Malaysia and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Legalisation
- First stop
- First the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra, Putrajaya), then the Embassy of the Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur
- Language
- English, accepted as it is
- Register
- Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) (online)
- Tax treaty
- Signed 1988, in force 1989 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Free trade talks resumed in 2025
- In the Netherlands
- 45 companies controlled from Malaysia in 2024, 45 in 2021, about 1,000 jobs, €847 million turnover (CBS, 9 October 2026)
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from Malaysia
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Malaysia.
Proof of address in Malaysia, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a Malaysian notary public. Wisma Putra attests the notary’s signature.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
Legalisation. First the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra, Putrajaya), then the Embassy of the Netherlands in Kuala Lumpur. You book the embassy appointment online, and the embassy takes one working day. Malay documents need a sworn translation.
Good to know. Documents from Sabah and Sarawak are first handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in East Malaysia. You need two stamps, so allow two to three weeks.
If a company from Malaysia becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM). Order a certified company profile and the constitution. The profile shows directors and shareholders. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Malaysia and the EU
Malaysia was the 22nd largest partner of the European Union (EU) for trade in goods in 2025, with trade worth €48.9 billion. In 2025, EU imports from Malaysia reached €30.3 billion and EU exports €18.6 billion.
Machinery and appliances dominate trade in both directions. The EU also imports optical, photographic and medical instruments, animal and vegetable fats and oils, and plastics from Malaysia. EU exports also include chemicals and transport equipment.
In 2024, trade in services reached €11.8 billion, and the stock of EU foreign direct investment in Malaysia reached €33.1 billion.
Negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement started in 2010 and were put on hold in 2012 at the request of Malaysia. On 20 January 2025, the EU and Malaysia announced their resumption, and the first round took place in late June 2025. A Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was signed in 2022.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Sources: European Commission [1].
Your next step from Malaysia
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