Short answer: notarising (notarisation) is the act of a Notary Public certifying a document for use abroad: witnessing your signature, administering an oath for an affidavit or statutory declaration, or certifying that a copy is a true copy of the original, and recording it under the notary’s signature and seal. In Malaysia, Notaries Public are practising advocates appointed by the Attorney General under the Notaries Public Act 1959. A “SAL notary public” is a Singapore notary: every Singapore notarial certificate must be authenticated by the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), which also issues Singapore’s Apostilles. Malaysia is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so a document notarised in Malaysia goes on to Wisma Putra and the destination country’s embassy instead.
We notarise documents for use abroad through Notaries Public in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, and handle the certified translation, Wisma Putra attestation and embassy legalisation in the same order. Our Notary Public works in the Klang Valley and can attend at your office there. Tell us the document and the country on WhatsApp for a quote.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
What notarising means
A Notary Public is a lawyer with a public office whose certificate is recognised by foreign authorities. When a document is notarised, the notary checks the identity of the person signing or the original document, then attaches a notarial certificate stating exactly what was done: a signature witnessed, an oath or affirmation administered, or a copy certified as a true copy. The certificate carries the notary’s signature and seal, and multi-page documents are bound to it.
Notarising does not make a document true or lawful, and it is not the same as translating it. A foreign authority receiving a Malaysian document usually needs three things: proof that the signature or copy is genuine (the notary), proof that the notary is genuine (Wisma Putra, then the embassy), and a translation it can read (a certified translation).
Who is a Notary Public in Malaysia
Appointment: the Attorney General appoints Notaries Public under section 3 of the Notaries Public Act 1959 (Act 115), after consulting the Bar Council (or the State Attorney General for Sabah or Sarawak). Only a practising advocate may be appointed, and each notary is appointed for a place of practice in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak.
Powers: under section 4, a Malaysian notary has the powers ordinarily exercised by notaries public in England, within the place of practice. A notary administers oaths for affidavits and declarations to be used in a court or place outside Malaysia, or to prove the due execution of a document.
Not for Malaysian courts: section 4 excludes oaths for affidavits and statutory declarations used in Malaysian courts. Those, and statutory declarations for Malaysian agencies such as JPN, go before a Commissioner for Oaths (Pesuruhjaya Sumpah). See our statutory declaration guide.
Only appointed notaries: section 6 makes it an offence to act as a notary in Malaysia other than under the Act.
What “SAL notary public” means
SAL is the Singapore Academy of Law. In Singapore, a notarised document is only valid for use overseas once SAL has authenticated the notary’s signature: “A notarised document without SAL’s authentication and legalisation is considered to be invalid.” The SAL authentication fee is S$87.20 (including GST), paid at the notary’s office before the notarial certificate is issued.
Singapore joined the Apostille Convention with effect from 16 September 2021, and SAL is its competent authority: it affixes an Apostille to a Singapore notarial certificate whatever the destination country, and that Apostille counts as SAL’s authentication. For a country outside the Convention, the document is then legalised by that country’s embassy in Singapore. See our notarisation guide for documents used in Singapore.
So a “SAL notary” only matters when the document is notarised in Singapore. A document notarised by a Malaysian Notary Public never goes to SAL.
Malaysia and Singapore notarisation compared
Who appoints the notary: Malaysia, the Attorney General (Notaries Public Act 1959); Singapore, under Singapore’s own Notaries Public Act, with SAL keeping the register and issuing the seals.
What follows the notary: Malaysia, Wisma Putra attestation, then the destination country’s embassy or high commission in Kuala Lumpur; Singapore, SAL authentication by Apostille, then the embassy only for a non-Convention country.
Apostille: Malaysia, none (not a party to the Convention); Singapore, issued by SAL since 16 September 2021.
Which to use: sign in the country where you are. A Malaysian document can be notarised in Singapore when you are there, and some Singapore authorities themselves expect a notary’s certification of a translation, which we arrange through our Singapore notaries.
Documents that need notarising
Powers of attorney and affidavits for use abroad: signed before the Notary Public. See power of attorney in Malaysia.
Statutory declarations for use abroad (single status, name change, support letters): declared before a Notary Public, not a Commissioner for Oaths.
Certified true copies of degrees, transcripts, passports and other documents whose original you keep.
