The Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) and Immigration Department (JIM) have officially launched the new Malaysia Passport (PMA), which features enhanced security and longer validity. Originally scheduled for release earlier this month, the new passport will be rolled out to 71 passport offices nationwide in phases starting this July, according to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Specifically, the first phase will take place at 14 state-level passport offices, including those that are located at Urban Transformation Centres (UTCs). The rollout of the new PMA will then continue in several more phases for the next 2 months.
Saifuddin said that the application for the new Malaysian passport will be opened to the public aged 18 years and above starting from tomorrow, 1 July. The fee for the 10-year passport has been set at RM350, while the fee for the 5-year passport remains the same at RM200.
Aside from the longer validity period, the new Malaysian passport also comes with 94 security features as opposed to 49 on the existing version. Among the security features that were mentioned during the launch event montage include:
- Laser-punched serial number
- Complex UV security paper
- High-resolution hidden pattern
- Angle-sensitive dynamic hologram
- Guilloche pattern
- Integrated biometric chip
- Transparent window
- Micro texts
- Polycarbonate data page
Naturally, these security enhancements are meant to make the PMA more difficult to counterfeit. The Malaysian passport is considered one of the most powerful in the world, currently ranking 3rd in the Passport Index’s Global Passport Power Rank 2026.
