The Immigration Department is looking into the possibility of extending the validity of Malaysian passports from the current five years to 10 years.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that the department is currently conducting a survey to see the viability of Malaysia to implement the extension. “This passport extension has been done among the Asean countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore.
“I believe that we could obtain the information from the survey and come to a policy decision on the necessity of five years to 10 years,” he said to reporters this morning after opening of the new passport office at Skyfunnel Zone Shaftsbury Tower
Following the statement from home minister, Kesatuan Perkhidmatan Imigresen Semenanjung Malaysia (KPISM) in a statement showed their support to the iniative to extend the passport validity. The statement highlighted several critical points, including the need for passport extension and the global trend of issuing passports valid for a decade.
The union emphasised the importance of addressing congestion issues at passport issuance offices and underlined the welfare concerns of immigration officers, who often work without respite. Additionally, KPISM proposed the issuance of passports with a 10-year validity period, alongside retaining the existing five-year option for Malaysian citizens.
This proposition aims to provide citizens with flexibility in choosing passport validity periods. Furthermore, KPISM expressed confidence in the support of the government, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim, the Ministry of Home Affairs under Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Bin Ismail, and the Immigration Department led by Dato Ruslin Bin Jusoh, in implementing this initiative.
The union, representing 15,000 immigration department personnel, pledged full support to the government’s agenda, driven by principles of sustainability, care, respect, innovation, prosperity, and trust.
