Certification Tiers

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.

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.

The consular stamp itself does not expire, but receiving authorities impose their own windows: typically three months for district offices and the Land Office, three to six months for embassies and the DBD. Past that you must re-issue the source document and re-certify the translation, so fix your filing date before starting.

Yes. Send the originals by tracked courier with a signed power of attorney and ID copies. We email the draft translation for your approval, file at Chaeng Watthana under the representative queue, and return the certified set by EMS or DHL — typically three to seven working days in transit depending on destination.

Hospitals and insurers generally accept translator- or attorney-certified translations without consular legalization. Consular certification is needed only when the records support litigation, cross-border claims or a government filing such as a medical visa. We keep ICD-10 codes and generic drug names intact to avoid clinical ambiguity.

Yes. The Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027 and only authenticates the origin of a public document — the signature, capacity and seal of the issuing officer. It says nothing about translation accuracy, so destination countries keep their own rules: some require a locally sworn translator, others accept an MFA-certified Thai translation before the apostille is issued. Confirm current status at hcch.net and consular.mfa.go.th.

The existing legalization chain applies: obtain a certified extract from the issuing registrar, translate into English or the destination language, have the translation legalised by the Legalization Division of the Department of Consular Affairs, then present it to the destination country's embassy in Thailand. Several countries — Germany is the common example — still require a second translation by a locally sworn translator, so always confirm with the receiving mission before work starts.

Consular legalization of translations is built around the Thai–English pair; other languages are accepted only within published limits. Where a third language is required, the reliable route is to legalise the English translation in Thailand first, then have a registered translator in the destination country translate onward from the legalised set. Check the accepted list on consular.mfa.go.th on the day you file, as it is revised periodically.

Always. The translation must be physically attached to the copy it was made from, and that copy must be an original or a registrar-certified extract — not a phone photograph. A loose translation page with nothing to compare against is refused at the counter.

The main counter is at Chaeng Watthana, and some regional passport and legalization offices accept document certification, though turnaround is longer because files are forwarded to head office. Applicants outside Bangkok usually appoint a representative to file at Chaeng Watthana and have the set returned by EMS. Verify current service points at consular.mfa.go.th before travelling.

A power of attorney describing the scope of work, signed copies of the ID or passport of both principal and representative, and the originals to be filed. If you are abroad when you sign, have your signature certified at a Thai embassy or consulate — an uncertified foreign signature is the most common reason a representative filing is refused.

They can be translated, but the risk of refusal is high because the officer must read the source text against the translation. The safer path is to request a fresh certified extract from the issuing body — the district registrar for civil records, the university registry for transcripts — and translate from that.

Typically a certified translation of the passport, of marital status evidence — marriage certificate or divorce decree — and, where an attorney signs, a power of attorney whose signature has been certified and legalised. Purchases through a foreign company also need the home-country corporate certificate, fully authenticated and translated. Individual land offices apply detail differently, so confirm with the office handling the parcel.

Obtain a current extract from the home registry, authenticate it in the country of origin — apostille where the Convention applies, otherwise foreign ministry plus the Thai embassy — then translate into Thai and have the translation legalised by the Department of Consular Affairs. The DBD generally wants documents issued within six months and checks that director names match the power of attorney letter for letter.

Hospitals and insurers usually accept a translator- or attorney-certified translation without consular legalization. That changes when the records support litigation, a cross-border claim or a medical visa. Translations keep ICD-10 codes, generic drug names, dosages and units exactly as issued; we never convert units, because that introduces clinical ambiguity.

Often not. Many countries require an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna Convention alongside the domestic licence. A certified translation helps when renting a vehicle or exchanging for a local licence where the transport authority says a translation is accepted. Check the destination transport authority's rules rather than relying on the translation alone.

We advise against it. Whoever certifies accepts responsibility for the text, and machine output on official documents typically fails on proper names, document numbers, official titles and table layout — exactly what the reviewing officer checks first. We will review and correct a client-supplied translation, but it is billed as editing and the layout must still be rebuilt to mirror the original.

Most Thai authorities still require the paper set with a wet stamp. PDFs are useful for draft approval and for advance review by counsel or the receiving company. Some embassies and foreign universities accept translations signed electronically or sent directly from the translator's address. Ask the receiving body in writing before choosing a format.

The stamp itself does not expire, but receiving authorities impose windows: about three months for district offices and the Land Office, three to six months for embassies and the DBD. Beyond that, the source document must be re-issued and the translation re-certified, so set your filing date first and work backwards.

Mainland Chinese public documents need origin-country authentication first. China is now a Hague party, so obtain an Apostille from the provincial Foreign Affairs Office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then have the document translated into Thai in Thailand and the translation legalised by the Department of Consular Affairs. The most common rejection cause is a pinyin spelling that differs from the passport page, so we always follow the passport and add the Chinese characters in brackets.

No. Hong Kong and Macau issue their own Apostilles through their local authorities. Taiwan sits outside the Apostille channel Thailand recognises directly, so documents are normally authenticated through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand or the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei before Thai translation and consular legalisation. Confirm the current practice with the receiving office before you start.

