KUALA LUMPUR: The government's decision to extend the hours of selected Immigration Department offices in the country has come as relief to the public, who had endure long waits to renew their passports.
Some have described the move to resolve the snaking queues at Immigration counters as timely and "better late than never".
Checks by the New Straits Times at two Immigration Department's passport counters in Kuala Lumpur found that congestion was now under control.
At the Pudu Sentral Urban Transformation Centre (UTC), passport applicants said wait times were less than an hour.
An applicant who wanted to be known only as Chin said he waited less than an hour at the passport counter despite having issues with the online renewal system.
"I came here today at around 10am with my granddaughter as we both had renewed our passports online. Unfortunately, mine had a fingerprint issue but her renewal was approved without a hiccup.
"I barely had to wait an hour as I had set an appointment so that my granddaughter could collect her passport while I addressed the issue with my application," he told the New Straits Times.
He said there was a "fast lane" for senior citizens and those with special needs.
Chin said extending the hours of passport offices was timely as it allowed people more time to collect their passports and prevent congestion.
His granddaughter, Natalie, said she waited for only several minutes to collect her passport.
"I had renewed my passport online with my grandfather and I can say the process was smooth.
"Despite the issue with my grandfather's passport application, everything was smooth going, as I waited less than 15 minutes to collect mine."
The New Straits Times also checked the Home Ministry Complex at Jalan Duta here, and found no long lines as previously reported.
Fauziah, who was there to collect her passport after renewing online said it was a stark contrast to the "stories she heard from others".
"I saw several posts on social media with people complaining that the online system was having issues, but I haven't experienced anything similar.
"The lines were also not long as depicted on social media," she said.
She said she had not heard of the announcement by the Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail that selected passport offices would stay open longer, but lauded the decision.
"I wasn't aware of the announcement by the minister. If I had known, I would have chosen the weekend to sort out my passport.
"It's a step in the right direction as the issue of long queues at Immigration offices has been going on for quite some time," she said.
NST also saw improvements made at the Jalan Duta Immigration Office, such as dedicated counters for walk-in applicants with overall queueing times of less than 30 minutes.
Yesterday, Saifuddin said 20 passport offices in the country will operate seven days a week from Friday to overcome congestion at Immigration counters.
He said offices catering to a large number of applicants would be equipped with passport printing machines.
The extended hours are from 8am to 7pm on Monday to Friday, and 8am to 12.30pm on weekends.
The extended hours will be observed at these offices:
* Menara Ikhlas, Putrajaya
* Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur
* Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur
* Shah Alam, Selangor
* Kelana Jaya, Selangor
* Kajang, Selangor
* Puchong, Selangor
* Kuala Selangor, Selangor
* Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor
* Ayer Keroh, Melaka
* Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang
* Taiping, Perak
* Teluk Intan, Perak
* Lumut, Perak
* Setia Tropika, Johor
* Kulai, Johor
* Muar, Johor
* Batu Pahat, Johor
* Kluang, Johor
* Kulim, Kedah
Immigration counters at UTCs in all states except Perlis, Pahang, Kedah and Terengganu are open from 8am to 7pm on weekdays and 8am to 5pm on weekends.
For Perlis, Pahang, Kedah and Terengganu, the Immigrations counters at UTCs are open from 8am to 5pm on both