Certified Translation in Thailand — By Document, Language and Destination

Foreign documents need three layers: origin-country certification (an Apostille for Hague members, or origin MFA plus Royal Thai Embassy legalization for non-members), a Thai translation that mirrors the original layout, and translation certification by the Department of Consular Affairs at Chaeng Watthana. Miss any layer and the Amphur, Immigration, Land Office or DBD will refuse the filing.

Government legalization fees are THB 200 per stamp for the standard service (documents returned in two to three working days) and THB 400 per stamp for the same-day express service on straightforward files. Stamps are counted per page requiring certification, not per set. Translation and agency handling fees are separate from the government fee.

Standard civil records translate in one working day; corporate documents and court judgments take two to three. Adding consular certification, plan for three to five working days end to end. Express handling can compress the whole chain to one or two working days when the source documents are already clean.

Name spellings that differ from the passport, dates left in the Buddhist calendar, uncertified photocopies, registrar signatures that do not match the specimen on file, and translations that reorganize the original layout. We proof every source document against these five checks before translation begins.

No. An Apostille authenticates the signature and seal on the issuing document; it says nothing about language. Apostilled foreign documents still need a Thai translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs before any Thai authority will accept them. What disappears is the second embassy stamp, saving roughly five to ten working days.

Yes — Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Burmese, Lao, Khmer, Dutch, the Nordic languages, Polish, Czech, Portuguese, Turkish, Persian, Hindi and more. For rarer languages the safest route is often an embassy-issued English version first, then Thai; we advise which route the receiving authority will accept before quoting.

An Affirmation of Freedom to Marry from your embassy, your passport, and, if applicable, a divorce decree or a former spouse's death certificate. All must be translated into Thai and certified by the Department of Consular Affairs, and most district offices want them issued within the previous three months.

Yes. The Department of Employment requires degree certificates, transcripts and employment references in Thai or English with certification. Foreign qualifications must clear an Apostille or embassy legalization before translation, so start the paperwork four to six weeks before your intended filing date.

The parent company's Certificate of Incorporation, memorandum and board resolution must be notarized abroad, apostilled or legalized by the Royal Thai Embassy, then translated into Thai and certified at the Department of Consular Affairs. The DBD generally wants documents issued within six months, and the transliterated company name must match the name reserved in its system.

Only after the full chain: notarization abroad, Apostille or Thai embassy legalization, Thai translation, and consular certification of that translation. The Land Office reads powers of attorney narrowly, so list each authorized act explicitly — sign the transfer, receive proceeds, pay taxes — rather than granting a general authority.

We can start translation from a clear scan, but consular certification requires the original or a copy certified by the issuing authority with a wet signature and seal. Self-certified photocopies are refused. Courier the originals to us while we prepare the draft, and you lose no time.

Fixed-format civil records are priced per document. Variable-length material — contracts, judgments, financial statements — is priced per standard page or per word. Rare language pairs carry a premium because the pool of translators whose work the consular office accepts is small.