Get Ready To Pay Up To RM1,200 Fine If You Lose Or Damage Your Malaysian Passport
Previously, there was no penalty to replace passport or other travel documents.
By Sadho Ram — 05 Jan 2019, 01:05 PM
Did you damage/lose your passport?
Get ready to pay a hefty fine as per a new decree which came into force on Wednesday, 2 January 2019.
According to NST Online, which cited a report by Berita Harian, Malaysians who lose or damage their passports will be fined between RM300 and RM1,200 for a replacement.
The new decree, which falls under the Fees (Passports and Visas) (Amendment) Order 2019 of the Federal Government Gazette, does away with the previous penalty-free replacement for Malaysians who re-applied after losing or damaging their passport.
Back in June 2017, SAYS had reported about the possibility of a penalty after it was reported that Malaysians have been losing their passports carelessly.
The fine is divided into three categories
First-time category:
Malaysians who lose or damage their passports for the first time will be fined RM400. Children aged 12 and below, and students aged 21 and below studying abroad, will be fined RM300 if they lose or damage their passports for the first time.
Second-time category:
Malaysians will be fined RM700, while children aged 12 and below, and students aged 21 and below studying abroad, will be fined RM600.
Third-time category:
Those who lose or damage their passports for the third time will be fined RM1,200, while children aged 12 and below, and students aged 21 and below studying abroad, will be fined RM1,100.
In October last year, it was reported that Malaysians tend to lose their passports in Bangkok and reason was negligence
"Malaysians do not consider their passports as a very important document, that is why they don’t take care of their passports properly.
"They put their passports where it's so easy for them to go missing or be stolen," Bernama had quoted a source at the Malaysian embassy in Bangkok as saying.
Between January and June 2017, 31,287 Malaysian passports were reported lost, with 70% of the holder saying they “did not remember where they kept it." Read more here.
