SG-MAL dual citizenship

[nanana]

my son is singaporean by birth and he has the option to apply for malaysian citizenship (mum is malaysian, dad is singaporean). we are not sure what is the success rate for his application to be successful. just wonder if anyone with similar situation manage to hold singapore-malaysia dual citizenship?

we were told that son will need to renounce one of the citizenships by age 21. i wish to ask if he renounce his SG citizenship, will he still be able to keep his bank account in SG? can a foreigner open a bank account in SG?

is it better to renounce SG citizenship after completing NS?

we actually dont mind son to do NS. is that mean we dont have to do anything and can just apply for renounciation after completing NS?

just wondering how much do we have to pay as bond if son is going overseas for more than 2 yrs between age 13-18? is it depending on case-case basis?

thanking all in advance for your advice.

[sundaymorningstaple]

By law he cannot renounce his Singaporean Citizenship UNTIL he has done his NS unless he has be allowed to leave the country prior to his 11/13th birthday and all proper protocols have been followed.

There is ample discussion in this Forum on the subject.

[cutiebutie]

I believe, as friends of mine just went through the same thing, there is no chance of even getting Malaysian citizenship if the mother is the Malaysian. sadly this shows the inadequacy of Malaysia vis-a-vis gender equality.

Anyway, this would be moot as dual citizenship is not accepted anyway.

[nanana]

hi cutiebutie,
really?! we called up to make enquiries, and they told us child is eligible to apply for citizenship (according to Article 15(2) in the Malaysian Constitution). I even had the constitution printed out. And also have an email correspondent with same reply....guess i can;t take their words for granted......

do you know what are the consequences if the application was rejected? will the child be hold against future visa application?

[cutiebutie]

Let me get this straight in my head (on my friend's side):

Father Australian
Mother Malaysian
Child born in Singapore

They were told in Putrajaya that the child was not automatically eligible for MY citizenship, but she now has SG PR (which she would lose if they stay away for 5 years) and MY PR. Not sure if she would lose it.

Best to reply on the authorities instead of me

[nanana]

hi cutiebutie,
thanks for your reply. at least it is good to know your friend managed to get MY PR for the kid. did they have to wait long for it to be granted?

we were told that it may take up to 10 years to process PR application (and they may not even grant it!). it certainly gives us abit of light to know someone managed to get MY PR 'cos all these while we just heard negative news from friends.

[cutiebutie]

Three months to register the birth and another three for PR, though I have heard it can take longer. Have not heard of ten years, though.

[nanana]

3 months?! that is a miracle! read from other forum that there was one case it took about 6 yrs for the kid to have PR granted...(and that was also after some necessary 'strings' were pulled 'correctly')....

[888max]

my son is singaporean by birth and he has the option to apply for malaysian citizenship (mum is malaysian, dad is singaporean). we are not sure what is the success rate for his application to be successful. just wonder if anyone with similar situation manage to hold singapore-malaysia dual citizenship?

we were told that son will need to renounce one of the citizenships by age 21. i wish to ask if he renounce his SG citizenship, will he still be able to keep his bank account in SG? can a foreigner open a bank account in SG?

is it better to renounce SG citizenship after completing NS?

we actually dont mind son to do NS. is that mean we dont have to do anything and can just apply for renounciation after completing NS?

just wondering how much do we have to pay as bond if son is going overseas for more than 2 yrs between age 13-18? is it depending on case-case basis?

thanking all in advance for your advice.

Child born overseas with spouse as foreigner, Malaysia will NOT grant citizenship SO EASILY to the child. I've a friend who wife is a malaysian and father a s'poreon, their first child(son) born in sg till today malaysia govt refuse to give the child malaysia citizenship.

[nanana]

hi 888max, thanks for the insight....how long your friend has been waiting? we were told it may take up to 1 year..... sigh! just wish they can make the law easier for spouses of different nationality....

[888max]

hi 888max, thanks for the insight....how long your friend has been waiting? we were told it may take up to 1 year..... sigh! just wish they can make the law easier for spouses of different nationality....

Well! His son is coming to 3yrs old now, still no news from the Malaysia govt side.

[bruinbear]

Have you tried pulling strings or adding some grease?

[xerces]

nanana, at which stage of the process are you at currently ? First stage, you need to apply for a Certificate of Confirmation of Citizenship from the NRD at Putrajaya. Once it is approved, you need to then apply for a Certificate of Attestation of Status from the Immigration Department. This document is a travel document good for a single journey into Malaysia and allows your child to enter as a citizen. Once the journey is performed, you can then proceed to apply for a Malaysian passport for the child. From our experience, the first stage took 3 months, and the 2nd stage one year. And we also did not need to grease anyone's palm.

[aria87]

Hi, I am a student in Singapore will dual citizenship. I am turning 21 very soon, and I am unsure which citizenship I should choose as I am afraid if I renounce my Singaporean Citizenship I will have problems studying here. I am in NUS. I would like to retain my foreign citizenship as I have closer ties there, having lived there for 18 years as opposed to 3 in Singapore. Right now I am more inclined to renouncing Singaporean citizenship, but this may change in the future. 21 is too early for me to decide!

Has anyone given up their Singaporean Citizenship and been able to get a PR/their Singaporean Citizenship back here later if they wish to? I am bonded to work here for three years after my degree (5 years), and I am worried that I will be unable to receive a PR/Singaporean citizenship if I so choose to continue living here after my bond due to having given up my citizenship earlier.

[taxico]

Has anyone given up their Singaporean Citizenship and been able to get a PR/their Singaporean Citizenship back here later if they wish to?

you do not want to assume residencies are handed out to eligible ex-singaporeans. i've never heard of this, ever.

unlike some countries, there is no precedent or legislation "re-granting" citizenship in singapore after you renounce it, jus soli or jus sanguinis notwithstanding.

think hard and weigh your options buddy, before you do it. if you want to remain in singapore, you probably have to choose the red.

what's your other nationality? there may be workarounds.