Short answer: A Malaysian document for use abroad is legalised, not apostilled, because Malaysia is not a party to the Apostille Convention. Private documents and copies are first signed or certified before a Notary Public; education and trade documents are first endorsed by the ministry or chamber responsible. Every document is then attested by Wisma Putra, Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally legalised by the embassy or high commission of the destination country in Kuala Lumpur. Wisma Putra charges RM 20 per document for civil-status, notarised and Certificate of Good Conduct documents, and RM 10 for certified translations, certified true copies and school certificates. Walk-in documents are usually ready the same day or the next working day; documents lodged through an agent within three working days. Embassy fees vary: for example RM 18 per document at the Korean Embassy and RM 130 at the Philippine Embassy.
What we do: the whole chain for individuals, businesses and law firms: certified translation, notarisation, Wisma Putra and the embassy, in the right order for your destination. Our team is certified by ITBM, DBP and the Malaysian Translators Association, includes Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak High Court interpreters and NAATI-certified translators, and works with Notaries Public in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. Send your document and destination on WhatsApp for a quote.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Fees and processing times for each embassy are in our legalisation fees and processing times table.
The steps at a glance
StepWho does itWhen you need itOfficial feeTime1. Endorsement by the issuing bodyMinistry of Education or Higher Education; a chamber of commerce; the Ministry of HealthEducation certificates, certificates of origin and invoices, health certificates and certificates of free saleVariesMOHE degree verification: at least 3 working days, or 7 if you graduated 5 or more years ago2. NotarisationA Notary Public in MalaysiaPowers of attorney, affidavits, statutory declarations, contracts, company documents, and copies when you are not presenting the originalSet by the notaryBy appointment3. Wisma Putra attestationConsular Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PutrajayaEvery Malaysian document going abroadRM 20 or RM 10 per documentWalk-in: same or next working day. Through an agent: within 3 working days4. Embassy legalisationThe destination country's mission in MalaysiaMost destinationsVaries: RM 18 (Korea) to RM 130 (Philippines); €36 (Germany)Same day to about 3 working daysTranslation (when needed)A Malaysian court translator, DBP or the Malaysian Translators Association, ITBM, or an embassy-appointed translatorWhen the document is not in the language the destination acceptsQuoted per documentUsually 1 working day for a one-page certificate
Step 1: Get the right document and its endorsement
Wisma Putra validates "the stamp and signatures on the documents", so it needs a stamp or signature it can check. Start with the right original:
Government-issued documents such as birth, death and marriage certificates, passports and land records "can be verified without second endorsement". Bring the original or a fresh JPN extract. If you are not presenting the original, a Notary Public must endorse the copy first. See birth certificates and marriage and divorce certificates.
Education documents must carry the name, position and stamp of an officer of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education or a State Education Department. Public-university degrees take at least 3 working days at MOHE, or 7 if you graduated five or more years ago, with at most three copies per document. Some private qualifications can instead be verified by British Council Malaysia or the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange. See degrees and transcripts and MOHE attestation.
Marriage capacity: non-Muslim Malaysians use JPN's marriage status letter (Surat Pengesahan Taraf Perkahwinan), valid for 150 days; Muslim Malaysians use a single status certificate or letter of permission to marry from the State Islamic Religious Department. Whichever you use, Wisma Putra and every embassy require the original single status certificate; a copy is not accepted.
Certificate of Good Conduct: issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through e-Konsular for RM 20 a copy, in 30 to 90 working days. See the Certificate of Good Conduct guide.
Trade documents: certificates of origin are certified by a chamber of commerce or trade; invoices and bills of lading by a chamber or a Notary Public; health certificates and certificates of free sale by the Ministry of Health. See export certificates.
Company documents: order certified copies from SSM, then notarise them. See company documents for use abroad.
Step 2: Notarisation
A Notary Public witnesses signatures, administers oaths and certifies copies for use abroad. Wisma Putra requires these documents to be notarised before it attests them: company forms and establishment documents, company introduction letters, appointments of agents or boards of directors, powers of attorney, statutory declarations, affidavits, agreements and contracts, and Labuan company constitutions.
Use a Notary Public, not a Commissioner for Oaths, for anything going abroad.
The notarial wording matters. The German Embassy, for example, wants the notary to state what was done, such as witnessing a signature: "Simply signing the document is not sufficient."
Fees are set by each notary and depend on the document and the number of signatures and pages. Ask for a quote first.
