MALAYSIANS who rent out or surrender their MyKad identity cards to undocumented migrants for employment can face up to three years in prison, a fine of RM20,000, or both, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said today.
He said action could be taken under the National Registration Regulations 1990 to curb the misuse of Malaysian citizens’ identities by foreigners.
“The government takes this issue seriously, and enforcement is not solely about taking action after an offence has occurred, but also serves to prevent and detect identity abuse at an early stage,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat.
Shamsul Anuar was responding to a supplementary question from Mohamad Shafizan Kepli (GPS-Batang Lupar) about Malaysians allegedly renting out their MyKad to foreign workers for as little as RM100 to enable them to work in factories.
Mohamad Shafizan also raised the detention of 36 foreign nationals at a factory in Pasir Gudang, Johor, during Ops Jejak 1.0 yesterday for allegedly using fake MyKad or identity cards belonging to other people.
Shamsul Anuar said the operation highlighted the importance of coordinated enforcement involving the National Registration Department (JPN), Immigration Department and Department of Labour.
“The operation also focused on the possible involvement of the original identity card holders suspected of renting out or handing over their documents to foreign nationals for employment,” he said.
He said JPN had conducted 4,174 enforcement operations nationwide from 2022 to September this year, resulting in 1,868 arrests.
A total of 577 prosecutions were initiated under Regulation 25(1)(e) of the National Registration Regulations 1990, comprising 449 cases involving the use of fake MyKad and 128 cases involving the use of identity cards belonging to other individuals. - October 21, 2026