Passport control and fingerprints needed for purely domestic travel!

[Austman]

Can you guess which country?

Domestic travel had full passport control. Even fingerprint requirements! But only for some (not all) domestic flights.

It's not a war affected country. It's not the North or South pole areas (or similar). It's a 'regular' country. And travel was to and from major cities.

I expect an AFFer to know the answer in a post or two. But it was a surprise to me!

 

[drmikki]

Sounds a bit like China, although I don't usually refer to China as a "regular" country Locals can't get anywhere without their ID cards...

 

[Austman]

Not China. My domestic flights in China have not been like this. But I've only done domestic flights between Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong. Maybe other domestic Chinese flights have 'tougher' rules?

 

[Grogan]

Malaysia, was there 2 weeks ago

 

[NM]

Australia ... on a Flounge run between international terminals, perhaps?

 

[Austman]

Malaysia, was there 2 weeks ago

Bingo. My 1 hour domestic flight from Peninsular Malaysia (Johor Bahru) to East Malaysia (Kuching) had no passport exit requirements in JB but passport entry requirements in Kuching - and they even took fingerprints. Then from Kuching back to Peninsular Malaysia (Penang this time) there were passport exit requirements in Kuching but nothing at the arrival in Penang.

An offical in Kuching told me "We don't accept the Peninsular Malaysia processes".

 

[flyingfan]

That's unexpected. I might be able to understand it if Sabah/Sarawak had big problems with illegals crossing the border from the rest of Borneo but I don't think that's the case.

 

[oliverd]

I've done a couple of KUL/BKI trips, and was really surprised by the passport thing the first time... But it's a bit half-baked. First time into BKI (Kota Kinabalu) there was just one manned queue for locals, so I've just walked out through one of the un-manned exits, and no-one said anything. Not sure what the point of it is...

 

[Cynicor]

For Malaysian Borneo, anywhere off the island is considered international. Obviously other countries on the same island are international. I am not sure about Kuching to KK or vv.

 

[richie9x]

From most of Australia you need to a passport to visit Christmas Island or Cocos Islands despite both being part of Australia. Although I don't think they take fingerprints.

Immigration and passport control in Malaysia can be a bit crazy at times. It can go from extremes of almost no controls to tight controls. I can remember landing at one small airport (i can't recall which one) from an international flight there was no one manning the immigration desks someone from the airport just came out and waved passengers through. I though I would have trouble leaving the country as I hadn't officially entered. But when I left the guy at immigration departures didn't even raise an eye brow.

A few years I caught a ferry from Sabah to Labuan and had to have my passport stamped. Labuan is an island that is part of Malaysia just a few km off the coast of Sabah, in fact it use to be part of Sabah. Now it is its own federal territory.