ID Cards. The Pros (and Cons?)

[fizzychickensoup]

Interestingly the card does not contain all the data from the 'information page' in your passport.

It does have the following:-

Name
Gender
Nationality
Passport No. (so will obviously need to be replace as the passport is renewed!) It appears on three different location on the front!
Date of i-KAD issue
Your address.
& obviously a reduced version of the passport photo you supplied on application.

On the Back it states the following:-

NOTIFICATION
* This card is not a valid travel document
* Holder is restricted from involvement in business, politics, associations, and militant activities
* Please report to the nearest Immigration Office is this card is damaged or lost
* This department has the right to retract or cancel this facility

[Qjumper]

So the card restricts you from participating in business eh, must be an old card then.


Remind me not to get one.

Bob

[fizzychickensoup]

* Holder is restricted from involvement in business, politics, associations, and militant activities

RESTRICTED is the word they use. They don't say 'forbidden' ; 'not allowed'; 'prevented from' or any other such 'absolute' word.
Semantics.....well maybe. TIM

[BB]

Just got back to Pg from overseas on 1st April. Of course we had our passports and the filled out the white cards at the airport immig cubicle in Pg. I asked the officer who stamped our passports if the new MM2H ID card would replace using the passport and saved one of us filling out the white form, he said NO, it's just an identification; you'll still need to use your passport entering M'sia and still need to fill the white form!!! I don't think it's an April Fool's joke 

[Brian]

We came back from Phuket in Feb (before we gave up the MM2H visa) and we filled in the cards but I did not hand them in to see what they said - did not ask for them and just stamped the passports !! As I have said before depends who you get.

Cheers

Brian

[Qjumper]

RESTRICTED is the word they use. They don't say 'forbidden' ; 'not allowed'; 'prevented from' or any other such 'absolute' word.
Semantics.....well maybe. TIM

As we are only RESTRICTED from politics and the military could we become part time squaddies. and whats this about associations does that mean the Masons or possibly the Association of Master Builders??

Bob

[fizzychickensoup]

....... you'll still need to use your passport entering M'sia and still need to fill the white form!!!

.

So there we have it!!!
All THREE permutations.

Don't need stamps, but need to fill in 'landing card'.
Do need stamps, but don't need to fill in 'landing card'.
Still need both.

Brian you got it! In depend on who you get.

Just spoke to a friend of mine who got his PR after 11 & a half years of perseverance, and he still gets stamps in his passport, but he doesn't have to fill in the 'landing card'

He told me also that he can now join the 'Malaysian Lane' at immigration, but he cannot go through the 'automatic lane'.

However in KK when he got to the front of the queue in the 'Malaysian Lane', the 'Little Napoleon' behind the desk told him to go join 'the alien' queue'.

My friend replied...."but I have PR" as he merrily waved his card!!!

"Do you have a Malaysian Passport?" the 'Little Napoleon' retorted

"No" my friend said dourly (he is Scottish).

Well go and join that long queue growled Hitler

[fizzychickensoup]

Yesterday, I drove across the border into Thailand, and YES, I did get a stamp in my passport despite producing my i-KAD.

As the remaining bit of my 'landing card' was in my passport from the last time I entered Malaysia, I produced it also.

However when I return to KL in a couple of weeks I shall prepare a landing card, but not produce it unless asked....and I will report back as to what happens

[fizzychickensoup]

I drove back to KL from Phuket yesterday, and this is what happened/we did.
We had prepared/completed in advance an immigration card for each of the four of us!
On reaching the Immigration kiosk, I handed all four passports (but no immigration cards) to the lady, with my passport on top of the four and my I had placed my i-KAD on top of my passport.
The lady searched through my passport, but failed to find my current 5 year Visa, so she handed the passport back to me to find it!!!! How she thought I could have a current i-KAD without a current Visa is beyond me, but then again T.I.M.!!!!
Anyway I found it for her and she then proceed to stamp my passport with an 'entry stamp', and then she did the same with my wife's and two boys!.

No immigration/arrival card requested & none required!!

Word of caution:- The Immigration lady was friendly & clearly of Indian origin which is fairly rare in itself. Had I had a had a grumpy Malay person who had perhaps got out of the wrong side of the bed that morning, Immigration cards may have been required .   You have been warned!

Only time will tell. As you you leave/enter the Country, please post your experiences here!!

If my experience proves to be the SOP for anyone (& family) when the main MM2H member has an i-KAD, then, in my view, having an i-KAD is worth it.

For those of you who travel very frequently....the bad news is that you passport is still unlikely to last until it's natural expiry date!

