Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said while it is mandatory for Malaysians aged 12 and above to possess a MyKad, there is no requirement for cardholders to replace it immediately.

More than 20 million Malaysians currently hold the identity card.

“The public do not need to rush to the national registration department (JPN) to replace their MyKad.

“The law does not require holders of the MyKad to immediately replace them once the new version is introduced,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after inspecting the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) customs, immigration and quarantine complex in Johor Bahru and Bukit Chagar station here today.

Saifuddin was responding to questions on whether replacement of the MyKad with the new version, which features enhanced security elements, would be made compulsory for all Malaysians.

JPN director-general Badrul Hisham Alias said yesterday the new MyKad would feature 53 security elements, compared with 23 in the current version.

The enhanced features include laser engraving, ultraviolet elements, holograms, guilloche patterns, microtext, a Quick Response (QR) code for enforcement purposes, and a chip with upgraded encryption.