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.
| Aspect | Self-managed | With our team |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-check before starting | You read the authority notices yourself and risk starting at the wrong step | Our team reviews what you already hold and says whether a fresh issue is needed before you travel |
| Coordinating with missions | You contact and queue at each mission, all with different rules | We track each mission’s current requirements and sequence the filings correctly |
| Translation quality | Translations that miss a seal or misspell a name are commonly returned | We transcribe every seal and reconcile name spellings against your existing Thai records |
| Advisory role | No one to advise when the authority asks for extra papers | Our team advises through the whole matter, not just processing paperwork |
Send a photo of the foreign document to LINE @Thainotary or call 094-895-8999 and we will tell you which step comes next.
Contact the team