Jamil, 37, said that in the past, he had to wait in a queue, and at times, would take more than an hour before he finally reached the immigration counter at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
“But now I just walk to the autogate, get my face scanned and scan my QR code, and it’s done,” he told FMT.
The autogate Jamil is referring to is the quick response (QR) code system, which replaces the need for passengers to scan their passports and have their biometrics taken when going through the machine.
The QR code system verifies the identities of travellers by cross-referencing the data stored in the code with the airport’s database.
For Jamil, who travels frequently to international destinations, Malaysia’s latest system is the most “intelligent and efficient”, when compared to the immigration clearance systems used at the other international airports in the region.
“You still get long queues in other countries. But we have upgraded to the autogate system and using the MyBorderPass app, which makes me proud to be Malaysian.”
The implementation of the QR code system is part of the government’s initiative to reform the civil service in a bid to increase transparency and efficiency.
Apart from installing 40 automats with QR scanners, 10 additional immigration counters were opened, while a Quick Response Team was also set up to deal with travellers during peak hours.
These initiatives, according to government data, have reduced passenger waiting time by 54.9% – from 111 minutes to 50 minutes – surpassing its original target of a 30% reduction.
Technician Hamizan Hasnan said the MyBorderPass initiative was a practical step towards the digitalisation of the civil service.
Hamizan, 26, who also returned from Vietnam, said passengers need only to register their biometrics before scanning the QR code at the autogate.
“I just hope that this feature is not limited to KLIA. It should be expanded to other government counters as it would do away with the hassle (caused by red tape) and speed up the process,” he said.
Nur Adriana Jamil said the autogate and MyBorderPass application not only make it easy for Malaysians to travel, but would also impress tourists.
Nur Adriana, 26, who is in the financial sector, said when tourists notice how speedy immigration is and how much it has been digitised, they will realise that “we are on par with other developed countries”.
“This is the result of the reforms the government has been pushing for,” she said.
Nurfarisya Mahmood, 24, said the timing of the “reforms” at KLIA was impeccable, as the country had welcomed delegations from Asean nations for the recently concluded summit.
Noting that next year is Visit Malaysia Year 2026, she added: “These visitors will notice that we are comparable to other countries in terms of facilities.”