How to Get Married in Malaysia as a Foreigner – A Significant Opportunity for Couples

 Malaysia is a beautiful country that attracts numerous visitors each year. If you desire to get married here, the process will be relatively simple if both you and your partner have not previously been married. When getting married in this country, there will be several steps that you must undertake for the administrative part, as described below; the wedding ceremony, on the other hand, is entirely up to the couple.

 Obtain documents and get them endorsed

The initial step will be to visit the embassy of your country and obtain a formal ‘Single Status Declaration’ document or a ‘Letter of Confirmation of Marital Status’ for both you and your partner. Should this document be in English that would be fine. If on the other hand, this document is in a language other than English or Malay, you will need to obtain an official translation. This could be done at your embassy itself or a Commissioner of Oaths.

After obtaining the above, you should make your way to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia at Putrajaya to get the documents endorsed (authenticated and legalised) at the notarial service counter. For this, your birth certificates may also be needed.

 Register the marriage

Next, you must perform the actual registration of the marriage. For this, you must take all of the above-mentioned documents as well as the National Registration Department document. You will find that the latter document is in the local language and you may obtain help from a friend or at the National Registration Department itself. To register the marriage, you must visit an official branch of this department; take the above documents as well as a colour photograph (of size 32 mm by 38 mm) with a blue background for both you and your partner. Additionally, you must bring your original passport along with photocopies of the important sections such as the personal information page as well as the page containing the arrival stamp date in addition to the departure card.

There is a requirement that foreigners desiring to get married within Malaysia must have resided within the marriage district for a minimum of 7 days before seeking marriage registration at the National Registration Department.

 Arrange the other requirements

During the marriage registration, you must provide the expected marriage date which should be at least three weeks after the date of registration. On the marriage date, you must have two witnesses who should bring their passports on the occasion. The cost for the marriage procedure will be RM 30 and this should be paid on the day of marriage. On this date, all four of you must bring your passports, whilst the couple should bring the relevant form obtained during the marriage registration. The couple to be wedded should be attired in at least semi-formal clothes; in other words, clothing such as jeans and shirts with short sleeves would not be suitable.

 Get ready for the marriage day

On your administrative marriage day, you should arrive at the National Registration Department in the morning. This procedure will be carried out based on a first-come, first-served basis. At 11 am, you will find that the marriage counter will be closed; all of the couples who arrived before this time would be married, whilst those who came late will have to reschedule their date.

                                                          Img via Unsplash

When the marriage is completed, you will receive a formal marriage certificate. If you choose to get this certificate endorsed by Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you will be able to also register your marriage in your native country. Remember this is only for the administrative part; for the ceremonial aspect you can choose whatever location you want; a popular option is for beach weddings in Malaysia which can be celebrated at properties such as Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa, Langkawi.