[Watch] It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World At Ipoh UTC As Hundreds Rushed To Get Their Passports

The congestion related to passport matters is expected to continue for a few months.

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For some time, our passports can only be renewed online.

This means you won’t be able to renew your passports at the nearby immigration office unless it’s a special case.

Only people with certain criteria are allowed walk-in appointments, such as first-timers.

Thankfully, since 9 May, you can now walk in for your passport renewal again.

Unfortunately, it resulted in long queues and recently, a mad rush at Ipoh Urban Transformation Centre (UTC).

Rat Race

As if running for their lives, people dashed into the immigration office when the shutters opened at 7.50 am.

According to The Vibes, at least 200 were already waiting, some from as early as 5.30 am.

A makeshift queue was in place despite the premises being closed, with more people turning up later in the day.

A scene of the incident, recorded by netizen Prasanna Nethyananthan, had since gone viral on social media.

Unusual Congestion Post Covid Lockdowns

In accordance with the current Immigration rules and regulations, the validity of a Malaysian passport is no longer extendable.

In this regard, a new passport application must be made to replace the soon-to-be expired passport (at least six months before the expiry date.)

The Immigration Department has advised the public to do passport processing after working hours following the counter operating until 10 pm.

Live from the UTC in Pudu to get a passports done. We arrived at 9:15 a.m. It’s 10:28 and there has been no movement. According to the first person in line (here since 8), the officers are working on yesterday’s citizens. We have inched forward over the hour, because people left pic.twitter.com/LppAjrFhiM
— Claudia Khaw (@ClaudiaKhaw) May 21, 2022

The reason is to help crowds avoid the long waiting time, thus getting a more comfortable service.

@aqashahghazali Lesson learned! 💆🏻‍♂️ Sila buat online lepas tu ambik dekat UTC! #passport #travel #Malaysia #fyp #sabar ♬ nhạc nền – yongboiz yêu em 🙂 &lt3 – Tik Toker

Director-General of Immigration, Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud, said the extension of operating hours effective today involved six states.

They include Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka.

Aku baru tahu ibu pejabat Jabatan Imigresen Perak di Meru yang besar tu tak boleh buat passport. Di Ipoh, kena pergi UTC jugak.

Ada pakcik tunggu dari 6.30 pagi ya.https://t.co/gr1SFeAPY3
— Ili Aqilah (@theiliaqilah) May 12, 2022