Short answer: Malaysian practising and registration documents for doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists and pharmacists (the Annual Practising Certificate, the full registration certificate, the specialist register certificate and letters issued by the council or board) are federal government documents. For use abroad, the original is attested by Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and then legalised by the destination country's embassy in Kuala Lumpur. A copy, or a printout of an electronic certificate, is first certified by a Notary Public. Medical degrees and transcripts take the Ministry of Higher Education route first. A Certificate of Good Standing is different: the council sends it directly to the foreign regulator and it is not legalised.
We handle the whole chain: notarisation where needed, Wisma Putra, the embassy, and a certified translation when the destination needs another language. Send your certificate on WhatsApp with the destination country for a quote.
Last reviewed: October 2026. For degrees, see degree and transcript attestation.
Which route does my document take?
Doctors (Malaysian Medical Council, MMC): full registration certificate, Annual Practising Certificate (APC), specialist register certificate (National Specialist Register), housemanship completion and service letters from the Ministry of Health: original → Wisma Putra → embassy. Copies and e-certificate printouts: Notary Public → Wisma Putra → embassy.
Nurses and midwives (Nursing Board Malaysia, Lembaga Jururawat Malaysia): registration certificate, APC, Confirmation of Registration and Verification of Training Transcript: the same route.
Dentists and pharmacists (Malaysian Dental Council, Pharmacy Board Malaysia): registration certificates and APCs take the same route.
Medical, nursing and pharmacy students and graduates: the degree, diploma and transcript are endorsed by the Ministry of Higher Education first, then Wisma Putra, then the embassy. See our MoHE attestation guide. A student status letter or a letter from the university is a private document: Notary Public → Wisma Putra → embassy.
Certificate of Good Standing (MMC Certificate of Good Standing, Nursing Board or Pharmacy Board Letter of Good Standing): requested from the council, which sends it straight to the foreign medical council or licensing body. It is not attested at Wisma Putra.
Step by step: practising certificates for use abroad
Check what the destination asks for. Health licensing bodies abroad list the documents they want legalised (usually the registration certificate, the current APC, the degree and the experience letters) and the ones the Malaysian council must send directly. Send us that list and we confirm each document's route before you pay.
Original or certified copy. Wisma Putra attests an original federal government document as it is. Where the original cannot leave your hands, or the certificate was issued electronically and you only hold a printout, a Notary Public certifies the copy first. A copy without that endorsement is not attested.
Degrees and transcripts go to the Ministry of Higher Education first. MoHE endorses qualifications accredited by MQA, from public and private universities. A student who has not graduated can only have a completed transcript or the university's original withdrawal letter endorsed.
Attest it at Wisma Putra. We lodge the documents under your authorisation letter and collect them once attested. See our Wisma Putra attestation guide and the fees and processing times tracker.
Legalise it at the embassy. The destination country's embassy or high commission in Kuala Lumpur legalises Wisma Putra's stamp. Malaysia does not issue apostilles, so this applies to Apostille countries too (see why Malaysia cannot issue an apostille). Gulf states add a final attestation at their own foreign ministry: see UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
Translate it if needed. Malaysian practising certificates are issued in English or Malay. Where the destination needs Arabic, German, Chinese or another language, we prepare the certified translation and legalise it with the document.
Applying with a full set (registration certificate, APC, degree, transcript, experience letters, a marriage certificate for family visas)? Send everything together: we process the whole set in one session at Wisma Putra and the embassy.
Certificate of Good Standing: requested, not legalised
Foreign medical councils and licensing bodies require the Certificate of Good Standing to come directly from the Malaysian council. MMC issues it to registered practitioners whose name is on the Medical Register with no disciplinary action pending or taken, through the MeRITS portal, and sends it to the address you give for each foreign body; you are told by email once it has gone. It is valid for three months from the date of issue and is processed within 10 working days of a complete application. MMC does not issue it for personal use, for MMC registration or for practice in Malaysia, and a foreign body may reject a certificate the practitioner hands in personally. Nurses and midwives request a Letter of Good Standing or a Confirmation of Registration from the Nursing Board; pharmacists apply to the Pharmacy Board Malaysia.
