Lost your passport? Make a police report

Starting today, new rules on passport losses by negligence, flood and fires

KUALA LUMPUR: Effective Sunday, the Home Ministry makes it compulsory for the loss of all International Malaysian Passports within or outside the country to be reported at the nearest police station.

KDN secretary-general Datuk Alwi Ibrahim said passports could be lost through deliberate negligence or calamities that could not be avoided such as theft, robbery, flood or fire.

He said those who lost their international passport and wished to make new ones must present the police report to the Immigration Department.

“For lost cases due to floods, the police report must be submitted together with a report from the local authority while for losses by fire a report from the Fire and Rescue Department is also needed.

He said an international passport is a document issued under the Passport Act 1966, whereby the act controls the issuance, possession and other matters related with travel documents, he said last night.

Alwi said the Malaysian passport had a high value as Malaysian passport holders could enter 163 out of 219 countries without visa.

According to the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index report, he said Malaysia was in ninth position last year in its citizens’ freedom to enter other countries.

“The compulsory duty to report the loss of international passpart at the nearest police station is aimed at protecting personal information and preventing such documents from being misused by irresponsible international syndicate,” he said.

Based on the department’s report, 18,037 cases of lost PMA were detected in 2012, 19,579 cases in 2013 and 16,789 cases last year.

- BERNAMA