The feeling you get from cradling your newborn for the first time is sometimes hard to describe. Those long-awaited moments are always full of joy and gratitude and it means everything to new parents.
After welcoming your baby into the world, one of the more urgent and important things to do is to register the birth of the baby once you have decided on a beautiful and meaningful name.
Guide to Registering Birth at A JPN Counter
Birth registration in Malaysia must be done at the National Registration Department or Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN). Generally, every birth that occurs in Malaysia must be registered within 60 days from the date of birth of the child.
Registration is free, however, if you are late in doing so, there may be a nominal application fee penalty.
Who Can Register?
Chances are, you as the mother would likely be swamped with duties of caring for your newborn.
It would be especially difficult for you to get out of the house to do the registration if you are observing the traditional confinement and would usually not be able to go out for the first month or so.
Even though you might still have time to register your baby’s birth after your confinement period, it is best to let other members of the family do it for you.
To register the birth of a baby, applications can be made by the following individuals:
- the mother or father of the baby
- the baby’s guardian
- someone who knew or witnessed the birth of the baby
- the mother and father of the baby for registration of the birth of an illegitimate child
Please note the father’s information for an illegitimate or out-of-wedlock child will not be recorded in the birth register—except with the joint application of the baby’s mother and the individual who claims to be the father of the baby.
The individual who claims to be the father of the baby must sign the birth register with the baby’s mother.
List of Required Documents to Bring
Usually after the baby is born, the hospital staff will prepare some birth registration documents and keep them safely and sealed in an envelope.
There is a JPN office number that can be contacted for you to make an appointment.
Please take note that during the Movement Control Order (MCO), you are required to make a booking in advance as no walk-in registration will be accepted.
Applicants, whether parents, guardians, or individuals listed above to inform the birth of a baby are required to go to any JPN counter by bringing the required documents as follows:
Child’s Documents (Originals and Copies)
- Birth registration form JPN.LM01 that is completed (Original)
- Confirmation of birth form from the hospital or certification of home birth from the midwife/doctor (Original)
- Prenatal card (maternity examination book) (Original and Copy)
- Police report for home birth (Original report, if applicable)
- AM80 declaration letter if there is no pregnancy treatment book or pregnancy treatment card
Parents’ Documents (Originals and Copies)
- Identity cards, entry permits or passports of the parents and the person reporting the birth (Originals and Copies)
- Death Certificate of mother and father of the child (Original and Copy, if applicable)
- Marriage or divorce certificate (Originals and Copies)
Informant’s Documents (Original and Copy)
- Identity card, entry permit or passport (Original and Copy)
Guide to Registering Birth Online
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the baby registration period has been extended to 90 days, compared to the 60 days mentioned earlier, since April 2020.
So, you do not have to rush to the JPN counter to register the birth of your baby and may pick a time that is suitable to your schedule.
Furthermore, whenever the Movement Control Order (MCO) is implemented, you can apply for registration online. This makes birth registration easier and faster! There is no need to rush in public places to avoid being infected with COVID-19.
How do you go about doing so? Fret not as Motherhood Story is here to provide a guide to register your baby’s birth online along with photo references.
User Registration Process
Before registering the birth of a child, you must first register a user account.
1. Go to the main page of the JPN Online Birth Registration System here.
2. Make sure the individual who wants to register a birth has an account on the MyGovernment Portal.
- Click on ‘Daftar Pengguna Baru‘ (Register New User) if there is no account; or
- Click on ‘Log Masuk‘ (Login) if you have previously created an account
3. To register as a new user, you will need to fill in your personal information completely and accurately.
4. After submitting the personal information form to register, you will receive a confirmation email to activate the account. Click on the link provided in the email.
5. The link will take you to a page where you will need to create a password and key in the confirmation text (CAPTCHA).
6. After successfully creating a password and entering the confirmation text, you can start logging in.
7. After logging in for the first time, you will need to click on ‘Setuju‘/’Agree’ to the terms and conditions to use the service.
8. After completing all the above processes, you can start registering the birth of a child.
Birth Registration Process
After registering the user account, you can now start the child registration application process.
1. Complete the requested birth information and click on ‘Seterusnya‘/’Next’ when done.
2. Then, complete the applicant’s information and click on ‘Seterusnya‘/’Next’ once done.
3. Complete all the other information requested and click on ‘Daftar‘/’Register’.
4. If the application is successfully submitted, you will get a display showing the application is successful along with your application slip number. The slip can then be printed.
5. Bring the printed slip to the nearest JPN counter for processing.
Easy, isn’t it? Perhaps the most challenging task in registering the birth of your baby is picking the name!
It should be noted that this online birth registration still needs to be made within 30 days after the birth for residents of the Peninsula and seven days for residents of Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan from the date of birth of the child.
The period of 60 days given is for the applicant to appear before the registrar for confirmation of registration for citizens of the Peninsula and 42 days for citizens of Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan.
We hope this guide has been helpful to all new parents.
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