PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has officially launched Malaysia’s upgraded international passport, which now incorporates 94 advanced security features aimed at strengthening document integrity and countering increasingly sophisticated forgery techniques.
The new passport, developed by the Immigration Department, was unveiled at the Parliament lobby, where Anwar received the document in a ceremonial handover from Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban.
The redesigned passport introduces multiple security enhancements, including upgraded holographic elements, ultraviolet (UV) printing, concealed visual features and specialised forensic markers designed to make duplication significantly more difficult.
It also features strengthened binding threads, with each page embedded with unique security elements to provide an additional layer of protection against tampering and fraudulent reproduction.
According to the Immigration Department, the initiative represents a major advancement in Malaysia’s travel document security framework, reflecting the need to stay ahead of evolving forgery threats while maintaining international credibility.
The rollout will be implemented in phases, beginning at four locations: the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya, the Kuala Lumpur Passport Office at Jalan Duta, UTC Wangsa Maju and the Shah Alam Immigration Office, before being expanded nationwide to 71 passport offices.
Authorities said the staged implementation is intended to ensure operational stability during the transition, while members of the public are advised not to rush to replace existing passports if they remain valid for more than six months.
Malaysia’s passport continues to rank as the world’s third most powerful travel document, underscoring its strong global mobility standing alongside the latest security-driven upgrades. - June 30, 2026
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