00:00Date-level entry bans imposed by Sabah and Sarawak do not affect a person's right to apply for or renew
00:07a passport, the Immigration Department has said.
00:10However, the department said renewals may still be blocked if an applicant is subject to a travel ban placed on
00:18a monitoring list or bound by an administrative order issued by the relevant authorities.
00:24The department was responding to FMT's queries after technical writer Hafiz Hamid, 42, who was barred from entering Sarawak in
00:322018, was later unable to renew his passport after it expired in 2020, preventing him from travelling overseas.
00:40The department subsequently admitted to an error, explaining that an officer at its Sarawak branch had entered the wrong restriction
00:48code in its computer system.
00:50In a statement to FMT, the department reiterated that Sabah and Sarawak's autonomous immigration powers do not automatically prevent passport
00:59renewals, but applications may be affected if applicants are flagged in certain records.
01:05It said those affected can request a review or appeal through the Security and Passport Division at the Immigration Department's
01:13headquarters in Putrajaya.
01:16Ainun Jarya, FMT
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