Step 3: Wisma Putra attestation
Wisma Putra's Consular Division attests the signature and stamp of the notary, ministry or registrar on your document. It is walk-in only; a representative can submit with their own identity card or passport and an authorisation letter.
Where: Consular Division, Wisma Putra, No. 1 Jalan Wisma Putra, Precinct 2, 62602 Putrajaya. The Ministry also has counters in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu; call before going.
When: Monday to Thursday 8.30 am to 4 pm; Friday 8.30 am to 12 pm and 2.45 pm to 4 pm; closed on weekends and public holidays. Last entry is 15 minutes before closing.
Fees: RM 20 per document for certified birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates, notarial documents and powers of attorney, export documents, health certificates and the Certificate of Good Conduct. RM 10 for certified true copies, translation certification, police reports and school certificates (SPM, STPM, STAM and school-leaving certificates).
Time: the counter queue takes about one to two hours, and documents are normally collected the same day or the next working day. Documents lodged through an agent are attested within three working days.
Translations into or out of Malay must be by a Malaysian court translator, DBP or the Malaysian Translators Association (PPM), ITBM, or a translator appointed or certified by a foreign embassy or high commission in Malaysia. See translation requirements for Wisma Putra.
Step 4: Embassy or high commission legalisation
The destination country's mission in Malaysia confirms Wisma Putra's stamp. Each mission sets its own rules, so check before you go:
DestinationFeeTime and rulesGuideSouth KoreaRM 18 per documentBy appointment; same day for fewer than five copies; Wisma Putra must attest every pageKoreaThailandRM 60 per document, cashAbout 2 working daysThailandTaiwan (TECO)MYR 68 per document3 working days; express 1 working day at 50% extraTaiwanPhilippinesRM 130 per document, cash3 working daysPhilippinesGermany€36 per document, in ringgit or by cardBy online appointment; done during the appointmentGermanyUAEEmbassy step through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs; then AED 300 per personal document in the UAEUAE Ministry: 3 working days, or 1 working day expressUAE
Every other destination, including China, France, Austria, Spain, Qatar, Oman and Brazil, is in the full fees and processing times table. Some countries, such as the UAE, Qatar and Oman, also require a final attestation by their own foreign ministry after the document arrives.
Translation: who translates, and in which order
A document in Malay usually needs translating for use abroad, and the receiving authority decides who may translate it. For Wisma Putra the four accepted sources are listed in Step 3. Some destinations go further: the High Commission of India only accepts translations stamped by a High Court interpreter, and Singapore's ICA wants translations notarised by a notary public or done by the issuing country's embassy. See who can certify a translation in Malaysia.
There are two common orders:
Translate first, then attest both. Wisma Putra attests the original (RM 20) and the certified translation (RM 10), and the embassy legalises both. This suits most embassies that need an English version.
Attest the original first, then translate. The translation then includes Wisma Putra's and the embassy's stamps. Germany and Austria ask for this, and Hong Kong's probate registry requires you to "do the authentication first, followed by translation".
Ask the receiving authority which order it wants before you start, or send us its instructions.
Apostille: why Malaysia still uses legalisation
An apostille is a single certificate that replaces the embassy step between countries that have joined the Hague Apostille Convention. Malaysia is not a party, so Malaysian documents cannot be apostilled and still go through Wisma Putra and the embassy, even when the destination issues apostilles itself. The same applies in reverse: a foreign apostille is not enough on its own in Malaysia. See apostille in Malaysia.
How long it takes: worked examples
Birth certificate for Thailand: translation (1 working day), Wisma Putra (same or next working day walk-in), Royal Thai Embassy (about 2 working days). About one week.
Public-university degree for Korea: MOHE (at least 3 or 7 working days), Wisma Putra, Korean Embassy (same day by appointment). About one to two weeks.
Power of attorney for Germany: notary, Wisma Putra, then the German Embassy, which legalises during the appointment. The appointment date usually decides the timeline.
Police clearance for any country: the Certificate of Good Conduct alone takes 30 to 90 working days, so apply first.
Add up to three working days at Wisma Putra when an agent lodges the documents, plus courier time.
Which documents, for whom
Individuals
Birth, marriage and divorce documents for visas, residence and marriage abroad: birth, marriage and divorce.
Degrees, transcripts and SPM certificates for study and work: education documents.
The Certificate of Good Conduct for immigration and work permits: police clearance.
