Make/Renew Malaysia Passports in Singapore

This information is dated 29 November 2008. Some rules, regulation, costs and others may change from time to time so if you are reading this years later, the information may be change.

This post is created because there are so little information for Malaysians residing in Singapore. It is for those who have PR status and finds their passport expiring or expired (like me!).

I was going through my family's passports recently because I wanted to add a recent photograph to my youngest daughter because her current photo was taken at a few months old. Then, to my horror, I found out that my passport had expired for almost 3 months! And hubby's passport expired by 2 weeks! Yikes!

So off to the High Comm we went.


Location
High Commission of Malaysia
301 Jervois Road
Singapore 249077
Tel: 6235 0111
Fax: 6733 6135

Now it is back in Jervois Road.

It used to be here for many years and then for some years, it was moved to Hill Street. I think that was because they were doing renovations then.

The new building is up so those who wants to renew/make passports goes to Jervois Road. Call them up to enquire about anything else besides passports. Oh the new building is air-conditioned, finally. No queuing in the hot sun and rain anymore. And there are seats while you wait. Phew! Loos are nearby as well as a vending machine for snacks and drinks. If you had been to the old High Comm, you'd find this such a luxury!


Entry to High Comm
I know the first thing, we normally do is to enter by the main entrance. Well, you will be asked to go out and walk to the guardhouse (on the left side) on the other gate to get a pass first. Use any ID but not your IC of course, since you need to show your original IC later for submission. Then only you can walk back to the main entrance. If you have a pregnant lady, ask her to wait at the entrance and get her ID card for exchange or the poor lady have to walk to guardhouse and walk back... But on the other hand, perhaps the security may need to look at her face to get a pass. sigh. Why can't they let us go in by the guardhouse or move the guardhouse at the entrance?


Form (Fill up the form first!)
You will need to get the form from the counter. You cannot get a queue number unless you have fulfilled all the documents' requirements and photographs below. A form costs S$0.50 cents - of course you have to pay for your form so don't bother printing it from the internet. *update below says you may print from internet but on one paper (front and back).

Go early to get the form, fill it up, accompanied WITH the documents and photo, then only they will give you a number. In the form, I ticked 32 pages because that is the least number of pages and cheapest available... now to make passports, be prepared to dish out RM$300 per passport. Each renewal is the same as doing new passports because they give you a new book anyway. No more adding new renewal dates to passports after 5 years of expiry. So save your money, no need 64 pages. Besides, most of the countries scan the passports instead of stamping, so my passport pages are not utilized much. Lots of empty pages. Unless you travel via old fashion customs often, they stamp on it.


Photographs
2 passport sized photos, blue background only.

For making passports, you will need 2 photographs of passport size. Please do not go to just any other photo studio for these photographs as you may face rejection. To be sure, take your photos at the High Comm. They provide the right size, with the right shade of blue background that is required. You do not have to take it from any shops outside the Jervois area (previous years we did that) because there is an instant photo kiosk (manned by the High Comm staff, with the right blue background) in the passport building itself. It cost S$6 per 4 pics.


Documents (make front and back copies on the same piece of paper)
Adults
Original Malaysia IC and copy
Original Singapore IC and copy
Expiring/Current Passports

Children
Borang W and copy
Sg birth cert and copy
Parents M'sia IC and copy
Parents Sg IC and copy
Expiring/Current Passports

I speak for those who are PRs and have Singapore blue IC in Singapore. You will need to provide a copy each of your Malaysian IC (front and back MY KAD) and a copy each of your Singapore IC (front and back). If possible, photocopy them together in one A4 (use less paper and less for the admins to flip). If you forget to photocopy, you can do it at the High Comm next to the photo kiosk. To avoid long queue, get it done before you go.

I cannot speak for those who have work permits and student passes. But I believe best to bring them with you and a copy of front and back of it just in case.


Cost
Each Form costs 50 cents (sg cents)
Each Passport costs RM$300. They will convert it to SG dollars so the rate will depend on the day's rate.

