We just discovered recently that we were unable to book an air ticket for T2 without a passport. Why does anyone need a passport in order to book a ticket? We are paying for the ticket after all, right? And on day of travel should we not have a passport by then, then just bar us from going through!
So anyway, as it stands, tickets to Australia have been booked for the entire family except T2 and myself because, well because T2 does not own a passport yet. And the most wonderful thing? Tee’s passport expires on date of travel so hers needs renewing as well. The best part? Both girls need to be in attendance in getting their passports done. Talk about convenience. Welcome to Malaysia!
So we braced ourselves for a family trip to the Malaysian immigration after getting lots of advice and decided on Subang Terminal 3 one early morning at 8am. In order to arrive for 8am, we were up at 6am but when we arrived at exactly 8am sharp, there were already people queuing up outside the building. In fact, there were two loooooooooonnnnnggggg queues. I got down to double check if the queues were indeed for people coming to make their passports and why there were 2 queues and to my dismay, they were. I counted the people on the outside that were visible, approximately 80 on queue 1 and 50 on queue 2 (which was the express machine lane). Both queues were not moving and in fact, the one officer who was managing the queues was stressed and could barely answer my questions. Why can’t they just make information more visible, more accessible etc etc etc. Why does every single person have to arrive in a blur state and really HUNT for such basic simple information like just where to fucking queue to renew a passport? Or where to get a number? Or where to get a form? Why? Why? WHY???
The passport was urgent so off we set to the Shah Alam immigration because there was no way we were queuing with baby in tow and a hot, irritated Tee. After half an hour, we arrived like the blind in Shah Alam, at the 2 kilometer long PKNS building where finding toilets is as elusive and long a journey as finding a G-spot in a baby! I bet they were freaking pedophiles who designed THAT building! And finding the immigration department was even more adventurous…..
When we finally did, there were again queues everywhere. *sigh* Time? 8.45am. We gave up. The queue was snaking all around walls to areas you couldn’t even see. There were crying babies, whiny toddlers, irritated adults, and testicle faced officers. I told the Hubs to give up. There was no way T2’s passport was happening. Not that day. We ended up at the warm temperatured McDonalds, all stressed out and tired, frustrated and confused.
One week later, we set our alarm clocks again and armed ourselves with bravery to be the first at the Damansara immigration. They have a children’s queue there, we were told. Whoopeedoo! So we were almost one of the firsts…..parked below (scary place I’m telling you – do not go there without a man!) and walked up 5 flights of stairs carrying T2 in the car seat. Because not a single lift worked and did I tell you the parking lot smelled of piss? Lots and lots of stale piss. Urine. Thank goodness, I didn’t smell shit. When we reached the desired level, we were informed that Damansara immigration was closed that day. In fact, everywhere was closed because the computers were down. The only place open was Wangsa Maju branch. And at that point, I almost lost it with said information officer (of which I will blog about later) and left in a huff. What REALLY pissed me off was that there were innocent people queuing outside the building (we were already inside as we parked inside) waiting for the immigration doors to open and no fucking decent person had the courtesy to inform them poor souls that they were wasting their time because, because…….Damansara immigration was closed that day. On a bright, sunny Saturday morning. They are evil, I’m telling you. These, these……Government members.
I called the Wangsa Maju branch to double-triple-heck, quadruple check if they were indeed open and guess what? The lady who answered the phone said, “Don’t come today! We’re very, very busy. There’s a lot of people here! We only have a few counters open. If you want, come extra early tomorrow morning!”
Screw this. We walked up towards that red coffee place at Millennium but even THEY were not open at 8.45am on a Saturday morning. I am so done with immigration. I almost want to pick up that phone to abuse some people and power but it is that same act that I am against so I have not. How is it fair that some people never have to queue to get their passports done? How is it that some people can GIVE Malaysian citizenship to foreigners merely through a phone call? And these are all friends of the big boy. I hate it.
So as it stands, T2 is still without a passport. We will try again after Chinese New Year and perhaps plan it so that me and kids can hang out somewhere whilst the Hubs queues and we will only go once he is closer towards the counter. How do you guys manage? So much for all of you who said it was an easy, fast process, the act of getting a Malaysian passport done. BAH!
