Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2026 proposes lowering the legal age limit for a child from 21 to 18 to align adoption laws with citizenship requirements and other legislation
KUALA LUMPUR: The Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2026 was tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today, proposing, among other changes, to lower the legal age limit for a child from 21 to 18.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the Bill was scheduled for its second and third readings during the current parliamentary sitting.
According to the Bill published on Parliament’s website, the proposed amendments seek to amend the Adoption Act 1952 (Act 257), including Section 2, which defines a “child”, by reducing the age limit from 21 to 18.
The Bill states that the proposed change would align the age limit with the citizenship application requirements under the Constitution (Amendment) Act 2025 (Act A1752).
It would also align the definition with Malaysia’s voting age under the Federal Constitution, the definition of a child under the Child Act 2001 (Act 611), and the age of majority under the Age of Majority Act 1971 (Act 21).