Especially when I need to renew my passport, upgrade my IC or anything else to do with the government.
Aslan and I thought today would be the best day to renew our passports which will expire in August and October respectively. We assumed that everyone would be busy registering their children at school and doing last minute back-to-school shopping.
By the time we arrived at the immigration office (About 11-ish as we went to take photos for the passport, photocopied some documents and changed some moolah at the currency exchange beforehand), the morning quota was already taken up and the queue was as long as the queue for the payment counter in December in the UK. Ridiculously long!
I forgot to add in the fact that the Lunar New Year falls on January 23, hence, not surprising to find out the sudden need to make or renew passports. I am aware of the online application for passport renewal but my hope died the moment the lady officer mentioned the server was down and it would be better to call in first before making our way to the immigration office later in the afternoon.
At that very moment, I thought to myself, it would be extremely handy if I were a VIP. Then I would have the privilege of having my passport done first. Unfortunately, the only title I have with me is a plain old miss. Meh. Anyway, my patience was already at its lowest point. In order to avoid any unintended vile eruption of negative moods, we decided to call it a day and try again tomorrow.
Being a good Samaritan, I will share you some tips in how to prevent wasting half a day just to renew your passport.
- Prepare all the necessary requirements needed. Bring your original birth certificate, identity card and old passport (if necessary) along with the photocopied versions (one copy each, better to be safe than sorry!)
- 2 years passport cost RM 100 while 5 years passport is RM 300. Cash transaction ONLY, credit card is not accepted. No ATM in the area!
- Be at the immigration office by 720am and start queuing at the first counter at the entrance even if it is still closed. People can be very kiasuuuu (I am one of them, by the way…) Besides scoring the first spot in the queue, arriving early also guarantees you a nice spot in the carpark.
- When taking photo for the passport, make sure you wear something with a collar or you will end up like me. Thank goodness for the instant photo kiosk on the ground floor.
Aslan made the cut, not me...
Reason why my photo was not approved was due to the nature of my top. Because of the low neckline, when they cropped the photo, it seemed like I am not wearing anything at all… Here’s the accepted photo…
I look younger here anyway, so, no complain. :p
Anyway, my tips won’t really help if the server is down. To avoid any frustration, do call the immigration office to confirm if their server is online etc.
I do look forward to the day when Kuching has a brand new awesome immigration office building. Let us all pray for this miracle.
Love,
E.
