Many Malaysians have been making the life-changing decision to renounce their citizenship in recent years.
Recently, it was revealed that a total of 52,225 applications from Malaysians to renounce their citizenship were approved between 1 January 2020 and 15 February this year.
This means, on average, 842 Malaysians relinquish their citizenship every month.
According to Astro Awani, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated that only individuals aged 21 and above, who are mentally competent, are eligible to apply for citizenship renunciation.
However, for married women, age is not a determining factor.
Applicants must secure foreign citizenship
To renounce their Malaysian citizenship, applicants must provide documents proving that they have either obtained or are in the process of obtaining citizenship from another country.
The decision to relinquish citizenship is based on careful consideration by the applicants after evaluating all relevant factors,” Saifuddin said in a written response in the Dewan Negara recently.
Rise in permanent resident applications
During the same period, the National Registration Department (JPN) received 8,838 applications for Permanent Resident (PR) status in Malaysia.
The highest number of applications came from Indonesia, Thailand, and India.
Of those approved, 47.4 per cent were from Indonesian applicants, followed by Thailand (12.1 per cent) and India (7.2 per cent).
Saifuddin emphasised that every application, whether for PR approval or citizenship renunciation, undergoes a thorough assessment based on set criteria and eligibility requirements.
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