PUTRAJAYA: Citizenship application can be approved in six months provided that documents are complete based on a standard operating procedure drafted by the Home Ministry.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail is confident that the backlog cases of citizenship can be resolved in four to five years.

In a joint interview with Chinese media, Saifuddin said he would approve the application in six months provided the applicant is eligible with complete documentation.

On the 43,500 pending citizenship application cases, Saifuddin said based on the approval of 11,500 pending cases last year, the backlog can be resolved in four to five years.

However, the backlog does not include new applications of about 1,000 every month.

Citizenship application is not a problem as long as a couple is legally married with documentation, he said.

Saifuddin approves 1,000 applications each month and denies that he is the harshest minister.

If the allegation is true, Saifuddin said he would not be approving more cases than his predecessors Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

Before 2014, the number of pending citizenship applications was 120,000.

By the time he took over in 2022, the number of pending cases was reduced to 55,000, and 11,500 cases were approved by him last year.

The National Registration Department collaborated with the police last October to develop a more efficient citizenship security vetting process, shortening the duration of processing the applications from 73 days to only 14 days.