UK Degree Attestation in Malaysia: Notary Public, Wisma Putra and Embassy Requirements

UK Higher Education Certificates - A Current Exception

At present, Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or MOFA) is allowing certain higher education certificates issued in the United Kingdom to be submitted for MOFA attestation without prior endorsement by the British High Commission. However, the certificate must first be certified by a Notary Public in Malaysia before it is submitted to MOFA.

The current process can therefore be summarised as:

UK Higher Education Certificate
↓
Certification by a Notary Public
↓
Submission to MOFA / Wisma Putra for attestation
↓
Embassy / receiving authority, if further legalisation is required

What About Certificates Issued by Other Countries?

For higher education certificates issued by countries other than the UK, the procedure may be different. In general, foreign documents may need to be authenticated or endorsed by the relevant Embassy, High Commission or Consulate in Malaysia before they can be submitted to Wisma Putra.

Therefore, the process may look like this:

Foreign Higher Education Certificate
↓
Certification by a Notary Public, where required
↓
Authentication / endorsement by the relevant foreign Embassy, High Commission or Consulate
↓
Submission to MOFA / Wisma Putra
↓
Further legalisation, if required

Why Is the Notary Public Certification Important?

A common misconception is that an original foreign university certificate can simply be taken to Wisma Putra for attestation. In practice, the document may first need to be certified by a Notary Public before it is presented to MOFA. The Notary Public certification provides an additional layer of certification before the document proceeds through the foreign-document authentication process.

Important: The UK Arrangement May Change

The ability to submit certain UK-issued higher education certificates to Wisma Putra without prior British High Commission endorsement is a current arrangement and should not be assumed to be a permanent policy. Applicants are advised to confirm the latest requirements with Wisma Putra before submitting their documents, as authentication and legalisation procedures may change.

If you have a UK degree, diploma, higher education certificate, or transcript that needs to be used overseas, it is advisable to check the required authentication route before arranging the attestation by MOFA.