PUTRAJAYA: All cases of missing Malaysian passports, whether at home or abroad, must be reported to the nearest police station beginning tomorrow.
The Home Ministry said this has been made a mandatory requirement aimed at protecting personal data, and avoiding abuse by irresponsible international syndicates.
Its secretary-general Datuk Alwi Ibrahim, in a statement, said Malaysian citizens intending to apply for replacement passports must present a police report to the Immigration Department.
“The loss of the passports could be due to several factors including intentional negligence, or unavoidable circumstances such as theft, robbery, flooding, and fires,” he said.
For passports that were lost in floods, Alwi said the police report must be accompanied by the report from the local authorities (PBT), whereas those destroyed by fire must include a report by the Fire and Rescue Department.
Alwi said the Malaysian passport had been issued under the Passport Act 1966 to control its production, ownership, other matters related to travel documents.
He said the Malaysian passport is considered a “high-value” document as it allowed freedom to enter some 163 out of 219 countries without a visa.
Referring to the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index, Alwi said Malaysian passport stood at ninth place last year in freedom for its citizens to enter other countries.
He said the Immigration department had recorded some 18,037 cases of missing passports in 2012, 19,579 in 2013, and 16,789 last year.