MyKad & NRIC Malaysia 2026

MyKad is Malaysia's compulsory national identity card, issued and managed by JPN (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara, the National Registration Department) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN). Your NRIC number is the 12-digit identity number printed on the card and tied to your registration record.

Launched in 2001, MyKad was, according to Malaysian government sources, one of the world's first national IDs to combine a photo, a thumbprint biometric and an embedded microchip on one card. The chip stores your personal particulars, both thumbprints and application data used for identity verification at JPN counters and other biometric checkpoints. The card is tested to ISO 10373, with a card life of about 10 years.

MyKad is the foundational legal ID for in-person dealings in Malaysia. MyDigital ID, the government single sign-on, does not replace it. Enrolment in MyDigital ID actually depends on scanning your physical MyKad and verifying your fingerprint, so the card remains the root credential.

From June 2026 JPN began a phased rollout of a new-structure MyKad (polycarbonate, upgraded chip, 53 security elements). Existing valid cards remain fully valid, including for subsidies and aid, and holders are not forced to replace them immediately.

JPN issues different cards depending on citizenship, residency status and age. The colour tells officers at a glance which category a holder falls into.

A few points worth knowing. MyKid carries no photo or thumbprint because it is issued to young children; the child receives a full MyKad at age 12. MyTentera replaced the older BAT C10 service document for military personnel. Non-citizen categories (MyPR and MyKAS) follow the same replacement process as citizens but at higher fees, for example RM40 for a damaged-card replacement against RM10 for citizens.

Marital status is not printed on the face of a standard MyKad. It is held in the registration record and chip and updated through an amendment of particulars, and it is not printed on the card surface.

Two age milestones are compulsory under the National Registration Regulations 1990 (as amended in 2007).

First registration at 12. Every Malaysian must register for a MyKad at age 12 under the National Registration Regulations 1990. If you apply within 30 days of your 12th birthday, first registration is free. Apply after 30 days (up to age 16) and a RM10 fee applies. Registration after 16 is treated as late registration.

Mandatory update at 18. Anyone who received their first MyKad at 12 must replace it with a new MyKad on turning 18, so the photo and particulars reflect an adult holder. Under Regulation 18, the update is free with no fine when done between the ages of 18 and 25. If you update after age 25, a RM10 penalty plus a RM10 processing fee applies.

Both milestones are done in person at a JPN counter because photo and thumbprint capture are required. Bring the child's birth certificate for a first registration, and the existing MyKad for the update at 18.

Losing your card triggers the most involved and most expensive JPN process. Three facts matter above all: the exact fee, whether a police report is needed, and where to go.

Police report. A police report is mandatory when the loss is due to a crime such as theft, robbery or snatch, on the first and every later loss. For loss through negligence, a police report becomes compulsory from the second loss onward. The report should state the incident details and your lost MyKad number.

Where. You must appear in person at any JPN or NRD office, or a UTC (Urban Transformation Centre) branch. You cannot send a representative to apply, because your thumbprint and photo are captured on site. If your photo and particulars are unchanged, you may start the application through the Sistem Gantian MyKad portal, then still attend a counter to finish verification.

Documents. Bring the police report (where required) plus proof of identity and address, such as a utility bill, tenancy agreement or tax form, or an endorsement from a penghulu, ketua kampung, employer or MP where applicable.

Exemptions. The loss penalty is commonly waived for persons with disabilities (OKU), senior citizens aged 60 and above, disaster victims, victims of crime, and citizens under 18. The RM10 application fee may still apply.

This is the figure most searchers want before they walk into JPN. The key nuance many other guides miss is that a RM10 application fee sits on top of every loss penalty, so a first loss totals RM110 once the RM10 application fee is included.

Figures are for citizens. For non-citizens, a damaged-card replacement is RM40. The escalating loss penalty (RM100, RM300, RM1,000) is designed to deter repeat loss. These figures are confirmed on the official JPN portal and reiterated by JPN WP Kuala Lumpur. The fee for the new-structure MyKad had not been officially announced at the time of writing, so treat any quoted new-card price as unconfirmed until JPN publishes it.

A damaged card follows a much lighter path than a lost one: it is cheap and needs no police report. This covers a cracked card, an unreadable chip, faded print, or the routine replacement after about 10 years of card life.

