the father’s name can be included in the birth certificate even without an official marriage certificate.
  • Confirmation of birth document from the hospital, or police report if the baby was delivered at home – original
  • Completed birth registration application form – original and copy
  • Pre-natal check-up book (maternity examination book) or appointment card – original
  • If you are an unmarried non-Muslim couple, the person claiming to be the father of the child must sign the birth register together with the mother of the child. Otherwise, the father’s information will not be included in the birth certificate
  • For late birth registration, please visit the JPN website for more information on the documents required. The translated AM 80 and BMK 81 forms can be found here (for reference only).

Reminder : Please inform UNHCR if you experience issues at any NRD branch by sharing the details of the issue (what happened, when it happened, and which NRD branch is involved) with your community leader. If possible, please include details or pictures of the relevant documents.

Reminder

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Malay-speaking Person

We would advise you to get the help of a Malay-speaking person to assist you if possible.

Born in Detention

If a baby is born while the mother is in detention, the immigration authority of that detention centre should assist with birth registration and getting the baby’s birth certificate, as mother and baby are both in the custody of the immigration authority

Person Registering

Parents, legal guardians, or any person having knowledge of the birth can register for the birth as long as they bring the required documents.

Location of National Registration Department (NRD)

You can visit any NRD office listed here. If you reside in Kuala Lumpur, we would recommend visiting this office:

NRD/JPN Jalan Duta
Bangunan Kerajaan Jalan Duta
(Kompleks Kerajaan Tuanku Abdul Halim)
Publika Dutamas, 1, Jalan Dutamas, Solaris Dutamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur

You may also watch these videos in Malay, English, and other languages here to understand the birth registration procedure at National Registration Department (NRD) offices.

Inclusion of Newborn Child in your UNHCR File

If you are already registered with UNHCR, and you already obtained the birth certificate and/or other supporting documents of your newborn, please upload a copy of birth certificate and/or other supporting document required and submit it, by filling in the Family Composition Change form.

In light of COVID-19 pandemic,  UNHCR is not receiving any walk-ins. Please do not approach UNHCR without an appointment.  You may request for appointment by filling in the Family Composition Change form and kindly wait for UNHCR to call you for appointments.