PUTRAJAYA, July 22 — Passports valid for 10 years will be introduced soon after some fine-tuning, said Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Speaking at a press conference after the Immigration Day 2024 Parade today, he said the move is to offer more options to citizens who frequently travel abroad.
“A five-year passport often gets filled with stamps, and for those who travel frequently, having a 10-year passport provides an option. However, it will cost more due to additional pages.
“We are in the final ‘fine-tuning’ phase, and although it is July now, we will make efforts to implement it soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said, the Immigration Department is committed to maintaining the swift issuance of Malaysian passports, which currently takes 60 minutes on site, and ensuring its security features meet the highest standards.
He said the Malaysian passport is ranked 11th in the world, according to the Global Passport Power Rank 2024.
“What does that mean? The more countries that allow passport holders to enter without a visa, the more powerful the passport’s ranking.
“Our security features are maintained, sustained and improved,” he added, noting that the number of passports issued as of July 15 is 1.45 million.
From January 1 to July 15, the movement of Malaysians, including permanent residents, exiting and entering the country totalled 65.5 million, he said.
“Movement of foreigners in and out of Malaysia was 35 million, and the number of foreign workers was 2.36 million,” he added.
— Bernama
