The National Registration Department (NRD) has received 50 applications and approved 11 so far under the newly launched nationwide registration for updating Baba Nyonya ethnicity on birth certificates, following its rollout yesterday.
NRD Director-General Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias said the modest number of applications was expected, as the registration period had just opened. “From time to time, we continue to receive applications from the Baba Nyonya community,” he added.
Badrul made the remarks after a MyKad handover ceremony for seven previously undocumented siblings in Sungai Buaya today.
Previously, Baba Nyonya, also known as Peranakan Chinese, were recorded simply as Chinese in official documents. The initiative is not limited to Baba Nyonya, as similar measures are being extended to other communities, including the Malaysian Siamese, whose forebears have lived in the peninsula for generations.
“Their ancestors lived here, they were born here. They are ethnically Siamese, not Thai nationals,” he said.
Other ancestry applications are also under review. “There are other ancestry applications that we are still evaluating,” Badrul noted.
Regarding the possibility of online submissions, he said the service is not fully digital. While the NRD currently offers end-to-end digital services for seven types of applications, physical attendance at NRD offices remains necessary at the final stage.
“We are developing systems to enable full end-to-end services. For now, like MyKad renewals, you can apply online, but the final step requires visiting the office,” he said, adding that improvements are underway in line with the government’s digitalisation agenda.
The registration initiative first began as a pilot project in Melaka in October 2025.
