Malaysia International Passport
Model H : ICAO Biometric ePassport 2010 — 2013
ICAO requires all countries that have signed up to the Chicago Convention to issue machine-readable passports (MRPs) by 1 April 2010. Malaysia's version of the e-passport compliant to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) was launched by the Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein on 2 February 2010.
The transition from proprietary technology to ICAO standard was entrusted with Entrust to deploy BAC ePassports and also adapting the EAC scheme for data protection. The migration was also facilitated by Digicert to provide document-signing capabilities. To safeguard the biometric data, EAC-enabled e-passports enforce strong mutual authentication between the chip and the reader before biometric data is released.[1]
Implementing the ICAO standard means that the “contactless” chip was moved to read-only technology whereby previous technology permits Immigration Department to store previous travel information directly into the chip. The “read-only” technologies were with the expectation that a travel document whose information content was finalized at the time of manufacture and not changeable afterwards would simplify some of the security issues involved.
Effective from 11 May 2010, Malaysia international passport applications will be processed within an hour after payment is made at passport offices nationwide.[2] Previously, the one-hour passport collection service was only available at Pusat Bandar Damansara and Wangsa Maju offices from January 2007.[3]
MyOnline Pasport
In 2011, applicants may apply for passport renewal online. Introduced in Klang Valley offices on 1 May, the applicants may expect to collect their passports after around two hours.[4] According to Immigration Department's statistics, 91 passports were renewed online in April and this increased to 279 in May, the same time was launched. Subsequently, 379 online passport renewals were recorded in June, 233 in July and 324 in August.[4]
Budget 2013 Discount on Passport Price: (Only effective after 1 Jan 2013)
Price of RM150 for 5 years and RM80 for 2 years for 48 pages passport for senior citizens and children aged below 12 years old.
86. In appreciation of senior citizens, the Government proposes to reduce the processing fee of a 5-year passport by 50%, from RM300 to RM150. Meanwhile, the processing fee for the 2-year passport will be reduced from RM100 to RM80. These reductions will also be extended to children aged 12 and below. The new rates will be effective from January 2013.
Exemption of payment
Exemption of payment is given to the handicapped or disabled person on the condition that they produce a letter from the Welfare Department.
Photo type: colour
Photo integration technique: thermal transfer printing
Renewal of passport for the new passport that has a validity of 6 months or less, the new one will have 5 years validity.
It ensures smooth mobility of Malaysian citizens at international entry points. Documents that have ‘interoperability' confirm the authenticity or validity of the passport holder’s information.
improve the security of travel documents;
ii. ensure uniformity of travel documents of ICAO member countries
iii. curb and prevent Malaysian passport forgery.
iv. prevent theft and protect the identity of the people of Malaysia (the chip can not be falsified)[5]
The transition from proprietary technology to ICAO standard was entrusted with Entrust to deploy BAC ePassports and also adapting the EAC scheme for data protection. The migration was also facilitated by Digicert to provide document-signing capabilities. To safeguard the biometric data, EAC-enabled e-passports enforce strong mutual authentication between the chip and the reader before biometric data is released.[1]
Implementing the ICAO standard means that the “contactless” chip was moved to read-only technology whereby previous technology permits Immigration Department to store previous travel information directly into the chip. The “read-only” technologies were with the expectation that a travel document whose information content was finalized at the time of manufacture and not changeable afterwards would simplify some of the security issues involved.
Effective from 11 May 2010, Malaysia international passport applications will be processed within an hour after payment is made at passport offices nationwide.[2] Previously, the one-hour passport collection service was only available at Pusat Bandar Damansara and Wangsa Maju offices from January 2007.[3]
MyOnline Pasport
In 2011, applicants may apply for passport renewal online. Introduced in Klang Valley offices on 1 May, the applicants may expect to collect their passports after around two hours.[4] According to Immigration Department's statistics, 91 passports were renewed online in April and this increased to 279 in May, the same time was launched. Subsequently, 379 online passport renewals were recorded in June, 233 in July and 324 in August.[4]
Budget 2013 Discount on Passport Price: (Only effective after 1 Jan 2013)
Price of RM150 for 5 years and RM80 for 2 years for 48 pages passport for senior citizens and children aged below 12 years old.
86. In appreciation of senior citizens, the Government proposes to reduce the processing fee of a 5-year passport by 50%, from RM300 to RM150. Meanwhile, the processing fee for the 2-year passport will be reduced from RM100 to RM80. These reductions will also be extended to children aged 12 and below. The new rates will be effective from January 2013.
Exemption of payment
Exemption of payment is given to the handicapped or disabled person on the condition that they produce a letter from the Welfare Department.
| GROUP | FEE (RM) |
| Disabled | FOC |
| ► Senior citizens (60 and above) ► Children below 12 ► Haj pilgrims with proof from Tabung Haji or authorised agency ► Students below 21 with proof of studying abroad for a degree program |
150.00 |
| Normal applicants (13 to 59-year-old) | 300.00 |
Table Fee for Passport with 5-Year Validity
| GROUP | FEE (RM) |
| Normal applicants | 100.00 |
Table Fee for Passport with 2-Year Validity
- Data arrangement - increase space for filling data
- Biometric Format - change from a private system (propriety) to an open system (open)
- Images - higher resolution for more accurate face recognition
- Certification of documents - transition from the Secured Access Module (SAM) to the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) - the data contained in the electronic chip can be read by other countries.
- Increased from 32 to 48 pages, the 64-page edition is no longer available.
- Passport holder’s personal information on page 2.
- Signature space on page 3.
- Information for passport holder on page 47
- Each visa page has images of buildings or landmarks of Malaysia
Photo type: colour
Photo integration technique: thermal transfer printing
Renewal of passport for the new passport that has a validity of 6 months or less, the new one will have 5 years validity.
It ensures smooth mobility of Malaysian citizens at international entry points. Documents that have ‘interoperability' confirm the authenticity or validity of the passport holder’s information.
improve the security of travel documents;
ii. ensure uniformity of travel documents of ICAO member countries
iii. curb and prevent Malaysian passport forgery.
iv. prevent theft and protect the identity of the people of Malaysia (the chip can not be falsified)[5]
Footnotes
- ^ _, (2010, May 5), Entrust Technology Awarded Malaysian ePassport Contract. Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd. Available at https://www.asmag.com/mobile/article_detail.aspx?aid=9595
- ^ Noordin, Zalinah, (2010, May 10), Passport applications to be processed in an hour. The Star. Available at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2010/05/10/passport-applications-to-be-processed-in-an-hour/
- ^ _, (2007, Jan 19), Public happy with one-hour processing of passport renewals. The Star. Available at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2007/01/19/public-happy-with-onehour-processing-of-passport-renewals/
- a, b _, (2010, Oct 23), Less hassle with MyOnline Pasport renewal portal. The Star. Available at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2011/10/23/less-hassle-with-myonline-pasport-renewal-portal/
- ^ _, (2012, Mar 5), General Statement: Passport and Travel Document. Immigration Department, High Commission of Malaysia, London. Available at http://www.jimlondon.net/malaysian_ppt.html