Introduction in English

The National Registration Department (NRD) is a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for registering important events in the life of every individual, including births, deaths, adoptions, marriages and divorces. In addition, the NRD determines citizenship status and issues identity documents in the form of identity cards to eligible individuals.

The National Registration Department was established after the Emergency (Registration Areas) Regulations 1948 came into force as one of the measures introduced to counter security threats. These regulations required all residents to register and obtain an identity card upon reaching the age of 12. The Department was also assigned additional functions to register important events, including births, deaths, adoptions, marriages, divorces and citizenship matters.

Since its establishment, the Department has operated from several buildings in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Initially, the National Registration Department Headquarters was located at the Sulaiman Building, Jalan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. In 1958, the headquarters moved to the Federal Building in Petaling Jaya to accommodate the growing number of records, documents and personnel. Several years later, the NRD Headquarters moved to the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) Building. Since December 2004, the headquarters has operated from Precinct 2, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya.