Malaysian Government Requirements for Certified Translation and Document Attestation

Short answer: Malaysian government agencies work in Malay and English. A document in any other language must come with a full certified translation into Malay or English, and a Malaysian document in Malay usually needs a certified English translation before it can be used abroad. Malaysia has no single official translation authority. Wisma Putra, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accepts translations by a Malaysian court translator, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) or the Malaysian Translators Association (PPM), the Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM), or a translator appointed by a foreign embassy in Malaysia. Other agencies set their own lists: JPN accepts court translators and ITBM for marriage registration, and the Immigration Department's Expatriate Services Division accepts ITBM, DBP and translation centres registered with PPM.

What we do: certified Malay to English and English to Malay translations of government letters, certificates, court documents and approvals, and certified Malay or English translations of foreign documents for Malaysian agencies, with Wisma Putra attestation when needed. 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 on WhatsApp and tell us which agency will receive it.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

Is there an official Malay to English translation authority in Malaysia?

No single body. "Certified" means the translation was made by a translator the receiving authority accepts. These are the sources Malaysian authorities name most often:

Malaysian court translators and interpreters, attached to the High Courts. The High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur, for example, only accepts translations stamped by a High Court interpreter.
Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM), the national translation institute.
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), the national language agency.
Persatuan Penterjemah Malaysia (PPM), the Malaysian Translators Association, whose accreditation is optional and run by a professional body.
Translators appointed or certified by a foreign embassy or high commission in Malaysia.

A translation by anyone else, including the person named in the document or a general agency without these credentials, can be refused. See who can certify a translation in Malaysia.

Requirements by agency

Wisma Putra (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): Translations into or out of Malay by a court translator, DBP or PPM, ITBM, or an embassy-appointed translator. Documents from abroad are first authenticated by their country's mission in Malaysia, and foreign-language documents "MUST be translated into English". Fees RM 20 or RM 10 per document. See Wisma Putra translations.
JPN (National Registration Department), marriage registration: Documents in other languages need a full Malay or English translation showing the translator's name, signature, position, contact details and date. Translations made in Malaysia by a court translator or the national translation institute need no embassy certification. A foreign applicant's marital status letter is certified by the Malaysian mission or their embassy, then by Wisma Putra; affidavits, notary certificates, apostilles and statutory declarations are not accepted for it. See JPN translations.
Immigration Department, Expatriate Services Division: Education certificates not in English are translated in Malaysia by ITBM, DBP or a translation centre registered with PPM, or, from abroad, translated and certified by a Malaysian mission. Dependant Pass birth and marriage certificates are translated by the embassy or ITBM. A copy of the original goes with the translation. See Immigration translations.
Courts: In West Malaysia a court document is in Malay and may be accompanied by an English translation; in East Malaysia it is in English and may be accompanied by a Malay translation. Since Jason Jonathan Lo v Star Media Group (Court of Appeal, 2026), a missing Malay translation is a curable irregularity, but filing a certified translation is still the safe course. See court translation guide.
JTK (Jabatan Tenaga Kerja, Labour Department) and the Labour Court: JTK shares the same translation requirements as the Malaysian court system, integrated with Labour Court hearings. Foreign-language evidence for an employee’s claim or a company’s defence needs a certified translation into English or Malay, as for the courts. See court translation guide.
SSM (Companies Commission), foreign company registration: Documents not in Malay or English need a certified translation, and constitutional documents are filed as certified true copies. See company documents.
Malaysian Medical Council: Credentials not in Malay or English need a translation by a qualified translator or an embassy officer, with certified true copies of the originals.
Government tenders: Tenders run in Malay, and most agencies also read English. Foreign-language supporting documents need a certified Malay or English translation. See tender translations.
NPRA (product registration): Dossiers, certificates and labels in English or Malay; the consumer leaflet (RiMUP) in both. Translations of NPRA's own documents go through form BPFK-505. See NPRA translations.
MyIPO (patents and trademarks): Patent applications only in Malay or English; trademarks in other scripts need a translation and transliteration. See MyIPO translations.
MGTC (MyHIJAU Mark and Directory): Documents only in English or Malay; other languages need a translation carried out or verified by a Malaysian certified court translator, an official government agency, a public-university language faculty officer or an embassy officer, with certified copies of the originals. See MyHIJAU translations.

