Sworn Translator vs Certified Translator vs NAATI — Which Does Thailand Actually Require?

Thailand MFA (Consular Legalization Division)

MFA Chaeng Watthana's Legalization Division does NOT maintain a translator registry. Any translator can prepare a Thai↔English translation, sign the affidavit page, and submit for MFA authentication. What MFA authenticates is the translator's signature — verified against an ID card copy on file. Practical implication: choose a translation office that has pre-registered translator specimens at MFA to avoid the specimen-verification delay.

MFA does not accept: machine translation, translations without translator signature, translations where the translator name does not match the ID copy.

Australia — NAATI Certified

Department of Home Affairs, VEVO, and every Australian university mandate NAATI-certified translators for any non-English document. NAATI Certification Level (formerly 'Professional') is the required tier for immigration; 'Recognised Practising' or 'Certified Provisional' is not accepted for skilled migration. The NAATI stamp includes the translator's number (searchable on naati.com.au), pair direction, and issue date. Common pair for Phuket clients: Thai → English, NAATI ID starting with 'CPT' for Thai.

France, Belgium, Luxembourg — Traducteur assermenté

A translator must be listed on the Cour d'appel (Court of Appeal) registry for the region where the translation will be used. Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Douai, and Rennes have the most Thai-French translators. The sworn translator applies a numbered stamp (numéro d'ordre) and signs. For use in Thailand, the sworn translation is then apostilled by the Court of Appeal.

Belgium: same principle, sworn at the Tribunal de première instance. Luxembourg: assermenté under Ministry of Justice registry.

Germany, Austria — vereidigter Übersetzer / Gerichtsdolmetscher

German Länder each maintain their own sworn translator registry (e.g. Justizportal NRW, Bayerisches Übersetzer- und Dolmetschergesetz). The seal reads 'ermächtigter Übersetzer' or 'öffentlich bestellter und beeidigter Übersetzer'. For Thai↔German pair, Berlin, München, and Frankfurt have the deepest bench. Austrian sworn translators (allgemein beeidete und gerichtlich zertifizierte Dolmetscher) are listed at justiz.gv.at.

Spain, Italy — Traductor Jurado / Traduttore Giurato

Spain: sworn translator (Traductor-Intérprete Jurado) appointed by the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores; stamp includes ministry registration number. Directly accepted by Spanish consulates and public authorities.

Italy: Traduttore giurato swears the translation before a court (asseverazione) — the oath is per-document, not per-translator. Any competent bilingual can present, but courts increasingly require CTU-listed translators.

Netherlands — Wbtv-registered

Bureau Wbtv (Wet beëdigde tolken en vertalers) maintains the sworn interpreter and translator registry. A translation for Dutch immigration, notary, or Rechtbank must be by a Wbtv-registered translator with an active number.

US — no federal sworn system

USCIS accepts 'a certification by the translator that he or she is competent to translate and that the translation is accurate' (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). No credential is legally required, but state courts, universities, and immigration attorneys prefer ATA-certified (American Translators Association) or a translator's notarized affidavit. NAATI or sworn credentials are also accepted as evidence of competence.

UK — Home Office and courts

UK Visas and Immigration accepts translations by a professional translator or translation company, provided each translation carries: translator's confirmation of accuracy, translator's full name and signature, translation date, and translator's contact details. ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting) or CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists) qualified members are the safest choice. Non-UK sworn translations from EU countries are usually accepted with Apostille.