Birth registration for Malaysian baby born in Japan

Since we were rather unfortunate during Humaidi’s registration at the Embassy, hubby suggested me sharing information regarding required documents for birth registration for Malaysian baby born in Japan. When we asked around before we went for the registration, it seemed like most friends had already discarded the list and when we called the consular desk in the Embassy, we didn’t get a full list, so we hope this entry could be helpful for other Malaysians seeking such info.

A child born outside Malaysia can obtain Malaysian nationality if the father is a Malaysian citizen and the baby is registered at the Embassy within one year of birth (before the child becomes 1 year old), notwithstanding the required birth registration at the respective ward/city office within 14 days of birth.

We share here documents needed in a scenario where both parents are Malaysian (it might differ a bit in case the mother is not a Malaysian).

1. Passport of both parents
2. Birth certificate of Malaysia of both parents
3. MyKad of both parents
4. Certificate of marriage/Islamic Certificate of marriage issued by Malaysian government/ Malaysian Islamic Authority
5. Certificate of Alien Registration ("Gaikokujin Toroku Genpyoukisai Jikou Shoumenshou") of both parents, (not the Alien Registration card) issued by ward/city office (must be within 3 months of issuance)
6. Baby’s certificate of birth in unified form issued by the hospital ("Shussei Shoumenshou") or copy of such document issued by ward/city office
7. Birth registration certificate (in boshi techo) issued by ward/city office
8. Passport sized (5 x 3.5 cm) photos of baby faces the front and both eyes open.

Additional notes：

Make three photocopies of all required documents in A-4 sized paper.

Photocopy of passport requires pages with records of passport number, personal information, visa, extension (if applicable) and signature of holder.

Photocopy of MyKad must show both front and back on the same page

In case where original copies of documents 2, 3, 4 are not available, certified true copies could be accepted. Documents could be certified as true copies by Malaysian Embassy/Consulate officers.

Applications could only be made from 9.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m. on working days. Consular desk telephone number is 03- 3476 38409, fax is 03-3476 4971

I said three copies, since most parents also apply for baby’s passport on the same day, which basically require similar documents. For those living outside Tokyo, you could even ask for same day delivery of baby’s passport (non chip-based) by consulting the Consular officer in advance.

5 copies of baby’s passport-sized photos are needed – 2 for birth registration, 2 for the passport and another for the Embassy record. It has to be Malaysian style passport photos – 5 x 3.5 cm with blue background – so, it could not be taken in the ordinary photo kiosk. There’s one photo shop next to Donki Hote (Don Quixote actually, following its katakana pronunciation) outlet in Shibuya where such photos could be taken. Hubby tried asking at a few photo shops in Asakusa, but none could accommodate the required blue back or the different size. The photographer took 9 shots before we finally got an acceptable pose from the baby, so be patient. If I’m not mistaken, 6 copies of the photos cost us about 3000 yen. But if you are a good photographer, has suitable blue back and color printer, you might want to opt for a home-made Malaysian-style passport photo.

Humaidi's first passport photo, taken a week before he turned 3 months old

Huzaifah's first passport photo, taken when he was a little over 3 months old

For mothers, please ask for two original copies of Certificate of birth before leaving the hospital after childbirth. One is needed for the birth registration at ward/city office while another is for the birth registration at the Embassy. A photocopy (or a copy from the ward/city office) is needed for the child’s visa application. I only got one original copy of Certificate of birth at the hospital, so I needed to get the copy from the ward office which cost 350 yen each.

And lastly, don't forget to bring the baby along for the registration/passport application because they need to get baby’s fingerprints…

UPDATE

Hafiizh and Jan from Hitachi, Ibaraki requested me to add 3 more points:

1. To bring along Certificate of Alien Registration for the baby, obtained from the ward/city office. That blue card, instead of the normal Alien Card for adults, issued for kids below 16 years. And respective copies.

2. To get Jyuri Shoumensho from the ward/city office. I have no idea what this is exactly since I was not asked for it.

3. To bring enough money and avoid going to the (not-so-near) nearest kombini - more than 6000 yen for both baby's passport and registration. Baby's passport is RM150, but the price in yen changes monthly, in accordance with the current exchange rate.

So there...