Regular international passport
The Malaysian passport (Malay: Pasport Malaysia) is the passport issued to citizens of Malaysia by the Immigration Department of Malaysia (Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia). They were formerly designated Paspot Malaysia, but the spelling was changed to Pasport in the 1980s.
The main legislation governing the production of passports and travel documents, their possession by persons entering and leaving Malaysia, and related matters is the Passport Act 1966.
Types of Malaysian passport
There are five types of Malaysian passport:
Regular international passport
The passport contains 8kB microchip, which is also a machine-readable passport and ICAO compliant. The biometric passport is developed by a Malaysian technology firm, IRIS Corporation.
Malaysian passport holders are not permitted to enter Israel (likewise, Israeli passport holders are not permitted to enter Malaysia without clearance from the Ministry of Internal Security).
Official passport
The Official Passport is issued exclusively to Malaysian government officials travelling on official business. It is issued by the Immigration Department of Malaysia upon request through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra).
Diplomatic passport
The diplomatic passport entitles the bearer to receive extraordinary treatment at airports and they are covered by diplomatic immunity.
Hajj passport
A special Hajj passport issued to those making a hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. This passport is issued by Tabung Haji instead of Immigrations Department.
Restricted passport
The Malaysian Restricted Passport was a travel document for restricted to travel between Malaysia and certain adjacent territories:
Malaysia stopped issuing and renewing Restricted Passports as of 1 January 2006, and announced that they would no longer be valid for travel from 31 December 2006.[1]
Biometric passport
Malaysia was the first country in the world to issue biometric passports in March 1998, after a local company, IRIS Corporation, developed the technology.[2] In December 2002, thumbprint data was added to the biometric data on the passport chip. Similar technology is used in the Malaysian identity card, MyKad.
The biometric data included on the Malaysian passport is a digital photograph of the bearer's face, and images of their two thumbprints. Malaysian immigration checkpoints were the only ones with the technology to read and authenticate the data from the RFID chip using a fingerprint scanner and facial recognition technology, but widespread adoption of ePassport technology around the world has seen the technology installed in international airports in the USA, the UK and other countries.
In addition to biometric data and the personal information stored on the information page, the chip also records the bearer's travel history of the last ten entry and exits at Malaysia border control points.
Concern about possible "cloning" of the data from the passport chip for the purposes of identity theft prompted IRIS to issue a press release in 2006, stating that the chip and data had never been successfully cloned, and that digital keys stored on each chip made such duplication and forgery impossible.[3]
Passport note
The passports contain a note from the issuing state that is addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The note inside Malaysian passports states:
- These are to request and require in the name of the Supreme Head of Malaysia all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.
Languages
The data page/information page are printed in Malay and English.
Identity information page
The Malaysian passport includes the following data:
- Type ('P' for Passport)
- Country code ('MYS' for Malaysia)
- Passport number
- Name of bearer (see below for details of the naming scheme)
- Nationality ('Malaysian')
- Identity number (see below for more information)
- Place of birth (usually State of birth, not city or town)
- Date of birth (in DD-MMM-YYYY format, such as 24-JUN-1988)
- Sex ('M' or 'F')
- Date of issue (in DD-MMM-YYYY format)
- Date of expiry (in DD-MMM-YYYY format, five years from date of issue)
- Issuing office
- Height (in centimetres)
Naming scheme
Due to Malaysia's heterogeneous ethnic demographic, including substantial Chinese and Indian minorities as well as Malays, the name of the bearer on the Malaysian passport is displayed using that person's customary naming practice as it is on the person's identity card (MyKad) or birth certificate. Surname and given name fields are not differentiated on the passport, and this can cause difficulties or confusion in some countries as the placement of the surname is not consistent.
- Chinese names: can be listed in three ways according to the individual's preference: surname first as is customary (surname first, then Chinese given names: "WONG Kim Siong"), surname between given names (non-Chinese derived name, surname, Chinese given names: "David WONG Kim Siong"), or in the Western style of surname last (David WONG)
- Malay names: Generally in the format "X BIN/BINTI Y", where 'BIN' means 'son of' and 'BINTI' means 'daughter of', similar to the Arabic name system. This practice is not limited to Muslim Malays however, and can also be found in Christian indigenous Sabahans and Melanaus of Sarawak.
- Ethnic Indian and Thai names: Generally in the format "X AL/AP Y" where 'AL' stands for 'anak lelaki' (Malay for 'son of') and 'AP' stands for 'anak perempuan' (Malay for 'daughter of'). 'Anak' means 'child of', and can appear in indigenous Sarawakian names ("X ANAK Y").
- Western/European names: Eurasian Malaysians, or those descended from British, Portuguese or Dutch settlers, have the person's hereditary surname last ("Robert SMITH").
Identity number
The Malaysian identity number is a unique ID number allocated to each Malaysian, and the same number is used on the MyKad identity card. The number is in the following format:
YYMMDD-SS-###G
- The first six digits (YYMMDD) are the date of birth of the holder, so for example 24 June 1988 would be represented as 880624.
- The next two digits (SS) are the state in which the person was born from 01 (Johor) to 13 (Sarawak). See States of Malaysia for the codes for each state. The digits 14 to 16 are used for the Federal Territory areas of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya respectively. The codes '71' and '91' are used for those born outside Malaysia.
- The last four digits are a serial number, and the last digit (represented above by 'G') is a gender indicator: an odd number for males and an even number for females.
Visa-free access
Malaysia is ranked 9th in the study in terms of international travel freedom under the Henley and Partners research. Malaysia has a score of 120 on the Henley Visa Restrictions Index, standing at the same rank as Iceland, Greece and Australia. The given score, 120 points also represents there are 120 countries and territories which can be entered without a visa by Malaysian Citizens.[4]
It is estimated that 177 countries and territories granted visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Malaysian passport holders, while 149 countries and territories are visa free accessible.(visa on arrival for free counted). Visa issued prior to arrival or pre-arrangement required for countries or territories not mentioned below.[5]
Where visa-free access is permitted, such access is not necessarily a right, and admission may technically be at the discretion of border enforcement officers. Visitors engaging in activities other than tourism may require a visa or work permit.
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