Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Malaysia Requires

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Country requirements change. This page is re-checked periodically, and nothing on it replaces confirming the position with the Malaysian body that will receive your document.

Malaysia is outside the Apostille Convention, so where an Australian document needs formal authentication for Malaysia, the certificate to ask DFAT for is an authentication, not an apostille. But many of the Australians who search for this are Malaysian families registering a child's birth or a marriage, and for those the High Commission of Malaysia in Canberra sets out its own lists. Some of them need no notary at all. One step on them is carried out by DFAT.

This page is about documents for use in Malaysia generally. If you are applying for a Malaysian pass, such as an Employment Pass, Dependant Pass or spouse pass, see Notarising Immigration Documents for a Malaysia Visa Application from Australia.

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Convention membership is a live fact. Confirm Malaysia's status against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention on the day you start. If Malaysia has joined, parts of this page no longer apply.

The general chain

For a document that a Malaysian court, company, bank or government office wants authenticated, the usual shape for a non-Convention country is:

1. Notarise in Australia, if the document is a private one (a power of attorney, an affidavit, a notarised copy)
2. DFAT authentication
3. Legalisation by the Malaysian High Commission, if the receiving body requires it
4. Translation into Malay, if the receiving body requires it

Some Australian public documents, such as registry-issued certificates, may be able to go to DFAT directly without a notary. Confirm with DFAT.

Malaysian practice varies with the receiving body. Ask it, in writing, whether it wants DFAT authentication alone or DFAT authentication followed by the High Commission's legalisation, and whether it will accept the document in English.

Registering a child's birth with Malaysia: you may not need a notary

The High Commission's guidance for registering the birth of a child born in Australia to a Malaysian parent is specific, and worth reading before you pay anyone:

• Originals and plain copies. For the standard applications it asks you to bring the original documents, including the child's Australian birth certificate from the registry of births, deaths and marriages, and copies that it says need not be certified.
• Marriage first. Where the application relies on the parents' marriage, it says registering the marriage with the High Commission is compulsory.
• Thumbprint and photographs witnessed. The child's thumbprint on the form and the photographs must be witnessed and certified. The High Commission lists who can do this, and it differs by application: the High Commission itself, a Malaysian consulate or honorary consulate (it names New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia), and for some applications a Justice of the Peace or a police officer. It notes there is no Malaysian consular office in Tasmania.
• Parents attend. The Malaysian parent signs the form in front of the officer.

That is one of the few overseas uses where the receiving authority itself names a Justice of the Peace. It does not make a JP acceptable for Malaysian purposes generally. Follow the list for the application in front of you.

Registering as a single parent: DFAT, not a notary

For a birth registration by a single parent, the High Commission asks for two extra documents, and neither involves a notary:

• A single status search from your state registry of births, deaths and marriages showing you are not married in that jurisdiction, attested by DFAT's state office.
• A statutory declaration that you are not married anywhere in Australia, witnessed by a Justice of the Peace.

A single status search is a registry-issued public document, so it can usually go to DFAT directly. Ask DFAT whether the High Commission's "attested" means the authentication certificate, and confirm with the High Commission before lodging. Each state registry names and issues its search differently, so check what yours calls it.

Education documents

The Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, which legalises Australian documents for people already in Malaysia, says that before it will legalise an Australian education document you must first provide verification from the issuing institution or university, which may be available through an online portal. If you are having a degree or transcript authenticated in Australia for a Malaysian employer or regulator, ask your university about verification before you start, and ask the Malaysian body whether it also wants DFAT authentication or verification alone.

Powers of attorney and property

The High Commission of Malaysia's own guidance notes that foreigners may buy investment property in Malaysia. Property and banking transactions commonly need a power of attorney signed in Australia. Get the Malaysian lawyer's or bank's wording first. If it is in Malay and you do not read it, tell the Australian notary in advance; they must be satisfied you understand what you are signing and may ask for a translation.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Malaysian High Commission certify documents for Malaysians in Australia? It lists consular certification and translation witnessing among its services. Ask it whether that route suits your document before arranging a notary.

Can the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur legalise a Malaysian document for use in Australia? It says a Malaysian document must first be endorsed by Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT processing and the Malaysian body. The High Commission warns that birth registrations sent to Malaysia can take many months. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.