SEPANG, Dec 19 — Special lanes to fast-track the entry and exit of visitors from Asean countries are now available.

Five such “Asean Lanes” have been opened by the Immigration Department at the KL International Airport (KLIA) and four at klia2.

Two of the lanes at KLIA are located at the international departure hall and three at the international arrival hall.

At klia2, the international departure and arrival halls have two such lanes each.

In addition, the department will open a Foreigner eGate at KLIA on Dec 29 for long-term visa or pass holders registered with it.

A similar eGate will be opened at klia2 by February.

Immigration director-general Datuk Mustafa Ibrahim said yesterday the Asean Lane would facilitate easy access for visitors from member countries to the Immigration check-in and check-out  counters.

This was in view of Malaysia being the Asean chairman next year.

“The lanes were set up a few weeks ago after a satisfactory trial period, although there were those who preferred using the conventional Immigration counters,” he said when launching the initiative at KLIA.

Mustafa said the Asean Lane would also be introduced at the international airports in Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Penang and Langkawi soon.

He said the department had upgraded its system and increased the number of personnel manning the counters to ensure there would be no security breach.

“If a security problem crops up from the introduction of the new facility, we will continue to upgrade our system, but for now, this is the best we have,” he said.

On the Foreigner eGate, Mustafa said those allowed to use it included professionals working in Malaysia, expatriates and students.

“They are provided a fast-track lane to enter and exit the country either internationally or domestically,” he said.

Mustafa said the Foreigner eGate system would not compromise on safety as passport and biometric scans were required.

“If the eGate produces good results, we will consider extending it to our other international airports,” he said.