KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — As of May 31 this year, 3,640 citizenship applications in Sabah were still pending, while 10 had been approved and citizenship certificates issued to the successful applicants.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said that, for late birth registration applications in Sabah, 2,659 applications had been approved, while 611 were still being processed.
He said the Home Ministry (KDN) remained committed to expediting decisions on citizenship applications, particularly those involving late birth registration, through improvements to procedures, shorter waiting times and greater transparency in providing information to applicants.
“The ministry has enhanced the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for citizenship applications under Article 15A, Article 15(2) and Article 19(1) of the Federal Constitution by setting a processing period of one year from the date complete documents are received until a final decision is made.
“In addition, applications for late birth registration can now be submitted at all National Registration Department (NRD) offices nationwide, as well as through the Menyemai Kasih Rakyat (MEKAR) programme,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Vivian Wong Shir Yee (PH-Sandakan) on measures to expedite and improve the processing of citizenship applications, as well as the number of pending and approved applications in Sabah for 2025 and 2026.
Shamsul Anuar said the Sabah Special Committee on Citizenship Status is expected to meet at the end of July or early August to consider 1,018 applications.
He added that decision-making authority for late birth registration applications had also been delegated to the NRD offices in Sabah to expedite the processing and resolution of cases. The MEKAR programme has also been expanded, particularly in rural and remote areas.
He said the Home Ministry has strengthened strategic cooperation between the NRD, the Sabah government, community leaders, hospitals, schools, welfare agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to identify individuals who have yet to obtain identity documents and assist them in completing the necessary supporting documents.
He also explained that applications recorded as ‘approved’ by the NRD refer only to cases in which citizenship certificates have been issued and handed over to applicants.
“Applications that have been approved by the Home Ministry but whose citizenship certificates have yet to be printed and issued are still recorded as ‘being processed’ in the NRD system,” he said.
Responding to a supplementary question on late birth registration cases, he said the main reasons for delays included a lack of awareness among parents or guardians about the requirement to register births within the prescribed period, as well as family-related issues, financial constraints and incomplete supporting documents. — Bernama
