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Certification work is carried out by attorneys registered as Notarial Services Attorneys with the Lawyers Council of Thailand under the Regulation of the Lawyers Council on Registration of Notarial Services Attorneys B.E. 2551. Licence numbers and personal data in the images below are redacted for privacy; originals can be verified in person.
Miss Anutaree
Mr. Jiraphan
Mr. Jirasak
Mr. Patipan
Mr. Warawut
Mr. Wiwat
Issued by the Lawyers Council of Thailand · personal data partly redacted
An apostille is a single standardised certificate under the Hague Convention that allows a public document issued in one contracting state to be accepted in another without further embassy legalisation. Thailand deposited its instrument of accession on 30 June 2026 and the Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027. Before that date Thai documents still follow the existing route: legalisation at the Department of Consular Affairs, then, if the receiving country requires it, at that country's embassy in Thailand. For documents submitted to Australian authorities, an apostille does not replace a NAATI-certified translation — they answer different questions.
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Thai Cabinet approved accession to the Convention | 9 December 2025 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand — accession to the Apostille Convention |
| Thailand deposited its instrument of accession in The Hague | 30 June 2026 | Department of Consular Affairs — deposit of the instrument of accession (1 July 2026) |
| Objection period for existing contracting parties | 8 months from the date of deposit | Department of Consular Affairs — deposit of the instrument of accession (1 July 2026) |
| Entry into force of the Convention for Thailand | 28 February 2027 | Department of Consular Affairs — deposit of the instrument of accession (1 July 2026) |
| Status of Australia | Already a contracting party; DFAT issues apostilles for Australian documents | DFAT Australia — Notarial services |
Ask the receiving authority in writing whether they require an apostille, Department of Consular Affairs legalisation, embassy legalisation, or a certified translation only. Before 28 February 2027 Thai documents cannot receive an apostille, so plan around the existing route.
Civil registry records come from the district office, education records from the institution, and police clearance certificates from the Royal Thai Police. Seals and signatures must be crisp originals, not repeated photocopies.
Translate everything: letterhead, the Garuda emblem, document numbers, text inside seals and stamps, and any endnotes. Spell names exactly as in the passport. Australian authorities usually require translations produced by a NAATI-certified translator.
Before 28 February 2027, submit for legalisation at the Department of Consular Affairs and then, if required, at the destination country's embassy. Once the Convention is in force, check the Department's announcements for which document types are eligible, how to lodge, and what fees apply.
Check name spellings, dates, document numbers, and page completeness across the original, the translation, and the certificate. Any mismatch should be fixed first — most receiving bodies return the whole bundle rather than a single page.
| Item | Apostille | Legalisation (consular + embassy) | NAATI-certified translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who issues it | The designated Competent Authority of a contracting state | Department of Consular Affairs, then the destination country's embassy | A translator or agency certified by NAATI |
| What it certifies | The signature, capacity, and seal on a public document | Signatures and seals, step by step through each authority | That the translation corresponds to the source document supplied |
| What it does not certify | The truth of the content of the document | The truth of the content of the document | The truth of the content, and it does not replace government certification |
| When it applies | Both origin and destination are contracting states and the Convention is in force for both | The destination is not a contracting state, or the Convention is not yet in force for the origin state | The receiving body requires a translation from a certified translator |
Timeline from official announcements: Cabinet approval 9 December 2025, instrument of accession deposited 30 June 2026, entry into force 28 February 2027, plus what to do during the transition.
Compares apostille with Department of Consular Affairs legalisation and embassy legalisation: who certifies, what is certified, how many steps, and when the older route still applies.
Public Thai documents commonly certified for use abroad — birth certificates, marriage records, transcripts, police clearance certificates — and what to prepare before lodging.
What Australian authorities actually require — certification of the original document versus a NAATI-certified translation — and the preparation order that reduces the risk of rejection.
How documents from contracting states are used in Thailand before and after 28 February 2027, including the Thai translation requirement.
