Malaysians have been advised not to rush to replace their existing passports despite the nationwide rollout of the country’s new passport beginning on July 1.
Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said passport holders should only renew their travel documents when necessary, such as upon expiry or when applying for a new passport.
“We appeal to Malaysians not to rush to replace their passports. If your current passport is still valid, continue using it until it expires. There is no need to change it simply because a new version has been introduced,” he told reporters after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim launched the redesigned passport at Parliament on Tuesday.
Zakaria said the new passport will be introduced in stages, with the first phase covering 14 state-level passport issuing offices, including selected Urban Transformation Centres (UTCs).
He highlighted that the upgraded passport incorporates 94 security features, almost doubling the 49 security elements found in the previous version, to further strengthen protection against forgery and misuse.
Zakaria also said Malaysia currently issues between 180,000 and 220,000 passports every month and expects demand to rise following the launch of the new document.
“On average, we produce between 180,000 and 220,000 passports each month. We anticipate a slight increase in applications with the introduction of the new passport,” he said.
In a separate statement, the Home Ministry announced that from July 1, Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above may choose between a five-year or 10-year Malaysian International Passport, depending on their travel needs.
The ministry said the introduction of the 10-year passport is expected to reduce the frequency of renewals, save users time and make domestic and international travel more convenient.
The 10-year passport is priced at RM350, while the five-year passport remains at RM200.
According to the ministry, those opting for the 10-year passport will save RM50 compared with renewing a five-year passport twice over the same period.
