# JPN — National Registration Department: from birth certificate to death certificate

> Agency entity page for the National Registration Department (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara) — its origins in 1948, the statutes underlying it, the five core registers it administers, the family of identity cards it issues, and the three deadlines most often missed.

- Category: government
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/government/jpn

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Every Malaysian citizen has a file at JPN that is opened before they can
speak and closed after they die. Birth certificate, MyKad, marriage
certificate, death certificate — all of them come out of the same
department.

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara / National Registration Department |
| Type | Federal department |
| Origin | Peraturan-Peraturan Darurat (Kawasan-Kawasan Pendaftaran) 1948, an Emergency-era security measure |
| Reports to | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Headquarters | Precinct 2, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya (since December 2004) |
| Website | `jpn.gov.my` |

It was the 1948 Regulations that first required every resident to register
and hold an identity card on reaching age 12 — an obligation that remains
in place today. The department was later given the additional function of
registering all vital events: births, deaths, adoptions, marriages,
divorces and citizenship.

## Core statutes

| Statute | Subject matter |
| --- | --- |
| Akta Pendaftaran Negara 1959 (Akta 78) | Registration of persons and identity cards |
| Peraturan-Peraturan Pendaftaran Negara 1990 | Age of registration and card conditions |
| Akta Pendaftaran Kelahiran dan Kematian 1957 (Akta 299) | Register of births and deaths |
| Akta Membaharui Undang-Undang (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976 (Akta 164) | Non-Muslim marriage and divorce |
| Federal Constitution, Part III | Citizenship status |

Akta 78 came into force on different dates by region: 1 August 1960 in
Peninsular Malaysia, 30 March 1966 in Sarawak, 1 June 1972 in Sabah and 16
April 1984 in the Federal Territory of Labuan. That is why the birth and
death application categories on the JPN portal are listed separately for
the three regions.

## The five registers it administers

- **Birth** — ordinary and late registration; birth certificates and
  register extracts; re-registration for certificates that are lost or
  destroyed (Seksyen 4A).
- **Death** — death registration and register extracts, including
  correction of death particulars.
- **Marriage and divorce** — registration of non-Muslim civil marriage
  with or without a licence, and re-registration of marriages solemnised
  abroad.
- **Adoption** — registration of adoption.
- **Citizenship** — applications for status, confirmation of status,
  registration of births outside the Federation, correction of
  particulars, and renunciation and deprivation of citizenship under the
  Federal Constitution (including registration of special circumstances
  under Article 15A).

## The identity cards it issues

| Document | For whom |
| --- | --- |
| MyKad | Citizens aged 12 and above |
| MyKid | Citizen children before they become eligible for a MyKad |
| MyPR | Permanent residents — required to convert to MyPR from 1 June 2006 |
| MyKAS | Temporary residents |

## The three deadlines most often missed

**60 days for a birth.** Ordinary registration is registration made
within 60 days of the date of birth, with no fee. After that it becomes a
late registration with stricter review.

**30 days for a first MyKad.** Peraturan 3, Peraturan-Peraturan
Pendaftaran Negara 1990 (Pindaan 2007) requires a citizen child who
reaches age 12 to register for an identity card. The application must be
made within 30 days of the date of turning 12; after that a processing
fee is charged. The fee amount is not listed here — check JPN's official
fee schedule on the date of your transaction.

**6 months for a marriage abroad.** A citizen who marries under a foreign
law needs to re-register that marriage under Seksyen 31 Akta 164 —
attending a JPN counter or a Malaysian representative office within 6
months of the date the marriage was registered abroad. Failure to do so
can lead to action under Seksyen 35 of the same Act.

## What people most often get wrong

**Muslim marriage is not JPN's business.** JPN's marriage service is
stated for non-Muslim applicants only, under Akta 164, which came into
force on 1 March 1982. Registration of Muslim marriages (nikah) falls
under the jurisdiction of the state Islamic religious department.

**Procedure is not uniform across Malaysia.** The form and application
category must be taken according to the region where the event is being
registered — Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak — not where the
applicant currently lives.

## Service channels

- **e-Services JPN** — online applications for birth registration,
  certificate extracts, identity card applications and civil marriage at
  `jpn.gov.my`.
- **ezJPN** — JPN's official mobile application that brings together
  digital services for the public, government agencies, statutory bodies
  and law firms, covering user registration, applications, payment and
  document submission.
- **MEKAR** — a mobile outreach service that brings the JPN counter to
  vulnerable groups: Mekar Ihsan (senior citizens, persons with
  disabilities (OKU), bedridden patients), Mekar Komuniti (agencies, NGOs
  and resident associations), Mekar Pahlawan (military and police
  personnel) and Mekar Identiti (detainees, care centres and individuals
  with citizenship status issues).

## Where other context lives

| Topic | Article |
| --- | --- |
| Citizenship provisions (Part III) | [Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution) |
| Entry Permit and permanent resident matters | [Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia](/en/government/imigresen) |
| Tax numbers and taxpayer registration | [LHDN](/en/government/lhdn) |
| Business entity registration | [SSM](/en/government/ssm) |

## What's next

Confirm the form and document checklist at `jpn.gov.my` according to
region before going to the counter, because the requirements for
Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak differ. For citizenship matters,
start with the relevant Part III provision of the [Federal
Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution) before choosing an
application form.

## Sources

- Sejarah — Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara — https://www.jpn.gov.my/my/maklumat-korporat/sejarah (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara)
- Pendaftaran Kelahiran Biasa (Semenanjung) — https://www.jpn.gov.my/my/perkhidmatan/kelahiran/semenanjung/pendaftaran-biasa-sm (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara)
- Permohonan MyKad Bagi Kanak-Kanak 12 Tahun — https://www.jpn.gov.my/my/perkhidmatan/kad-pengenalan/mykad-12 (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara)
- Pendaftaran Perkahwinan Bagi Pemohon Bukan Beragama Islam — https://www.jpn.gov.my/my/perkhidmatan/perkahwinan/kahwin-daftar (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara)
- MyPR — https://www.jpn.gov.my/my/mypr (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara)
- MEKAR — Perkhidmatan Bergerak JPN — https://www.jpn.gov.my/my/perkhidmatan/mekar (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara)
- Akta 78 — Akta Pendaftaran Negara 1959 — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=78&lang=BI (Pejabat Penggubal Undang-Undang, Jabatan Peguam Negara)
- Akta 299 — Akta Pendaftaran Kelahiran dan Kematian 1957 — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=299&lang=BI (Pejabat Penggubal Undang-Undang, Jabatan Peguam Negara)

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Source of truth: https://github.com/negaraku-md/NegaraKu.md
License: CC BY-SA 4.0