On March 1, U Lwin Ko Latt, the Union Minister of the National Unity Government (NUG), announced that children born to Myanmar parents who are residing in foreign countries can apply for a birth certificate.

U Lwin Ko Latt made the announcement on the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration “ (MOHAI) social media page, stating that applications for birth certificates for children born to Myanmar parents residing abroad, can now be processed starting from March 1. The release stated that applicants can submit their applications through the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration (MOHAI) of the NUG at https://mohai.nugmyanmar.org/ or through their social media page, the Immigration Department of MOHAI-NUG. Regarding the issuance of birth certificates, the information officer of MOHAI-NUG’s social media page told KIC, “The birth certificate would be issued as one of the cards and certificates provided by the government or ministry, as a public service.”

The official also mentioned that applicants must apply for the birth certificate via the online application system available on the website. The team responsible for issuing the birth certificates will publish the completion conditions related to the application as soon as possible. Additionally any queries or concerns related to the application can be addressed through their social media page.

Regarding NUG’s announcement, a Myanmar citizen in Australia expressed his opinion, “ If the parents return to their own country, it is good thing that the children will also be able to return as Myanmar citizens. Otherwise the parents will be Myanmar citizens and the children will be Australian citizens. If they want to stay in Myanmar, even if they return to their own country, they will have to apply for a visa. Now this is more convenient.”

On January 31, Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, called for international recognition and support for the National Unity Government (NUG) as a legitimate government, while urging governments, organizations, and election monitoring groups to refrain from providing technical assistance to the Military Council’ s elections, as it is an illegal organization.