MALAYSIAN international passport renewals at three Immigration offices – Kajang, Kelana Jaya, and Wangsa Maju – will go fully online from June 1, said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. 

He said with this move, those aged 13 to 59 could no longer make applications at counters or via walk-ins at these offices.   

Speaking to the media after the Immigration Department’s 2023 Outstanding Service Award ceremony, today, Saifuddin said other Immigration offices would still accept passport applications as per usual.   

“These three branches were chosen because they are the most popular in the Klang Valley and issue the highest number of passports. 

“These offices are also located in areas with good internet connectivity and, as such, there is no reason why online applications cannot be implemented,” he said. 

All three branches, however, would still accept counter or walk-in applications for children aged 12 and below, applicants aged 60 and above, Haj pilgrims who received their Tabung Haji offers, students aged 21 and below who received offers to study abroad, the disabled, and family members accompanying children aged 12 and below, he said. 

As of May 12, he said the department had issued a total of 1.67 million passports and, of that number, 464,725 applications were made online. 

On another matter, Saifuddin said the change in work shift for Immigration staff at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Johor, which came into effect on Sunday, did not involve the peak hours of 4am-7am and 5pm-7.30 pm. 

This was to ensure all counters could operate at those times as the BSI entrance was one of the busiest in the world, with an average of 220,000 cross-border visitors on a normal day, he said. 

“As an additional measure to address the issue of congestion at the entrances of BSI and KSAB as well as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), he said a total of 100 new KP19 immigration officers would be stationed at BSI and KSAB while another 100 would be deployed at KLIA after they completed their training at the Malaysian Immigration Academy next week. – Bernama, May 16, 2023.