Guidance

Malaysia: Knowledge Base profile

Updated 2 October 2026

About: Malaysia

This document contains useful information about Malaysia which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 5.0
• published for Home Office staff on 04 September 2026

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with in the:

• Legitimacy and parental responsibility section to add information about parental responsibility in Malaysia.
• Names section to show when HM Passport Office will add an observation to the British passport referencing the name shown in the customer’s foreign passport
• Identity documents section, to explain that to remain legally compliant in Malaysia, foreign nationals must always have valid identity documents with them.

Malaysia: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Malaysia.

There are different naming customs in Malaysia depending on the customer’s ethnic background:

• Chinese naming conventions
• Malaysian naming convention

The Chinese naming convention consists of a surname, followed by the forename of the person (this can be one or two words). For example, if a person is named Tan Yun Han, Tan is the surname and Yun Han is the given name. Some people also adopt an English forename, if they do this may appear on the Malaysia passport as the first name in the sequence.

The Malaysian naming convention includes adding to the name:

• ‘bin’, meaning ‘son of’
• ‘binte’ or ‘bte’, meaning ‘daughter of’

An example of a Malaysian name is Hasinah bte Ali, meaning Hasinah daughter of Ali. Where the father’s name is included, this is usually just his forename. However, some parents chose to include the full name of the father.

Change of name

Parents can change their child’s name on the birth certificate if the child is under 1 year old and they make an application for amendment of particulars.

Married women in Malaysia do not take their husbands name, they keep their birth name.

Name alignment

The Malaysia authorities can put an observation in the Malaysia passport referring to the customer’s married name as the personal details page of the Malaysia passport cannot be changed. 

HM Passport Office will not ask a customer to align their Malaysia passport, if:

• they apply for their British passport in their married name and the Malaysia passport has an observation showing their married name
• the order of the name is different to the one they have used on their application because of the Chinese/Malaysian naming convention

HM Passport Office will add an observation to the British passport referencing the name shown in the foreign passport if:

• the customer is unable to align their Malaysia passport, and can provide evidence to support this; or,
• admin fairness has been applied and we do not ask for alignment; and
• no exceptions apply as shown in the guidance, Names: aligning names on foreign documents

Malaysia: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Malaysia.

Dual nationality is not recognised in Malaysia.

If a child is born before the parents’ marriage is registered, the child’s nationality status will come from their mother.

Malaysia: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Malaysia.

Legitimacy

Malaysia recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate:
  • if parents were married at the time of the birth
  • from the time of the marriage if the parents marry after the birth and the father is domiciled in Malaysia at the time of marriage
• illegitimate if their parents never marry

Parental responsibility

In Malaysia, Muslim fathers are their child’s legal guardian (equivalent of parental responsibility). Unmarried fathers must legally acknowledge their child to be awarded parental responsibility (guardianship). 

In the absence of a known or acknowledging father, the child’s mother’s closest male relative will hold guardianship, or a court may award it to another named person.

A mother can only obtain parental responsibility for her child if it is granted by a court. If a mother has custody of her child, this does not give her parental responsibility or any decision-making authority for her child.

For non-Muslim parents in Malaysia, both parents have equal parental responsibility for their child if they are married to each other.

If the parents are not married at the time of birth, the mother will automatically have parental responsibility, unless this is removed by the civil court.

An unmarried father can obtain parental responsibility if he:

• acknowledges he is the father through a declaration of paternity; and,
• is given parental responsibility by the civil court

If the child’s parents divorce a court will determine custody and guardianship in the best interest of the child.

Malaysia: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Malaysia.

Adoption is legal in Malaysia.

Malaysia: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Malaysia.

Surrogacy is illegal in Malaysia.

Malaysia: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Malaysia.

Civil partnerships and same sex relationships are not recognised in Malaysia.

There are 2 types of marriage in Malaysia, civil and religious. Where the marriage is a religious one the clergyman must be an appointed Assistant Registrar of Marriages.

Malaysia: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Malaysia.

Birth and marriage certificates were standardised in year 2000. Previously births were registered at police stations or with the head chief of a village.

Birth certificates

People born in Malaysia, register their birth directly at the National Registration Department (NRD) (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN)) located in each state or region.

Malaysians who are born outside Malaysia, the registration is made at the Malaysian embassy and then submitted to the NRD (JPN) headquarters in Putrajaya, Malaysia.  

Prior to 1 July 2011 all birth certificates were pale green in colour. After this date the National Registration Department re-issues these older certificates using different colour paper. It re-issues:

• pale green certificates (with a personal identification number, bar code) to Malaysian citizens
• light pink certificates to non-Malaysian citizens

Since 1 July 2011, the registration department issues:

• Malaysian citizens with green birth certificates (with a barcode)
• non-Malaysian children who have:
  • 1 Malaysian parent, a green birth certificate (with barcode) and the word ‘Bukan Warganegara’ to show they are not Malaysian
  • 2 non-Malaysian parents, a red birth certificate

If a child is born outside of marriage to Muslim parents, the father’s name will not be listed on the birth certificate.

Marriage certificates

Any marriage not registered with the National Registration Department in Malaysia is invalid. The following marriages cannot be registered:

• inter-religious marriage; or
• where both spouses are foreign citizens (not citizens of Malaysia)

Identity documents

Malaysia issues a national identity card for citizens. All citizens are required to apply for and carry their identity card from the age of 12.

Foreign nationals resident in Malaysia, must always carry valid identity documents with them (for example their passport).

HM Passport Office will accept colour copies of every page of a British passport to support a British passport application if this is the holder’s only form of identity in Malaysia.

The name field on a Malaysia passport is one field. Forenames and surnames are not separated on a Malaysia passport and appear forename followed by surname. Where the customer’s name follows a Chinese naming convention, they may have their names shown as surname first, followed by their forename.