Yes — it is the primary evidence of the Japanese party's marital status. In practice the Embassy of Japan in Thailand issues an affirmation of freedom to marry based on the koseki, which is then translated into Thai and legalised at the Department of Consular Affairs. Use an extract issued within the last three months and romanise kanji names exactly as they appear in the passport.

Direct Korean-to-Thai translation is accepted and the Department of Consular Affairs will legalise it. Many applicants nonetheless request the English-language versions Korean registries can issue (basic certificate, family relation certificate) and translate from those, because it removes arguments about romanisation of names and place names. Either route still requires a Korean Apostille before the papers enter Thailand.

It depends on direction of travel. German documents used in Thailand only need a German Apostille plus Thai translation legalised in Bangkok — no sworn German translator is required. Thai documents used in Germany usually do need a court-sworn translator in Germany, or a translation certified by the German Embassy in Bangkok. Ask the German receiving office which form it accepts before ordering the translation.

No. The Apostille is sufficient proof of origin. What remains is the Thai translation and its legalisation at the Department of Consular Affairs. One practical caution: a birth record must be a recently issued copie intégrale, generally not older than three months, and every registration number on the certificate must appear in the Thai translation.

Most Russian civil-status documents can be apostilled in Russia, after which they are translated into Thai and the translation is legalised in Bangkok. The critical detail is transliteration: Cyrillic names must be rendered exactly as in the international passport, not according to an academic transliteration scheme, otherwise the amphur or Immigration will treat the applicant as a different person.

Several Arab states are not within an Apostille channel Thailand can use in every case. The reliable route is authentication by the origin-country Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then attestation by the Royal Thai Embassy in that country, then Thai translation and consular legalisation in Bangkok. Islamic family documents such as a marriage contract must be translated in full, including guardian and witness details, because the amphur checks those elements.

Two situations differ. Myanmar public documents such as birth certificates or household lists need authentication by the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon, or by the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok under current practice. MOU labour documents such as CI/PI papers and employment contracts are more often accepted as translator-certified translations bundled with the employer's file — confirm the format with the provincial employment office first.

They are similar but not identical. Neither country uses the Apostille with Thailand, so documents are authenticated at the origin Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then at the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane or Phnom Penh, before Thai translation and consular legalisation. Cambodian names must be transliterated to match the passport, and Lao text must be fully rendered into standard Thai rather than copied across because the scripts look similar.

Not on its own. Công chứng certification is domestic only. Vietnam is now a Hague party, so request an Apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the competent provincial justice department, then translate into Thai and legalise the translation in Bangkok. The older route of attestation at the Royal Thai Embassy in Hanoi is still workable for some receiving offices.

Yes, when Thai documents travel to Italy or Spain: both accept only registered sworn translators or translations certified by their own embassy or consulate. In the opposite direction — Italian or Spanish documents used in Thailand — an origin Apostille plus a Thai translation legalised at the Department of Consular Affairs is sufficient. We match the format to the specific embassy's published requirement before work starts.

Northern European civil registry extracts have very short validity — often three months, sometimes as little as six weeks. Build the three to five working days needed for translation and consular legalisation into that window. Many of these extracts are issued bilingually with English, and where a bilingual version exists we translate from it to reduce name discrepancies.

Turkish is straightforward: Turkey issues Apostilles and direct Turkish-to-Thai translation is accepted. Persian is a genuinely rare pair in the Thai legalisation system, so the smoothest route is to have the Embassy of Iran in Thailand issue or certify an English version first, then translate English to Thai and legalise. Expect this route to add roughly five to ten working days.

Indian documents require an MEA Apostille, frequently preceded by state-level SDM attestation. Philippine documents must be PSA-issued (formerly NSO) and apostilled by the DFA. Most documents from both countries are already in English, so only an English-to-Thai translation and consular legalisation are needed; only genuinely Hindi or Tagalog text is translated from the source language.

Consular legalisation is built around the Thai–English pair. For a third-language source, the accepted approach is a translation into Thai (or English) signed and certified by the responsible translator, which is then submitted for legalisation. If the officer wants more assurance, the origin country's embassy in Thailand may be asked to certify the accuracy of the translation as an extra layer first.

Fixed-format civil registry documents such as birth certificates, house registrations and name-change records are usually quoted per page, while contracts, pleadings and financial statements are quoted per word or per working hour because length varies. Price drivers are the language pair, urgency, the number of certification stamps required and layout work to mirror the original. Watch for quotes that omit government legalization fees and courier costs. We quote the file as a package with the stamp count shown, so the full route cost is visible before work starts.

Keep the account structure and every figure identical to the original, including the notes and the auditor's report. Never reformat numbers or convert currency; label amounts clearly as THB and keep account names consistent with the reporting framework used. Work from the stamped copy filed with DBD or the Revenue Department, translate the full set rather than the summary pages, then certify the translation. Foreign banks and registrars often reconcile against the corporate tax return, so translate that in the same batch.

Yes — direction and certifier differ. Immigration filings translate foreign documents into Thai, and in many cases the issuing country's embassy in Thailand must legalize the document first, after which the MFA certifies the Thai translation. Outbound work runs the other way, from Thai into the destination language. Keep the Thai spelling of personal names identical to the spelling used in other Thai records such as a marriage registration or work permit, or the file will read as a different person.