Immigration Dept to pilot online passport project

Immigration Department will launch a pilot project for its offices in Klang Valley to reduce congestion and waiting time for passport applicants.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that certain offices will go “fully online,” only serving as collection centres for those who applied for their passport online. The project will begin in Klang Valley offices, where 21 of the 77 passport-issuing offices nationwide experienced severe congestion.

The move will push Malaysians to use the online method, as currently, 55% of passport applicants are walk-ins.

Reducing congestion and waiting time

Saifuddin stated that the congestion in Klang Valley has prompted the government to form a special task force to figure out methods to reduce congestion in immigration offices. Earlier this year, select offices were forced to extend their operating hours and even open seven days a week.

In Selangor, some offices added kiosks for walk-in customers to apply without needing to go to a counter.

Malaysia has issued 2.8 million passports after the pandemic, which is a four-fold increase with no rejections. In mid-January alone, the department issued 156,711 international passports.

The online pilot project is intended to improve the passport application process and prevent overcrowding in immigration offices.

Fine-tuning the online passport pilot project

The details of the pilot project are still being fine-tuned, with no timeline commitment as to when it might be implemented. Saifuddin said that the pilot project will be introduced to offices that are struggling to cope with the massive daily crowds, starting with Klang Valley offices.

“This is different from how current immigration offices work, where you have the option to either go and apply for a passport in person or collect your passport after you’ve applied and paid for it online through the department’s portal,” Saifuddin said.

Malaysia’s move towards digitisation is in line with the country’s digitalisation roadmap, which aims to advance the country’s digital economy, government digital services and digital social initiatives.