Legalising Malaysian Documents for Croatia

Nov 12

Short answer: Croatia has applied the Hague Apostille Convention since 8 October 1991, but Malaysia is not a party, so a Malaysian document cannot be apostilled for Croatia. Croatia accepts a public document issued abroad once it has been authenticated under the rules of the issuing country and then legalised by the Croatian diplomatic mission in that country. For a Malaysian document, that means Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and then the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Kuala Lumpur. Croatian authorities accept public documents in Croatian, so the document also needs a certified Croatian translation, which is legalised together with the original.

What we do: certified Malay-Croatian translations, Notary Public certification where a document needs it, Wisma Putra attestation and legalisation of personal documents at the Embassy of Croatia, with the appointment booked and attended by us under your authorisation letter. Send your document on WhatsApp and tell us which Croatian office will receive it. If an authority rejects a certified translation we prepared within 30 days of delivery, we re-do it free (our guarantees). Your documents are covered by our pre-signed Client NDA.

Last reviewed: November 2026. For translation rules, see certified Croatian translation of Malaysian documents.

Step by step

Notary Public, where needed. Powers of attorney, affidavits and statutory declarations for use abroad are signed before a Notary Public, and we notarise in one business day. Our Notary Public is based in the Klang Valley and, upon request, attends anywhere in Malaysia. Degrees and transcripts are verified by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) first, for public and private universities alike; SPM, A-Level and Chinese independent school certificates go through the Ministry of Education.
Certified Croatian translation. We translate the Malay document into Croatian and certify the translation within 24 hours, so it can be attested and legalised with the original.
Wisma Putra. The Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests the original and the certified translation; we lodge them under your authorisation letter. Documents issued by federal and state government bodies need no other endorsement first; if you present a copy instead of the original, a Notary Public certifies it first. The fee is RM 20 per civil-status document, notarised document or power of attorney, and RM 10 per certified translation or certified true copy. See legalisation fees and processing times in Malaysia.
Embassy of Croatia in Kuala Lumpur. The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia is at Level 35, Vista Tower, The Intermark, 348 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur (+603-2181 5037, [email protected]). It legalises personal documents by appointment, together with their certified Croatian translation; we book the appointment and attend for you. Allow 7 to 21 business days for the Wisma Putra and embassy steps together.
Courier to Croatia, if you are already there. Courier is charged at cost: FedEx's published rate from Kuala Lumpur to Zagreb, with no mark-up.

Croatia also accepts a Malaysian document legalised by the Embassy of Malaysia in Zagreb and then certified by the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Malaysian documents cannot be apostilled either way: see why you cannot get an apostille in Malaysia.

Which offices ask for this

Police administrations and police stations (temporary stay): documents are submitted as originals or certified copies, with certified translations into Croatian. A first application also needs proof that you have not been convicted of a criminal offence, from your home country or from a country where you lived for more than a year before arriving in Croatia.
Ministry of the Interior (temporary stay of digital nomads): the proof of no criminal convictions must be a legalised document, and documents are submitted in Croatian or English, translated by an authorised translator.
Registry offices (matični ured), for a marriage: a foreign national's civil status is checked on the birth certificate and the certificate of free marital status, which must not be older than three months. Foreign extracts not covered by an international convention follow the rules on legalisation. If you do not understand Croatian, you give notice of your intention to marry through a court interpreter.
AZVO (recognition of foreign higher education qualifications): the degree and transcript, or copies certified by a public notary, with certified Croatian or English translations. Documents issued in English need no translation.

What gets documents refused

A missing Malaysian step: Croatia accepts the document only after it has been authenticated under Malaysian rules (Wisma Putra) and then legalised.
Civil-status documents older than three months, for a marriage in Croatia.
Documents without a certified Croatian translation, where the office does not take English.
Plain photocopies where the office asks for originals or certified copies.
A police certificate that has not been legalised, for a digital nomad stay.

Croatian documents for use in Malaysia

Malaysia is not in the Apostille Convention, so a Croatian document for Malaysia is fully legalised instead of apostilled. The chain starts in Croatia:

Notarisation of the signature, authentication by the competent Croatian authority (such as the registry office), or a translation certified by a court interpreter.
Legalisation by the locally competent municipal court.
The Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, then the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
Malaysia's diplomatic mission to Croatia.

In Malaysia, Wisma Putra requires documents in a foreign language to be translated into English. Send us the document on WhatsApp and we will tell you what the Malaysian office needs.

Ukratko (hrvatski)

Malezija nije stranka Haške konvencije o apostilu, pa se malezijske javne isprave za uporabu u Hrvatskoj ne ovjeravaju apostilom, nego se legaliziraju. Izvornik najprije ovjerava Ministarstvo vanjskih poslova Malezije (Wisma Putra), a zatim ga legalizira Veleposlanstvo Republike Hrvatske u Kuala Lumpuru. Isprave na malajskom jeziku prevodimo na hrvatski jezik, a ovjereni prijevod legalizira se zajedno s izvornikom. Pošaljite nam ispravu putem WhatsAppa: +60 17-227 9378.

Ringkasan (Bahasa Melayu)

Malaysia bukan pihak kepada Konvensyen Apostil, jadi dokumen Malaysia untuk kegunaan di Croatia tidak boleh diapostil. Dokumen asal disahkan oleh Wisma Putra, kemudian dilegalisasi oleh Kedutaan Republik Croatia di Kuala Lumpur bersama terjemahan bahasa Croatia yang diperakui. Kami menguruskan terjemahan, Wisma Putra dan kedutaan untuk anda.

Common questions

Can I get an apostille in Malaysia for Croatia?

No. Croatia is a party to the Apostille Convention, but Malaysia is not, so Malaysian documents are attested at Wisma Putra and legalised by the Embassy of Croatia in Kuala Lumpur instead.

Where is the Embassy of Croatia in Malaysia?

At Level 35, Vista Tower, The Intermark, 348 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. Personal documents are legalised by appointment, which we book and attend for you.

Is the Croatian translation legalised too?

Yes. Wisma Putra attests the original and our certified Croatian translation, and the embassy legalises them together.

How recent must my documents be?

For a marriage in Croatia, the birth certificate and the certificate of free marital status must not be older than three months. Other offices set their own limits, so check the date with the receiving office before you start.

How long does it take?

The certified Croatian translation takes 24 hours. Allow 7 to 21 business days for the Wisma Putra and embassy steps.

Related guides

Sources:

Zhihan Chew