THE Malaysian passport is the sixth most powerful passport in the world, according to Arton Capital’s 2018 Passport Index.

The index developed by the global financial advisory firm ranks the travel document according to the number of countries the holder may visit without a visa or visa-on-arrival.

Immigration Department director-general Mustafar Ali said the high ranking was not unexpected as the Malaysian passport met the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and was accepted without need of a visa in 157 countries.

“Malaysian passport is the world’s first passport that is equipped with chip-based biometric security features,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Mustafar said the passport was further enhanced with additional security features to meet ICAO’s Document 9303 standards in 2013, while the chip was included in the biodata page in 2016.

The latest version of the Malaysian passport came with 50 additional security features and a more unique design reflecting the country’s landmarks, flora and fauna, as well as the five principles of Rukun Negara, he said.

He said the additional security features had enhanced the trust international authorities had in the Malaysian passport as well as its acceptability overseas.

Mustafar said applications for the passport could be made online and a new passport would be ready for collection within an hour after payment was made, a speedy process that was ahead of many developed countries. – Bernama, February 2, 2018.