PUTRAJAYA: The government will carry out a survey to gather feedback on a proposal to extend the passport validity period from five to 10 years, says the Home Minister.
"I believe we will come to a policy decision within a reasonable amount of time following the results of the survey on whether or not the passport validity is retained at five years or extended to 10,” Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
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“This (10-year validity) has also been adopted by countries such as France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States," he added when met after launching the new Immigration Department passport centre in Shaftsbury Putrajaya on Monday (Feb 19).
The 10-year passport validity period is also already in force in neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Singapore.
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (third from right) at the Immigration Department passport centre in Shaftsbury Putrajaya on Monday. —YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
The Immigration Services Union made the proposal to, among other things, ease congestion at application counters.
On the new centre here, Saifuddin said it would cater exclusively to applicants who applied for passport renewal online.
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“Last year, the Immigration Department issued 3,057,825 passports, an almost 20% increase from 2022.
"According to our records, about a million applicants (last year) did so online,” he said, adding that the department aims to increase the amount of online applicants.
