Legalising Malaysian Documents for Indonesia

Oct 22

Short answer: Indonesia joined the Apostille Convention in 2022, but Malaysia has not, so an apostille is not available between the two countries. A Malaysian document for Indonesia is legalised in a chain: the right endorsement first (a Notary Public for copies and private documents, the Ministry of Higher Education for degrees), attestation at Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs), then legalisation at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Kuala Lumpur. Indonesian offices "harus menolak dokumen-dokumen yang tidak atau belum dilegalisasi" (must refuse documents that have not been legalised). Many of them then want the document in Bahasa Indonesia.

We handle it end to end: certified translations that Wisma Putra accepts, notarisation, Wisma Putra attestation and the Indonesian Embassy, plus Indonesian translations. Send your document on WhatsApp for a quote.

Last reviewed: October 2026. For translation rules, see certified Malay-Indonesian translation for Indonesia.

Step by step

Start with the right document. Civil-status documents (birth, marriage, divorce) come from JPN. For a marriage in Indonesia, non-Muslims use JPN's letter of marital status, and Muslims use the single status certificate or the permission to marry abroad from the State Religious Department. Copies and private documents, such as powers of attorney, statutory declarations and company documents, are notarised first; see notarisation. Degrees and transcripts are endorsed by the Ministry of Higher Education and school certificates by the Ministry of Education; see degree and transcript attestation.
Translate it when the Indonesian office needs it. Wisma Putra accepts translations by Malaysian court translators, ITBM, the Malaysian Translators Association and DBP. Our team is certified by ITBM, DBP and the Malaysian Translators Association and includes Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak High Court interpreters, so our certified translation is legalised together with the original. For Malay documents, the set we most often prepare is a Malay-Indonesian translation certified by our High Court interpreter, notarised and legalised with the original.
Attest it at Wisma Putra in Putrajaya. Walk-in, in person or through a representative with an authorisation letter; collection is the same day or the next working day. Keep the payment receipt: the Indonesian Embassy asks for it. Wisma Putra charges RM 20 for civil-status and notarised documents and RM 10 for certified translations and true copies; see the legalisation fees tracker.
Legalise it at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. The embassy legalises the Wisma Putra attestation, usually in 1 to 2 working days. From our own submissions: the embassy receives documents by appointment, and we complete its application form and attend for you.
Hand the documents to the Indonesian office that asked for them: the KUA or Dukcapil for a marriage, Imigrasi for a stay permit, the university for degree equivalency, or an Indonesian notary for company matters.

In our experience, the Malaysian side (Wisma Putra and the Indonesian Embassy) takes 7 to 21 business days in all, depending on the embassy's appointment slots.

Indonesian Embassy, Kuala Lumpur

Address: Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI), 233 Jalan Tun Razak, Imbi, 50400 Kuala Lumpur. Tel. (603) 2116 4016 / 4017; kualalumpur.kbri@kemlu.go.id.
Fee (from 1 May 2026): RM 125 per stamp for non-business documents and RM 565 per stamp for business documents. Academic documents of Indonesian students are legalised free.
Time: 1 to 2 working days.
Bring: the original document attested by Wisma Putra, the Wisma Putra payment receipt, and a copy of the applicant's passport or IC. Business documents are legalised only when they concern dealings with an Indonesian company: add a copy of the SSM document and a copy of the Indonesian company's SIUP or NIB.
Indonesia also has consulates in Johor Bahru, Penang, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu and a consular office in Tawau.

