High-five to new passport, 10-year Malaysian passport introduced at RM350

  PETALING JAYA: Frequent Malaysian travellers have largely welcomed the government’s new 10-year passport, describing it as a more convenient and cost-­effective alternative to the ­current five-year passport.

Data processing manager Atikah Razak, 33, who travels overseas three to five times a year, said the new system offers better long-term value.

“I think RM350 for 10 years is reasonable. It works out to RM35 per year, which is affordable ­considering a passport is an important travel document,” she said.

The change, she added, would minimise the hassle of renewals and help ease congestion at Immigration Department offices.

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Tham Jo Yee, 30, also prefers the 10-year passport as it reduces the need for frequent renewals.

“Perhaps a 10-year passport makes more sense because many people tend to forget to renew their passports. Most of the time, they only check the expiry date when they are planning to travel,” she said.

The longer validity period, she said, could reduce last-minute problems caused by expired passports, especially for occasional travellers.

The Fees (Passports and Visas) (Amendment) Order 2026, which came into force on June 3, extends the validity of Malaysian passports to 10 years.

The gazette however did not state when the new 10-year Malaysian passport will be made available to the public.

Malaysians will be charged a fee of RM350 while senior citizens aged 60 and above will be charged RM175 for the 10-year passport.

Meanwhile, registered persons with disabilities aged 18 and above who hold an OKU card are entitled to a passport free of charge.

The gazette also states that Immigration Department officers and staff are entitled to 10-year passports at no charge.

Previously, Malaysian passports were issued with a five-year validity period at RM200 for adults and RM100 for senior citizens, while persons with disabilities were exempted from fees.

Dubai-based aviation engineer Rashidie Noridin, 34, described the RM350 fee as “cheap” when broken down annually.

“This new policy is better as it is in line with passport systems in several developed countries like the US, Singapore and the UK,” he said, adding that the 10-year expiry gives travellers more flexibility in planning their trips.

Banker Mohd Asri Bin Hishamuddin, 36, said the longer validity period improves efficiency for frequent travellers.

“It offers better value compared to renewing a five-year passport twice,” he said.

Mohd Asri added that passport validity often affects travel planning due to the minimum six-month validity requirement imposed by many countries.

Flight attendant Mahani Ishak, 27, said the 10-year option is particularly useful for those in the aviation industry, where valid travel documents are critical to operations.

She added that passport validity plays an important role in her job, as expired passports or insufficient remaining validity can directly affect flight assignments.

“If a passport has expired, it may lead to crew being offloaded from flights due to incomplete documentation.

“It helps reduce the need for frequent renewals, especially for those of us who are constantly travelling for work,” she said.

The amendment also introduces a fee structure for replacing lost or damaged 10-year passports.

For those aged 18 to 59, replacement fees are set at RM550 for the first replacement, RM850 for the second, and RM1,350 for the third and subsequent replacements.

Senior citizens will be charged RM375 for the first replacement, RM675 for the second, and RM1,175 for the third and subsequent replacements.

Eligible OKU cardholders and Immigration Department staff will be required to pay RM200 for a first replacement, RM500 for a second, and RM1,000 for a third and subsequent replacements.

Meanwhile, for the five-year passport, replacement fees range from RM400 to RM1,200 for those aged 13 to 59 years, and RM300 to RM1,100 for senior citizens depending on replacement frequency.

Registered persons with disabilities aged 18 and above who hold an OKU card are charged RM200, RM500 and RM1,000 for the first, second, and third and subsequent replacements, respectively.

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Nation 04 Jun 2026

10-year Malaysian passport introduced at RM350

Stranded Viet women get help

42 Viet women in a house — and surviving mainly on rice
The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Forty-two Vietna-mese women living together in a house here have allegedly been surviving mainly on rice for the past few months.

The women, aged between 30 and 50, are said to be unable to return to Vietnam as their visas have expired.

They have been staying in a semi-detached double-storey house in Jalan Tull for the past few months.
The house has four rooms and a toilet upstairs.

Help us get home: The Vietnamese women in tears while relating their plight to Koay at their home in Jalan Tull, George Town, Friday.

 There is also a living room, a small room, toilet and kitchen downstairs.

It is said that up to five women would sleep in a room while some had to sleep in the living room.

The women's plight came to light when their neighbours informed the authorities after finding the noise made by the women, especially at night, intolerable.

One of the women, known only as Hai, said most of them were jobless and could not send money back to their families.

“Some of us have been in Malaysia for a year and a half but our visas have expired,” she said.

She claimed that some of the women used to work as cleaners at a hospital and were paid RM50 a day but their wages were later reduced to RM25.

“In the end, we were not paid at all though we continued to work. Only a few of us are still working,” she said, adding that their agent was holding on to their passports.

When reporters visited the house, three women appeared sickly.

There were some fish, vegetables and eggs in the refrigerator.

Hai claimed that their agent would send 20kg of rice to them every three days.

She added that they would add salt to their rice for flavour.

“We have been calling the Vietnamese embassy every day, asking them to help us go home, but we are still waiting for a response,” she said.

She added that all they wanted now was to return home.

She alleged that they knew of 26 other Vietnamese and Nepalese foreign workers who were men, living in another house.

The women cried when relating their misfortune to Pulau Tikus assemblyman Koay Teng Hai who visited them yesterday.

Koay said he would contact the Vietnamese embassy as soon as possible.

“There are similar cases in Penang, such as in Paya Terubong.

“I will also contact the Immigration Department and the police,” he said.

 42 ‘stranded’ Viets get help

GEORGE TOWN: The 42 Vietnamese women “stranded” in a house here will be sent to a women's protection centre in Kuala Lumpur.

OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said they had obtained an interim protection order from a magistrate's court here to send the women, aged between 31 and 50, to the centre.

He said the case was being investigated under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007.

ACP Gan said an initial investigation showed that the women had not been paid for two months, adding that police had gone to the house and taken a statement from Tran Thi Hai, 31, who used to work as a cleaner in a hospital.

Sad plight: Some of the Vietnamese women sobbing uncontrollably while eating rice and vegetables donated by Malaysians who went to their aid upon learning about their plight in the newspapers. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI / The Star

“We were told they have been on their own for about one month. They have to buy food and daily necessities using their own money.

“We have informed the Immigration Department, the Vietnamese Embassy and Interpol. We will complete investigations soon.”

Meanwhile, several caring Malaysians sent food items such as cooking oil, vegetables, beverages and rice to the house in Jalan Tull off Jalan Residency while some have shown interest in hiring the women as domestic maids.

Pulau Tikus assemblyman Koay Teng Hai said he had contacted the embassy, which was aware of the problem faced by the women.

“The embassy has contacted the Immigration Department and a meeting will be held tomorrow,” he said.
It was reported that the women survived on white rice for the past few months while their agent would send 20kg of rice every three months.

Meanwhile, 34 Nepalese and Vietnamese men, aged between 20 and 40, who are in the same situation as 42 Vietnamese women, would also be sent to a protection centre in Kuala Lumpur, said Koay.

He said they used to work as cleaners at Penang Hospital and claimed they had the same agent as the Vietnamese women.

State Immigration assistant director Mustaffa Kamal Hanaffi said investigations would be carried out to trace the agent responsible for the 76 Vietnamese and Nepalese men and women.