# MyKad, MyPR and MyKAS: Three JPN Identity Cards, Three Different Statuses

> A descriptive explainer of the identity cards issued by the National Registration Department (JPN) — MyKad for citizens, MyKid for children, MyPR for permanent residents and MyKAS for temporary residents — and why most foreigners in Malaysia hold none of them.

- Category: settling-in
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/settling-in/mykad-and-identity-documents

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Many foreigners who have already spent years in Malaysia — married to a
local, raising children here, holding an Employment Pass renewed year after
year — still wonder when they will "get a MyKad." The answer: never, not
because of how long they have stayed, but because the MyKad was never meant
for them. JPN issues several different cards according to a person's
**status**, and most foreigners in Malaysia hold none of them until that
status changes first.

## Different cards for different statuses

It is the National Registration Department (JPN) — not the Immigration
Department — that issues identity cards. Four main types:

| Card | For whom | Features |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **MyKad** | Citizens aged 12 and above | Microchip, biometric fingerprint and facial data |
| **MyKid** | Citizen children under 12 | Chip-based, no photo or fingerprint |
| **MyPR** | Non-citizens with permanent resident status | Red-coloured, "Permanent Resident" label |
| **MyKAS** | Temporary residents (citizenship status not yet determined) | Green-coloured, valid for 5 years before renewal |

JPN also issues identity cards for retired police and military personnel
(MyTentera) under a separate category, but for most people, the four cards
above cover nearly every situation.

## MyKad and MyKid: the citizenship pathway

Every citizen child in Malaysia must register for a MyKad on reaching the
age of 12. The application is free if made within 30 days of the 12th
birthday; after that, a fee of RM10 applies until the applicant turns 16.
Before age 12, the child holds a MyKid — a chip-based document that
functions similarly but without a photo or fingerprint, used when dealing
with hospitals, clinics and schools.

## MyPR: not a choice, but an approval

MyPR cannot be applied for directly at JPN by anyone simply interested in
staying long-term in Malaysia. Permanent resident status must first be
approved through an **Entry Permit**, issued by the Malaysian Immigration
Department — a document that allows a foreigner to reside in Malaysia
without a time limit, and which the Immigration Department itself describes
as the highest privilege the government grants to a foreigner.

Only after the Entry Permit is approved is the individual eligible to apply
for a MyPR identity card at JPN Putrajaya or a State JPN Headquarters, with
an application fee of RM40. All holders of permanent resident status have
been required to convert their identity card to a MyPR since 1 June 2006.

## MyKAS: an entirely separate category

MyKAS is not a "temporary" version of MyPR. It is issued under Regulation
5(3)(c) of the Registration of Persons Regulations 1990 to temporary
resident groups — including individuals born in Malaysia whose citizenship
status cannot yet be determined. This card is green-coloured, carries an
expiry date, and must be renewed within 5 years. Holding a MyKAS does not by
itself lead to a MyPR or MyKad; every change of status is subject to a
separate JPN assessment.

## Foreigners without permanent resident status: no JPN card

This is the part most often misunderstood. Holders of an Employment Pass,
Professional (Visit) Pass, or [Dependant Pass](/en/settling-in/dependant-social-visit-passes)
— all issued by the Immigration Department, not JPN — **do not** hold any
JPN identity card. Their identity document in Malaysia remains their home
country passport, accompanied by an Immigration Department pass or
endorsement inside it. This applies even if the pass is renewed repeatedly
over many years, because a work pass or visit pass is not the same as an
Entry Permit, which carries permanent resident status.

The Immigration Department also issues a Residence Pass under Regulation
16A of the Immigration Regulations 1963 for certain categories of
foreigners who have family ties to a citizen or permanent resident — this
pass allows working, studying or doing business without needing to switch
to another pass, but it remains an immigration document, not a JPN identity
card, and it is not the same as full permanent resident status.

## Common mistakes

- **Assuming a long period of residence automatically leads to a MyKad or
  MyPR.** Both depend on a formally approved status — citizenship or an
  Entry Permit — not the number of years lived in the country.
- **Confusing MyKAS with MyPR because neither is a MyKad.** Their legal
  basis, card colour and eligible group are entirely different.
- **Assuming a Residence Pass is equivalent to permanent resident status.**
  It is a distinct immigration pass category, not a direct pathway to MyPR.
- **Applying for a MyPR directly at JPN without a valid Entry Permit.**
  Approval of the Entry Permit by the Immigration Department must exist
  first, before a card application at JPN can be processed.

## What's next

For the full scope of services this department handles — from births
through to residency status — see [National Registration Department
(JPN)](/en/government/jpn). For families of work pass holders wanting to
know which pass covers their dependants, see [Dependant Pass or Long-Term
Social Visit Pass](/en/settling-in/dependant-social-visit-passes). And for
parents who have just registered a child's birth, the next steps —
registering for MyKid and later a MyKad — are set out in [Registering a
Child's Birth](/en/settling-in/registering-a-birth).

## Sources

- Identity Card — Portal Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara — https://www.jpn.gov.my/en/services/identity-card/ (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN))
- Portal JPN — MyKad Application For Children Aged 12 — https://www.jpn.gov.my/en/core-business/identity-card/mykad-12-eng (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN))
- Portal JPN — Soalan Lazim Kad Pengenalan — https://www.jpn.gov.my/soalan-lazim/slkadpengenalan/ (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN))
- MyPR — Portal Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara — https://www.jpn.gov.my/my/mypr (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN))
- MyKAS — Portal Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara — https://www.jpn.gov.my/informasi/mykas-2/ (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN))
- MyKid — Portal Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara — https://www.jpn.gov.my/mykid/ (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN))
- Entry Permit — Malaysian Immigration Department — https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/permit/ (Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia)
- Residence Pass — Malaysian Immigration Department — https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/main-services/pass/residence-pass/ (Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia)

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