Foreign mandates used inside Thailand

Usually you sign the Department of Lands mandate before an officer of the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General where you live, so your signature is certified, then courier the original to your attorney-in-fact to file at the land office. If you sign before a local notary instead, the document must be legalised in the chain used by that country, translated into Thai, and the translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs. Ask the specific land office in advance — practice varies.

Mostly no. Banks keep their own mandate forms and usually require signing in front of branch staff, or signature certification by a Royal Thai Embassy if you are abroad. Call the branch that holds the account first and ask which form, how many witnesses, and which certification routes they accept before preparing anything.

Petitions are filed by a lawyer. An heir abroad can sign the power of attorney to the lawyer and the heirs' letter of consent before a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate officer and courier the originals for filing. Some courts still want the heir to testify in person or by video conference, so plan for that possibility.

Sign before a notary public in the country of residence, then follow that country's chain — an Apostille if it is a convention party, otherwise foreign-ministry legalisation followed by Royal Thai Embassy certification — then have the document translated into Thai with the translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs before filing in Thailand.

The non-travelling parent should state the child's name, passport number, destination, travel dates, who will accompany the child, and contact details, and sign before a Notarial Services Attorney in Thailand or a Royal Thai Embassy officer abroad. Some destinations also want the letter translated into their language and legalised.

For applicants under 20 the Department of Consular Affairs requires the persons with parental authority to attend or to provide a consent letter with a properly certified signature. If one parent is abroad, that consent is signed before a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate officer. Check the current document list at consular.mfa.go.th before booking.

A consensual divorce registration normally requires both spouses to appear at the district registrar. The Department of Provincial Administration has procedures for cross-registrar divorces and for a spouse who is overseas, handled through a Royal Thai Embassy — not by authorising a third party to sign instead. Ask the district office where you intend to file before preparing documents.

Generally no. It must be legalised in the country of origin, certified by the Royal Thai Embassy there, then translated into Thai with the translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs before a land office, bank, court or other Thai authority will accept it. Allow several weeks overall, depending on each queue.

The sequence Thai authorities expect is: sign before a notary public or a Thai consular officer abroad, have the competent authority of that country certify the notary's signature, then have the Thai embassy or consulate legalise it. Once in Thailand the document is translated into Thai by a translator who states their name and contact details, and the translation is certified by the Legalisation Division of the Department of Consular Affairs before it is shown to the land registrar. When the Apostille Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027, an apostille from a member state replaces the embassy step, but the translation and translation-certification steps remain.

Evidence that the signatory can bind the company: a recent certificate of incorporation or company extract, the board resolution or minutes approving the appointment, and specimen signatures. The signature is notarized in the issuing country, authenticated by the local authority and the Royal Thai Embassy, then translated into Thai and legalized in Bangkok. Ensure the company name and registration number match on every document, and that the resolution is dated no later than the power of attorney itself.

Land Office registrations use the Department of Lands' own power of attorney form, not a general POA. Prepare the completed form with no blank spaces, the original title deed, ID or passport and house registration of both principal and attorney, with certified copies. State exactly what is delegated — sale, mortgage or transfer of a specific plot — sign before two witnesses, and if signed abroad, have it notarised, legalised by the Thai embassy and certified by the Department of Consular Affairs. The most common causes of rejection are blank spaces left in the form, a wrong title deed number, or a name spelt differently from the deed. We check the form and the certification chain before filing.

Sign before a notary public or a Thai embassy officer in that country. If the country is a Hague Apostille party, obtain an apostille from its competent authority; if not, obtain foreign ministry certification followed by Thai embassy legalization. Once in Thailand the document is translated into Thai and the translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs before submission. Total time depends on each authority's queue.

Evidence that the signatory can bind the company: a certificate of incorporation recent enough for the receiving authority, board minutes approving the appointment, and specimen signatures of the directors. The whole set must be certified in the country of origin and translated into Thai. The most common rejection is a company name transliterated differently from the spelling already registered with Thai authorities.