10-year passports soon, says Saifuddin

 

Malaysian passports are currently valid for five years. The immigration services union says 10-year passports are issued by more than 100 countries.

KOTA KINABALU: The immigration department is ready to issue passports valid for 10 years, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said today.

He said Malaysians would have the option to choose between passports valid for five or 10 years.

However, the implementation date for issuing these passports will be announced soon after studies on the matter, Bernama reported.

“Are we ready? Yes … after comprehensive studies, we have decided to move forward with the issuance of 10-year passports,” he said after opening a passport office at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport today.

He said the immigration department has conducted several feasibility studies to evaluate Malaysia’s readiness to introduce such passports, following similar practices by other nations.

He said neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore, as well as the US and Italy, already issue 10-year passports.

On the opening of the passport office, Saifuddin said it is the first such office to be located within an airport building. It has been operational for the past two weeks, initially processing applications for international passports, he said.

In November, the Immigration Services Union of Peninsular Malaysia mooted making passports valid for up to 10 years, saying over 100 nations do the same, even third-world countries.

Three months later, Saifuddin said the proposal would be studied, with the immigration department to consult stakeholders first. - FMT