Consular Legalization for Malaysia: MOFA Certificate of Official Seal and the Embassy of Malaysia in Japan

When you go to Malaysia and apply for a visa or similar, you may be asked to submit Japanese documents such as your family register (koseki). Japanese official documents are not accepted by Malaysian authorities as they are; you will be told to "obtain consular legalization at the Embassy of Malaysia in Japan".

Malaysia is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention

For countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention (the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents), an apostille alone is enough to submit documents. Malaysia, however, is not a party, so documents must be certified as follows.

• Public documents: certificate of official seal at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) → consular legalization at the Embassy of Malaysia in Japan
• Private documents: certification by a notary at a notary office → certification of the notary's seal by the Legal Affairs Bureau → certificate of official seal at MOFA → consular legalization at the Embassy of Malaysia in Japan (at notary offices offering the one-stop service, the first three steps are completed at once)

MOFA's certificate of official seal can be applied for by mail or at the counter, and in both cases certified documents are sent by mail 3 business days after acceptance. Since 5 October 2026, applications at the counter of MOFA headquarters in Tokyo require an online appointment (you cannot apply without one; mail applications and the Osaka branch do not require an appointment). Some websites say that applying at the counter lets you collect documents the next day, but this was the practice before the COVID-19 pandemic and is out of date.

After the certificate of official seal: apply for consular legalization at the Embassy of Malaysia

Once you have the certificate of official seal, apply for consular legalization at the Embassy of Malaysia in Nanpeidai, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.

Address: 20 Nanpeidai-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0036

The nearest stations are Shibuya, Daikanyama, Naka-Meguro and Shinsen; the embassy is roughly midway between them, about 15 minutes' walk from Shibuya Station and 13 minutes from Daikanyama Station. Enter from the gate facing Kyu-Yamate-dori. The main gate sometimes opens when cars enter, but security staff will stop you if you do not ring the intercom first.

Application hours for consular legalization at the Embassy of Malaysia

Applications for consular legalization are accepted from 9:00 to 12:00 (three hours); you cannot apply after 12:00. No appointment is needed. Documents can be collected only between 15:00 and 16:00. Rules may change from time to time, so we recommend checking with the embassy before you visit.

Note: the Embassy of Malaysia cannot give details on documents required for Malaysian visas

The Embassy of Malaysia in Japan comes under the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while visa applications are handled by the Immigration Department of Malaysia (Ministry of Home Affairs). The embassy therefore cannot give detailed answers about visas; contact the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs (Immigration Department) instead.

Consular legalization for dependent passes, digital nomad visas and MM2H

Applications for Malaysian visas such as the guardian visa, Dependent Pass, digital nomad visa (DE Rantau) and MM2H (Malaysia My Second Home) often require English translations of documents such as the koseki and bank balance certificates, in addition to consular legalization.

Going to the Embassy of Malaysia yourself to apply and then collect the documents takes time and travel costs, and once you include preparing documents and translations, it usually cannot be finished in one day. If the documents are not properly certified, you may be unable to complete your procedure after arriving in Malaysia. Our office is close to the Embassy of Malaysia, notary offices and MOFA, so we can obtain the certifications quickly.

Our consular legalization service for Malaysia

Because the total cost can be hard to work out, contact us first and we will give you a free quote for the total cost and turnaround. Credit card payment is available. Embassy fees and notary fees are charged separately at cost.

• Email inquiries are accepted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Payment by credit card, bank transfer or PayPal
• We do not make pushy sales calls, and you are under no obligation to request our service after receiving a quote
• Administrative scriveners are bound by a legal duty of confidentiality

Royal Partners Administrative Scrivener Office, 2-19-4-506 Azabu-juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0045, Japan