RFID Malaysia: Passport to new beginning

Raja Azahar said that the Ministry has taken steps to tighten up security measures regarding the movement of both local and foreign citizens, particularly between the northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Perak and Kelantan that border Thailand.
The main concern of the Ministry was border crossings without passports – just a border pass as the only travel document.
“This was the loophole in our system. The minister said that we had to tighten procedures for foreigners because undesired elements could enter the country without any record.
“The border pass was just a piece of paper without any security features – not even a photograph,” he said.
This has changed effective Jan 1,2008 this year.

Raja Azahar explained that those who apply for a border pass have to pre-register themselves and enter their thumbprint into the department's biometric system. But rather than being an inconvenience, it actually makes subsequent crossings easier.
In the case of a six-month pass, he said, “They do not have to show a border pass – they only have to enter their thumbprint. If everything is according to the profile, we allow them to enter or leave the country.”
He reveals that there are approximately 2,000 entries in the database at the moment.
Raja Azahar assured that there were no serious security issues, but the measures were meant to stop those taking advantage of the lax enforcement of immigration laws.
“Anybody who crosses the border will need a travel document and we will have a record of all border crossings. At the same time, we have improved the security element by means of the biometric system.”
Another issue is the potential use of RFID (radio frequency identification device) in visas and passports, which the Ministry is looking into at the moment.
“The whole idea of using RFID is to enhance the security of travel documents, but it can also translate into convenience for the holders.
“We are in talks with Singapore to embed RFID in passports to facilitate faster clearance (through immigration checkpoints). With RFID we can capture all information – we will know if they have a valid passport or even capture their photo.”
However, the use of RFID will not replace biometric systems.

RFID technology is best utilised when it is embedded in visas attached to passports of foreigners entering the country.