Obtain an issuer-certified original, have the Costa Rica authorities authenticate the signature, legalise at the Royal Thai Embassy in Costa Rica or at the Costa Rica mission in Thailand, translate into Thai, have the translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs, then file with the Thai receiving authority.
Costa Rica is an Apostille contracting party, but Thailand is not, and the Convention only operates between contracting states. A document from Costa Rica therefore still needs embassy legalisation and a Thai translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs. Thailand acceded to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention on 30 June 2026; it enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027, so Apostilles are not yet issued. An Apostille from the issuing country alone does not automatically make a document usable before a Thai authority. The foreign document is legalised either at the Royal Thai Embassy in the issuing country or at that country’s mission in Thailand, then translated into Thai, and the translation is certified by the Department of Consular Affairs, MFA, before it is filed with the Thai receiving authority.
Request the copy signed and sealed by the registrar or issuing office, not a self-made photocopy. For older documents, request a fresh issue so the signatory is still on the specimen-signature register.
Caution: Photocopies and self-printed PDFs are usually rejected at the very first counter.
The issuing country’s foreign ministry (or the body it designates) authenticates the signature on the document. Some countries issue an Apostille at this stage; because Thailand’s Apostille accession (30 June 2026) only enters into force on 28 February 2027, a further step is still required.
Caution: Many people stop at the Apostille and fly to Thailand, then have to send the document back for further legalisation.
Route A: legalise at the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General in the issuing country. Route B: have the issuing country’s embassy or consulate in Thailand certify it instead. Choose according to what the receiving authority accepts and where the holder is.
Caution: Some missions only certify documents that already carry their own foreign ministry’s seal; skipping the order restarts the chain.
The translation must mirror the original line by line, including every seal, signature block and legalisation stamp. Personal names must match the passport spelling or the Thai records already on file.
Caution: Name spellings that differ from existing Thai records are the single most common rejection reason at the translation-certification stage.
File the legalised original together with the Thai translation at the Legalisation Division, Department of Consular Affairs (Chaeng Watthana) or a passport office that accepts legalisation work. Officers check the translation before affixing the certification.
Caution: A translation filed without the legalised original will not be certified.
Submit the completed bundle to the receiving body: district registrar, Department of Provincial Administration, Immigration Bureau, Department of Business Development, a court or an educational institution. Each may ask for supporting papers.
Caution: Some authorities count a validity window from the legalisation date, so check before booking travel.
Obtain an issuer-certified original, have the Costa Rica authorities authenticate the signature, legalise at the Royal Thai Embassy in Costa Rica or at the Costa Rica mission in Thailand, translate into Thai, have the translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs, then file with the Thai receiving authority.
Costa Rica is an Apostille contracting party, but Thailand is not, and the Convention only operates between contracting states. A document from Costa Rica therefore still needs embassy legalisation and a Thai translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs. Thailand acceded to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention on 30 June 2026; it enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027, so Apostilles are not yet issued. An Apostille from the issuing country alone does not automatically make a document usable before a Thai authority. The foreign document is legalised either at the Royal Thai Embassy in the issuing country or at that country’s mission in Thailand, then translated into Thai, and the translation is certified by the Department of Consular Affairs, MFA, before it is filed with the Thai receiving authority.
Where Costa Rica has no resident mission in Thailand, use the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General whose jurisdiction covers Costa Rica, then bring the document to Thailand for translation and certification.
Documents from Costa Rica are usually issued in es. Unless the document is already in Thai, it must be translated into Thai with every seal transcribed.
Generally no. Certification is placed on a document already authenticated by the issuer or a diplomatic mission; a self-made photocopy carries no weight at this stage.
Attach linking evidence such as a change-of-name certificate or a same-person affidavit; otherwise the registrar will not record it. Fix the spelling in the translation to match the passport from the outset.
The document itself usually has no expiry, but many Thai receiving bodies require it to have been issued or legalised within a recent window. Check the receiving authority’s rule before starting.
Not always. In many cases an authorised representative can act at origin, or the document can be certified at the issuing country’s mission in Thailand instead, depending on what the receiving body accepts.
It depends on the Thai receiving body. In practice a printed copy carrying the same legalisation chain is still expected; where only a file exists, have the issuer certify a true copy first.
Name spellings that differ from existing Thai records are the single most common rejection reason at the translation-certification stage. The next most common is: Many people stop at the Apostille and fly to Thailand, then have to send the document back for further legalisation.
Yes. We review what you hold, sequence the legalisation correctly, prepare the translation, file it for certification and advise you through the Thai submission — advisory support throughout, not just processing.
Send photos of the document and all legalisation stamps to LINE @Thainotary or call 094-895-8999; we will tell you whether the copy you hold can proceed as is.
Send photos of the Costa Rica document and every stamp to LINE @Thainotary or call 094-895-8999 and we will tell you which step comes next.
Procedure reviewed on 2026-08-17