Immigration Department delays new Malaysian passport rollout just days before scheduled June 1 release, citing service quality concerns.
PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department has postponed the rollout of the new version of the Malaysian International Passport (PMA), less than a week before it was scheduled to be issued on June 1.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the implementation of the new PMA would be rescheduled to a later date, which will be announced by the department.
“The move was taken to ensure smooth service delivery and to ensure the public’s transaction experience remains at the highest level.
“The public can still renew the existing PMA as usual, and passports that are still valid remain usable until they expire,” he said in a statement today.
Zakaria said further updates on the implementation of the new passport version would be announced through the department’s official channels from time to time.
The postponement comes after the government previously announced plans to introduce a new-look passport and MyKad within six months as part of efforts to strengthen the security of national identity documents.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail made the announcement on Jan 8 after the Home Ministry’s 2026 New Year address in Putrajaya.
On May 19, Zakaria said the new Malaysian passport would be issued from June 1 with 94 security features, compared with 49 in the current version.
The rollout was initially expected to begin at selected offices before wider implementation.