Notarised translations, when the receiving authority asks for a translation sworn or certified before a notary. See notarised translation in Malaysia.
Company documents: company resolutions and SSM documents can usually go as certified true copies; a company power of attorney is signed before the notary. See company power of attorney.
Step by step: notarising a Malaysian document for use abroad
Check what the destination authority wants: the original or a copy, a translation, and whether the embassy must legalise it. Some embassies (Italy’s, for example) want the documents, purpose and authorisation confirmed by email beforehand.
Translate where needed: a certified translation of Malay documents, made before or with the notarisation.
Notarise: you sign or swear before the Notary Public, or the notary certifies the copies against the originals. We arrange notarisation in one business day.
Wisma Putra attestation: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Putrajaya attests the notary’s signature. The official fee is RM 20 per notarised document (fee schedule, archived copy, May 2025). We lodge it under your authorisation letter. See Wisma Putra attestation.
Embassy legalisation: the destination country’s embassy or high commission in Kuala Lumpur legalises the Wisma Putra attestation. See our guides by country and the legalisation fees tracker.
What gets notarised documents refused
Pages notarised one by one for Germany: from our own submissions at the German Embassy, private documents must be bound under one Notarial Certificate; the embassy does not legalise each page separately.
Copies where China wants originals: single status certificates, statutory declarations and powers of attorney for China must be originals, and court documents are best presented as originals.
A Commissioner for Oaths instead of a notary on a declaration for use abroad: Wisma Putra and most embassies expect a Notary Public.
Signing before the appointment: a signature the notary did not witness cannot be notarised as witnessed; sign in front of the notary.
A missing or uncertified translation where the destination authority cannot read Malay.
Ringkasan (Bahasa Melayu)
Notari awam (Notary Public) di Malaysia dilantik oleh Peguam Negara di bawah Akta Notari Awam 1959 dan mengesahkan tandatangan, sumpah dan salinan sah untuk dokumen yang digunakan di luar negara. Akuan berkanun untuk kegunaan di Malaysia dibuat di hadapan Pesuruhjaya Sumpah. “SAL notary” ialah notari Singapura: dokumen yang dinotarikan di Singapura disahkan oleh Singapore Academy of Law melalui Apostille. Malaysia bukan anggota Konvensyen Apostille, jadi dokumen yang dinotarikan di Malaysia disahkan oleh Wisma Putra dan kemudian kedutaan negara destinasi. Kami menguruskan terjemahan bertauliah, notari, Wisma Putra dan kedutaan.
中文摘要
马来西亚的公证人（Notary Public）由总检察长依据《1959年公证人法令》委任，负责为在海外使用的文件见证签名、监誓及核证副本。“SAL公证人”指新加坡公证人：在新加坡公证的文件须经新加坡法律学院（SAL）以海牙认证（Apostille）方式认证。马来西亚并非《海牙公约》成员，因此在马来西亚公证的文件须经外交部（Wisma Putra）及目的国使馆认证。我们提供认证翻译、公证、外交部及使馆认证一站式服务。
Common questions
Is notarising the same as getting a document certified by a Commissioner for Oaths?
No. A Commissioner for Oaths takes affidavits and statutory declarations for use in Malaysia. A Notary Public notarises documents for use abroad, and Wisma Putra and most embassies only accept a notary’s certification.
What is a SAL notary public?
A Notary Public in Singapore. Every Singapore notarial certificate must be authenticated by the Singapore Academy of Law, which since 16 September 2021 does it by affixing an Apostille. A Malaysian notary’s certificate does not go to SAL.
Can a Malaysian document be notarised in Singapore?
Yes, when you sign in Singapore or the receiving authority asks for a Singapore notary. The document is then authenticated by SAL. We arrange notarisation through Notaries Public in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.
Does Malaysia issue Apostilles?
No. Malaysia is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so a Malaysian notarised document is attested by Wisma Putra and then legalised by the destination country’s embassy.
Can the notary come to my office?
Yes. Our Notary Public works in the Klang Valley and can attend at your office there.
Is a notarised translation the same as a certified translation?
No. A certified translation carries the translator’s certification; a notarised translation adds a Notary Public’s certificate. If an authority rejects a certified translation we prepared within 30 days of delivery, we re-do it free (see our guarantees; documents are handled under our client NDA).