Attesting Malaysian Documents for Kuwait

Oct 22

Short answer: neither Kuwait nor Malaysia is a party to the Apostille Convention, so a Malaysian document for Kuwait is legalised in a chain: endorsement where needed (the Ministry of Higher Education for degrees, a Notary Public for private documents), Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Kuala Lumpur, and finally Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kuwait's Ministry of Justice puts it plainly: "Transactions issued outside the State of Kuwait have to be ratified by The Kuwaiti Consulate and hence Kuwaiti Foreign Affairs." Most Kuwaiti offices then want the document in Arabic.

We handle the Malaysian side: Ministry of Higher Education verification, notarisation, Wisma Putra and the Kuwait Embassy, plus certified translations. Send your document on WhatsApp for a quote.

Last reviewed: October 2026. For translation rules, see Arabic translation of Malaysian documents for Kuwait.

Step by step

Get the right endorsement first. Degrees and transcripts from public universities are verified at the counter of the Higher Education Department (JPT), Ministry of Higher Education, Putrajaya: originals only, at least 3 working days, or 7 working days if you graduated more than five years ago (see our degree guide). School certificates go to the Ministry of Education. Powers of attorney, statutory declarations, affidavits, contracts and company documents need a Notary Public first (see our guides to powers of attorney and statutory declarations). Certificates of origin go to a chamber of commerce. JPN certificates (birth, marriage, single status) and other government documents go straight to Wisma Putra.
Attest it at Wisma Putra. Walk-in, in person or through a representative with an authorisation letter; documents are usually ready the same day or the next working day. Wisma Putra attests documents "before the submission to various Foreign Missions in Malaysia for endorsement". Fees and timings for every step are in our legalisation fees tracker.
Attest it at the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Kuala Lumpur (229 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur; tel. +603 2141 0033). The embassy adds its attestation on top of Wisma Putra's. From our own submissions: the embassy receives documents by appointment, which we book and attend for you.
Attest it at Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Consular Department, Shuwaikh) once the document is in Kuwait. The holder or an agent in Kuwait completes this step; for work and commercial visas, the original degree is sent to Kuwait for it.
Translate it into Arabic when the Kuwaiti office asks for Arabic, which most do. See Arabic translation for Kuwait.

Which Kuwaiti offices ask for this

Ministry of Interior, Residency Affairs (residence and family visas): "all documents must be in Arabic", and residence applications for degree-required jobs need the attested original degree.
Public Authority of Manpower (PAM) (work permits): qualifications are verified against the standards of Kuwait's Ministry of Higher Education. Engineers need that Ministry's certification and equivalency; without it the holder may be moved to a non-engineering job title.
Ministry of Justice (marriage registration, courts): documents issued abroad need Kuwaiti Foreign Affairs ratification, and their Arabic translations are ratified by the Ministry's translation department. A single status certificate for a non-Muslim marriage must be "translated to Arabic and certified from The Kuwaiti Foreign Affairs".
Police clearance: the Malaysian Certificate of Good Conduct is issued by Wisma Putra through e-Konsular. A police clearance or medical certificate is valid for three months at the time of entry to Kuwait, so apply close to your travel date.

What gets documents refused

Copies presented without the original and without a Notary Public's endorsement (Wisma Putra).
Degrees, transcripts or school certificates without Ministry of Higher Education or Ministry of Education endorsement.
Documents taken to the Kuwait Embassy without Wisma Putra's attestation.
A police clearance or medical certificate more than three months old at entry.
Translations not made by an accredited translation office, or a Malay original without Arabic and English in the same document from the same office (Ministry of Justice ratification).
Degrees that fail PAM verification, or engineering degrees without Kuwait's Ministry of Higher Education equivalency.

Kuwaiti documents for use in Malaysia

Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests Kuwaiti documents first. Wisma Putra requires documents from abroad to carry "authentication from the Foreign Missions in Malaysia" and an English translation, so the usual next step is the Kuwait Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, then Wisma Putra. The Embassy of Malaysia in Kuwait (Plot 5, Yemen Street, Area 5, Diplomatic Enclave, Daiya; mwkuwait@kln.gov.my) registers births and marriages of Malaysians in Kuwait from Kuwaiti certificates attested by Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We translate Arabic documents into English or Malay for Malaysian authorities: see Arabic translation for Kuwait.

معلومات باللغة العربية

لا تُعدّ الكويت ولا ماليزيا طرفاً في اتفاقية لاهاي الخاصة بإلغاء التصديق (الأبوستيل)، ولذلك تمرّ الوثائق الماليزية المراد استخدامها في دولة الكويت بسلسلة تصديقات: تُصادَق الشهادات الدراسية أولاً لدى وزارة التعليم العالي الماليزية، وتُوثَّق الوكالات والإقرارات والعقود لدى كاتب عدل، ثم تُصدَّق الوثيقة لدى وزارة الخارجية الماليزية (ويسما بوترا) في بوتراجايا، ثم لدى سفارة دولة الكويت في كوالالمبور، وأخيراً لدى وزارة الخارجية في دولة الكويت.

تشترط معظم الجهات الكويتية تقديم المستندات باللغة العربية، وتصادق إدارة الترجمة في وزارة العدل على الترجمات الصادرة من مكاتب الترجمة المعتمدة. للاستفسار: تواصلوا معنا عبر واتساب (+60 17-227 9378).

Common questions

Can I get an apostille for Kuwait instead?

No. Neither Malaysia nor Kuwait is a party to the Apostille Convention, so documents are legalised through Wisma Putra, the Kuwait Embassy and Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; see apostille in Malaysia.

Does my document need an Arabic translation for Kuwait?

Usually, yes. Residency Affairs wants documents in Arabic, and Ministry of Justice files need Arabic translations ratified by its translation department. See Arabic translation for Kuwait.

Do you take documents to the Kuwait Embassy?

Yes. We handle the Ministry of Higher Education, notarisation, Wisma Putra and the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Kuala Lumpur. The last step, Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is done in Kuwait.

How long does the whole process take?

Ministry of Higher Education verification takes at least 3 working days (7 if you graduated more than five years ago), Wisma Putra the same or next working day, then the Kuwait Embassy, plus courier time. In our experience, the Malaysian side (Wisma Putra and the Kuwait Embassy) takes 7 to 21 business days. Courier is charged at FedEx's published rate from Kuala Lumpur, with no mark-up.

Related guides

Sources:

Zhihan Chew