You will need to make the payment at the counter after showing them proofs of original documents. Then they will give you back your queue number. Keep the number to show security guard upon collection.


ATM
Ok, this proves helpful for those who need to find ATM. You can draw money from the petrol station just across the road/adjacent to the High Comm. I can't remember which bank, perhaps a DBS? Someone can confirm this for me?


How long can my passports be ready?
This is impressive. I submitted my form at about 9.30 am. Keep the queue ticket that was given to you from the beginning. You will need it for collection (to show security and give to counter) later.

My collection time was afternoon from 2.30 onwards. Yes it was completed in a single day!
All submissions are done in the morning (be there before 11am, best at 8am opening) and all collections are done from 2.30pm onwards.


Collection
This is the weirdest and most confused part of it all. When you return to the embassy, the first place to go is to the guardhouse (as in the morning).


Show them the queue ticket slip you have from the morning submission.
Get an I pass (they give you a pass with the alphabet I with a number).
An 'I' pass will be dispensed to you in exchanged for your ID/Driving Lic/Club card/Anything that has your ID.

Then you walk around the sides to the front entrance (as you did in the morning).

When you enter the passport area, you have to wait for a man to call out your number on your I pass (the one you received from the security guardhouse), NOT your queue ticket number. I was really stumped that there was no proper info or notice on the walls. I didn't know that the man calls out our 'I' pass number NOT the queue ticket number from morning. And no, they don't use the panel numbers either for collection.

I only found this out cos I went into the counter of queue and enquiries and wanted to check if I should exchange my queue number or not after waiting there and noticing that the electronic panels are not flashing numbers. Then a kind lady, also waiting for her passport told me that they CALL out the 'I' pass number. Oh why didn't they put a notice there. I thought that was just a pass to enter the premise!

They have a man calling out numbers. I wondered why they had to use manual manpower when they could use the electronic number panels. Maybe they like to be more hands-on?


Reentry Pass
For those who have reentry pass on their old passports, you will need to go to Lavender(Next to Lavender MRT only), Singapore's immigration to get your reentry pass (whatever remaining dates) transferred to your new passport. It is on the 5th level. Before queuing, get the form near the counter, fill it up then queue for a number. It takes only 5 minutes to get this done (depending on your queue number, some days are packed) Efficient.


NEW Updates from some helpful readers. (as at 8th January 2009)
I will try to update information here but DO read some of the comments as some readers may post different info based on experience too.

They ONLY release 150 numbers PER DAY.
Be there early although submission time is 8.30 to 11.30am. You may arrive at 10.30am (as one reader who commented), once the 150 numbers quota per day is given out, they do not accept anymore submissions.

Printed forms may be accepted (saves time filling it at home)
According to another reader Danielle, printed forms from internet is allowed but do make sure you print them on BOTH sides of the paper.

Work Permits
If you hold work permits, be sure to photocopy BOTH sides of it on the same piece of paper. Do the same with your IC (both sides on ONE piece of paper)

Payments
Don't be kiasu. Wait for your number to be called. Danielle was scolded (lol, poor fella) for wanting to pay BEFORE his number was called. You need to have your thumbprints done BEFORE you make the payment (different counters).
1. when number calls, go have thumbprint done
2. she will request you to pay at another counter

TGIF Laffs

The week certainly whizzes by. It is 2 weeks into the school holidays and it certainly is nice to sleep in and not have to run around driving the kids to and fro school plus all that extra classes and activities. I feel a little settled except that I have to holler out more to keep the kids behaving.

So, another weekend is coming up. What have you planned this weekend? I'll be busy juggling housework, kids and cooking because my helper is going back this weekend for her holiday. Perhaps I shan't stress myself so lots of takeaways and simple lunches and dinner will do. They'll love the occasional treat from fast food..hehehe

Anyway for a TGIF post, here's something happy for you.

Penang during the Old Days

My Sis forwarded an email about with some pictures of old Penang and the city of Georgetown recently. It certainly brings back nostalgic memories looking at them. I also picked out several images from the attachment and want to show it to you here. If you have seen Penang Island before 80s, you'll love this pictures!


