KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Immigration Department has prepared 970,000 passport books for the renewal of the Malaysian International Passport following the reopening of the country's borders this April 1.

Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the total is expected to be able to accommodate the needs of Malaysians who wish to renew their passports to go abroad till July this year, adding that they would restock the books afterwards.

"The projected numbers are based on the statistics of passport renewals in our country before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which was around 2.3 million to 2.5 million annually," he said on the Bicara Naratif programme that was broadcast live on RTM1 last night.

Meanwhile, to overcome the problem of congestion at international entry points during the month of Ramadan, which begins in April, and umrah pilgrims, Khairul Dzaimee said they would encourage pilgrims to use the autogate system instead of the manual counters.

"It is to enable entry into the country and exit procedures to run smoothly. In addition, we will open special counters for pilgrims who are unable to use the autogate," he said.

-- BERNAMA