Having a Baby in Malaysia

Malaysia does not allow dual citizenship. If the parents of the baby are not Malaysian citizens, the baby is not entitled to Malaysian citizenship.

During pregnancy, regular check-up costs can start from MYR$50.00 (approximately USD$15.00). Normal delivery packages in private hospital vary from the type of room and services. A three day and 2-night package can range from MYR$1,650.00 (approximately USD$511.00) to MYR$2,650.00 (approximately USD$822.00). Check your private health coverage if treatments from prenatal to postnatal are covered.  

Having the baby vaccinated in a private medical centre costs about MYR$2,000.00 (approximately USD$620.00). Getting an insurance plan for babies can start as low as MYR$100.00 (approximately USD$31.00) per month.  

Babies born in Malaysia should be registered within 14 days atNational Registration Department (NRD), most commonly known as Jabatan Pendaftaran (JPN). NRD is responsible for registering a birth, adoption and marriage among others. One can check the office address at the official website or ask the hospital where the baby was born to provide the address where to register the birth. 

Once a birth certificate is released by NRD, apply for a passport for the baby with the respective embassy of the parents. A passport is needed to apply for a dependents' pass from the immigration department. Parents with different nationalities should refer to their respective agencies to check if the child is entitled to have a dual nationality of both the parents' countries. If one of the parents is a Malaysian national, the child is entitled to have either a Malaysian citizenship or the citizenship of the non-Malaysian parent. 

Adoption is also possible for those who have been a resident in Malaysia for at least two years. Expect the processing time to take many months. The process of adopting is through doctors, orphanages or another facilitator. Get the services of a lawyer to further deal with paperwork.