Malaysia will begin issuing new Malaysian International Passports (PMA) on June 1, 2026, featuring 94 security elements, nearly doubling the 49 found in the current version to enhance protection against forgery [1, 2, 3, 4].

The rollout will start in stages at four offices: Immigration headquarters in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur Immigration office on Jalan Duta, the Urban Transformation Centre passport office in Wangsa Maju, and Shah Alam Immigration office. Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said, "We will begin the roll-out in stages on June 1 at four offices first, namely the Immigration headquarters in Putrajaya, the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Office, the Urban Transformation Centre passport office in Wangsa Maju and the Shah Alam Immigration Office." [1]

Security features include holograms, ultraviolet (UV) printing, special security threads woven into the stitching, hidden visual elements, unique page designs, and forensic-level details not visible to the naked eye. Zakaria noted, "We have increased the security features from 49 to 94. This nearly twofold increase is aimed at making the document more secure and significantly harder to counterfeit." [2]

Each passport page contains unique forensic differences to ensure authenticity and prevent copying, with advanced printing technology costing hundreds of millions of ringgit installed for production [2, 3].

Existing passports remain valid within their normal validity period. The public is advised not to rush to replace current passports just because of the new security features. Zakaria emphasized, "Existing passports remain valid as long as they are within the validity period. The public is advised not to rush to obtain the new passport simply because of its new features." [1, 3]

Applicants applying online are also warned not to submit photographs generated or altered by artificial intelligence. "I would like to stress that passport applicants should not use photos generated or modified using AI," Zakaria said [3].

Full nationwide issuance across all Immigration branches is expected to be completed by the end of July 2026 [1, 3, 4].