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sorry to hear of yr experience. maybe u cld try making yr passport after cny as i think there an exodus leaving the country to celebrate cny overseas. what i did when i made a passport for my girl a few yrs back was to go in the afternoon any other w’day except for mon and fri. i went to the one in terminal 3 at 2pm and got my passport on the same day at 4.
good luck
Used to have it done in Seremban. Quick, almost no queue.
Can’t imagine getting it done at any Klang Valley branches. Luckily our trip cancelled, else will have to go through what you have gone through.
hi there, try going to shah alam after 2pm.. I got mine done there, renewed once, and both my boys’ passport were done at SA branch.. I never qeued for longer than 1 hour le….
maybe now is approaching CNy.. Like ktisten said, try again after CNY.. Good luck ya..
go wangsa maju branch, weekday, be there 10 mins before they open. it’s at a shophouse at rampai business park. you’ll b fine. i got mine renewed in less than 2 hours.
I did my girl’s passport in Wangsa Maju and it was a Friday morning, late Friday morning….But we were given special no. as we had a baby with us (she was 1.5 yrs then) though the crowd wasn’t too bad. And within 2 hours, before they close for the long lunch break, we got her passport. Well, that was back in 2008. Probably at that time, not many people go there (Wangsa Maju) to make or renew their passports.
But I wasn’t so lucky last year, when I needed to renew my passport urgently and I waited from 9am till 2pm before my number was called! Then within less than an hour of them calling my number, my passport was ready! But I went there alone, read through 3 mags, had lunch… 5-hour wait for something that can be done in less than an hour! Huh!!
Sorry to hear about the situation you went through. May be try Wangsa Maju on a weekday. Hold T2 up high so that the Mr officer can see you are with a little baby……Have your hubs carry Tee and show her to the Mr Officer also….perhaps, you might meet someone with a heart….
I just got Shermaine a passport in Subang, actually they have a special queue for baby. Number was called in less than 10 minutes though there were lots of ppl there.
i was going 2 say that they have special lane for babies, pregnant ladies and the elderly for all centres. i’m surprised that they still treated you like this.
i will be going next week to do my no. 2’s and also 2 renew mine. btw, the air ticket we booked (cathay airways) didnt need our passport numbers at all so i’m not sure which airlines you’re looking at (and i’m assuming m’sian?!). sorry to hear the trouble you went thru. i also feel pissed reading ur post.
sorry to hear this
applied for my 5 months old bb passport last yr @ kajang office, there was a special counter for bbs & elderly ppl. so v reached there around 8+am but got my bb passport around 12pm. mebbe v were lucky. but planning 2 get my own passport renewed after during the coming cny, hope tat its gonna 4getable experience!
I went to the Subang office last year with Brandon in tow (he was only 5mths then). Didn’t bother going there early. Arrived at 10:30am. Got the special counter queue (although I swear the usual queue was quicker because they only have ONE officer for the “special” counter) and left before 1pm. Trudged back at 4pm to collect – don’t forget, you need to bring the kiddos back even to collect because the officer wants to “sight” the baby. Good luck! I have yet to attempt to do Bradley’s. Won’t be travelling till they are 18.
I was surfing randomly and stumbled on your blog post while waiting to collect my passport at Damansara immigration. To the masses of ppl who got their passport done in 1 hour, collected within another 2 hours, you must have been lucky or it was during a period while their big boss was around.
Went to renew my passport on the 1st day immigration opens after CNY. Arrived early, waited 45 mins for my number, another 2 hours for my turn. I pity the ones that came later on. Looking at the queue, it seemed likely that they’d be spending their afternoon there.
No such thing as collecting in 2 hrs. Had to come back the next day. So here i am now, took a number to collect passport, found out some machine ‘broke down’ so the numbers will be called in random order.
So bring a fan, water and a nice book the next time u need to do your passport.
WTF they dont use computers those fuckers are still in the stone age and cant get there head out of their asses. I am on my 5th visit and still not done with those fuckers.
I’m curious, did you get your kids’s passports done after all these months? Am comtemplating doing our kids passports at Terminal 3 soon, just hope it won’t turn out to be a horror story for us too.
Do both parents need to be present to make the kids passport Or can mummy alone do so with the kids ?