Look at this vendor selling balloons! I certainly have not seen this, probably too young. I didn't know helium balloons were sold this way. I only remember buying balloons in the Pesta Pulau Pinang at Sungai Dua and all the Pasar Malam during school holidays at Gurney Drive.

I love this picture. Who is this woman? Cool and trendy. This is the trishaw man and his passenger. Trishaws were plenty in the olden days. I remember in the 70's, many school kids were sent to school in trishaws! In the 80's there were some but not as many. Trishaws used to be King of the Road so if you happen to drive behind a trishaw, don't be surprised if they don't make way for you.

This was common sight in housing estates. We used to have the 'breadman' delivering a loaf of bread to our house on alternate days. When we weren't in, he'd just pop the bread into our large newspaper compartment. We would hear his bicycle horn/bell as early as 5am and once more at about 5pm. We always love the Sunshine's Fluted Roll. It's round loaf of bread. I wonder if anyone remembers this breadloaf.



This used to be my family's favourite Sunday place. After Sunday lunch, we'd be driving to this Cold Storage located in Georgetown to get our weekly groceries. Back then, there were only few supermarkets. One was Barkath Store near my home and Cold Storage. There were some departmental stores like Oriental, Tong Aik and if i remember correctly there was Island and one other next to it and there was Super Burmah Road, at that time the latest addition.



When I saw this picture, it was unbelievable. In general, this is the picture of Penang Road but those KDK lighted signage was something that brought so much memories to me because my cousins live on that top floor (with the open space red tiled flooring)! My cousins and I used to play 'catch' on that red tiles before and after dinner. That is the highest floor in Singapore Hotel (in Penang of course) and my uncle was an employee of that hotel, thus the family lived on the top floor. My sis and I used to visit them often every Saturday and Sundays. When there was a Chingay parade, we'd be sitting dangerously below the KDK pillars on the roof and watch Chingay. The tall flags sometimes fall against the roofs and we as kids would get excited and tried to pull the flags.

Fast Growing Greens

If you have a nice landed house with a compound all around, it is nice to landscape the garden. I am very fond of gardening. Having a nice tree in the garden helps us to create some privacy as well. However, I dislike having fruit trees as you get lots of worms and slush from the fruits that have ripen and drop to the ground. And we also have to worry about ants and and bird droppings too. Did you know that Leyland Cypress Trees are a wonderful way to get shade and also stop prying eyes from neighbours or suspicious passers-by? These trees are not only pretty to look at, they grow fast in our sunny weather too.

I Have A Bread Post Too

Everyone is baking bread. I have seen all the beautiful and yummy looking breads in blogs of Cooking Momster, Agnes, Joze, Jipunabor and many others lately. I want to bake some buns but just that I just don't know where to start. I keep telling myself i'll do it but till now I still have not.

But I have this bread post that I want to share with you. I'm not sure if you've seen them before but it's the latest craze in town. It's called Breadou.



Breadou comes in many types, they have Croissants, Danish Pastries, Bread rolls, Emoticon buns, French loaves and even Donuts.

Okay Okay I know! What is the Fuss all about. What I have just mentioned, Bread Talk, Four Leaves, Swee Heng and all that bakeries have 'em. But what is so special about Breadou then? Is it their Emoticon Buns? Well, they are cute but that is not it.



The difference about Breadou is that these yummy looking breads cannot be eaten!

They are meant for your desktop for your wrists as a rest, or you can use it as a stress ball.. i mean stress buns. Hahahaha! See, you can try testing out these cute buns, rolls, french loaf with their displays. These bread look like the real thing!

Help These Children

We read about poverty in many places around the world. The poor gets poorer and with alarming costs and rising prices, we should spare a thought about our wasteful ways. I read about the poor children in Payatas, whom as young as 4 years of age are scavenging in rubbish dumps as a mean of selling the finds for food. Health and living conditions are terrible and these children certainly deserve better.

