Notarising Immigration Documents for a Malaysia Visa Application from Australia

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Malaysian pass rules are set by the Immigration Department of Malaysia and its Expatriate Services Division, and they change. Those bodies, and the High Commission of Malaysia in Canberra, are the only reliable sources on what your application needs.

For Malaysia, the question is less "do I need a notary?" than "who does Malaysia want to certify my copies?" Across the official checklists we read, the answer is usually a Malaysian High Commission or consulate, or for a degree, your employer's HR department. An Australian notary public is not named. The High Commission in Canberra goes further for legal documents: it says a notary public's or Justice of the Peace's certification "is no longer accepted by Malaysian Courts". Knowing this before you book a notary can save you a fee and a rejected document.

Visits

The High Commission says Australians need no visa for a visit of up to three months, with a passport valid for at least six months on arrival and a return or onward ticket. No documents need certifying.

Longer stays are applied for in Malaysia

Malaysia's long-term passes are mostly applied for in Malaysia, by an employer, a sponsor or you in person, rather than through the High Commission. What matters from Australia is getting your documents into the form Malaysia accepts before you leave.

Employment Pass: your degree

An Employment Pass is applied for by the employer through the Immigration Department's Expatriate Services Division (ESD). ESD's 2025 guidebook asks for a scanned colour copy of your highest educational certificate. For a certificate in English, it says the copy must be attested or certified true by one of:

• the respective embassy, high commission or consulate-general in the respective country
• the respective embassy, high commission or consulate-general in Malaysia
• the company's own HR department, stamped with the official company stamp and signed by an HR manager or above, with name and position shown

The HR route is the one many Australians will not expect. It means your employer may be able to attest your testamur itself, at no cost to you. ESD adds that where HR has certified a document, the Expatriate Committee may still ask for a certified copy from the relevant authority. Ask the employer which route it is using before you arrange anything.

For a certificate that is not in English, ESD says an applicant outside Malaysia must have it translated and certified by the Malaysian mission in their country.

Bringing a spouse or children on a Dependant Pass

For the family of an Employment Pass holder, ESD asks for a copy of the marriage certificate and of each child's birth certificate, attested or certified true by the Malaysian embassy, high commission or consulate-general in the applicant's country, or by the respective mission in Malaysia. It adds that for a new application, a certification dated in the current year is compulsory. A copy certified last year may be rejected.

For an Australian family, that points to the High Commission in Canberra or a Malaysian consulate. The High Commission's certification notice lists Canberra, the consulates-general in Melbourne and Perth, the consulate in Sydney and an honorary consulate in Brisbane, by appointment, and asks you to bring the originals, a copy of each and proof of identity. Order full certificates from your state or territory registry, not decorative ones.

Malaysia My Second Home

The Immigration Department's MM2H page asks for certified true copies of marriage and birth certificates by a Malaysian embassy or consulate-general abroad, and for documents to be translated into English by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka or a Malaysian mission. Australian certificates in English need no translation. The certification, again, is the Malaysian mission's.

Married to a Malaysian citizen

A foreign spouse of a Malaysian citizen applies in Malaysia for a Long-Term Social Visit Pass, attending in person with the Malaysian spouse and bringing originals. The Immigration Department's list asks for a marriage registration certificate, and its conditions refer to a marriage "legally and properly registered under the laws in force in Malaysia".

If you married in Australia, that means registering the marriage with Malaysia first. The High Commission registers civil marriages in Canberra, Melbourne and Perth, with both of you present. Its checklist asks for the marriage certificate from the Australian registry, both birth certificates, identity cards and passports, and photographs. It does not ask for any of them to be notarised.

The same Immigration Department list asks for an affidavit and a sponsor declaration "stamped by the Commissioner of Oaths". That is sworn in Malaysia, before a Malaysian commissioner, not in Australia.

Children and older parents of Malaysians

For some other family categories, such as a child of a Malaysian citizen or a parent aged 60 or over, the Immigration Department asks for foreign divorce, death, marriage and birth certificates translated into Malay or English, with "confirmation from the Malaysian Embassy and the Foreign Ministry". This is the one place in these lists that describes a legalisation chain. Malaysia was not a party to the Apostille Convention when we checked, so the usual Australian chain is a DFAT authentication certificate followed by legalisation at the High Commission. Registry certificates can generally go to DFAT directly, without a notary; confirm with DFAT. Check Malaysia's status on the HCCH status table on the day, and ask the Immigration Department or High Commission which ministry's confirmation it means.

Where an Australian notary might still fit

Less often than for most countries. Possible cases are a private document, such as a sworn statement, that a Malaysian body accepts from Australia, or a document DFAT will only authenticate once notarised. Before notarising anything for Malaysia, ask the receiving body in writing whether it will accept a notary's certificate, given the High Commission's statement about Malaysian courts. Property, inheritance and company documents are covered on Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Malaysia Requires.

Frequently asked questions

Can a notary certify my degree for a Malaysian Employment Pass? ESD's guidebook does not name a notary. It names a diplomatic mission or your employer's HR manager. Ask your employer which it will use.

Who certifies my marriage certificate for a Dependant Pass? ESD asks for certification by the Malaysian mission in your country or the respective mission in Malaysia, dated in the current year for a new application.

Do I need to register my Australian marriage with Malaysia? If you are applying as the spouse of a Malaysian citizen, the Immigration Department refers to a marriage registered under Malaysian law. The High Commission handles registration for civil marriages.