Getting Married in Malaysia

The north-east monsoon brings rain to the east coast and to Sabah and Sarawak from November to February, when the east-coast islands close; the south-west monsoon touches the west coast from May to September with less force. Langkawi and the west are at their best from November to April, with clear skies, calm seas and more bearable humidity. The climate is equatorial, around 30°C by day all year, with afternoon showers in any month.

Recommended wedding months

December to February for Langkawi and the west; June to September for the east-coast islands and Sabah

Peak season is December and January on the west coast; July and August in the east, and the shoulder months are March and April, October and November.

Island beach resort. The resorts of Langkawi, Batu Ferringhi and Kota Kinabalu: a beach ceremony lawn, the reef or the rainforest behind, and rooms for the whole party, with a wedding team used to the civil formalities.

Rainforest and hillside resort. Langkawi's and Borneo's resorts in the rainforest, for a ceremony in the canopy with the sea below.

Heritage house and colonial hotel. George Town's restored shophouses and mansions and the colonial-era hotels of Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

City hotel and rooftop. Kuala Lumpur's grand hotels and rooftop venues with the skyline for the evening.

Private island and dive resort. The small resorts of the east-coast islands and Sipadan's waters, for a wedding of a few dozen with the sea as the setting.

Kuala Lumpur International is the hub; Langkawi, Penang and Kota Kinabalu are an hour's flight on, and Langkawi and Penang also take direct regional flights. Transfers from the island airports to the resorts are short, by road or by resort boat.

Kuala Lumpur International (KUL). The hub for long-haul arrivals, about an hour from the city, with onward domestic flights to every wedding coast.

Langkawi (LGK). On the island itself, minutes from the resorts, with direct flights from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and the region.

Penang (PEN). On the island, half an hour from George Town and from the Batu Ferringhi beach hotels.

Kota Kinabalu (BKI). The gateway to Sabah's resorts, islands and Mount Kinabalu, with direct regional flights.

Guests stay in the resort that hosts the wedding; on Langkawi and in Sabah the resort usually takes the whole party, and in Penang and Kuala Lumpur the heritage and grand hotels do.

Langkawi. Beach and rainforest resorts from the large to the very private, most with their own ceremony lawn.

Penang. Restored heritage houses in George Town and the beach hotels of Batu Ferringhi.

Kota Kinabalu. Resorts on the bay and on the islands offshore, with Mount Kinabalu for the day trips.

Malaysian food is three cuisines on one table, Malay, Chinese and Indian, and the street food of Penang is the country's pride.

Nasi lemak. Coconut rice with sambal, anchovies, peanuts and egg: the national breakfast, served at a wedding brunch.

Satay and rendang. Skewers over charcoal with peanut sauce, and beef slow-cooked in coconut and spice, the Malay feast dishes.

Penang street food. Char kway teow, assam laksa and Hokkien mee from George Town's hawker stalls, the best known in South-East Asia.

Civil marriage with JPN. A non-Muslim couple's civil marriage is administered by the National Registration Department (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara, JPN). The registration fee is RM200 when one party is a foreigner; the minimum age is 18 and two witnesses aged 21 or over attend.

Seven days, then twenty-one. A foreign couple can apply for the marriage licence after seven days in Malaysia and marry no earlier than twenty-one days after that, once the public notice has run; the licence is valid for six months. The whole process runs from about 22 to 60 days, so the paperwork starts well before the guests arrive, or the civil registration is completed at home and the ceremony here is symbolic.

The single-status certificate. Each foreign partner brings a single-status certificate, affidavit of bachelorhood or certificate of no impediment from their embassy in Malaysia or their home authority, apostilled or embassy-authenticated and translated into Bahasa Malaysia or English.

Two foreigners marrying each other. Couples where neither partner is Malaysian should confirm the current procedure and the registering office with JPN directly before planning the civil ceremony in Malaysia.

The legal requirements for marrying here, and who needs a visa, are being checked and are not published yet. Confirm both with the official authority that will marry you before you book.