MyTentera to MyKad 2026: Veteran Card, JHEV and Benefits

For years the card in your wallet said you were in the Armed Forces. Then the discharge papers arrive, the farewell dinner happens, and somebody at home asks the obvious question: so which IC do you use now? Tentera punya kad masih boleh pakai kah? Half the family says yes, the other half says go to JPN, and nobody is sure which counter comes first.

The answer has a deadline attached, and it is shorter than most people expect. This guide walks through the MyTentera card, the civilian MyKad you must register for when service ends, the separate JHEV Veteran Card, and the official doors for pension, LTAT savings, medical care, training and the train concession — each one sourced to the agency that runs it, with the date it was read.

Quick Answer: MyTentera is the identity card for serving members of the Malaysian Armed Forces, and JPN handles it like its other identity cards. When service ends, Regulation 3(2) of the National Registration Regulations 1990 requires you to register for a civilian identity card within 30 days of the date on your discharge papers, at any JPN counter, on form JPN.KP01, with no charge. The Veteran Card from the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Veteran ATM (JHEV) is a second card on top of that, not a replacement for the MyKad. Pension applications go through the Records and Pensions Directorate (JRP) at Armed Forces Headquarters; JHEV pays.

• The clock: 30 days from the date of the discharge papers to register the civilian MyKad at JPN.
• The cost: nothing. JPN lists the retiree application as no charge.
• The second card: the JHEV Veteran Card, applied for at any JHEV state office, which unlocks medical care, welfare aid and concessions.
• The account: VIBES 2.0, where pension statements, benefit claims and the digital Veteran Card live.

Register MyKadVeteran statusPension

What MyTentera Actually Is

Start with the name, because it causes most of the confusion. MyTentera is not an app, and it is not a base pass. It is an identity card for members of the Malaysian Armed Forces who are still serving, and the National Registration Department (JPN) handles it like its other identity cards. A National Security Council notice sourced to JPN put it in one line: there are three kinds of identity card for Malaysian citizens — the public MyKad, the police MyKad with an added body number, and MyTentera, which is specifically for ATM members who are currently serving.

JPN treats it as a full identity card in its own services. Its page for replacing a lost identity card is titled for four cards — MyKad, MyTentera, MyPR or MyKAS — and the fee table is headed “Fee for loss MyKad and MyTentera”. Lose it once and the replacement costs RM110.00 (a RM10.00 application fee plus a RM100.00 processing fee); a second loss costs RM310.00; a third and every later loss costs RM1,010.00. A police report is required when the card was lost to crime, and for any loss through negligence from the second time onward.

Other agencies accept it the same way. LHDN’s e-Invoice guideline describes Malaysian individuals as “MyKad / MyTentera holders” and takes the buyer’s name as printed on either card. JPJ’s guide to transferring a vehicle lists myKad, myTentera, myPR and passport as the identity documents both owners may bring. When the BUDI95 fuel subsidy began, serving police and soldiers were the first group to use it, on 27 September 2025, with their own identity cards.

The key word in all of that is serving. MyTentera belongs to the job. The moment the job ends, the law expects you to hold a civilian card again, and it gives you a short window to get one.

Leaving Service: The 30-Day Rule at JPN

JPN’s service page for retired police and military personnel cites the rule directly. Regulation 3(2) of the National Registration Regulations 1990 (Amendment 2007) states that a member of the police or military who has completed service is required to register for the identity card within 30 days of the date of the police or military discharge papers.

Note what starts the clock. JPN’s wording counts from the date printed on the discharge papers, not from your last day in uniform or the day the papers reached your hands. MyGovernment’s version of the same service puts it slightly differently — within 30 days after the end of service. Where those two dates are not the same, treat the earlier one as your deadline. None of the pages read for this guide states a charge or penalty for registering late; they state the duty and leave it there.

Where and how. You go in person to any JPN counter with a completed form JPN.KP01, which is available at JPN offices. The page adds a condition about holders of the old plastic identity card (KPP) or high-grade identity card (KPT) last held before joining the police or army, written as a single unfinished sentence; if that describes you, raise it at the counter.

What to bring, originals and copies: your birth certificate or an extract of it; the police or military service discharge papers; and one document for your address — a supporting document from a headman, a village head, a Tuai Rumah, an employer, or the Malaysian Armed Forces itself, or another equivalent document. What it costs: JPN lists it as no charge.

