Only 2 airlines have issues with passports with over 10-year validity

The Malaysian immigration department has temporarily halted issuing passports valid for over a decade, reports Zakaria Shaaban, the immigration director-general. Only two airlines are experiencing difficulties processing these lengthy passports, according to Shaaban, who emphasized that other carriers have encountered no issues.

The director-general stressed that these passports comply with international standards and are recognized by global immigration authorities. However, he declined to disclose the names of the two airlines facing processing problems. Some confusion has arisen regarding the acceptability of these extended-validity passports in foreign countries, a misconception being addressed by the department.

The ongoing issue stems from compatibility problems with the two airlines' systems, which do not support passports with a validity exceeding ten years. The department's temporary restriction on issuing passports with validity periods surpassing ten years was initiated after travelers experienced challenges returning to Malaysia, having renewed their passports six months prior to expiration with the additional ten-year validity. Currently, the immigration department is issuing passports with a maximum validity of ten years.