Thai Government Filings

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.

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.

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.

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.

Immigration checks that names, dates of birth and passport numbers in the translation match their TM records exactly. Foreign employment letters and bank evidence must be authenticated in the country of origin before translation, and are usually required to be no more than three months old at filing. Requirements differ by visa category, so check immigration.go.th for the specific route.

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.

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.

Government fees are charged again per stamp on the new submission. On our side, if the defect came from our translation we correct and refile without a further translation charge. If the defect sits in the source document — a registrar signature that does not match the specimen held by the consular office — the document has to be re-issued at source.

No. Acceptance of a visa, registration or filing is at the discretion of the authority or embassy concerned. What we are accountable for is translation accuracy, a complete authentication chain, and a pre-filing check of format, document age and name spelling — plus free correction of any error on our side.

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.

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.

Yes, and it is often required, because the registrar or land official must be satisfied that the foreign party understands what they are signing. The interpreter presents a passport or Thai ID and signs the record of statements. We cover the main languages — English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, German and French — and ask for two to three working days' notice.

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.

Translation and quality review can genuinely be compressed to hours when scans are legible and no fresh extract is needed. What cannot be compressed is government throughput: the MFA express cycle and each embassy's daily file cap. A rush fee is therefore normally a percentage on the translation plus the authority's express fee. Plan against the destination's real intake schedule rather than an advertised turnaround.

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.

Include a governing language clause stating which version prevails if the two texts conflict, and align it with the governing law and forum clauses. Contracts filed with Thai authorities such as the Land Department or DBD generally need a Thai version that prevails. Before signing, have the translation team prepare a clause-by-clause comparison table and a shared glossary so the same terms are used across the contract and every annex.

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.

Validity attaches to the source document, not the translation. Destinations typically require registry extracts issued within three to six months; a fresh extract carries a new reference and issue date, so the old translation no longer matches. Marriage name changes, new passport books and revised destination formats have the same effect. We retain client glossaries and prior files, so where the document structure is unchanged an update is charged well below a full retranslation.