Read about the press release below and lets all help to make Christmas For Payatas possible. A donation drive to raise money is being organized. Watch their YouTube video at christmasforpayatas.com and make your donation now.


Press Release:

The landfill in Payatas, The Philippines, is notoriously known the world over as Smokey Mountain. For over 35 years, the smoking dump site has grown to become a stark and heart-tugging reminder of the desperate onditions of humanity.

On a daily basis, children pick through newly arrived garbage to
collect material to sell. The earnings made by one child are not enough to even buy food for the day. Hence, entire families are forced to climb the mountain each day, hoping to earn enough to feed everyone. Children as young as four years old are forced to work in this daily struggle for survival.

In response to the plight of these children, Totedaddy.com is working with Lighthouse Center For Children Foundation to bring a little cheer to the children this Christmas.

Totedaddy.com has kicked off with a cash sponsorship of USD 10,000 to enable the children to celebrate Christmas. FusionExcel International has also pitched in a USD 5,000 in cash sponsorship. The money raised
will help fund the projects already in place, and help fund additional projects aimed at providing better housing, and a means of livelihood for the Payatas community.

It is hoped that by creating better awareness to the plight of these children, more support can be garnered towards their betterment. Together we can bury poverty!

Birds and Bees

When you have children, we as parents are the educators and we teach them and guide them when they are babies all the way till they are ready to leave the nest. There will always be a time when your children will ask about the Birds and the Bees and some parents know what to say while some make up some stories relating to animals, insects and so forth.

Of course I have been asked many times by my two young girls like where do babies come from, none the less. And each time, I have been confident to explain the size of the babies, they grow bigger in the womb and that we give birth to children when they are big enough and cannot fit into our womb. I know I usually emphasize the babies and not really much about the process.

So, silly 'ol me brought the girls to Popular Book Store because Rae wanted to get a new Tiara story book and the library was closed and opens only the following day. Guess what I picked out besides the books the girls got.


A Pocket Scientist book. In this book, there are many interesting things, mysterious information that kids love to ask. Among them are Why do people eat, What's under the sea, What makes a flower grow, Where does electricity come from and many more.

Then happily blogging away on my other blog, my girl in the midst of watching TV and reading this book, she blurt out...

"Mummy?"
"What does this "..having sex.." means?"

I went...whaaaa what! And she repeated it LOUD and CLEAR! Of course I heard her correctly, just that it was just so so so loud and innocent.. Then I said nonchalently... "Oh, that means kissing lo" Then she asked the next question...

"Mummy?"
"What is Penn Nis"

I turned back and asked her.."where did you read it from?" She said the book I bought for her.. See.... look what mummy got herself into.

Like they say, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it!"




Frankly, this book is very detailed! It has a section where the title is: How does a baby start?

It explains: The mother and father cuddle each other very close. The father's p*n*s gets stiffer and fits comfortably inside the mother's V****a. This is called making love or having s*x.


Now I know where her questions are coming from!

Rae's Birthday Gifts

On Sunday, we went to Vivocity. We had promised Rae that we'd bring her to ToysRus to pick out a gift for her birthday and of course, Lea gets to pick one as well. Kids go wild once they reach this toys store. They run into all directions once they reach ToysRUs...hahaha like someone who breaks free from prison walls!

Kids in my time did not get the luxury of going to ToysRus because back in my time there was not a single store available.. and we played with mostly DIY games.

Rae and Lea managed to pick toys they liked. They both picked something similar. A little house with little toys in them. Lea picked a Little Pet Shop while Rae picked those little Ponyville's Balloon House.

Rae's Ponyville Balloon House



Lea and her Little Pet Shop



She also received a collection of Tiara books.


A big plush Barney that Lea didn't want to let go... lol

Lea Loves To Dance

It's been a long time since I posted videos of Lea grooving away. Last night as we were watching a local entertainment show - Sheng Shiong show, there were few chinese numbers. The music was upbeat and Lea loves it. She got right up and dance away and I hurried to get my mobile to record it. Sometimes I wonder how she will do if I enter her in a dance competition.. She'll be right at home, I'm sure!

