KUALA LUMPUR — The Immigration Department has temporarily suspended the issuance of Malaysian International Passports (Pasport Malaysia Antarabangsa – PMA) with validity periods exceeding 10 years.
The decision follows reports of several Malaysian travelers encountering check-in and boarding difficulties with overseas airlines.
Airline Confusion and Verification
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban explained that the issues arose primarily due to confusion among certain foreign airlines regarding travel entry conditions—specifically the international requirement for passports to carry at least six months of remaining validity.
- ICAO Verification: Consultations with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) confirmed that international standards do not prohibit issuing passports valid for longer than 10 years.
- Airline System Limits: Despite ICAO compliance, technical limitations and varied interpretations of the six-month rule within certain airline check-in systems prevented seamless boarding.
- Temporary Cap: To prevent further disruptions, the department has standardized the maximum validity of all newly issued passports strictly at 10 years while coordinating further with ICAO and global carriers.
Free Replacement and Priority Services
Datuk Zakaria confirmed that citizens currently holding passports with extended validity (exceeding 10 years) are eligible for a free replacement passport capped at maximum 10-year validity.
- Priority Processing: Affected travelers will receive priority status when applying for replacement passports.
- Airline Advisory: The department is issuing formal notifications to all international airlines to prevent complications for Malaysians currently traveling abroad.
Background on Extended Validity
The travel issues gained attention after a social media post highlighted a Malaysian traveler facing airport delays returning from Zimbabwe. The traveler’s passport carried a validity period of 10 years and six months because the six-month unused validity from her old passport had been carried forward during early renewal.
Under the temporary measure, any remaining time from an old passport will no longer be carried forward for 10-year renewals.
