Online passport renewal - what a surprise!
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 10:10 PM
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 10:10 PM
Thumbs up & hats off to Malaysia
07 Apr 2012 and the half years ago, I was surprised at the efficiency of our passport unit when I went to renew my passport. It took me a total of 2 hours from submitting application to the time the passport was given to me. I have blogged about this at that time.
Recently I noticed that my passport has only 6 months’ validity which essentially means that I cannot use it anymore to travel overseas.I have heard about online application for passport and so i tried to apply for a new passport online on Thursday ( 2 days ago). It took me less than 10 minutes to do so , including uploading a passport size photo, payment via credit card and printing out the receipt. The website is quite user-friendly, and once I keyed in my old passport number, all my info were uploaded automatically to the application form, and all I was required to do was to upload my photo and agree to the terms and conditions and fill in my handphone number. There was a column in the form for me to choose where to collect my passport, and I opted to collect from Kelana Jaya Immigration Office. When I printed out the receipt, it indicated that I should collect it from the said office at 4pm yesterday ( 24 hours from the time I submitted my application online).
I went around 3.50pm and got a queue number and within 20 minutes, I got my new passport. It was really hassle free, and the whole process was so fast that I have nothing but praises for the department. The staff there, despite being very busy, was very pleasant, and I even got a smile from the officer who handled my case. I was surprised to learn that not many people use this online service. For those who like to do so, upload a photocopy of your passport photo (must be most recent ), and go to this link: www.imi.gov.my/index.php/en/
Click on the column ‘Online services” and choose MyOnline passport. The rest will be a step by step guide as to fill in your old passport number and how to upload your photo and payment. The last step will be to print out the receipt . Do not forget to bring along your old passport and ic (for verification) when going to collect your new passport.
This is one instance that I think Malaysia can beat and at least equal other countries. And being a Malaysian, I am proud of this!
4 comments:
Thanks to your post. I have tried this recently. Although there is an error on my upload photo but I still managed to get my passport in 30 minutes.
My blog have more details with on the process I have gone through. Hope this will drive more people to use this Online Passport Renewal eServices.
http://www.malaysianupdates.blogspot.com
no work for who under 18 years old
This online passport renewal sounds fantastic. Any idea if there is a time limit for one to collect renewal application. For e.g. if I make the application now from UK, and collect it in Aug 2013.
I'm sorry Henry, I had posted someone's story of his experience using the online renewal, not my own experience.
As passport renewals (in person) at the Immigration Department offices in Malaysia are known to be very efficient (collect within 2 hours), I don't see the need for your application months in advance. It would be better for you to renew when you are back in Malaysia instead of using the online service.
Just an additional info from my daughter's experience: because she needed extra pages, online service renewal is not allowed when the passport's validity exceeds 1 year.
Post a Comment