Fear and loathing at the High Commission of Malaysia in Singapore

Filepic/The Star

I work in Singapore and my Malaysian passport expired on Sept 20, 2020, right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. I tried to renew it online, as most passport renewals are done across the world. However, that was impossible because the Foreign Affairs Ministry website was down (with broken links and mixed messaging on renewal procedures) and it had inconsistent and inconvenient photo requirements instead of the global standard.

However, my Singapore employment pass is up for renewal in May 2021, so I now had to renew my passport no matter what it took. I called the ministry’s contact centre again earlier this year and I was told to simply walk in – no appointment needed as my passport had already expired.