Upgraded visas, passes for foreigners

PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department has introduced upgraded versions of Malaysian visas and passes for foreigners, equipped with new security features, that make the documents difficult to duplicate.

Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said the documents, which would be rolled out fully in December, had been improved with holograms and other features.

He said the use of Intaglio dualcoloured prints as its main security feature ensured that it could not be easily duplicated.

“It features a new design, complete with rainbow-printed serial numbers.

“This forms part of the department’s bid to safeguard the country’s security and sovereignty, especially when it comes to documents issued to foreigners,” he said yesterday.

He said while there was no guarantee that the documents could not be forged, crooks would not have it easy.

He said the new passes and visas would be used from November or December onwards as there were around 70,000 units of visas and passes in stock.

“The previous version of visas and passes are valid. This year , we have issued almost 30,000 of these documents.”

Mustafar said the public must not trust anyone who claimed they had the authority to issue documents from the Immigration Department.

“Don’t blame the department if you receive documents from a third party.

“We will not compromise on those who either receive or give out these documents.

He said the department had launched Narrowcasting Media, a platform to disseminate information on the department’s updates and services to the public.