Renewing passport is a breeze now..

Since I was small, I have always dreaded to go to the government departments. Not only i have to wake up extra early to get my butt there before they officially opens (cos they will only start on the dot if not later), wait in the long queue (altho im early because apparently, ppl here are super kiasu) BUT i could also be waiting for hours just to get the stuff i needed to be done.

This morning, i fetched my mom to the Wangsa Maju Immigration Office to renew her passport. I was planning to go to the State Immigration of KL in Pusat Bandar Damansara before i found out there is a branch in Wangsa Maju, much closer to my home. Yea, i know i am a lil outdated, but it is never too late to know now.

I left my condo around 7:20am and reached there 10 minutes before 8am. I figured we should be there ealier because my mom wanted to get her picture taken there. 5 years ago when she got her current passport, she took her picture in a normal photo shop in Ampang but they were rejected by the immigration officer because they claimed that the pictures were not following the standards/rules...

Anyways, back to this morning - there were plenty of parking spots in front of the immigration building. I was told that it is hard to get a parking spot in that area but i guess i was too early for the spots to be filled up. While she was getting her pictures taken, i walked to the entrance and found out that the counters were opened already. 10 minutes earlier!

I took the application form that i've printed out from the website (and filled up of cos) with a photocopy of her IC and 2 copies of photos to the counter to take a queue number but i was told that the form is not accepted. Apparently, printing the 2 page form in 2 pieces of A4 paper will not be accepted. You have to print on both side of an A4 paper! I obviously didnt know that and ended up buying the form from them for RM1 when i can print the form from their website for free. How ironic...

But besides that, everything was amazing. We got called to the counter immediately after we took our number cos there was only 2 other ppl in the room (and they have already been called). The officer took her form, pictures, IC and thumb print as verification - making sure that we are not applying for a different person :) Then we paid the RM300 fees at the cashier counter and all these were done in less than 10 minutes. *jaws dropped*

We were told by the officer to come back to get the passport in 1 hour. 1 HOUR! That was pretty fast and i admit i was surprised because i thought it was supposed to be done in 2 hours (which is already great because when i had mine renewed 3 years ago, i can only get it the next working day). And a lot of other developed countries needed more than 3 days to get one passport done. *thumbs up*

While waiting, we went for breakfast in a nearby hawker centre. We came back about 30 minutes later and there were more people now but still not alot. As i was walking towards a bunch of open seats, I realised that our number has been called for passport collection. WOW! I am now really amazed at how fast the government department do their job currently. We got a new passport in just an hour, from start to end.

As i was leaving the immigration building, i saw all the parking spots were fulled and there were cars waiting by the roadside, looking for possible spots. I guess if i werent as early, i might not be able to get it all done in an hour. So it is always good to be an early bird. However, if i were to go to the immigration department at Pusat Bandar Damansara, i am sure it would be crowded too even if it's early. I am glad i made a good decision.

Just in case if you guys are planning to renew or get a new passport in Malaysia, here are some tips for a smooth application:

1. Find a branch closer to you. You can save a lot of travel time especially when you are going on a weekdays where you can get caught in a bad traffic during rush hour.
2. For online application form, make sure you print the 2 page form on both side of ONE A4 paper. Printing on 2 pieces of paper will not be accepted. Else, just buy from them for RM1. Fill it up, of cos.
3. Get a photocopy of your Identification Card a.k.a. MyKad. Make sure you have both sides on the same page and DO NOT ever cut them because they want it in A4 size.
4. Bring 2 copies of your passport size photos (with ears visible) and make sure they follow the correct standard (it has a certain degree of blue background). To be safe, you can get your photos taken there and it cost RM12 for 4 pieces of instant photos.
5. Dont forget to bring RM300 as processing fees - they accept credit cards too but just in case the system/line is down, it is good to have cash on hand.
6. For renewal, please bring along your old/current passport.

That's all. Hope you can enjoy the same "breeze" as i do today.