KUALA LUMPUR: A number of Malaysians could not apply for passports online and had to do so manually because of fingerprint data problems.
The Immigration Department last year processed 2,574,435 passport applications, the largest amount in five years.
More than half of the applications were done online.
However, 0.62 per cent of the applicants were instructed to apply manually due to reasons which included photographs not meeting the department's requirements, fingerprint data problems, or altogether dubious applications.
Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud told the New Straits Times that from those who were directed to apply manually, 0.32 per cent had issues due to fingerprint data problems.
He, however, gave his assurance to the public that the matter was being investigated.
"We are trying to improve our online system.
"The National Registration Department will transfer 2.5 million fingerprint records of our passport holders into our system, batch by batch.
"The transfer started a month ago, at 200,000 per batch.
"The process is expected to be completed in three months."
However, he said the data was not lost. "It's just a matter of system intergration."
Khairul, in addressing complaints over the online application system, said most of the problems were due to the applicant's lack of technological know-how.
"Last year, we issued over 2.5 million international passp-
orts, the highest number in five years.
"Despite the many complaints, I never received any report of Malaysians unable to travel abroad because they didn't get their passports in time.
"Yes, they had to wait for maybe five or six hours, but what matters here is that they received their passport.
"Of course, we are working to reduce the waiting period."
Khairul said 60 per cent of Malaysians who applied for international passports did not have immediate plans to travel.
"Whenever I visit our offices and I ask them (members of the public queuing for passport applications) where they were going, they said they had no immediate travel plans and just wanted to ensure that they had valid passports.
"Six out of 10 people we spoke to had no immediate plans to travel.
"As such, there is nothing wrong with waiting for three days."
Applicants renewing their passports online will typically receive approval for passport collection via email within three days.
The record-breaking number of passports issued last year marked a 20 per cent increase from pre-pandemic times.
The lowest number of applications recorded in five years was in 2021, with 444,094 applications.