by Hafizur Rahman
Sittwe, Arakan State | December 12, 2025
Muslim residents in Rakhine State say applying for national registration cards and citizenship documents has become increasingly costly due to widespread unofficial payments demanded by authorities, creating serious barriers for families already facing discrimination and economic hardship.
Community members in Sittwe told Rohingya Khobor that Rohingya Muslim applicants are routinely asked to pay far more than the official fees when seeking national registration cards or citizenship documents. Residents said these informal payments are often accompanied by warnings from officials not to disclose that money has been taken.
According to local accounts, a general registration application now requires an unofficial payment of around 2,000,000 MMK. Applicants seeking faster processing through a strict six step procedure, which requires that great grandparents, grandparents, and parents from both sides already hold national registration cards, are reportedly asked to pay as much as 150,000,000 MMK to the Junta authorities.
Families also face additional costs when registering children. Even when both parents hold green cards, residents said they are required to obtain a recommendation letter for a child’s name to be added to a family registration booklet, costing about 200,000 MMK. Several applicants said those collecting the payments explicitly warned them not to speak about the transactions.
Residents described a detailed system of payments allegedly demanded at different government offices during the process.
At the Township Immigration Office, green card registration reportedly requires payments of 50,000 MMK each to the circle officer, deputy chief officer, and township chief officer. For pink card registration, applicants said they are asked to pay 300,000 MMK to the circle officer, 100,000 MMK to the deputy chief officer, and 300,000 MMK to the township chief officer.
At the General Administration Department township office, residents reported that general registration requires payments of 100,000 MMK or more to the chief officer. For green card registration, families said they must pay at least 50,000 MMK to submit documents to the state level office. Pink card registration at this stage reportedly involves a payment of around 1,000,000 MMK to the district chief officer.
Additional payments were also reported, including 500,000 MMK to the state chief officer’s personal assistant and 8,000,000 MMK to the state chief officer, identified by residents as U Aung Phyo Hein.
Community members said these large unofficial payments have created fear and intense pressure for Muslim applicants, many of whom already face restrictions, delays, and uncertainty in accessing citizenship related documents. Families warned that unless these practices are addressed, the registration process will continue to remain deeply unequal and financially crushing for Muslim communities across Rakhine State.
