Quick answer
Councils renew signboard licences against approved wording. If the signboard design, company name or wording has changed — or the council asks for a current approval — the design must go back through DBP's Sah Bahasa service before the signboard licence is renewed. DBP's stated processing time is three working days.
Last reviewed： · Reviewed by：ONEKEY BIZ compliance team
01
Overview
Every premise signboard and advertisement in Malaysia must display the national language, and it must be correct — spelling, terminology, grammar and a polite, non-negative meaning. Councils such as DBKL, MBPJ, MBSJ and MBDK will not grant a signboard licence until the wording has been verified by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
DBP handles this online through its Sah Bahasa service. It evaluates the design against its signage design guidelines — not just whether Malay appears, but whether it is accurate and appropriately prominent. A rejected design means redesigning the signboard, which is expensive once it has already been fabricated.
Re-approval is needed when anything on the signboard changes: a new company or brand name, new wording, a redesign, or when the council's renewal asks for a current approval. We resubmit the updated artwork so the signboard licence renewal is not held up.
Who needs this
- Businesses renewing a council signboard licence
- Businesses that changed company or brand name
- Businesses redesigning or replacing a signboard
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Documents you need to prepare
Signboard artwork
- Coloured signboard design with exact dimensions
- All wording that will appear, in every language used
- Company or business registration details as shown on the signboard
Location
- Photo of where the signboard will be installed
- Council where the signboard licence will be applied for
- DBP application fee is paid at cost; the council signboard licence fee is separate.
- Do not fabricate the signboard until DBP approval is issued.
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How to get it done with ONEKEY BIZ
- 1Wording review Day 1
We check the Malay wording and layout against DBP guidelines before submission.
- 2Submit to DBP Day 1
Artwork uploaded through the Sah Bahasa service.
- 3DBP review Around 3 working days
DBP verifies the language; we handle any correction requests.
- 4Approval issued Done
Approval downloaded and passed to the council application.
You do
- Provide the signboard artwork
- Confirm the wording
We do
- Pre-check wording against DBP rules
- Submit and follow up with DBP
- Revise the design with you if DBP asks
- Use the approval for your council signboard licence
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What you receive
DBP's verification of your signboard wording, for the council application.
The version of the design DBP approved — the one to fabricate.
Real clients we've done this for
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
Does DBP approval mean we have a signboard licence?
No. DBP approves the language; the council still issues the signboard licence.
Can our brand name stay in English or Chinese?
Brand names can appear, but the national language must be used correctly and with appropriate prominence.
How long does it take?
DBP states three working days; high volumes can make it longer.