A Reminder to Myself

I recently renewed my passport.

Prior to getting off my butt to do it, I found myself trying to dig my memory for the how-tos of getting it done. Like, what was I supposed to take with me again? Photo...form...IC...er...

You see, we only get to renew this thing every 5 years. And I hate to turn up at any government office only to be told I haven't got the "complete documents".

I gather since I'm going to have to repeat this routine in 2011, I should document the experience I went through in space. So I can conveniently jog my memory again when I'm 38 years old and even more forgetful than I already am.

Of course, I am doing this at a risk - who knows if the Immigration Department will even be where it is today in 5 years' time. Or hey, maybe I'll be able to update my passport online by then. No, wait - but this is Malaysia...

Much better to be safe than sorry.

Step 1: I can download the renewal form from the website at www.imi.gov.my/
The application form IS the renewal form.

Step 2: I must bring a passport-size photo. 2 copies to be exact. I can get these at any photo shop like FUJIFILM and KODAK. If they get rejected by the scrawny fellow at the TICKETING and INFORMATION counter of the Immigration office, I can take instant ones outside the office which is sponsored by the government. And there are possibilities they may turn out worse than the ones from the photo shops. Especially if the officials make you wear a standard-size suit to "jazz up" your presentation.

Step 3: I should bring a photocopy of my ID and the Front and Back should be on one page because this helps the Immigration people save time from flipping the page to obtain all the information.

Step 4: I should also not forget to bring along my old passport.

Step 5: At the ticketing counter, I am to hand in these documents so the scrawny fellow can give me a queue number; he will chop my queue number which means that everything "seems complete" but of course this is not guaranteed because he might be having a bad day.

Step 6: I will sit down and wait until my number is called. At which point I will have both my left and right thumb prints recorded by a scanner. I will also be asked to have my right thumb ink-printed perhaps for extra security reasons (or perhaps in case the computerised thumb-readers fail to function at airports in future which is likely). I will also give the lady behind the window my ID and not see it again until later.

Step 6: I will then be asked to sit down again and wait for my name to be called again for payment.

Step 7: The same queue number will be called andI will proceed to the payment window. (8, 14, or 19 on the day I was there anyway.) I will hand over RM300 for 32 pages worth of choppable visits to countries outside Malaysia. I should get my ID back unless the lady has decided to skip off with it or mix it up with someone else's.

Step 8: The lady will then give me a receipt which will also tell me the date on which I'm to collect my new passport (it should be one working day after). She may or may not smile.

Step 9: I am to bring this receipt with me when I collect my new passport. (In my case this time round, I was to go to Window 35 to hand over the receipt.) I should receive a new queue number and wait to be called. This entire process of collecting the new passport should take no more than 15 minutes if I'm lucky.

Step 10: When I collect my passport, I should tuck both old and new passports deep inside my bag and be wary of motorcyclists on the streets because Mum says that passports are very popular among snatch thiefs (since when have they not?)