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Did you know? Malaysia is among the fastest countries in the world when it comes to passport processing, according to the Immigration Department
In a recent post on X, the department said Malaysians can receive their passports in as little as one hour, thanks to system upgrades and the digitalisation of the country's passport services.
The department also shared a timeline showing how passport processing times have improved over the decades, from payment to passport collection.
Back in the 1960s to 1980s, passport applications reportedly took between two and four weeks to process under a fully manual system
By 1990, processing times had improved to between seven and 14 days following the introduction of a more systematic process.
From 1998 to 2009, the waiting time was reduced further to between one and three days, with Malaysia becoming among the earliest countries to implement biometric passports.
The department also highlighted that on 1 February 2007, the Wangsa Maju Immigration Department office successfully processed a passport within one hour for the first time, marking a major milestone in the country's digitalisation efforts.
From 2009 until today, the department said it has maintained a consistent one-hour passport processing time nationwide.
The department also compared Malaysia's processing speed with several other countries, claiming Malaysia is able to issue passports much faster than many advanced nations
According to the comparison shared, passport processing in Singapore takes between three and seven working days, while countries such as the UK, US, Australia, India, and Canada can take several weeks.
Many Malaysians in the replies praised the Immigration Department's efficiency, with several users sharing their own experiences of receiving their passports within the hour
"Yes. And we Malaysians appreciate that. Well done! Good job," wrote one user.
"When there's not many people at UTC Selangor, it only takes 20 minutes," commented another.