Which Indonesian offices ask for this

KUA (Muslim marriage): a certificate of no impediment from the foreign partner's embassy, so a Malaysian obtains a supporting letter from the Malaysian Embassy or a Malaysian consulate in Indonesia (JPN's marital status letter for non-Muslims; the State Religious Department's permission for Muslims). Foreign-language documents "kecuali dokumen berbahasa melayu" (except documents in Malay) must be translated into Indonesian by an official translator, so Malay documents need no Indonesian translation at the KUA. See marriage certificate translation.
Dukcapil (civil registration of a non-Muslim marriage): permission from the foreign partner's country or its representative, again through the Malaysian mission in Indonesia.
Imigrasi (family-based stay permits, KITAS): marriage and birth certificates must be translated into Indonesian by a sworn translator unless they are in English. Our English-Indonesian translations are certified by an Indonesian sworn translator.
Degree equivalency (penyetaraan ijazah): done by the Indonesian university you apply to, under the Ministry's guidelines; legalise the degree and transcript first.
Company matters (subsidiaries, PT PMA, contracts with Indonesian partners): SSM documents and board resolutions, legalised at the business rate; see using Malaysian company documents abroad. Official documents and agreements in Indonesia must be in Bahasa Indonesia.

What gets documents refused

No Wisma Putra attestation before the Indonesian Embassy, or no Wisma Putra payment receipt.
Business documents with no link to an Indonesian company, or without the Indonesian company's SIUP or NIB.
Copies that were not notarised, or degrees not endorsed by the Ministry of Higher Education.
A Malay certificate without an Indonesian sworn translation for Imigrasi.
Names spelled differently from the passport.

Indonesian documents for use in Malaysia

The order is reversed. The issuing agency (Dukcapil, the KUA through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, or a court) or a notary comes first, then the Ministry of Law (AHU, online at ahu.go.id), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Directorate of Consular Affairs), the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, and the Indonesian Embassy or a consulate in Malaysia. Wisma Putra then needs the document in English, so an Indonesian document is translated into English for the Malaysian office. We translate Indonesian documents into English or Malay for JPN, the courts and employers.

Informasi dalam Bahasa Indonesia

Indonesia telah menjadi anggota Konvensi Apostille sejak 2022, tetapi Malaysia belum, sehingga dokumen Malaysia yang akan digunakan di Indonesia harus dilegalisasi: pengesahan notaris atau Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi bila diperlukan, legalisasi di Kementerian Luar Negeri Malaysia (Wisma Putra), lalu legalisasi di KBRI Kuala Lumpur (233 Jalan Tun Razak; RM 125 per cap untuk dokumen non-bisnis, RM 565 untuk dokumen bisnis; 1-2 hari kerja). Untuk pernikahan di KUA, dokumen berbahasa Melayu tidak perlu diterjemahkan; untuk Imigrasi, akta nikah dan akta kelahiran harus diterjemahkan oleh penerjemah tersumpah kecuali berbahasa Inggris. Kami mengurus seluruh proses: hubungi kami di WhatsApp (+60 17-227 9378).

Common questions

Can I get an apostille for Indonesia instead?

No. Indonesia is a party to the Apostille Convention, but Malaysia is not, and an apostille only works between two member countries. Malaysian documents are legalised through Wisma Putra and the Indonesian Embassy; see apostille in Malaysia.

How much does the Indonesian Embassy charge?

From 1 May 2026: RM 125 per stamp for non-business documents and RM 565 per stamp for business documents, on top of Wisma Putra's fee. Academic documents of Indonesian students are free.

Does my Malay document need an Indonesian translation?

It depends on the office. The KUA accepts documents in Malay without translation; Imigrasi wants marriage and birth certificates in Indonesian from a sworn translator unless they are in English; official documents and agreements in Indonesia must be in Bahasa Indonesia. See Malay-Indonesian translation for Indonesia.

Do you take documents to the Indonesian Embassy?

Yes. We handle notarisation, the Ministry of Higher Education, Wisma Putra and the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and we complete the embassy's form for you.

How long does it take?

Wisma Putra is the same or the next working day and the Indonesian Embassy 1 to 2 working days; in our experience the whole Malaysian side takes 7 to 21 business days with appointments. Courier is charged at FedEx's published rate from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, with no mark-up.

Related guides

Sources:

Zhihan Chew