FAQ
Frequently asked questions about notary services in Thailand
Answers written by licensed Notarial Services Attorneys, aligned with the Lawyers Council of Thailand, the Department of Consular Affairs and the main embassies in Bangkok.
- Updated 2026
- Answered by licensed attorneys
- English-speaking team
In Thailand only a lawyer licensed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand as a Notarial Services Attorney may notarise documents. Most documents used abroad also need Department of Consular Affairs (MFA) legalisation and, for non-Hague countries, destination embassy legalisation. Standard notarisation takes about 30 minutes in office; the full legalisation chain takes 7-14 business days.
- 1. Who is allowed to act as a Notary Public in Thailand? +
- Thailand has no separate notary profession. Notarisation is performed by a Notarial Services Attorney: a lawyer licensed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand under the 2008 Notarial Services Attorney Regulations. All six attorneys on our team hold that licence, and the licence number appears on every certificate we issue so a foreign authority can verify it.
- 2. Can a notarised Thai document be used abroad immediately? +
- Usually not. After notarisation, most receiving authorities require legalisation by the Department of Consular Affairs of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Countries that are not party to the Hague Apostille Convention additionally require legalisation by their embassy in Bangkok. We run the whole chain — notarisation, certified translation, MFA, embassy — as a single file so you only hand over documents once.
- 3. How long does each step take? +
- Notarisation is completed in about 30 minutes at the office, with a 15-minute express option. Certified translation is normally 24-48 hours. MFA legalisation is 2-3 business days standard or 1 business day express. Embassy legalisation depends on the embassy, typically 3-10 business days. A full notary-to-embassy chain therefore runs 7-14 business days.
- 4. Do I have to sign in front of the attorney? +
- Yes for signature authentication. Thai regulations require the signatory to sign in the physical presence of the Notarial Services Attorney, with a valid passport or Thai ID. Certified true copies and document certifications do not require your signature, so those can be handled by an authorised representative carrying your ID copy and a signed authorisation letter.
- 5. I am outside Thailand. What are my options? +
- You have three routes. Sign at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate in your country; have a local notary in your country notarise and then obtain an Apostille; or appoint a representative in Thailand with a power of attorney that has itself been notarised and legalised abroad. Send us the requirement in writing and we will tell you which route the receiving authority will accept.
- 6. Which documents are most commonly notarised? +
- Powers of attorney, affidavits and statutory declarations, certified copies of passports and ID cards, academic transcripts and degree certificates, company registration documents and board resolutions, bank statements and sponsorship letters, marriage and birth certificates, and signature verification for property or share transfers.
- 7. Do you provide certified translations as well? +
- Yes. We translate and certify in more than 40 languages, including English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malay and Arabic. Translations are prepared so they are accepted by the Thai MFA and by embassies, which reject translations that lack the translator declaration and matching document numbering.
- 8. Do you serve clients outside Bangkok? +
- We operate staffed offices in Bangkok (Wang Thonglang), Khon Kaen and Udon Thani, and work with partner attorneys covering all 77 provinces. Outside those offices we meet clients by appointment at an agreed location; those meeting points are appointment-only and are not branch offices.
- 9. What does it cost? +
- Signature authentication and certified true copies start at THB 1,500 per document, certified translation from THB 500 per page, and police clearance certificate handling from THB 4,500. Government and embassy fees are charged at cost and shown separately on the quotation, so there is no markup hidden inside a package price.
- 10. What happens if the embassy rejects the document? +
- We correct the notarisation and the translation at no additional professional fee until the document is accepted; only the government or embassy fee for the resubmission is charged again. Before we start, we check the current requirements of the receiving authority precisely to avoid that situation.
- 11. How is my personal data handled? +
- Copies of certified documents are retained as required by the Lawyers Council of Thailand and processed under the Thai Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019). Files are access-controlled, we do not share client documents with third parties without instruction, and you can request a certified copy of your own file later.
- 12. How do I book an appointment? +
- Message us on LINE, call the office between 09:00 and 18:00 daily, or send the document by email. We give a written scope, fee estimate and timeline, usually within 30 minutes during office hours, before any work begins.
Still have a question?
Send us a photo of your document and the name of the authority that will receive it. We confirm the exact chain of certifications, the documents you must bring, and the realistic timeline, usually within 30 minutes during office hours.