Consular Assistance
Australian citizens living in or visiting Malaysia can access consular services through the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Available services include:
- Assistance in emergency situations, including serious illness, injury, death, arrest, and detention.
- Support during international crises and emergencies.
- Advice and information to help Australians avoid and manage difficulties overseas.
- A limited range of notarial services, including witnessing signatures, legalising documents, and administering oaths and affirmations, subject to applicable fees.
The Consular Services Section is open from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. If you require consular assistance, you can contact us on +603 2146 5575 during these hours. Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected].
If you require consular assistance outside of business hours, or on a weekend you can call the Consular Emergency Centre, which is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on +61 2 6261 3305 (from within Malayia) or 1300 555 135 (from within Australia). Alternatively, you can call +603 2146 5555 and select option 1.
Consular Services Charter
While we will do what we can to help Australians in difficulty overseas, there are legal and practical limits to what help we may be able to provide. The Consular Services Charter outlines the consular assistance that may and may not be provided to Australians overseas.
We strive to
- Empower Australians to help themselves overseas.
- Effectively prepare for and manage overseas crises.
- Deliver a consular service focused on Australians most in need.
Who we can assist
- Australian citizens
- We only provide consular services to Australian permanent residents in the event of a crisis overseas. This may include government-assisted evacuations when provided to Australian citizens.
If you’re a dual national, we will only be able to assist you in your country of other nationality in exceptional circumstances.
Our assistance may be limited in some circumstances
You don’t have a legal right to consular assistance and you shouldn’t assume assistance will be provided. For example, we may limit assistance where:
- your actions were illegal
- you’ve deliberately or repeatedly acted recklessly or negligently
- you put yourself or others at risk
- you’ve demonstrated a repeated pattern of behaviour requiring multiple instances of consular assistance previously
What help we may provide
Each consular case is assessed on its individual circumstances, and the assistance we can provide will depend on the nature of the situation and the resources available. Depending on the circumstances, we may be able to:
- Issue replacement passports and other travel documents (fees apply).
- Provide information on local medical services, including doctors, hospitals, and mental health support where available.
- Offer guidance and support to Australians who have been victims of serious assault or arrested or other crime, including providing details of local lawyers.
- Contact or visit Australians who have been arrested or detained to check on their welfare and seek to ensure they are treated in accordance with local laws and without discrimination.
- Assist in situations involving deaths overseas, missing persons, and kidnappings.
- Contact family members or friends on your behalf, with your consent where possible.
- Coordinate support during international crises, terrorist incidents, civil unrest, or natural disasters (fees may apply).
- Provide selected notarial services, including witnessing signatures, certifying documents, and administering oaths and affirmations (fees apply).
- Facilitate voting services for Australian federal and certain state elections in some locations.
What we can’t do
Some tasks are outside the consular role. For example, we can’t:
- guarantee your safety and security in another country or make your travel arrangements
- give you legal advice, interpret or translate documents
- intervene in another country’s court proceedings or legal matters including employment disputes, commercial disputes, criminal cases, and family law matters or child custody disputes
- investigate crimes or deaths overseas, or carry out searches for missing people, which are the responsibility of local authorities
- get you out of prison or prevent you from being deported
- get you better treatment in prison than local prisoners
- post bail or pay your fines or legal expenses
- enforce an Australian or any other custody agreement overseas or compel a country to decide a custody case
- pay for medical or psychiatric services or medications
- pay your pension or social security benefits
- arrange visas, licences, work or residency permits for other countries
- intervene in immigration, customs or quarantine matters in other countries
- store luggage or other personal items
- receive or send postal items on your behalf
In a crisis
- Monitor local media and follow the advice from local authorities.
- Keep in contact with family and friends to let them know you are safe.
- Check with your airlines or travel providers to find out if your flights or tours are affected.
Your privacy
Personal information provided to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is protected by law, including the Privacy Act 1988. DFAT’s privacy policy can be accessed at dfat.gov.au/privacy.
DFAT may use personal information to provide consular assistance. In accordance with Australian Privacy Principle 5, the Consular Privacy Collection Statement contains information about how we collect, use, disclose and store personal information related to consular cases.
The media takes a close interest in incidents involving Australians overseas, ranging from crises to individual cases. Consular clients should be aware that there may be limited circumstances when we’ll confirm to the media that we are providing you with consular assistance or correct and/or clarify information about the nature of that assistance.
Honorary Consulates
The honorary consulates in Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching can provide limited consular services. They can accept submission of Australian passport applications.
Honorary Consulate offices cannot assist in Australian visa or Australian Citizenship services including notarial services (certification of documents, witnessing of signatures, etc). Notarial services can only be performed at the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Refer to the Visas and Citizenship page for further information about these services.
The Australian Honorary Consulates are located in the following locations:
Kota Kinabalu
Lot 01-05, 11th Floor,
Jubili Tower,
53 Jalan Gaya,
88000 Kota Kinabalu
Sabah.
Tel: +6088 267 151
Email: [email protected]
Kuching
Block E, No.39, Level 2
Taman Sri Sarawak Mall
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman
93100 Kuching.
Tel: +6019 898 9787
Email: [email protected]
Penang
Level 3, 111,
Jalan Macalister,
10400 Penang.
Tel: 604 226 8955
Email: [email protected]
Related Information
Australian Government Travel Advice for Malaysia
Information for Australians in Malaysia
- Smartraveller
- How to obtain a Malaysian Good Conduct Certificate
- Safety and Security
- Arrest
- Death
- Marriage in Malaysia. See also Marriage Overseas
- Birth, marriage and death certificates
- Renewal of Australian Driver's Licence
- Driving in Malaysia
- Notarial Services
- Taxation
- Services Australia (Centrelink, Pensions, Social Security and Medicare)
- Superannuation