PUTRAJAYA, Aug 11 — More than 9,000 Malaysian international passports (PMA), which were applied and renewed online, have yet to be collected, said Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud.

As such, he urged those who had made PMA applications to immediately collect them at passport issuing offices nationwide to avoid their passports being cancelled.

Previously, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said Malaysians who have renewed their passports online must collect the document immediately to avoid it being disposed of within 90 days.

Khairul Dzaimee, in the same statement, also announced new operating hours for all PMA issuing offices and Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) in Peninsular Malaysia effective August 15 following the statistical trend of PMA applications showing a decrease in night sessions.

PMA issuing offices in all states and branches will operate from 8am to 7pm on weekdays, except for Perlis, Pahang, Terengganu and Kedah which will operate from 8am to 5pm.

Meanwhile, PMA issuing offices in all states and branches will operate from 8am to 12.30pm on Saturdays, except for Perlis, Pahang, Terengganu and Kedah.

UTC offices will operate from 8am to 9pm on weekdays, except for Perlis, Pahang, Terengganu and Kedah which will be open from 8am to 5pm.

All UTC offices, including in Perlis, Pahang, Terengganu and Kedah, will operate from 8am to 5pm on weekends.

Previously, the operating hours in six passport issuing offices and Immigration Department counters have been extended until 10pm while six others have been extended until 6pm since May 11 to facilitate Malaysians to obtain their PMAs.

The six premises where the operating hours have been extended until 10pm are in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Negri Sembilan and Melaka and until 6pm in Penang, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis. — Bernama