May 19, 2026
World
World
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PUTRAJAYA, May 19 — Immigration Department of Malaysia will begin issuing a newly enhanced Malaysian passport with 94 security features starting June 1, marking a major upgrade to strengthen the protection of the country’s travel document.
Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said the first phase of the rollout will take place at four locations: the Immigration headquarters in Putrajaya, the Kuala Lumpur Passport Office, Urban Transformation Centre Wangsa Maju, and the Shah Alam Immigration Office.
He said the implementation will be carried out gradually, with all passport offices across the country expected to issue the new version by July.
“Our current passports contain 49 security features, while the new passport has 94 — nearly double the previous number. This upgrade is designed to make Malaysian passports far more secure and significantly harder to counterfeit,” he said after the 2025 Immigration Department Excellent Service Awards ceremony, officiated by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Among the upgraded features are more advanced holograms, ultraviolet printing, hidden images and specialised forensic elements that are extremely difficult to replicate.
“Even the thread used to bind the passport includes its own security characteristics, and each page carries a unique design,” Zakaria said.
He reassured Malaysians that there is no need to rush to replace their existing passports, as documents with more than six months of validity remain fully usable.
“Current passports are still valid until their expiry date. There is no need to replace them immediately just to obtain the new design. Renewal can be done once the passport expires,” he said.
Zakaria added that applications for the new passport can continue to be submitted online, subject to the capacity of each passport office.
He also warned applicants not to use photographs created or altered using artificial intelligence.
“We have identified several cases where applicants used AI tools to improve their appearance, such as brightening photos or enhancing facial features. These images are not allowed, and our officers are trained to detect them,” he said.
Earlier this year, Saifuddin announced that Malaysia would introduce redesigned passports and National Registration Department identity cards within six months as part of a broader effort to improve the security of national identification documents.
He noted that the initiative is especially significant as the Malaysian passport continues to rank among the strongest travel documents globally, placing third in the world in 2025.
— Bernama
