By 
12-05-2026 | Tobi Ibikunle | Asia Team Researcher, Global Human Rights Defence.
The Malaysian government implemented a refugee registration system that took effect in January 2026. The new initiative, Dokumen Pendaftaran Pelarian (Refugee Registration Document, DPP), replaced the previous registration system managed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Malaysian government has deemed the UNHCR system a security concern due to insufficient state involvement. According to Deputy Home Minister Shamsul Anuar, the DPP addresses security risks, disorganised registration, abuse, and document falsification.
Malaysia has recently intensified enforcement of immigration laws, including frequent raids and detentions. There is also longstanding public hostility towards migrants and the UNHCR. For decades, the UNHCR has processed asylum requests in Malaysia. It has issued identity cards to successful applicants confirming refugee status, but these cards do not confer legal status. Refugees say the growing raids and arrests have left them fearful every day. According to an activist from Myanmar who lives in Malaysia, authorities arrest anyone and detain people holding a UNHCR card. He states that the authorities regard the cards are worthless.
Malaysia lacks a comprehensive legal framework to determine refugee status or to ensure recognition and protection for asylum seekers. Additionally, it has not ratified key international conventions, and any irregular entry or stay in the country is considered a criminal offence. The new registration system (DPP) will collect biometric data and other information to create a centralised refugee database. However, there is no indication of whether the DPP will comply with the basic standards for refugee status determination, including confidentiality, data protection, non-discrimination, access to appeal, and other criteria grounded in international law.
Human Rights Watch reported that the new system has raised concerns about protection, rights and privacy for refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia. They wrote to the Home Affairs Ministry about the DPP system but received no reply. Shayna Bauchner, Asia’s researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that the new registration system lacks adequate safeguards for privacy and refugee rights and has increased surveillance and control over people who have been forced to flee their homelands. The DPP programme is being launched under Malaysia’s National Security Council (MKN) Directive No 23, an unpublished policy that permits refugees to reside and work in Malaysia on humanitarian grounds. The Directive’s confidentiality has created uncertainty over its content and implementation.
Human Rights Watch urges the Malaysian government to publicly disclose Directive 23 and suspend the DPP programme until a proper legal framework is in place to ensure transparency in data collection and alignment with international standards. It recommends that Malaysia ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, develop refugee laws that comply with the Convention, and establish safe, fair asylum procedures that ensure access to fundamental rights. It also calls for amendments to the Immigration Act and related laws to eliminate criminal penalties for irregular entry and residence and to end other abusive practices against refugees and migrants.
