Quick Certified Translation Guide for Malaysia <> Netherlands (2025)

1. Procedure

1.1 All documents not in English must be translated into Dutch, English, French or German by a sworn translator and endorsed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia [1].

1.2 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia accepts the following translation stamps:

(i) Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM); 

(ii) Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka (DBP); 

(iii) Malaysian Translators Association (MTA); or

(iv) Endorsement by the respective Embassy/ High Commission in Malaysia [2].

1.3 MYLegalTrans’ team is certified by:

(i) ITBM; 

(ii) MTA; 

(iii) DBP;

(iv) Kuala Lumpur High Court; and

(v) Sarawak High Court.

MTA/ DBP stamp is recommended as it is the most affordable and efficient.

2. FAQs

2.1 What does Sworn Translation mean? How is it different from non-certified translation?

In the Netherlands, all sworn translators are registered in the Register of sworn interpreters and translators (Rbtv) database [3].

For documents issued in Malaysia to be used in the Netherlands, Sworn Translation provided by the following Malaysian statutory bodies are accepted:

(i) ITBM, formerly known as the Malaysian National Institute of Translation (ITNM), established based on the approval of a cabinet meeting in 1992 following a memorandum from the Minister of Education [4]. As a limited company, its share capital is wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance and its administration is managed by the Ministry of Education [5].

(ii) DBP, established based on the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act 1959. Its administration is managed by the Ministry of Education [6].

(iii) MTA, a voluntary professional body established under the auspices of DBP, and is the sole Malaysian member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) [7], an international organisation which has consultative status with UNESCO [8].

(iv) High Court Interpreters, governed by the Practising Certificates Unit and supervised by the High Court of Malaya [9].

For the Netherlands, a translation is considered sworn when it is registered with ITBM, DBP, MTA or the High Court, and then endorsed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia.

2.2 Why does Sworn Translation take so long even for documents with just a few words?

For the Netherlands, before certification, the translation goes through the following processes:

(i) Text extraction

The translation process begins with text extraction and formatting by a DTP specialist, with inquiries about untranslatable or unclear text.

(ii) Translation

Translations are handled by a sworn translator.

(iii) First Review

The first review is conducted by a sworn translator.

(iv) DTP & Formatting

DTP and formatting ensures the translated document mirrors the original.

(v) Final Review & Certificate of Translation

A final review is done by a sworn translator, with an ITBM/DBP/MTA/HC stamp applied. The translation is recorded by the stamping organisation. Then, the translation should besubmitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia for further endorsement.

2.3 Can I submit a softcopy or photocopy of the Certified Translation to the Netherlands?

No. The Netherlands authorities only accept Certified Translation with the original ITBM/DBP/MTA stamp and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia’s stamp.

Resources:

[1] Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands. (n.d.). Legalisation of documents from Malaysia for in the Netherlands. Netherlands Worldwide. https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/legalisation/foreign-documents/malaysia.
[2] Immigration Department of Malaysia. ESD Online Guidebook, Version 4, 2023, pp. 36, 60. https://esd.imi.gov.my/portal/pdf/ESD_Online_Guidebook_V4_2023(2024-1).pdf.
[3] Bureau Wbtv. (n.d.). Zoek een tolk of vertaler. https://zoekeentolkvertaler.bureauwbtv.nl/.
[4] OIC Today. (n.d.). An interview with Sakri Bin Abdullah: Chief Executive Officer of ITBM. https://www.oictoday.biz/interview-details.php?id=517/an-interview-with-sakri-bin-abdullah-sakri-bin-abdullah.
[5] Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia. (n.d.). Organisational structure. https://www.itbm.com.my/en/organisasi.
[6] Section 4, the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act 1959 (Revised in 1978). https://lamanweb.dbp.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Akta-213-Akta-Dewan-Bahasa-dan-Pustaka-Disemak-1973.pdf.
[7] International Federation of Translators. (n.d.). Members directory: Malaysia. https://en.fit-ift.org/members-directory/?country=MY.
[8] UNESCO Archives. (n.d.). International Federation of Translators. https://atom.archives.unesco.org/international-federation-of-translators.
[9] Kuala Lumpur Court Complex. (n.d.). Practising certificates unit. https://kl.kehakiman.gov.my/en/practicing-certificates-unit.