Hello everyone,
I hope everyone is well and to all new members selamat datang ke Malaysia! Current members don’t forget to renew your membership (available online) thereby ensuring the MANZA welcome and activities continue to be extended to, and enjoyed by, newcomers and current members.
At the time of writing (end February) I am making the most of the final days of my daughters visit from Melbourne, before they return for the Australian uni start in March. Lorna enjoyed her first year and Emily is finding her Masters subjects very interesting. The AGM will have been and gone and I am hoping all the executive and general committee positions will be filled.
ANZAC Day Dawn Service on the 25 April is a very moving and well attended occasion. This year hosted by David Pine and the NZ High Commission at the Cheras Cemetery (further information also in the magazine). On a lighter note the popular MANZA Quiz Night at Out of Africa is on the same evening (events page). I am looking forward to the upcoming MANZA Antipodean Ball on 18 May at the Sheraton Hotel (more information on the events page), it is a wonderful way to catch up with all our friends here.
Easter is then just around the corner and always something to look forward to; indulging in hot cross buns and too much chocolate ……before heading to Phuket for my niece’s wedding and spending time with my family. With lots of long weekends on the calendar it is the perfect time to plan and take those holidays to places like Macau, Siem Reap, Singapore, Penang, Langkawi, Pangkor Laut, Phuket, Kuantan etc etc.
I have recently renewed my passport as I had only 6 months validity left on it. I chose to courier the application to NZ as I wanted to update my photo. I did this through Asiaexpress and tracked its progress. I rang the courier when I saw it was back in KL and they confirmed it would be delivered that day. It took 10 days (3 days in NZ).
New Zealand Passport renewal: It takes about 3-4 weeks for you to get the new passport if you use the standard service, which is 10 working days processing time in NZ excluding transit time. An urgent service is 3 working days processing time in NZ excluding transit time and this takes about 7-10 days. You will be able to travel out of Malaysia with your current passport if you are flying directly from Malaysia to New Zealand and not transit anywhere but you will encounter difficulties entering Malaysia as at least 6 months validity is required in your passport. Please note that there has been some changes to passport renewal and it’s fairly simple now. You don’t need to come in to the High Commission. Download the form (Adult Renewal) from this website: www.passports.govt.nz. Complete the form and courier it with 2 passport-size photos and payment to Passport Office in NZ. The addresses are listed on the form. You don’t have to send your passport with the application but take note that your passport will be invalidated when the Passport Office receives your application and you will not be able to travel on it. They will return the new passport to the delivery address stated in the form by courier but you will have to pay for the return courier fee as well as the passport fee. Payment can be made by credit card or a bank draft payable to Department of Internal Affairs. You will have to provide a New Zealand citizen (not family members) with a valid NZ passport as your witness and this person can be living in any part of the world. You only require the person’s passport number, name and contact phone number which you write in the form yourself. There is also an online adult renewal service which was launched on 02/11/12 and the fee is cheaper on www.passports.govt.nz .If you require Passport or Notarial Services an appointment is required. My thanks to Lili Hah, Consular Advisor, NZ High Commission +60 3 2078 2533. Lili also helped with the Citizenship by Descent Application which my daughters are undertaking (before they turn 24), certifying copies of passports and birth certificates for lodgement.
Now to urge the girls to renew their Australian Passports asap as they cannot re-enter Malaysia until they have done so.
Australian Passport Renewal : If your passport has been lost or stolen, you are unable to renew it and must complete a full adult passport application form and attend an interview. If you are unable to complete the form online and are overseas, you can telephone the nearest Australian diplomatic or consular mission. If you qualify, the passports staff will mail you the pre-completed Australian Passport Renewal Application or it can be collected from the mission where the form is requested. If you do not qualify, you can complete the full overseas application form online, or obtain an application from the overseas mission. The Passport Counter in KL is open from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.00pm except observed public holidays. All passport applications are being processed in Canberra and at the moment there is no priority processing fees in Malaysia. The turnaround time for a new passport is 10 working days.If you intend to lodge a passport application an appointment is required for lodging Australian Passport applications and all Notarial services. The best link for information about Australian Passport applications/renewals and Notarial services whilst in Malaysia would be on this website: http://www.malaysia.highcommission.gov.au/klpr/Passports.html . My thanks to Melissa Cashen, Consular & Passports Section, Australian High Commission. +603 2146 5575.
Thanks and I hope you had a happy Easter and enjoyed any travelling you may have undertaken would love to read about it in our magazine – (jot it down and send to manzamagazine@gmail.com!)
Jumpa lagi,
Mary
