PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department has suspended the issuance of international passports with validity periods exceeding 10 years after travellers experienced check-in problems with overseas airlines.
Its Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban stated on Wednesday (Aug 12) that affected passport holders will receive free replacement passports with a maximum validity of 10 years.
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The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) confirmed no international restrictions exist for passports valid over 10 years.
“However, confusion arose when several holders of passports exceeding 10 years faced problems during check-in with several airlines abroad,” he said.
He said the decision to standardise the maximum validity period at 10 years was aimed at avoiding confusion over the additional six-month passport validity requirement, which was interpreted differently by some airlines.
Zakaria said affected passport holders would be given priority in the replacement process.
The department would also issue a notification letter to all airlines to assist affected Malaysian travellers overseas, he said.
He added that the suspension remains until the matter is resolved.
