Well, this is something you don’t hear about every day!
A Malaysian medical student was required to have two identity cards (IC) because her name is too long.
Currently studying medicine in Russia, 25-year-old Sharifah Nur’Insyirah Saifuddin Shah has one MyKad and one ‘name confirmation’ card because her full name (including her father’s name) couldn’t fit into one card!
According to a report by Sinar Harian, her MyKad just has her first two names, Sharifah Nur’Insyirah, while her name confirmation card has her entire full name with the ‘Binti’ included.
“People don’t believe (that my MyKad is real) because the name that’s on it is just my name, while my father’s name isn’t.”
“So, I have to show my additional IC (the name confirmation card) to show them my complete, full name.”
Nur’Insyirah is understandably tired of the problems her two ICs have caused, but can’t renew it as she’s studying overseas. She stated that she has had plenty of negative experiences with her long name, saying,
“My first experience was when I was sitting for an exam in primary school. I had to use two forms because there wasn’t enough room to write my full name.”
One other experience she would never forget was when she was preparing to go overseas to further her studies a few years ago.
She was held in immigration for hours because officers wanted to be absolutely sure that her two ICs weren’t fake.
However, despite the obstacles she’s faced, she’s proud to have such a unique name.
Nur’Insyirah does plan to update her IC, since newer ones can accommodate longer names, but also hopes to keep her two ICs for sentimental reasons.
“I will ask the relevant parties whether I can keep my old ICs for memories sake even though I can’t use them anymore.”
Thankfully, the newer MyKads have more sophisticated chips that are able to contain more information, therefore, making it possible to have longer names on one card instead of two.
Also read: This Malaysian Woman is 4 Years Older Than the World’s Oldest Person