One more thing has changed very recently. From 17 September 2026, JPN issues the new-generation MyKad (MyKad Generasi Baharu) for every identity card application that is problem-free and meets the conditions. At branches that can print it, the card is ready the same day; elsewhere it takes 5 working days. JPN’s FAQ lists 40 JPN and UTC locations that print on the spot. Your identity card number does not change on the new card, and anyone still holding a KPP, a KPT or a MyKad without a ghost image is required to switch to it anyway.

⚠ What the pages do not say: none of the JPN, MyGovernment or JHEV pages read for this guide says what to do with the MyTentera card itself once the civilian MyKad is issued — whether it is handed in, and to whom. Ask your unit when you collect the discharge papers, or ask at the JPN counter. Do not assume either way.

Once the new card is in hand, the addresses and records attached to your old one need updating too. For the agency-by-agency list, see our guide to changing your address in Malaysia; if the name on your service record and your birth certificate do not match, the amendment counter is covered in our guide to changing the name on a MyKad.

The Paperwork Starts a Year Before You Leave

The JPN step does not sit on its own. JHEV publishes a checklist of retirement documentation duties, split between the member and the unit, and the civilian identity card is one line on it. The member is told to make a Kad Pengenalan Awam — a civilian identity card — at JPN, bringing the Surat Pengesahan Persaraan Anggota Tentera, the letter confirming the member’s retirement (Lampiran 1 to Kembaran D, ARKTUJA No.3). The unit’s side of the same checklist is to hand that letter to the member precisely so the identity card can be made at JPN.

The rest of the member’s list, as JHEV writes it: apply for transition training; attend a medical examination at an armed forces hospital; prepare a passport photo; copy the marriage certificate, the spouse’s IC, and the children’s ICs or birth certificates, plus a bank book or statement; complete the unit clearance certificate; and fill in the bank-certified form SPB1 for having the pension paid through a bank.

Two items on that list are easy to underestimate. The first is tax. JHEV tells the member to settle income tax matters with LHDN personally, so that a tax clearance certificate — the Sijil Penyelesaian Cukai — can be issued before service ends, and it gives the reason in so many words: to avoid delays in paying retirement benefits and LTAT contributions. The second is timing. The unit must send all of these documents, together with the member’s personal documents, to JRP no later than 12 months before the end-of-service date.

That is the real shape of leaving: the file that pays your pension is assembled a year early, and the civilian MyKad is simply the last piece of it. The table below maps every counter this guide covers.

Veteran Status and the Veteran Card

Being a veteran is a legal status, and it has its own Act. Under the Veterans Act 2012 (Act 740), a veteran is a Malaysian citizen who served full-time and was never retired or discharged on grounds of misconduct, in any of five forces: the regular Malaysian Armed Forces; the volunteer force when mobilised full-time, regardless of length of service; Force 136; British forces who served in Malaya, Malaysia or Singapore; and the Sarawak Rangers.

The Act was gazetted on 7 October 2015 and came into force on 15 October 2015. From that date, a veteran who leaves service must register with JHEV headquarters; those who left before it are deemed registered. After registration, JHEV issues a Veteran Card if the conditions are met. JHEV itself has existed since 11 October 2000, under the Ministry of Defence, and began operating on 1 January 2001.

The card is what most people know. From 1 April 2016, the MAF Veteran Card issued by JHEV replaced the old Ex-Army Card (Kad Bekas Tentera, KBT) that JRP used to issue. You are eligible if you are a veteran or a dependant of one, and you are not if you were discharged on grounds of misconduct and court martial. MyGovernment describes it as a special identity card for veterans, pensioned or not, in two forms: a physical card, and a digital card generated by VIBES 2.0. Its uses, in MyGovernment’s list: confirming your veteran status, applying for JHEV welfare aid and Yayasan Veteran ATM schemes, and access to medical care at government clinics and hospitals and military hospitals, for you and your dependants.

How to apply. At any JHEV state office, bring the veteran registration form; a copy of your IC and your spouse’s; a copy of your record of service (BAT D 92 or BAT D 86) or the certificate of completion of service; one photo with your army number written on the back; and a copy of your marriage certificate. The form itself, Borang 1, is issued under the Veterans Regulations (Registrar’s Jurisdiction, Registration of Veterans and Veterans Associations) 2021. It asks for the service book copied from the first page to the last, and a colour passport-size photo, and lets you choose to collect the card at headquarters, at a state JHEV office, or have it posted.

