All Malaysians overseas whose passports are expiring this year can apply for a free two-year extension.
This comes after a surge in requests for passport renewals overseas because of the Covid-19 pandemic, said the High Commission of Malaysia in Singapore in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday.
Malaysians have to fill a form and submit it at the high commission or embassy. An e-mail will be sent to applicants for them to turn up to have their passports stamped.
The high commission said current procedures are still available. According to the Malaysian government website MyGOV, passport renewals can also be done online.
But the high commission noted that there is a waiting time of between eight and 12 weeks due to the high volume of applications.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many countries to impose various travel conditions and restrictions which lead to many Malaysians postponing their travel plans.
"This prolonged postponing has caused many to stay longer overseas and some Malaysians are finding it necessary to renew their passports overseas because of the impending expiration date. This has resulted in the sudden increase of Malaysia international passport renewal at overseas offices," said the high commission in its post.
Long queues have formed outside the high commission in Jervois Road amid the pandemic. Many Malaysians interviewed by The Straits Times earlier said they were there to renew their passports which were expiring.
The high commission added in its Facebook post that its immigration section can cater only to a finite number of manual applications for passport renewal due to social distancing regulations and limitations in machine and manpower. It also said that the immigration section has been operating from 8am to 7pm daily since July last year.
Those who receive the extension will have their passports stamped on the observation page or on page 48, said the high commission.
The high commission website states that the application fee for a passport valid for five years is RM200 (S$64.30). The fee for children under 13 and seniors 60 and above is RM100.
Ng Wei Kai