Which offices ask for this
Health licensing authorities abroad: for example the Dubai Health Authority, the Department of Health Abu Dhabi and the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, Qatar's Department of Healthcare Professions, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and the Oman Medical Specialty Board.
Medical and nursing councils abroad for registration and recognition of Malaysian qualifications.
Embassies issuing work visas and employment passes for doctors and nurses.
Universities and hospitals abroad for postgraduate training, fellowships and clinical attachments.
Many Gulf health authorities also run their own primary source verification of your licence and degree. Embassy attestation does not replace it, and it does not replace attestation either: most applications need both.
For Australia, AHPRA asks for certified copies rather than legalisation: see our AHPRA document certification guide.
What gets documents refused
A printout of an e-certificate, or a photocopy, without a Notary Public's certification.
An expired APC: most licensing bodies want the current year's certificate.
A Certificate of Good Standing older than three months, or one handed in by the practitioner when the foreign body requires it directly from the council.
A degree or transcript taken to Wisma Putra without the Ministry of Higher Education's endorsement, or a programme not accredited by MQA.
Names that differ across documents (for example with and without "binti" or a Chinese name): a statutory declaration explains the difference. See our statutory declaration guide.
Documents from abroad for use in Malaysia
Foreign degrees, internship certificates and certificates of good standing for MMC or Nursing Board registration follow the council's own rules: documents not in Malay or English need a translation into one of them with certified copies of the original, and every page of a certified copy must carry the certifier's full name, designation and rubber stamp and a signature, not initials. Foreign documents for Wisma Putra are first authenticated by the issuing country's mission in Malaysia and translated into English.
Ringkasan dalam Bahasa Melayu
Sijil Amalan Tahunan (APC), sijil pendaftaran penuh dan surat daripada Majlis Perubatan Malaysia, Lembaga Jururawat Malaysia, Majlis Pergigian Malaysia atau Lembaga Farmasi Malaysia ialah dokumen kerajaan persekutuan. Untuk kegunaan di luar negara, dokumen asal disahkan oleh Wisma Putra dan kemudian oleh kedutaan negara destinasi; salinan atau cetakan e-sijil disahkan oleh Notari Awam dahulu. Ijazah dan transkrip perubatan disahkan oleh Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi dahulu. Sijil Reputasi Baik (Certificate of Good Standing) dihantar terus oleh majlis kepada badan asing dan tidak dilegalisasikan. Hubungi kami di WhatsApp (+60 17-227 9378).
中文摘要
马来西亚医生、护士、助产士、牙医和药剂师的年度执业证书（APC）、正式注册证书及医药理事会或护理局出具的信函属于联邦政府文件。用于海外时，须以原件先由外交部（Wisma Putra）认证，再由目的国驻吉隆坡使馆认证；复印件或电子证书打印件须先由公证人公证。医学学位和成绩单须先经高等教育部认证。良好执业证明（Certificate of Good Standing）由理事会直接寄给外国监管机构，无需领事认证。欢迎通过 WhatsApp 联系我们（+60 17-227 9378）。
Common questions
Can Wisma Putra attest my Annual Practising Certificate?
Yes. The APC is a federal government document: Wisma Putra attests the original, or a copy certified by a Notary Public, and the destination embassy legalises it after that.
My APC is an e-certificate. What do I take to Wisma Putra?
A printout certified by a Notary Public. We arrange the notarisation and take it through Wisma Putra and the embassy.
Should I legalise my Certificate of Good Standing?
No. The council sends it directly to the foreign medical council or licensing body, and it is valid for three months, so request it when the foreign body is ready to receive it.
I am a medical student. Which documents can be attested?
Your transcript once it is complete, through the Ministry of Higher Education, then Wisma Putra and the embassy. Letters from your university (for example a student status letter) go through a Notary Public instead.
Do I need a translation?
Only where the destination works in another language. We provide the certified translation and legalise it with the document. If an authority rejects a certified translation we prepared within 30 days of delivery, we re-do it free.
Are my documents safe with you?
We handle every document under our Client NDA and guarantees.
Related guides
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