JHEV’s card pages list no fee for the card, and its current veteran information registration and update form is marked PERCUMA — free. No processing time is published for the card; the application check on JHEV’s card page links to the VIBES 2.0 portal. JHEV runs nine branch offices for this: Selangor and the Federal Territory; Kelantan and Terengganu; Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Pinang; Perak; Melaka and Negeri Sembilan; Johor; Pahang; Sabah; and Sarawak.

Lost your Veteran Card, or lost the old KBT? Make a police report, then submit a new application with the report, a copy of the service book, copies of your IC and your spouse’s, the marriage certificate and a passport photo. JHEV’s card unit is on 03-2050 8111.

⚠ Your spouse’s name matters: for medical benefits, JHEV covers a spouse married legally and registered during service and named in the service book and on the Veteran Card. A spouse married after retirement is covered only while the veteran is alive, or for 20 years from the retirement date if the veteran has died. JHEV applies the same 20-year limit to derivative pension and other retirement benefits for a spouse and children of a marriage after retirement. Check that the record is right before you leave.

VIBES 2.0: The Account That Holds It All

VIBES 2.0 — the Veteran Integrated Benefit System — is JHEV’s main system for veteran and dependant records. MyGovernment describes what runs through it: applications for and payment of retirement benefits, medical benefit claims, welfare schemes and funeral assistance, plus Veteran Card applications, courses, job matching and veteran associations. If you do one thing online after leaving, it is this.

Registration, per JHEV’s user manual: at vibes.jhev.gov.my choose Veteran ATM as the user type, enter your MyKad number and your army number, confirm, and then complete your personal, service and bank details. The registration takes time to process, and the result is sent to you by email. Note that the manual asks for the MyKad number — another reason not to let the JPN step slide.

Pension statements are on VIBES 2.0 as well. From 15 January 2019, users had to register again to get their statements, so an old login from before that date may not work. Keep the bank details on the account current: when JHEV paid a RM500 one-off to veterans who hold the Pingat Jasa Malaysia in 2026, the first phase went straight into the bank accounts of 30,000 recipients on 16 March, and JHEV told veterans to make sure their account details were accurate and active.

Pension, Gratuity and LTAT: Who Applies, Who Pays

Two offices are involved, and people mix them up. The application for pension and gratuity is administered by the Records and Pensions Directorate (Jabatan Arah Rekod dan Pencen, JRP) at Armed Forces Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, Jalan Padang Tembak, 50634 Kuala Lumpur, on 03-2071 5731. Payment is JHEV’s job: its Pension Division manages the payment of retirement and disability benefits to eligible veterans. JHEV’s client charter commits to processing the service pension, gratuity, leave replacement and other end-of-service payments within 14 working days of receiving complete documents.

Whether you receive a monthly pension at all depends on your service category and years of recognised service. The table sets out JHEV’s published rules by category, without rank-by-rank detail.

How much. JHEV publishes the formulas. For a permanent-commission officer the monthly pension is 1/600 of the final salary for every completed month of recognised service; for other ranks it is 1/504 per month; both are capped at three fifths of the final salary, and short-commission officers take three quarters of the officer formula. After that, the pension rises by 2% a year on the monthly amount, adjusted every January. Pensionable members also receive a service gratuity as a lump sum at the end of service — 7.5% of the final salary for every completed month of recognised service — which is paid only to the member, not to heirs. Unused annual leave that could not be taken in the interest of the service, up to 150 days, is paid out as the leave replacement benefit.

What kind of right it is. JHEV’s own wording is worth reading twice: the service pension is paid until the pensioner dies, it is not an absolute right of the veteran, and it cannot be assigned except to settle a government debt or under a court order for maintenance. Those sentenced to imprisonment, or who concealed facts, are not eligible. The legal basis is the Peraturan-Peraturan Angkatan Tetap (Pencen, Ganjaran dan Faedah-Faedah Lain) 1982, and a 2026 payment document built on JHEV’s records counts 155,528 pensioned veterans or pension recipients and 60,000 non-pensioned veterans.