[fizzychickensoup]

When I arrived at KLIA immigration last month, the officer told me that I should apply for the I-kad to avoid stamps on my passport while she was searching for a space. I asked the immigration guy at PWTC whether the card would stop me having to get stamps on my passport and he said yes. I hope it's true but I won't be able to confirm until after my next overseas trip in May.

We have had so many permutations of what actually happens on this thread to date...it is all a bit confusing, and surprisingly no one who has an i-KAD has posted their experience so far (apart from me)

Bill I know you are traveling this month, and I am off to the Philippines on the 20th & not back until 7th June, so can post my experience after that re what happens at LCCT!

Interestingly, yesterday I was having a beer with a NZ friend who works here, and he produced an 'Expat i-KAD, which is almost identical to the MM2H i-KAD.
Apparently it is issued with the work Permit, and he has had one for about 3 years!

His info is that not only do you not need to fill in an immigration card, but the Immigration officer actually asks you if you wish to have a stamp in your passport or not!!!!!
So if the same applies to the MM2H i-KAD, (and I see no reason why it shouldn't) ...then we will all be happy!

More later

[scott]

hi, FCS,

I'll be going to KL soon (well, I think so) and will apply for my MM2H-iKAD. I'll then be going to Singapore and returning, so will post all the details.

When I return into Malaysia I'll try using the card only without offering a white card. 

regards, Scott

[Danny]

Last week I came back fom Singapore (causeway). The immi guy asked if I had a MM2H card. I said no and asked if I had one, could I skip filling out those white cards? He said NO.
So my guess is the card will make his life easier not mine (now he has to search thru my passport for the relevant pages.)

[fizzychickensoup]

Unbelievable Danny. See a few posts before this one on my experience driving back from Thailand 2 weeks ago. A very different experience.

It really is a bit of a mixed bag, and once again....it depends on who you get.

Scott, I think crossing to and from Singapore will be the same process as crossing to and from Thailand. In other words....even with the i-KAD you will still get a stamp!

If you fly into/out of the country, then I think you can 'avoid' the stamps!

[fizzychickensoup]

You need to read my earlier post on crossing the Thai border with my whole family to see how different Immigration Officers interpret the regs!

On Friday I drove to Singapore with my youngest son. Based on what happened when we departed Thailand and drove into Malaysia several weeks ago, he had no departure card.
I passed over both passports with my i-KAD. The Immigration Officer asked where his departure card was, and I replied he didn't have one, and explained why. So he processed the passport without further ado!

On returning to Malaysia yesterday (a day later). I presented the paperwork as above, but did not present the already prepared immigration form for my son.

Unlike the Thai Border experience, the Immigration Officer was having none of it, and insisted that my son complete a form. After some discussion he went off to see his superior with both passports and my i-kad, and came back empty handed.
He told me to go see his boss.
I did, and the 1st thing his boss (who was very pleasant and helpful by the way) said was "Why don't you get an i-Kad for each member of your family?"....to which I replied 'What a great idea...but I can't"
He seem to think I could and said other families already had!!
So I will check tomorrow and post the outcome!

So here is my conclusion so far:-

If you are traveling alone with your Passport and i-KAD

a) at a land border you will get a stamp, but you don't need the immigration form.

b) at an airport you will be asked if you wish to have a stamp or not, and also you don't need the immigration form.

If you are traveling with family members (the above applies for you with the i-KAD)
bu the family members without an i-KAD will still need to complete the immigration form.

I now have a problem as one son has a departure card, but my wife and other son do not.
We next travel as a family in July, so I foresee a nightmare at the airport, unless of course, I am able to get an i-KAD for the rest of the family before then!!!

[fizzychickensoup]

Following my week-end experience (posted 2 days ago) I just made a call to Mary at the MM2H Centre at PWTC.

She confirmed than all MM2H Visa holders can now get an i-KAD. "I asked when this came into effect. She replied "Oh I thought you knew".

I didn't pursue this further, but have just checked the new MoTour site, and there is no specific mention other than the following:-

'6. ID-Cards will be issued to MM2H participants with permanent address in Malaysia.'

I guess it doesn't say that only the main applicant is eligible!!!

Interestingly an agent (who shall remain nameless) still has the following posted on his website:-

'They have finally issued ID cards (called I-Kads) for the primary holder of the MM2H visa. We had requested that all visa holders be given a card but for reasons which are not clear to us this was not done'   Least said about that - the better!!

I know some of my friend have said that if the i-KAD is only for the principal applicant then the would not bother, so this is good news for them!