Two Year Extension For Passports Of Malaysians Abroad

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The high commission said prolonged restrictions due to the pandemic caused many to stay longer overseas.SINGAPORE: Malaysians residing overseas who have their passports expiring this year can breathe easy, thanks to the Malaysian immigration department’s extension of the validity period for two years.
In a Facebook posting, the immigration section at the Malaysian High Commission here said the move is to facilitate the surge in passport renewals.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many countries to impose various travel conditions and restrictions, which led to many Malaysians postponing their travel plans.
“This prolonged postponement caused many to stay longer overseas and some Malaysians are finding it necessary to renew their passport overseas because of the impending expiration date.
“This has resulted in the sudden increase of passport renewals at overseas (immigration) offices,” it said.
The section said those affected may choose to have the extension stamped at the Observation Page or at page 48 at the nearest high commission or embassy.
“There is no fee for the extension,” it said, adding that the extension service is available immediately.
The section said interested applicants can submit their application by filling the form available at the high commission and submitting it at the drop box.
“An email will be sent to the application for the date of appointment,” it said.
At the same time, the section said those who wished to renew their passports as per current procedure may continue to do so.
However, the section said the current waiting time to get a passport renewed, including online renewals, would be eight to 12 weeks.
“This is due to the high volume of applications in the system.”
The high commission’s immigration section said it can only cater to a finite number of manual applications due to its limitation in machine and manpower as well as adhering to social distancing regulations.
The section said it has been operating from 8am to 7pm daily since July 2020. - FMT

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