When it arrives. The pension is paid under one of two schemes: Scheme A credits it straight to your bank account, Scheme B requires you to go to the bank. A form to switch from B to A is lodged at JHEV headquarters or a state branch. The remaining 2026 payment dates on JHEV’s schedule are 21 October (Wednesday), 20 November (Friday) and 18 December (Friday). One-off payments come through the same channel: the 2026 special financial aid of RM250.00 was set for 13 March 2026, paid by JHEV on the Government’s behalf under a Public Service Department circular, for the current year only, with allocations for both pensioned and non-pensioned veterans.

LTAT savings are a separate pot. The Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) says its mandatory contributors pay 10% of monthly salary with a 15% government contribution (notional, for officers), and that permanent officers commissioned after 1 January 2016 are required to contribute. You may withdraw 30 days after discharge or retirement, on reaching 50 or the compulsory retirement age, or on being certified unfit; next of kin are paid if the member has died. What you receive depends on whether you are pensioned. A non-pensionable member receives both their own share and the government’s, with dividends and bonuses. A pensionable member receives only their own share with dividends and bonuses — the government’s share goes to the Consolidated Fund for the monthly pension. LTAT’s contributor services are at the Ground Floor, Chulan Tower, No. 3, Jalan Conlay, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, and the MyWIRA app shows your account.

If a pension-receiving veteran dies, the family reports it to JHEV, which handles the derivative pension (Pencen Terbitan) for eligible dependants at its headquarters or state branches; see our guide to death registration in Malaysia for how to register the death itself.

Medical Care After Service

JHEV describes the medical benefit as treatment and medicine given free to veterans and dependants at military hospitals and government hospitals. The eligibility line is drawn by length of service: former ATM members with at least 3 years of service, and members of the ATM reserve mobilised full-time for at least one year; Force 136, British forces who served in Malaya or Singapore, and the Sarawak Rangers are also listed. Those discharged for disciplinary reasons are not eligible.

Children count as dependants under 18, under 21 if still studying, and at any age if permanently disabled; JHEV includes adopted children, stepchildren and children born outside marriage who are fully maintained by the veteran. “Government hospital” is wider than it sounds: JHEV counts any government-run hospital or clinic, university hospitals and other federal medical foundations, with the armed forces hospitals included. Treatment at IJN is free if you are first examined at a government hospital and referred there.

The Ministry of Health’s own charges guide sets out what the hospital counter checks. ATM pensioners and their families receive medical facilities by grade, the same as serving members, on a pensioner card or a JPA confirmation letter. Non-pensioned ATM veterans and their families are treated free for outpatient and inpatient charges, the same as pensioned veterans, on a confirmation letter issued by JHEV — and the hospital sends the actual bill to JHEV. The Veteran Card also shows the ward class you are entitled to, which follows the rank you held.

Training and a Second Career

Training is run by PERHEBAT, a corporation set up in 1994 under section 23 of the Armed Forces Fund Act 1973 (Act 101), with effect from 30 August 1994, to run training for retiring and retired ATM personnel. JHEV draws the line itself: PERHEBAT is the training centre, while JHEV is the one-stop agency for retirement benefit payments, welfare aid, entrepreneurship, veteran associations and second careers.

PERHEBAT’s transition programme runs in three phases. Pre-transition is adjustment training of no more than 2 weeks within the 24 months before the end-of-service date. Transition training is skills and entrepreneurship training in 6 categories. Post-transition is short courses for veterans already out. The basic condition is at least 9 years of certified service; members discharged for disciplinary cases, with a medical problem certified by a medical officer, or awaiting or convicted in a civil or military court are excluded. Length depends on who you are: officers 3 or 6 months depending on rank, other ranks 6, 12 or 18 months. There are 4 intakes a year, in January, April, July and October. JHEV’s own page still says other ranks get six months; PERHEBAT, which runs the programme, lists all three lengths, and this guide follows PERHEBAT.

For veterans already out, PERHEBAT funds the course fees of its post-transition courses in full; the veteran pays RM10 a day only if using PERHEBAT’s meals and lodging. PERHEBAT is at Kompleks PERHEBAT, Kem Sungai Buloh, 47000 Sungai Buloh, on 03-6156 9412. On jobs, PERKESO, PERHEBAT and JHEV signed a memorandum on 10 March 2026 for LINDUNG Kerjaya MYFutureJobs Wira, with a target of 5,000 veterans placed in work by 2030 and a link between VIBES and MYFutureJobs; more than 14,000 veterans were already registered on MYFutureJobs.