Businesses
Company documents, board resolutions and powers of attorney for subsidiaries, bank accounts and tenders abroad: SSM documents abroad.
Certificates of free sale, GMP certificates and CPPs for product registration abroad: export certificates.
Certificates of origin and invoices, certified by a chamber of commerce before Wisma Putra.
Law firms
Affidavits and statutory declarations for foreign courts, sworn before a Notary Public.
Certified copies of court orders, judgments and grants of probate for use abroad: foreign wills and estates, serving court documents abroad.
Powers of attorney appointing foreign lawyers, and evidence for foreign courts and arbitrations: enforcing awards and judgments.
Mistakes that get documents refused
Taking a private document or a plain photocopy straight to Wisma Putra. Notarise it first.
A degree without ministry endorsement. Wisma Putra will not attest it until MOHE or the Ministry of Education has.
A translation by someone Wisma Putra does not accept, such as a general agency without ITBM, DBP, MTA or court credentials.
The wrong translation order for a destination that wants the stamps translated.
Removing staples or eyelets joining the notarial certificate or attestation to the document.
Names that do not match the passport. Correct the document at JPN before legalising it.
Documents that are too old: the JPN marriage status letter is valid for 150 days and the Certificate of Good Conduct for one year.
Missing embassy rules: appointments, cash-only payment, Wisma Putra on every page (Korea), or a company letter for commercial documents (India).
Foreign documents for use in Malaysia
Documents issued abroad are legalised in the issuing country and then by the Malaysian embassy there, or by that country's mission in Malaysia before Wisma Putra. Under Wisma Putra's rules, documents in a foreign language "MUST be translated into English". Fees in the issuing country are in our fees table.
Maklumat dalam Bahasa Melayu
Dokumen Malaysia untuk kegunaan luar negara disahkan melalui rantaian pengesahan, bukan apostil, kerana Malaysia bukan pihak kepada Konvensyen Apostille. Dokumen persendirian dan salinan dinotarikan dahulu, sijil pendidikan disahkan oleh KPM atau KPT, kemudian semua dokumen disahkan oleh Wisma Putra (RM 20 atau RM 10 setiap dokumen, biasanya pada hari yang sama atau hari bekerja berikutnya; melalui ejen dalam tiga hari bekerja), dan akhirnya oleh kedutaan negara destinasi. Terjemahan mesti dibuat oleh penterjemah mahkamah, DBP atau PPM, ITBM atau penterjemah yang dilantik kedutaan. WhatsApp: +60 17-227 9378.
中文说明
马来西亚不是《海牙认证公约》缔约国，因此马来西亚文件不能办理海牙认证（Apostille），而是办理领事认证：私人文件和复印件须先经公证人公证，学历证书须先经教育部或高教部核实，然后由外交部（Wisma Putra）认证（每份RM 20或RM 10，现场递交通常当天或下一个工作日取件，经代理递交三个工作日内），最后由目的国驻马来西亚使馆认证。翻译须由法院翻译员、DBP或马来西亚翻译协会、ITBM或使馆认可的翻译员完成。WhatsApp：+60 17-227 9378。
Common questions
How much does Wisma Putra charge to attest a document?
RM 20 per document for civil-status, notarised and Certificate of Good Conduct documents, and RM 10 for certified translations, certified true copies, police reports and school certificates.
How long does Wisma Putra attestation take?
Walk-in documents are normally ready the same day or the next working day, after a counter queue of about one to two hours. Documents lodged through an agent are attested within three working days.
Does my birth certificate need a notary before Wisma Putra?
Not if you present the original or a JPN extract: government-issued documents can be verified without a second endorsement. A copy needs a notary first. The single status certificate is the exception: Wisma Putra and every embassy accept only the original.
Can I skip the embassy step?
Only if the authority receiving the document says so. Most destinations require their embassy's legalisation after Wisma Putra.
Can I get an apostille in Malaysia?
No. Malaysia is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so documents are legalised through Wisma Putra and the destination embassy.
Should I translate before or after Wisma Putra?
It depends on the destination. Most embassies accept a certified translation attested at Wisma Putra with the original; Germany and Austria want the translation made after attestation so the stamps are translated too.
Related guides
Sources:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia (Wisma Putra): attestation of documents
Ministry of Higher Education: public-university document verification guideline
Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia: document notarisation
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia: authentication
High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur: commercial documents