Translating Malaysian government documents and letters into English

Malay is the language Malaysia uses for official purposes, so most government paperwork is in Malay. Foreign authorities, banks, lenders and parent companies usually need it in English. Common examples:

JPN birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates, and marriage status letters (birth certificates, marriage and divorce).
Court orders, judgments, grants of probate and letters of administration (foreign wills and estates).
Land titles, official searches, planning permissions and local authority approval letters (investor documents).
Letters and approvals from ministries and agencies, such as Immigration, MIDA, NPRA and state authorities.
SSM company documents for use abroad (company documents).

For use abroad, a certified English translation is usually attested at Wisma Putra together with the original, and then legalised by the destination embassy. See the document legalisation guide and the fees and processing times table.

Foreign documents for Malaysian agencies

Translate in Malaysia or abroad? JPN accepts translations made in Malaysia by a court translator or the national translation institute without embassy certification. Translations made abroad usually need the Malaysian mission's certification there.
Authenticate the original. Wisma Putra requires documents from abroad to be authenticated by their country's mission in Malaysia before it attests them.
Translate in full. JPN wants a full translation, not an extract, and the Immigration Department wants a copy of the original with it.

Mistakes that get translations refused

Translating your own document, or having a relative or immigration adviser do it.
Using a translator the agency does not list, such as a general agency without ITBM, DBP, PPM or court credentials.
Submitting a partial translation, or one without the translator's name, signature, position, contact details and date.
Submitting a photocopy of the certified translation where the original stamp is required.
Relying on an affidavit or statutory declaration where JPN wants a certified marital status letter.

Maklumat dalam Bahasa Melayu

Agensi kerajaan Malaysia menggunakan bahasa Melayu dan bahasa Inggeris. Dokumen dalam bahasa lain mesti disertakan terjemahan penuh yang diperakui ke bahasa Melayu atau Inggeris. Tiada satu badan terjemahan rasmi tunggal: Wisma Putra menerima terjemahan oleh penterjemah mahkamah, DBP atau PPM, ITBM, atau penterjemah yang dilantik kedutaan, manakala JPN dan Jabatan Imigresen mempunyai senarai masing-masing. Kami menyediakan terjemahan diperakui bahasa Melayu ke Inggeris dan sebaliknya. WhatsApp: +60 17-227 9378.

中文说明

马来西亚政府机构使用马来文和英文。其他语言的文件必须附上经认证的完整马来文或英文翻译。马来西亚没有单一的官方翻译机构：外交部（Wisma Putra）接受法院翻译员、国家语文局（DBP）或马来西亚翻译协会（PPM）、马来西亚翻译与书籍学院（ITBM）或使馆指定翻译员的译文，国民登记局（JPN）和移民局各有规定。我们提供马来文与英文之间的认证翻译。WhatsApp：+60 17-227 9378。

Common questions

Who can certify a Malay to English translation in Malaysia?

For Wisma Putra: a Malaysian court translator, DBP or the Malaysian Translators Association (PPM), ITBM, or an embassy-appointed translator. Other agencies, and foreign authorities, have their own lists.

Does Wisma Putra translate documents?

No. Wisma Putra attests documents and certified translations; the translation must come from a translator it accepts.

Can I translate my own documents for a government agency?

No. JPN does not accept translations by the named person, family members or an immigration adviser, and Wisma Putra requires one of its accepted translators.

Do Malaysian agencies accept a translation made abroad?

Usually only after the Malaysian mission in that country certifies it. Translations made in Malaysia by accepted translators avoid that step.

Is a notarised translation enough?

Not for every agency. Wisma Putra's list does not include notaries, and JPN does not accept notary certificates for the marital status letter. Ask the agency first.

Related guides

Sources:

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