Infrequent travellers can opt for cheaper passports
BUKIT KAYU HITAM: If you seldom travel abroad, you can now save on your passpart and pay RM100 instead of RM300 for the Alternative International Malaysian Passport.
From Oct 1, Malaysians can apply for the alternative passport which is valid for two years, announced Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
Currently, a 32-page passport costs RM300 and a 64-page document RM600. Both are valid for five years.
‘‘Presently, the alternative passport was only introduced to haj pilgrims,” the minister said after breaking fast with Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Complex officers and personnel here yesterday.
“We want to expand the usage of the passport to all because there are some who only travel once in a while, such as parents who accompany their children studying abroad.”
He said the ministry decided to produce an alternative passport because it received complaints from those who seldom travelled abroad that they were forced to pay a hefty sum for a passport.
He said the availability of low-fare airline flights and various affordable holiday packages encouraged more Malaysians to travel now.
This alternative passport is suitable for them.
‘‘The new alternative passport is also a measure taken by the ministry under the 1Malaysia concept,’’ he said.
Hishammuddin added that the new alternative passports would mean additional workload for the Immigration Department but this could be resolved by incorporating new courses to improve the skills and competency of the personnel.
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