Procedures to renounce your Malaysia citizenship when you are a Singaporean of 21 years of age

This article is nothing about building mobile games or anything app I have created. This is a bit off topic and this is by no means definitive nor authoritative. Just sharing from experience in July 2023.

These procedures apply only if you are a Singaporean residing in Singapore who was granted Singapore citizenship before attaining 21 years of age. Just some background, once you attained 21 years of age, Singapore ICA will send you a registered letter, requesting you to renounce your Malaysian Citizenship and take the Oath of renunciation, allegiance and loyalty. There is a deadline to complete the renunciation of the Malaysian Citizen. The person is given 12 months to complete. Failing which, the person’s Singapore citizenship will be revoked.

In this article, I will document the steps of the procedure.

Step 1: Wait for letter from ICA

When you attained the age of 21, you will receive a registered letter from Singapore ICA. This letter comes with an Oath form. The Oath form is what you need to read aloud during the oath taking.

Make 2 copies of this registered letter.

Step 2: First visit to the Malaysia High Commission

The Malaysia High Commission is located at 301 Jervois Road Singapore 249077.

Prepare these documents which you need to bring to the Malaysia High Commission:

Original & 2 copies of:

• Singapore IC
• Singapore citizenship certification (front and back)
• Singapore Birth certificate or Malaysian Birth certificate
• Malaysia Borang W
• Registered letter from ICA
• Letter of surrender (this letter was given to the your parents by Malaysia authorities when you first obtained Singapore citizenship as a minor)
• 3 passport size photographs on white background (these photos should be per the Malaysia passport photo requirements)

Note: your Borang W form will not be returned to you. So, you may want to take copies of this document for your own reference.

You will need to queue to enter the Malaysia High Commission grounds. The Malaysia High Commission opening hours are from 8am to 12pm (this is for submission of documents). There is a long queue forming outside of the Malaysia High Commission well before 8am! So, best be there no later than 7:30am.

At the guard house, you will need to state your business and present your IC to guard. The guard will direct you to the consular division. Usually only you are able to enter the grounds, no visitors are allowed.

Step 3: Approach consular officer who will check completeness of documents

Once in the consular division, there will be an officer who will check the completeness of your documents. Most likely, there is queue to this officer. If your documents are not in order, he will turn you away and request for you to bring the complete set before you can submit your documents.

If you have the complete set of documents, this officer will give you 2 Borang K (yellow coloured forms) and MY-RN1. The office will also take your thumb prints on the 2 Borang K forms.

Step 4: Take a queue number and complete the forms

Your next step is to take queue number from a machine in the consular office. Once you get your queue number, you can complete your 2 Borang K and the MY-RN1 forms.

Do note the Borang K form is in Bahasa Malaysia. The MY-RN1 is in English.

Step 5: Submit your documents to the consular officer

After completing the forms and gotten your queue number, you will need to wait for your queue number to be called. The wait for your number to be called depends on how many people are ahead of you in the queue but be prepared to wait around 1 hour.

Once your number is called, you will need to present the completed 2 Borang K forms, the completed MY- RN1 form and the supporting documents such as your Borang W and copies of the documents which you brought. Your Borang W will be kept by the consular officer and will not be returned to you.

The consular officer will check your forms and documents to see if they are in order and then will request that you wait for the same queue number to be called by the cashier.

If you born Malaysian and hold a Malaysian Birth Certificate (BC), this original BC will be handed over to the officer. Your original Malaysia BC, will be returned to you when you collect your Borang K from them in at least 8 months time. If you have a Singapore BC, they will only need copies of your Singapore BC.

Step 6: Wait to pay fees

Return to the waiting area and wait for your queue number to be called again. They will call the same queue number. Pay the S$10 fee to the cashier and the cashier will give you a green collection slip.

The collection slip is for collecting the approved MY-RN1 form. This approved MY-RN1 form will be ready for collection in 3 days time.

Step 7: Second visit to the Malaysia High Commission

You will visit the Malaysia High Commission for the second time to collect the completed and approved MY-RN1. Collection times is 2:30pm to 4pm. For collection, there is not usually a queue outside the High Commission. As before, present your IC and tell guard that you are here to collect the MY-RN1 form.

