Step by step guide to Malaysian Wedding Process for a foreigner
For a foreign national to get married in Malaysia to a Malaysian national it is necessary to follow the procedures laid out by the National Registration Department (JPN).
This is reasonably straightforward but is time consuming and there does appear to be much conflicting information online, so I decided to write this guide to help other people going through the process!
I (husband) am a British citizen and my wife is Malaysian. We live in KL and wanted to get married in KL but as my wife’s IC card still shows her as a resident of Selangor we had to follow certain procedures which may not apply to you if your circumstances are not the same as ours.
The following information only applies to non-Muslim weddings – if either of you are Muslim then you should refer to the JPN website.
When attending JPN or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) there are strict clothing rules e.g. no shorts/t-shirts/slippers/short skirts. You may be turned away if you are not dressed appropriately.
Step by Step guide:
1) Have a Statutory Declaration drawn up (an example I used can be downloaded from here) which the foreign national should complete before signing it in front of a Commissioner for Oaths (there is one at the Jalan Duta Centre which is located near Publika at 69 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1. The building sign says "Kementerian Dalam Negeri". There is free car parking). RM6
2) Make an appointment with the British High Commission (BHC) for a marriage letter. Bring both passports and the Statutory Declaration with you. Only the British citizen needs to attend. The letter cost a rather eye-watering RM357.50! Note that this fee has now increased; see this link for current rates. If you are not a British citizen then you should refer to your own Embassy/High Commission
3) Bring the BHC letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Putrajaya to get it endorsed (there is no need for the Malaysian citizen to attend). I suggest you get there for 7am so you are first in line. RM20
4) Both go to JPN in Putrajaya for a letter addressed to JPN in KL for permission to marry in KL (this was only necessary for us as my wife’s home state is shown as Selangor on her IC and we wanted to get married in KL and not Selangor) RM30
5) Both go to JPN at the Jalan Duta centre to fill out form KC02 and put in your notice of marriage and set a date for your wedding for between 6 months and 21 days (If you are going to JPN HQ in Putrajaya to request No. 4 above then this can also be done at the same time there). You should bring with you the following:
- Statutory Declaration
- Letter from BHC (including endorsement from MFA)
- Letter from JPN HQ (not needed in all cases, see point 4) above)
- Birth Certificate of foreign national (& photocopy)
- Passport Photo of each person
- Passports (& photocopies)
- Photocopy of entry stamp to Malaysia for foreign national (You must have entered Malaysia at least 7 days beforehand – your application will be rejected if you don’t comply with this!)
- IC of Malaysian national (plus photocopy of both sides)
You may need to pay for a translator to translate part of the forms from English into Malay. In Putrajaya we were sent to the Palace of Justice (Kompleks Kehakiman) to do this – it is not expensive and is just a short walk from JPN but it took quite a long time. There is probably a similar service at the Jalan Duta centre but the JPN staff should be able to guide you on this.
6) If you are getting married other than at JPN you will need to complete form KC01E. The wedding appointment will be confirmed 2 weeks beforehand. At that point one of you should go to JPN and pay the registrar fees of RM530, plus a further fee of RM180 if you are getting married other than at JPN. You will need to provide copies of passports/IC of your 2 witnesses (who must be over 21 & Malaysian residents). You can also ask for additional copies of your wedding certificate to be issued (RM10 per copy)
7) On your wedding day bring your passports/IC. The witnesses should also bring their passports/IC. Make sure you get some photos which also show the registrar in them – this will help when you are making your application for a Long Term Social Visit Pass (spouse visa)
This process may change, so I recommend that you check for current information on the
JPN website
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