Two airlines, one passport problem: Immigration explains the 10-year validity issue

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 13 — Only two airlines have reported experiencing system issues when processing Malaysian passports with a validity period exceeding 10 years, according to Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban. The problem is not due to foreign countries rejecting Malaysian passports, but rather a fault in the systems utilized by certain airlines.

Zakaria stated that the department has not identified any additional airlines facing such difficulties, though they may exist and have yet to receive notification. The Immigration Department is not blaming the airlines, as the systems are used worldwide, while other airlines have not encountered any issues processing Malaysian passports with validity periods beyond ten years.

The department has confirmed that the 10-year validity period for Malaysian International Passports will remain unchanged and has not been discontinued. However, the additional validity period that exceeded ten years has been temporarily suspended due to airline system problems. Previously, applicants with more than six months left on their old passports were granted an extra six months of validity upon renewal.

Zakaria explained that this suspension of the additional validity period exceeding 10 years was implemented, as the department considered the remaining validity on the applicants' old passports before issuing replacements. To prevent disadvantaging Malaysians who still had a substantial period left on their passports, the department had previously granted an additional six months of validity.

The Immigration Department is currently offering free replacements for Malaysian International Passports that had a validity period of 10 years and six months. As of today, the department has suspended the validity period of Malaysian International Passports exceeding ten years until the issue is resolved with the airlines and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).