Trains: Two Concessions, Two Different Cards

JHEV’s card page mentions one KTMB discount: 50% on ETS and Intercity fares for pensioned veterans and their spouses, since 15 January 2017, except the Shuttle Tebrau service. KTMB’s own current terms, dated September 2025, have more lines than that — including one for ex-servicemen, and one for serving members that asks for the military identity card.

KTMB’s terms still use the old name, kad bekas tentera; JHEV has issued the Veteran Card in its place since 1 April 2016, so bring the Veteran Card and ask the counter to register it. Concessions are for Malaysian citizens only, KTMB verifies documents and approves the registration within three working days, and the discount does not cover seat, berth, meal or administration charges. Registrations expire — after 3 years for pensioners and 1 year for other concessions — and have to be renewed after that.

Walaoeh Verdict

Do the JPN step first, and do it inside the 30 days. Everything that comes after — VIBES 2.0, the Veteran Card, the bank details for the pension — asks for a MyKad number, and the civilian card is free if you apply on time. JPN counts from the date on the discharge papers, so mark that date, not your last day.

Then take the Veteran Card seriously even if you do not feel like a “veteran” yet. It is the card that hospitals, JHEV welfare schemes and KTMB ask for, and it is where your spouse’s name needs to appear. Register on VIBES 2.0 in the same week, check the bank account on it, and keep JRP’s number for the pension application and JHEV’s for the payment — they are different offices.

Finally, remember that some of this lives in guidelines and circulars that change. The new-generation MyKad started on 17 September 2026, LTAT’s contribution rules have moved on since JHEV last updated its LTAT page, and KTMB revises its concession terms. Every figure here carries the date it was read.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Sources

Every figure here comes from an official Malaysian source — jpn.gov.my, malaysia.gov.my, mkn.gov.my, jhev.gov.my, hasil.gov.my, jpj.gov.my, perkeso.gov.my and the Ministry of Health — except where an operator publishes its own rules: LTAT for its fund, PERHEBAT for its training and KTMB for its fares. All were fetched and read on 23 September 2026. Two access notes: JHEV’s pages still point readers to an old LTAT address, and LTAT’s live site is ltat.gov.my; and two JHEV documents are scans with no text layer, which were read by optical character recognition.

• JPN — Identity Card Application for Retired Police or Military Personnel
• JPN — Replacement Application for Lost Identity Card (MyKad, MyTentera, MyPR or MyKAS)
• JPN — Soalan Lazim Kad Pengenalan (MyKad Generasi Baharu)
• National Security Council — Kenali Jenis Kad Pengenalan (source: JPN)
• MyGovernment — Penggantian Kad Pesara Polis/Tentera
• MyGovernment — Mengurus Persaraan Veteran ATM (Kad Veteran, VIBES 2.0, categories)
• JHEV — MAF Veteran Card
• JHEV — Akta Veteran 2012
• JHEV — Tanggungjawab Dokumentasi Persaraan Anggota
• JHEV — Pencen Perkhidmatan (eligibility, formula, payment, JRP contact)
• JHEV — Apabila veteran bersara (benefits by service category)
• JHEV — Piagam Pelanggan (client charter)
• JHEV — Jadual Pembayaran Pencen 2026
• JHEV — Rawatan Percuma di Hospital Kerajaan atau Tentera
• JHEV — Soalan Lazim (FAQ)
• JHEV — VIBES 2.0 portal
• LTAT — For Our Heroes (withdrawal on leaving service)
• PERHEBAT — Soalan Lazim (transition training)
• KTMB — Terma dan Syarat Tiket ETS, Intercity & Shuttle (concessions), September 2025
• Ministry of Health — Buku Panduan Caj Kemudahan Perubatan, Edisi 2 (section 2.4, Tentera)
• PERKESO, PERHEBAT and JHEV — joint media release, 10 March 2026

JHEV headquarters is at 301 Medan Tuanku, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, 50802 Kuala Lumpur, on 03-2050 8000; its Pension Division is at Menara TH Perdana, 1001 Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur.

About this guide. Written by an independent Malaysian and re-checked against official sources on a schedule. It is general information, not legal, tax, financial or medical advice — rules, fees and thresholds in Malaysia change, sometimes without notice. Where a decision affects your money or your rights, confirm with the official agency or a licensed professional before acting.