Fee. RM10 for citizens, RM40 for non-citizens. Replacement is free if the card is damaged within 12 months of its date of issue and the damage is not from deliberate misuse. A 2025 fee-waiver arrangement extended free damaged-card replacement in some cases; confirm whether it still applies in 2026 before assuming it.

Police report. None is required for a damaged-card replacement. This is the main practical difference from the lost-card process.

Where and how. Apply in person at any JPN counter or UTC branch. Online e-services can process some replacements but cannot update your photo or address, so a counter visit is still needed if either changes.

A card that is simply worn from age qualifies for the same RM10 replacement. Keeping a readable card matters because a faded or cracked MyKad can fail biometric and chip reads at banks, government counters and MyDigital ID enrolment.

This is a separate service from lost or damaged replacement, and searchers often confuse the three. Here you still hold your card; you have moved and need the record updated.

Legal duty. Under the National Registration Regulations 1990, anyone who moves to a new home and will stay 90 days or more must update their MyKad address. The address must be a permanent residential address in Malaysia. A workplace, office or P.O. Box is not accepted. Holders under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Fee. A new card is always issued because the residential address is printed on the card surface, so the fee is RM10 for citizens and RM40 for non-citizens. Per JPN, only address changes that involve the issuance of a replacement card are allowed, so there is no option to update the address on the chip alone.

Documents (proof of address). Bring an original or certified copy of one of the following: electricity or water bill, property assessment (cukai pintu) or quit rent, income-tax assessment, house sale-and-purchase agreement, tenancy agreement or rental receipts, or a letter from a village head or JKKK, ADUN, MP, employer, or the Malaysian Armed Forces.

Address changes can be started through JPN counters and some online and MyEG channels, though photo and address edits cannot be completed by online e-service alone.

Corrections and life changes to your registration record are handled as an amendment of particulars, a distinct application from address change or replacement.

Basis and form. Use the relevant JPN amendment of particulars form at any JPN counter, under the National Registration Regulations 1990. Any holder who finds incorrect particulars is required to apply to amend them.

Fee. A RM10 processing fee applies. If a replacement card is issued on approval, add RM10 (citizens) or RM40 (non-citizens).

Marital status. Updated as an amendment of particulars. It is held in the registration record and chip, and it does not appear on the face of the card.

Religion change. Without a name change, use Borang A / Appendix A. With a name change, supporting authority documents are required, such as a Shariah court order or Islamic Religious Council certification for conversions involving a Muslim or non-Muslim name, or a baptism certificate or certification of adherence to Buddhism, Hinduism or Sikhism.

Commonly required supporting documents include a statutory declaration, your current MyKad, your birth, adoption or citizenship certificate, and your passport if available. Bring originals; counters may ask for certified copies.

How long you wait depends far more on where you apply than on any premium fee. There is no separately priced express tier documented; speed is set by the collection point.

The JPN service charter cites collection within 33 minutes at Putrajaya HQ and branches fitted with distributed printing machines. When you apply, JPN issues a temporary receipt or slip (resit) as interim proof of identity while the new card is produced. Keep it safe: you use it both for identification and to collect the finished card at your chosen branch. Treat these as typical ranges that vary with branch backlog.

The applicant must be present to apply, since biometrics are captured in person. Collection is normally by the applicant using the temporary receipt. If you need someone else to collect on your behalf, check the specific branch for any authorised-collection provision before assuming it is allowed.

There is likely no true MyKad replacement abroad. JPN's lost and damaged-card processes describe only domestic NRD counters and the online system, with no provision for issuing a MyKad at Malaysian embassies or high commissions.

Malaysian missions, run under Wisma Putra and Immigration, handle passport loss and replacement, not MyKad. If you lose your MyKad overseas, the practical route is to obtain an IC Extract (Cabutan Daftar Kad Pengenalan) from JPN in Malaysia, typically through a family member applying on your behalf. The extract serves as proof of identity, for example when applying for a passport abroad.

The physical MyKad itself is generally replaced only on your return to Malaysia at a JPN counter, because photo and thumbprint capture are needed. Some missions may run periodic JPN mobile or consular outreach, but this is not a standard guaranteed service, so confirm current arrangements directly with the relevant embassy or high commission before you rely on it.

While abroad, keep a clear photo or scan of your MyKad and note your NRIC number. Having these details ready speeds up both the IC Extract request in Malaysia and any passport replacement handled by the mission.