Before one can apply for a spouse visa in Malaysia, your wedding has need first to be re-registered in the country. It is a advisable to re-register the marriage upon arrival in the Malaysia to avoid penalty being imposed by Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara.

In my case, I’m a Filipino and married to a Malaysian. We first took our wedding in the Philippines. The procedures were a bit tiring and expensive.  The Embassy of Malaysia in Makati, Philippines was a great help, especially with that smiley Filipino guy in that embassy. He was very helpful.

Anyway, going back to the topic, we made sure that we prepared our documents before our flight back to Malaysia.

We prepared the following:

• Marriage cert obtained from the National Statistics Office (NSO) in my hometown in Baguio City, Philippines
• Birth Certificate of the Filipino spouse obtained from the NSO in the Philippines
• Red Ribboned marriage cert issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila, Philippines
• Red Ribboned Filipino spouse birth cert issued by DFA in Manila, Philippines
• Embassy Authentication of Red Ribboned Marriage Cert by the Consular of Malaysia in the Philippines
• Authenticated Red Ribboned Birth Cert of Filipino spouse by the Consular of Malaysia in the Philippines
• Take note that the documents stated above can take you a minimum of 3-5 working days, depending on how you process your document to the mentioned three offices in Manila, Philippines – NSO, DFA, and the Embassy of Malaysia in Makati.   Authentication in the Embassy of Malaysia is worth PHP 300 per document (as of 2015). 

Better to know the addresses of these offices so that you will be guided accordingly. Taking a taxi is not the best way.  Better to know all the routes and bus lines, especially around Pasay and Makati. It will eat your budget around Manila. Other expenses include food, drinking water, accommodation, and bus fare.

So, since we have completed all the requirements from these offices in Manila, Philippines, I as the Filipino spouse, had to get my Single Visa Entry in Malaysia while processing the document. One month is not enough for you to process your documents. I was given a three-month tourist visa by the Embassy of Malaysia in the Philippines. It was PHP 550 (2015), then my wife had to present her IC number and address as my sponsor to be checked by the embassy consular.

As we touched down in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we needed to photocopy the immigration chop of our passport when we exited the Philippines and immigration chop when we entered  Malaysia. You also need to keep your boarding pass to make sure that you will not be questioned by Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN). The photocopy of your boarding pass is also part of the requirements by JPN.

Before we went to JPN for submission, we went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia in Putrajaya to re-authenticate our Red Ribboned Marriage Cert and my Birth Certificate as a Filipino spouse. That cost us about RM 20 per document.

After collecting our documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs inside Putrajaya, my dad-in-law drove us immediately to JPN. Please do note that Putrajaya is a very wide place. Transportation is a must.

The Way to Putrajaya, Malaysia

We went straight ahead to JPN to submit our re-registration form. Before that, my mum-in-law already gave us the form, that’s why we just filled the document and presented the document to the JPN officer. During the submission, all documents were carefully checked by the JPN officer. She was very friendly and was able to assist us with the requirements. The application form must be certified by the Commissioner on Oath and must also be signed by a court lawyer for the declaration of interest to make sure that the non-Malaysian spouse understood what he/she had signed in the form. Do note that the form was written in Bahasa Melayu (the national language of Malaysia).

So we went to the Palace of Justice (inside Putrajaya) for the translation requirement and also for the acquisition of signature by the Commissioner on Oath. We spent RM 12  for the translator and RM 4 for the Commissioner on Oath.

We submitted all the forms to JPN for the re-registration and it was processed on that day. We also got the Marriage cert on that day with RM 20 for two copies (one for the husband and one for the wife).

Please do note that when re-registering, you must wear proper clothes. No mini-skirt, short pants, sandals, or slippers. Make sure that all your documents are prepared so that your transaction will be smoothly done.

For our case, we are so blessed that my in-laws accompanied us in the re-registration of our marriage. They went up to Kuala Lumpur all the way from Johor Bahru to assist us in the processing of our marriage cert. A car is also a necessity because going to Putrajaya via public transport is a bit of a hassle. So better to get your car to immediately reach JPN at the right time and also to some offices that you may need to go to for clarification of your documents.

Disclaimer: With the new SOP amid to MCO/CMCO/RMCO, please be advised to seek updates from the respective government offices before going to Putrajaya.