Tuesday May 11, 2010

 

SEREMBAN: The National Registra­tion Department will maintain the services of assistant registrars (ARs) who are vested with powers to conduct the marriages of non-Muslim couples.The department, however, has introduced a new marriage registration system from April 1 to ensure all ARs adhere to the rules when performing such ceremonies.
NRD director-general Datuk Alwi Ibrahim said the new system was introduced following complaints about ARs registering marriages without the consent of the parents and conducting marriages of underaged couples without their parents’ written consent.

“Some ARs also did not require couples planning to marry to be present before the commissioner of oaths to make statutory
declarations about their marital status,” he said. Alwi was commenting on newspaper reports that the NRD now required couples planning to wed to come to the department to have their unmarried status verified before being allowed to register their marriages at temples, churches or associations vested with such powers.

Previously, the marriage application, verification and registration processes were all handled by these bodies. The new requirement was introduced to check “marriages of convenience” between local men and foreign women, some of whom used this as an excuse to extend their stay in the country and to get involved in immoral activities.

Alwi said it would now be easier for ARs to carry out their duties as they would no longer need to verify the couples’ status or their personal information with the department. “The couples will have to come personally and have their status verified by us,” he said.
Alwi said couples could download the necessary form (JPN.KCO2), complete it and submit it personally to the NRD for verification.

Once this is done, they can have their marriage registered at any temple, church or association vested with such powers. The RM20 service charge still applies. Alwi said there was no truth in media reports that couples would have to go to the NRD twice before they could be called man and wife.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/5/11/nation/6235630&sec=nation