Once inside the grounds of the High Commission, proceed to the consular division, present the collection slip to the officer. The officer will return with your MY-RN1 form, properly approved. After this, you can leave Malaysia High Commission.

Do note that the processing time to get your Borang K from Malaysia government is at least 8 months. The Malaysia authorities will contact you via letter or email that your Borang K is ready for collection. Do not contact them. So, best get this process started as soon as you turn 21. You will need this form again when collecting your Borang K, so keep this MY-RN1 form safetly.

Step 8: Visit Singapore ICA

In this step, you will need to pay a visit to the 6 floor of the Singapore ICA at Kallang Road. Please dress appropriately for this solemn occasion as stated in their letter to you. Please bring with you:

* The Singapore passport and passport photos are not required for the oath taking but you may want to make your new passport at the same time because your passport will likely have a less than 1 year validity. Singapore ICA will not give you a 10 year validity before you take your Oath of renunciation, allegiance and loyalty.

You take a queue number at the 6 floor of the ICA building and wait for your turn to be called. In the office of the Commissioner of Oaths, you will need to present your IC and citizenship to the ICA officer. You need to complete the Oath form.

After this, you will be asked to take your oath.

Take a deep breath.

Stand up, raise your right hand and read the oath while facing the Singapore flag.

After this, you are officially a Singaporean citizen! Congratulations!

Step 9: Make new passport

Now that you are undoubtedly a Singapore citizen, you can proceed to the 3rd floor of the ICA building to make your new passport.

Step 10: Final visit to the Malaysia High Commission

This is your last visit to Malaysia High Commission. You will need to go to the High Commission again to collect your Borang K after being receiving notification from Malaysia that your Borang K is ready for collection. Estimated time between submitting your application and documents of renunciation to getting your Borang K is around 8 months.

As before, collection time is between 2:30pm and 4pm. You collect the Borang K from the Consular division.

UPDATE

On 31 Jul 2024, I received an email from the Malaysia High Commission, informing me my Borang K (Form K) is ready for collection. In their instructions to us, the wait for the Borang K is normally, 8 months but for my case, it took close to 13 months. Honestly, I wanted to email them on the status of my application.

You must collect your Borang K within 1 month of the date of their email notification. These are the documents to bring. They will want 2 photocopies of these:

• Email of notification
• Singapore IC (2 copies)
• Singapore Password of the biodata page only (2 copies)
• Singapore Citizenship certificate (2 copies)
• MY-RN1, this is (2 copies)
• Baptism Certification, if there was a change in name (2 copies)

You can collect on behalf of the applicant. In such cases, you will need in addition to copies mentioned above:

• Letter of authorization (2 copies)
• IC of authorized person to collect on behalf. (2 copies)

Do arrive at the Malaysia High Commission well before the 2:30pm. Best arrive there 30mins prior to the opening hour.

Inform the guard at the High Commission that you are there to collect your Borang K. No identification document was need to be surrendered.

Proceed to the Consular section. There will likely be a queue already formed outside the Consular section well before the opening hours of 2:30pm.

When you reached the counter at the Consular section, inform the officer that you are here to collect your Borang K. She will then request for the photocopies of the documents as well as email to collect and the original copy of the MY-RN1. If you are collecting on behalf, you will also at this point need to provide the letter of authorisation and copies of the authorised person. Remember 2 copies. You need show them the original IC, BC, Passport etc but best to bring these original just in case.

The officer will then request you to wait for name of the applicant to be called. The officers will then locate your Borang K. From my experience, the wait to receive your Borang K is around 15min.

Once you are called, proceed to the counter again and sign some acknowledgement form and collect the original Borang K and original MY-RN1 form.

If during your application of the renunciation surrender your Malaysian Birth certificate, this document will also be returned to you, together with the Borang K. This applies only to applicants who posses Malaysian Birth Certificate.

Step 11: Email Borang K

Email your Borang K to ICA Singapore using the email which is stated in their letter of “Oath of renunciation, allegiance and loyalty”.

If you have email ICO the Borang K, you will get an official letter from them requesting you to do so as soon as possible. There is a deadline imposed by ICA for this action to be done.

This completes the entire process. Whew!