A Thai translation is needed whenever a foreign document goes to a Thai office: the Land Office, a district office (amphur), a court, an immigration office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. None of them automatically accept the same kind of translation. Thailand has no notary-public law, and we have found no published rule that sets one certification for translators for every office, so who has to certify the translation, the translator, a lawyer on the Lawyers Council's register, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is set by the office that will receive the document, not by a fixed rule. Our team asks that office first, then translates the document and certifies it the way the office wants.
In short
- The receiving office decides both what to translate and who must certify the translation; there is no single answer that fits every office.
- The Department of Consular Affairs, when it legalises a document, confirms the signature, the signer's capacity and the seal; it does not check whether the translation reads correctly.
- Thailand's Apostille Convention takes effect on 28 February 2027, according to the HCCH status table. An apostille issued in the home country can then replace the Thai embassy legalisation step for a document from a state that has not objected, but it does not remove a Thai office's translation requirement.
- Land Department registration forms are filled in Thai, whatever language the underlying contract is in.
Who certifies a translation in Thailand
A document translated for use at home usually carries one certification: a sworn translator's stamp, or a notary's. Thailand runs none of that as a fixed system, so a translation can carry one of three different certifications instead.
- The translator's own signature. The translator signs the translation and gives their details. Some offices accept this on its own; others do not, and no published rule we have found settles it, so we check with the office in advance.
- A lawyer on the Lawyers Council's register. The Lawyers Council of Thailand keeps a register of lawyers allowed to certify signatures and documents, a status often called a notarial services attorney. The register runs under a 2008 Council regulation, registration renews every three years, and there is no official fee scale. Whether a particular office accepts this certification is up to that office.
- Legalisation at the Department of Consular Affairs. The Department confirms the signature and seal on the document or the translation. Its main office is on Chaeng Watthana Road in Bangkok, with branches at MBK Center, CentralWorld and Central Phuket Festival, booked through the qlegal system.
We ask the receiving office which of the three it wants before we start translating, so you are not paying twice for a translation the office sends back.
Which Thai offices ask for a translation
| Office | What it usually asks to see translated | What we confirm first |
|---|---|---|
| Land Office | A power of attorney signed abroad, or a seller's or buyer's foreign documents | In practice foreign-language documents are translated into Thai and certified; whether the office wants a translator's signature or Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalisation is not published, so we ask. Signing the power of attorney itself is covered on our notary and power of attorney page |
| District office (amphur) | Documents proving you are free to marry | Certification and translation rules vary by office; the full list is on our marriage registration in Thailand page |
| Courts | A claim, exhibits or evidence in a foreign language | Court proceedings run in Thai; under the Civil Procedure Code (s. 46) a foreign-language document is filed with a translation of the whole text or its essential part, and the court can require that translation to be certified |
| Department of Consular Affairs | A document together with its translation, for legalisation | Which branch and which qlegal appointment fit your deadline |
| Immigration, THB 3M+ property-linked stay | Proof of a family relationship for a dependant | Here the rule is explicit: the document is certified abroad, translated into Thai, and the translation is legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
If your documents come from the UK, the US or Australia
A translation does not travel alone; the underlying document usually needs its own certification first, and the three countries do not handle that the same way.
- United Kingdom. The Royal Thai Embassy in London says it cannot verify a foreigner's signature directly. A UK solicitor or Notary Public certifies the signature first, the FCDO (or the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs) authenticates that certification, and the Embassy then legalises the document; its legalisation page, updated 30 April 2026, lists this at GBP 10 per document and 3 working days, not counting delivery. The Thai translation is a separate step, done once we know which office in Thailand will read the document.
- United States. The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington certifies signatures on Land Department forms only for Thai nationals in its district. A US citizen follows the general route instead: a US notary, the relevant foreign-ministry step, then legalisation by the nearest Thai embassy or consulate, before the Thai translation.
- Australia. The same general chain applies; fees and processing times are set by the Thai mission you use, so we confirm them before you pay for anything.
Until 28 February 2027, being from a country that already issues apostilles does not shortcut this; after that date an apostille issued in the home country replaces the Thai embassy legalisation step for states that have not objected, but the Thai translation is still a separate step. Neither does translating the document before you ask: a Thai office can send back a translation it did not ask for, and you pay twice. We recommend checking the requirement first.
Translation and legalisation: what order
A document issued abroad goes through its own certification chain first: the full legalisation chain until 28 February 2027, or an apostille after that date for states that have not objected. The translation is made for whichever version the office will actually read, usually after any seals have been added, so the seals get translated too. The chain itself is covered on our document legalisation for Thailand page, and what changes once the Convention takes effect is in our guide the apostille and Thailand from 28 February 2027.
Thai documents for use back home
The reverse comes up too: a Thai marriage certificate or court order needed abroad. It is legalised at the Department of Consular Affairs first and then, if your country asks for it, at that country's embassy in Thailand. Whether you need an English translation and who must certify it is for the authority back home to decide, so we confirm that before we prepare anything, and we can prepare the paperwork in both Thai and English.
How we work
- Scans and purpose. You send scans and tell us which office needs the document and why. We reply within 24 hours.
- The requirement. We find out how much of the document to translate, whether seals need translating too, and who must certify the result.
- Translation and check. We translate the document, and our lawyers check your name against your passport and any earlier Thai paperwork.
- Certification. We arrange whichever certification the office asked for, filing at the Department of Consular Affairs through qlegal when that is the route.
- Handover. We hand over the finished set and explain where and in what order to file it.
We agree the cost with you and fix it before we start.
Timing and cost
We price a translation per document: [price]. The time it takes depends on the document and the office's requirements, so we give it once we have seen both. Ministry of Foreign Affairs fees and the fees of any other office are paid separately; their amount, the processing time and whether an express option exists are confirmed with the branch you use before you book.
What to check before you order a translation
Which office will decide whether to accept your document is outside our control, so before you order a translation we suggest checking:
- which office needs the document, and in what form: original, certified copy or translation;
- whether your name is spelled the same way in your passport, the document and any earlier Thai paperwork, since a mismatch is a frequent reason for an office to send a set back;
- whether the whole document needs translating or only part of it, and whether seals and certification wording need translating too;
- whether the document itself is still current enough for the office's rules.
Where to start
Send us scans and tell us which office needs the document and by when. We will confirm the requirement and reply within 24 hours with what needs translating, who has to certify it, and what it will cost.