So, here it is, enjoy!

Busker in Orchard Underpass

Ooh, I've been neglecting this blog.. hahaha

Since my pc is now as good as new, I have been backing up some files just in case. I saw this picture that was taken while crossing over Orchard Road underpass.


This is a shot of a blind busker that is so often seen in the underpass. I remember him very well who has been playing on his electronic organ for the longest time! And when I passed by the underpass last month, he was still there, playing the songs. I asked Rae to drop some money in his box. I have enjoyed his performance for almost 2 decades! There is another blind busker who plays at the underpass of Yishun MRT too. I've heard that they are brothers but I am not very sure. Buskers in Singapore are given a license to perform on designated places. They are made up of mostly the handicapped community. However, if you are in Singapore during the Arts' Festival (May -June), you get to see many more art performances as well. That is a wonderful time as during the months of April, May, June is where the Great Singapore Sale, the Food Festival and the Arts Festival is in full swing.

PC Coma Toast

Hey Friends, I know sometimes I get some offline messages from you when I am not around. But lately my desktop has been out of action (since last Friday or Saturday, can't remember) so please do not PM me there, alright? Because I won't be able to read them since I do not have MSN program on my laptop. I'll only be able to see your messages once my desktop is rescued (if it ever will...) I have not considered installing it on the laptop cos i noticed quite a few MSN messenger buddies have viruses that autosend messages before.

If need to contact me, please send me a message via my email or leave a message in my facebook or in my blog chatbox. Thanks ya...

Quit or Leave Her Be

Rae was suppose to have a Brownie gathering with her group. They were doing it as a farewell pot-luck thingy to say goodbye to the P6s girls in the group and school. Rae was just in her first year of being a Brownie and she is only one of the two girls in her P2 class that joined this co-curricular activity. She doesn't have many friends because she is not the sort that opens up easily and keeps to herself more.

In her school, once you are in one activity, you need to explain and reason if you want to quit. They are suppose to take it through to P6. I thought Brownie was a good thing because it helps to work on social skills and teamwork as well as some survivor skills useful in life. She wanted to join because it involves campouts.

Since the past few months, she asked me if she can quit. I had ignored her whims about quiting previously but today, I am reconsidering it quite seriously, never mind if the school requires me to write a letter of explaination. If she doesn't enjoy it, it'll be a terrible few years to P6(Primary 6).

Yesterday's gathering was not a good experience for her. She had the task of bringing jelly for the pot luck so I made plans for my helper to make some colourful jelly with nata de coco pieces. In the morning I placed it in those insulated bento bag and pack an ice pack to keep the jelly cool.
At lunch after school, I brought her a lunch box as she had to stay back for Concert Rehearsal. The first thing she saw me, she almost burst into tears. She told me that the none of the Brownies ate the jelly she brought. She was pretty heartbroken, I could tell. I told her perhaps they had too much food. She said no and said another girl brought a pack of commercial jelly and they all ate that and left hers. So I asked what happened to the jelly she brought then. She said the teachers took them.

I think she was disappointed because she was excited about bringing her own share of food and when they didn't eat it, she felt rejected. As a mom, I was sad too because it is a terrible feeling when you daughter is sad. I would really want to shelter her from all this and I now wonder if it is a good choice about her joining this activity if her heart is not there. Giving up seems like a better thing but at the same time, it would also mean running away from the problem. Then again, she has to do 3 more years before she finishes primary school.

Webhost Information Service

Few months ago, I did a research from my blogger friends which webhosting provider they were using and if they find the services satisfactory in terms of service, value, features and ease of use. I received some good while some commented about expensive prices because they had no idea what they were looking for, thus opted for the most expensive package thinking that will solve most of the problems. It was a lot of work and not many surveys. Well not until I found web hosting geeks, a new webhosting service site that had done all the work I need and even more.

