Notary Public Thailand — Certified Translation & Legalization

How the notarial and legalization workflow really runs

Every notarial or legalization matter at Thai Notary Law follows a documented eight-step workflow. The steps below are the exact sequence our attorneys and case officers use for cross-border filings, so you can plan your travel, courier, and embassy appointments with confidence.

1. 1. Intake and jurisdiction check

   We review the destination country, the receiving authority (embassy, court, university, bank, land office), and confirm whether the file needs Notary only, Notary + MFA legalization, Notary + MFA + embassy, or Apostille under the Hague Convention, which enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027.

2. 2. Document eligibility

   Original documents are inspected for issuing-authority seals, signatures, and formatting. Public documents (birth, marriage, degree, company affidavits) generally proceed directly. Private documents (contracts, powers of attorney, statutory declarations) are prepared or reviewed before notarisation.

3. 3. Certified translation

   If the destination requires the file in Thai, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Indonesian, our in-house translators produce a certified translation with translator declaration, sworn signature, and page-by-page seal, ready to be legalised together with the original.

4. 4. Notarial act

   A licensed Notarial Services Attorney executes the appropriate act: signature witnessing, oath, affirmation, certification of a true copy, or protest. The act is recorded in our register and stamped with the attorney's official seal.

5. 5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalization

   For consular chains we file the document at the MFA Legalization Division in Chaeng Watthana. Standard turnaround is two working days; express next-day service is available on request and subject to MFA capacity.

6. 6. Embassy or Apostille route

   If the destination country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, we route the file through the MFA Apostille counter — one-stop legalization. Otherwise we book the destination embassy in Bangkok, submit the file, and collect on your behalf.

7. 7. Quality control and courier

   The completed file is scanned, indexed against your matter number, and either couriered internationally (DHL / FedEx) or handed over in person. Every seal, stamp, and translator declaration is photographed as part of the delivery record.

8. 8. After-service

   We retain your matter file for seven years under the Lawyers Council of Thailand record-keeping standard. If the receiving authority raises a query, we re-issue supporting letters or amend translations at no additional attorney fee within the first six months.

Realistic timeline expectations

Turnaround varies with authority queues, courier windows, and destination-country requirements. The values below reflect our median case time over the past twelve months for matters filed from our Bangkok headquarters.

• Signature or copy certification (Bangkok walk-in)Same day (60–90 minutes at HQ, 2–3 hours at branches)
• Certified translation (up to 5 pages)1–2 working days
• MFA legalization (standard queue)2 working days
• MFA legalization (express counter)Next working day
• Apostille via MFA (from 28 Feb 2027)1–2 working days
• Consular chain — European embassies3–5 working days
• Consular chain — Chinese, Japanese, Korean embassies5–10 working days
• International courier (DHL / FedEx Priority)2–4 working days globally

Thailand and the Hague Apostille Convention (in force for Thailand 28 February 2027)

Thailand deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands on 30 June 2026, and the Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027. From that date, public documents issued in Thailand that are destined for other Convention states may be legalised through a single Apostille certificate issued by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, replacing the previous Notary → MFA → embassy chain for public documents. Private documents (contracts, powers of attorney, affidavits) still require notarisation before the Apostille can be affixed. Our attorneys follow the Ministry's practitioner briefings and process both Apostille and traditional consular routes in parallel.

Frequently asked questions