10-year passport rollout starts today

Stamp of approval: Putrajaya Immigration Department staff members presenting the holographic element and other enhanced safety features of the new passport during its official launch at Parliament in Kuala Lumpur. - Photo: IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

UV printing among 45 new safety features

KUALA LUMPUR: The rollout of the new Malaysian international passport, offering up to 10 years’ validity, will be carried out in seven phases from July to August this year, says Datuk Zakaria Shaaban.

The Immigration Department director-general said the implementation will be carried out in phases across 71 passport offices nationwide.

He said the first phase will involve 14 passport issuing offi­ces, including state offices and Urban Transformation Centres.

“Based on our plan, the rollout will be carried out in seven phases. It will be implemented gradually,” Zakaria told reporters at the launch of the new passport yesterday, which was officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

The new passport, which rolls out today, will allow Malaysians aged 18 and above to choose between a five-year or 10-year validity period.

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The 10-year option is priced at RM350, while the five-year passport remains at RM200.

Zakaria said the upgraded tra­vel document is part of the govern­ment’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the security of natio­nal identity documents, in line with Malaysia’s status as one of the world’s most powerful passports.

“Previously, we had 49 security features. For the new passport, we have increased it to 94 features, making it more secure and more difficult to forge.”

Among the enhanced features are holographic elements, ultra­violet (UV) printing, hidden visual elements, and specialised forensic security features.

Malaysia is among the earliest countries to introduce the ePassport system, having done so in 1998. 

The new passport complies with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards and incor­porates updated security techno­logies, including holograms, UV printing, latent images and guilloche patterns.

He said Malaysia currently produces between 180,000 and 220,000 passports monthly on average and expects demand to increase slightly following the introduction of the new passport.

Zakaria advised the public not to rush to replace their existing passports if they are still valid.

“There is no need to change it immediately. If your passport is still valid, continue using it. Only replace it when necessary; for example, when it has expired or when applying for a new one.”