When it comes to renewal of Malaysian passports, it's no big deal if you do it in the country itself. But being in Singapore or any other country for the matter, oh ho ho... the plot can turn a dramatic twist! There are many blogs where Malaysians write about their visits to the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore for this purpose. I have found them very helpful but the good people at Jervois Road had decided to change their procedures again. My heart goes out to those who brave the morning rush hour on the MRT, bus, and on foot just to arrive at the guardhouse before 8am.
Here's my own story on 21 April 2010. As of 15 March 2010, the "rules" had changed to as follows.
Submission of passport renewal / application form
Mondays to Thursdays, 8:30am to 12pm, 2pm to 4pm. Only 220 numbers are issued each day.
Collection of new passport
Fridays only. Your specific timing will be advised by the high commission.
Here's my own story on 21 April 2010. As of 15 March 2010, the "rules" had changed to as follows.
Submission of passport renewal / application form
Mondays to Thursdays, 8:30am to 12pm, 2pm to 4pm. Only 220 numbers are issued each day.
Collection of new passport
Fridays only. Your specific timing will be advised by the high commission.
When I arrived at 7:45am, my entry pass number was already 91. This was just to gain entry into the high commission premises. Inside, wait for your number to be called out (seriously, verbally by an officer) so that he can check that you have the necessary documents. If you do, proceed to the counter for your real queue number, which will also be glued to your application form.
I hope your lucky stars are with you. Because mine had gone AWOL that day. I waited for two hours and finally at 10am, I got to meet the officer who looked through my documents. He gestured for me to join a short queue at counter 11. The lady at the counter verified my documents against original MyKad and current passport. She glued the queue ticket to my form and gave me a detached portion of the ticket. I went back to sit and wait for my turn.
While waiting, I thought something was amiss. The numbers stopped at 1078. For the next 30 minutes, there was no sign of life behind those counters. "Wow, mid-morning tea break!" I thought. Only to have a staff standing among us at 10:40am, announcing that "The sistem is down. You can come back in the afternoon to see if it is up again, or come back again tomorrow."
What the Scoobydoo! I took a day's leave just to get this done - once and for all! Many blog postings found on Google said the fabulous bunch at the high commission were able to issue one's new passport in the afternoon on the very same day of application. Which by the way, I think you guys are most fortunate, really.
Anyway, that's my story and I hope it remains only mine. Not yours, ever. All I could think of at that moment was "Malaysia boleh! Tapi hari ini, sistem down. Esok cuba lagi, ya!"
Just for the record, get these ready for your battle:
1. Malaysian passport photos (blue background, non-negotiable). Have at least three with you. Two to be glued on your form. Here's a brilliant site which saves you at least SGD 12 (market rate) as you can save your image and print it as a 4" by 6" photo, as many as you want (SGD 0.25 market rate). I've also used this site for my US visa photos.
2. Malaysian and Singaporean PR ICs (you should be a PR right? Else why are you at Jervois Road?) -- both front and back sides photocopied on the same A4 page. I mean, all four sides can be read at once. Bring your originals along.
My favourite officer at the high commission is none other than the stern, shrieky lady officer walking the floor. She scares the hell out of people but deep down, she can be very helpful. Only if you speak to her politely and keep it soft. Her pet peeves: people who are loud or worse, talk on their handphones in the waiting area. So behave.
A final thought: the word "pasport" on the cover... I suppose it's a compromise between "passport" (English) and "paspot" (Malay)? Hmm...
I hope your lucky stars are with you. Because mine had gone AWOL that day. I waited for two hours and finally at 10am, I got to meet the officer who looked through my documents. He gestured for me to join a short queue at counter 11. The lady at the counter verified my documents against original MyKad and current passport. She glued the queue ticket to my form and gave me a detached portion of the ticket. I went back to sit and wait for my turn.
While waiting, I thought something was amiss. The numbers stopped at 1078. For the next 30 minutes, there was no sign of life behind those counters. "Wow, mid-morning tea break!" I thought. Only to have a staff standing among us at 10:40am, announcing that "The sistem is down. You can come back in the afternoon to see if it is up again, or come back again tomorrow."
What the Scoobydoo! I took a day's leave just to get this done - once and for all! Many blog postings found on Google said the fabulous bunch at the high commission were able to issue one's new passport in the afternoon on the very same day of application. Which by the way, I think you guys are most fortunate, really.
Anyway, that's my story and I hope it remains only mine. Not yours, ever. All I could think of at that moment was "Malaysia boleh! Tapi hari ini, sistem down. Esok cuba lagi, ya!"
Just for the record, get these ready for your battle:
1. Malaysian passport photos (blue background, non-negotiable). Have at least three with you. Two to be glued on your form. Here's a brilliant site which saves you at least SGD 12 (market rate) as you can save your image and print it as a 4" by 6" photo, as many as you want (SGD 0.25 market rate). I've also used this site for my US visa photos.
2. Malaysian and Singaporean PR ICs (you should be a PR right? Else why are you at Jervois Road?) -- both front and back sides photocopied on the same A4 page. I mean, all four sides can be read at once. Bring your originals along.
My favourite officer at the high commission is none other than the stern, shrieky lady officer walking the floor. She scares the hell out of people but deep down, she can be very helpful. Only if you speak to her politely and keep it soft. Her pet peeves: people who are loud or worse, talk on their handphones in the waiting area. So behave.
A final thought: the word "pasport" on the cover... I suppose it's a compromise between "passport" (English) and "paspot" (Malay)? Hmm...
