ID Cards. The Pros (and Cons?)

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I like it "Malaysia truly lazier" - spot on. We have to have police clearances for our Visa to Oz from the countries we have lived in for more than 1 year (in total) in the last 10 years.  Results below :

UK - two weeks
Singapore - two weeks
Hong Kong - 10 days
Australia   - 7 days

Malaysia - 14 weeks and counting!!  Holding whole process up. Spoke to Consulate yesterday in Perth , to quote, - " don't worry lah will get them soon in another 4 weeks maybe" - unquote. What to do !!

Cheers

Brian

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Hai Brain

Fortunately I have a different experience while obtaining a visa. So I can not agree with the statement "Malaysia truly lazier". After we had sent in the paperwork from the Netherlands to Kuala Lumper it took them less than 3 weeks to get the conditional approval letter issued to us. With that we went end of March to the new MM2H counter in PWTC and had our passport stamped in less then a hour.
Same with the paperwork for our car. We were warned it could take months, however within 6 weeks after ordering the car we are driving it.

regards, Paul

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Glad to know it works. Did you take your S&P agreement/recent utility bill or not....or was your i-KAD enough?

Hi FCS

Although we took recent bills and S&P, the only thing that they wanted was

My I-KAD
Natashas passport and a photocopy and 2 passport photos on a white background.

Cheers

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Paul - cannot complain about the MM2H visa sorted that in no time at all - can't say same about car though although this was down to the Honda dealer rather than MM2H. However, I think you would agree the comments I made about Police Clearance are pretty grim

Cheers

Brian

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Sorry Brain I misunderstood your post
and yes I have to agree 14 weeks is a bit long...

good luck, Paul

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Went over to PWTC today to get my missus a MM2H card, just brought along original passport, and a photo copy along with my own MM2H card, very quick and simple in all took about 20 mins...

Well here is a different version...
My wife and kids went there yesterday to get their I-Kads only to ber told the computer system was down.

However the gentleman did confirm that the 'paper-work' was all in order!
 
After a phone call this morning to confirm that 'systems were running' they returned and were duly thumprinted, and then they sat down for the 'obligatory' 20 minute wait to allow the processing to take place.
 
After 30 minutes they were told that 'the system' was very slow and could they please return on another day to collect the cards.
 
TIM. Why make one visit when 3 or 4 will do?   

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It looks like stamps are not optional.

When I left from KLIA I handed over my passport and I-Kad and said "No chop?" The offficial said "Sorry, I must chop but I will find a small place for it." He returned the passport with the old Departure Card still inside.

When I returned to KLIA I just handed over the passport and I-Kad. I wasn't asked for the white landing card but I did receive a stamp.

It is handy being able to travel internally without a passport - simply showing the I-Kad at airports

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Hi BillJay,
 
Your story simply endorses sentiment in the whole of this thread. Namely every official has their own understanding/intepretation of the 'rules'.

I flew out of LCCT last Wed morning (and had my i-KAD with me), and was asked if I wanted a 'chop'. I replied 'No' and no stamp was given!!!!
 
Once again TIM

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My wife and kids went there yesterday to get their I-Kads only to ber told the computer system was down.

Hi Fizzy,

Just an irritaion if you live in KL, an extra cost and major inconvenience if you live elsewhere. Next time you are talking to these guys could you ask when the service is going to be rolled out nationally?

Glad you got the cards, now you can join our gun club. At least the shooters know all about i-cad.

Bob

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Hi Fizzy,

Just an irritaion if you live in KL, an extra cost and major inconvenience if you live elsewhere. Next time you are talking to these guys could you ask when the service is going to be rolled out nationally?

Glad you got the cards, now you can join our gun club. At least the shooters know all about i-cad.
Bob

Agreed. Apparently my wife took possession of the cards today, after the 3rd trip. Yes a pain in the proverbial if you live in Penang or worse still East Malaysia!!!
 
Trouble is the people concerned don't give a sh1t about any inconvenience you may suffer....in fact they would say it is not their problem, and it is beyond their control, which is indeed probably true!!
 
I was a member of the Shooting Club here in KL, before it shut down, about a year ago, and I didn't need a i-KAD, just my passport and police clearance!!

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I flew out of LCCT last Wed morning (and had my i-KAD with me), and was asked if I wanted a 'chop'. I replied 'No' and no stamp was given!!!!    

Yesterday I arrived back to the new (and relatively empty) LCCT terminal, and I approached an Immigration Desk which had an Indian Immigration Officer & a Malay Immigration Officer (both female) sat side by side. I present my passport and i-KAD, but no landing form. There immediately was a discussion between them (there was no one else queueing beside or behing me) about whether or not a stamp was needed. I interjected that I had not received a stamp 2 weeks earlier as I exited the Country, and I did not wish to have one now on re-entering.

There was clearly a divergence of views between these two girls. However in the end no stamp was applied!

Clearly this one will run and run, and it could be months or perhaps years before there is a concensus, and everyone has read and understood the same manual!

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hi,

That's great, FCS, and glad to read that your passport wasn't stamped. The way stuff is subject to individual application, interpretation, personal understanding, or whatever, is one of the truly wonderful things about Malaysia. 

It's the great evening-out of all the rules and regulations, terms and conditions, requirements and necessities. It's human sandpaper to the hard edges of bureaucracy.

And, after everything, you can appeal or ask for a waiver.

IMHO, a nice system.

I'll be getting my ID card when I get back from Singapore. Please keep up your in/out journal so we can see if there's a trend.

regards, Scott

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I got the Ikad last Thursday. Arrived in KL noonish, and made to PWTC shortly after they reopened after lunch-break. It took a bit of searching to find the right office... 6th floor of Menara Dato Onn; but once there, it was easy. Staff was helpful and courteous.
So now I have a card; but only benefit I can see is that I don't have to pack my passport around.

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So now I have a card; but only benefit I can see is that I don't have to pack my passport around.

Interesting comment. What benefits were you expecting before you applied for the card.

Many have already commented that if the only benefit was not having to carry your passport around they would not bother to get one, as they never carry their passport around anyway...so why did you bother?

If you can take the time and trouble to browse this thread....you will discover a few more benefits!!

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hi, Bazzaman,

Thanks for the update. Glad that the staff were helpful and courteous. I'll be making the same trip soon, but first I need to get a proper lease for the house that I rent as, at the moment, I've not got any real proof of residence.

BTW, if you are stopped by the police - traffic road check or whatever, and you don't have photographic proof of identity you are risking a fine. And the police can detain you pending proof.

It's obviously a personal decision, but the only reason I'll be getting an ID is so that I can leave my passport at home. I've always looked at anything else as a bonus.

Of course, the police can accept a photocopy of a passport, but they don't have to.

It's worth remembering that Malaysian citizens are legally required to carry their Identity Cards (IKad) at all times. So, in any situation, a police officer will automatically, and logically, request your ID/passport as a first step.

regards, Scott

True Story : My boat gets moored at one of the small islands off Malacca. Myself and a more experienced sailing friend get the local ferry to the mainland so we can go to Malacca for supplies. We get off the ferry and my mate says something silly about something which really upsets a policeman standing on the jetty. The policeman asks my friend for his passport, just to check. My friend (rapidly becoming less of a friend) doesn't have it. The next ferry is in 1 hour. Then wait 1 hour for it to return. 3 hours later we're on our merry way to Malacca.