How To Get Your Documents Notarized or Legalized in Thailand

I know this isn’t the most exciting topic we’ve presented, but it is one of the need-to-know topics for most of us working or conducting business here in Thailand.

In this video, we’ll explain how to get documents notarized or legalized without leaving the country, so your document is accepted by a government agency or is enforceable in a court of law.

So let’s start with why notarization or legalization is required.

At its core, you are asking a third party who is authorized by a governmental authority to confirm your signature on a document or confirm that a document is true and correct.

This can include sworn statements for immigration or other governmental matters, property sale agreements, powers of attorney where you’re authorizing someone to act on your behalf, estate documents that will carry out your wishes after you pass, and legalization needed to affirm that an overseas document is actually what it purports to be, such as a marriage or birth certificate, court order, diploma or academic record, police clearance, or corporate record.

Notarizing documents used here in Thailand is fairly straightforward.

You’ll need to appear before a Thai lawyer who has received training and certification by the Lawyers Council of Thailand.

When you show up for your appointment, the notary will verify your identity with a government-issued ID, typically your passport.

You’ll then sign the original document in the presence of the notary, and he or she will officially notarize the document with a stamp or seal.

Now, let’s say you have a document that you need notarized for use in your home country, such as a living trust or will.

A Thai notarization is generally not accepted by many jurisdictions overseas, and notaries in your home country are typically not allowed to notarize documents in Thailand.

Fortunately, there’s a solution, and that is your home country’s embassy or consulate.

Make an appointment, usually online or by phone. Bring the original unsigned document and your passport, and pay a nominal fee. For the US Embassy, the current fee is $50.

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Now, the third scenario is when you need to bring an overseas document into Thailand for some official purpose. This is referred to as legalization and is performed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This can include a marriage certificate issued overseas so a marriage can be registered here in Thailand, or perhaps you need a police clearance from your home country for employment or if you’re applying for permanent residency.

The process is currently a bit complex. It requires certification of the document at the state or provincial level and then certification at the federal level.

For instance, a marriage certificate issued in California would need to be certified by both the California Secretary of State and the US State Department.

At that point, the document can proceed to the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, DC, for final certification.

Once that process is completed by the embassy, the document is then sent to Thailand, translated, and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

All of this is doable, and we’ve helped many clients navigate the process, but it does take a bit of planning and scheduling, especially if, for instance, you’re trying to register a marriage so you can timely apply for a Non-O Marriage Visa.

Now, a bit of good news on the horizon is that Thailand is considering becoming a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961.

There are currently 120 member nations that recognize the convention.

When Thailand signs on, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would accept an apostille or certification from a foreign governmental authority without having to go through the embassy or consulate.

For instance, for a marriage in California, the California Secretary of State could attach an apostille to a marriage certificate, and that would be accepted by the Thai government as valid authentication.

We hope you found this helpful, if not terribly exciting.

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