In this site, they have a ranking table which provides the top web hosting provider and even list out bonus features that you can get, on top of basic information like price, value, service, and standing. You can even read customers reviews about the provider and why didn't their choice of web hosting provider failed to meet their expectations. Every web host has it's pros and cons so no one web hosting company is the same. If you find that you are confused over the many technical and jargons used, an article in their website - A Beginners Guide to Web Hosting, will be a good start for you. Besides beginners, there are also information and guides for those who may want to transfer their website to a new web hosting service. This information is written in detail and take syou through the different stages. Lastly, it will also save you some money if you check out their resources menu for some wonderful deals such as web hosting discounts provided by your selective web host.

Applying Makeup 101

Lea is going to have her nursery concert soon. Her teachers said she has to put on makeup from home before reporting at the backstage. Lea is anxious.. because she had not had make up done before, being only 4 years old.

Rae, on the other hand, is an old hand. She has had few done since her kindy years so she knows very well what is involved.

Girls being girls, what do you expect, would definitely love playing mostly girls' stuff. So on a Saturday afternoon, Rae decided to raid Mummy's make up bag and have a little make up session by using Lea as her make up 'guinea pig'. After all, Rae will be applying make up on her own in the next week's speech and drama concert too. So, a little practise won't harm.

Let's see what they are up too.

First, I'm gonna apply lipstick on you. To apply that, you need to pout your lips. Here, let's pout together. 1...2...3... pout... okie now?

...
Here goes... lipstick...

...

Okay, 2nd step, I'll apply blush on your cheeks. That will make you look very pretty... like a baby doll with red rosy cheeks! Oh no need to close your eyes ... its the cheeks lah, aiyoooo...

...

Third, I'll apply eyeshadow for you. Close your eyes, gently. Act natural...


Aiyo.. no need to pout anymore lah. I'm doing eyeshadow, not lipstick...

...
...Ya..ya.. that's better! ahhh nice..

...

Now, pretend you are a model. Models have a sulky look. Look sulky Lea.. yeaaaa

Cool and Trendy

The girls have gotten their eyes checked recently. Although Rae has been wearing glasses for the past 2 and half years since kindy, her power is now decreased. She had been given a new prescription to change the lens of her glasses. Can you believe that this is the 4th time she is going to change her glasses? It is quite expensive because each one costs about $90 or $110. This year alone, she had a pair broken and after getting a new pair, 3 months later, she had to reduce the prescription again. That means digging further into my pocket.

This time around, I found the website that everyone has been talking about. The website where you can get your eyeglasses for as low as $8 per pair. No kidding. And I do not worry about when her glasses needed to be changed or if it gets broken or misplaced.

Who would have thought that eyeglasses can be had for such a low price? In Zenni Optical, glasses that look so trendy, unique and fashionable are being sold at a low price hard to believe. That is because these frames do not come from other third party sources nor sold by any salespersons that requires commissions and salary involved. In Zenni Optical, these glasses are sent directly from their factory cutting off these additional costs like advertising and payroll plus other overheads. Did I even mentioned that Zenni Optical's popularity is also by word of mouth?

One of the most wonderful thing about Zenni Optical is that the designs offered are not simple plain looking eyeglasses but a wide range of frames and colours for adults and kids. Look at some of them here. I picked two designs I liked for outdoor usage. Check their site for new frames that have just arrived.

November Contest Started

In case you haven't been following my other blog, there is a NEW contest now. November's contest is 7 days short of November so please read about it to understand it better. The first 7 days' comments will NOT be taken into account.

Check out the prizes I have in store for 4 Lucky readers and how to win them! Good Luck!

Magic Soap

I remembered reading about a stainless steel soap from Lor Mee's blog recently.. Her hubby had gotten it from the states and she said that it rids of any smell from your hands after handling garlic or even fish.

So last week, I decided to purchase one from the household store at the mall. I wanted to try it on durians, but alas, I had been down with sore throat and coughs since a week ago. So I can only try it when I am better.

I wondered if any of you have tried it before? If so, do let me know if it works.