Not yet. Thailand deposited its instrument of accession on 30 June 2026 and the Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027. Until then, Thai documents follow the existing legalisation route through the Department of Consular Affairs and, where required, the destination country's embassy.
No. An apostille certifies the signature, capacity, and seal on the original document. A NAATI-certified translation states that the translation corresponds to the source document. Australian authorities generally set the translation requirement separately, so check the written requirement from the body handling your case.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the competent authority for Australian documents. Details of the service, including what DFAT will and will not certify, are published on the Australian Government's notarial services pages.
Public documents such as civil registry records, court documents, education records from recognised institutions, and documents certified by a public officer. The definitive list of eligible categories, channels, and fees will be published by the Department of Consular Affairs.
Not between contracting states where the Convention operates, which is the point of the single certificate. It still applies where the destination country is not a contracting state, or where the Convention does not operate between the two states concerned.
Processing times vary by authority and time of year, and are set by the authority rather than by a translation provider. Check the current announcements from the Department of Consular Affairs before you commit to a lodgement date, and allow buffer time.
Yes for translation and document review — send clear scans and we will confirm what the receiving body requires. Certification steps that a Thai authority must perform in person are coordinated by our team in Thailand. Contact us by phone, LINE, or email for the current process.
Government fees are set by the authorities and change from time to time, and translation scope varies by document. Please contact our team by phone, LINE, or email with scans of your documents for a quote and a realistic timeline.
Content reviewed August 2026. This is general information for document preparation, not legal advice for a specific case. Fees, turnaround, and eligible document types are set by the Legalisation Division, Department of Consular Affairs, and party status can be verified in the HCCH — Apostille Section. For service details, contact us by phone, LINE, or email.
Illustrative scenarios used to explain how the process works. They are not individual customer cases and are not a guarantee of any authority's decision.
Client: Thai national · Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Client: Foreign national · Location: Overseas (Western Europe)
Client: Applicant checking the current route · Location: Worldwide
Client: Applicant · Location: Thailand
Reviewed August 2026. Requirements change — confirm with the receiving authority before lodging.
The information on this page is based on the official sources below. Reviewed August 2026. Requirements change — always confirm with the receiving authority before lodging.
The destination country decides whether an Apostille is accepted or the older legalisation chain applies. Choosing wrongly sends the whole bundle back.
Reviewed August 2025. Confirm current requirements with the receiving authority before lodging.
Ask about your document path on LINE @NAATIAn Apostille certifies an official's signature and seal, not the content, and it replaces only the destination-embassy step — never the translation or the certification of the translation.
Ask the receiving authority directly whether an Apostille is accepted for your document type, or whether embassy legalisation is still required, and in which language.
Obtain a freshly certified original from the issuing office so the signing official is verifiable.
Translate into the required language using the accepted certification system — NAATI for Australia, a sworn translator for some European countries.
Have the translation and the official signature legalised; timing depends on the service tier and the queue at the time.
Follow the Apostille channel the Department of Consular Affairs specifies, or lodge at the destination embassy in Bangkok if an Apostille is not accepted.
If you would rather not track each step yourself, send scans on LINE. Our team, which has handled this type of work for over 15 years, will map your document route first — where it should end, how many copies you need, and which steps would be wasted — and you decide afterwards whether to do it yourself or hand it to us.
For Thai documents the Apostille Convention enters into force on 28 February 2027 (source: HCCH); until then the existing chain applies.
| Option | What it certifies | Issued or signed by | When to use | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAATI-certified translation | A translation signed by a NAATI-certified translator with a stamp or digital certification showing the practitioner number | NAATI-certified translator (Australia) | Submissions to Australian authorities: Department of Home Affairs, skills assessing authorities, universities, state agencies | Certifies the translation only — not that the source document is genuine, and it is not Thai consular legalisation |
| Certified translation by a Thai translator | A translation with the translator's or agency's certificate of accuracy | Translator or translation company in Thailand | Domestic use, or as the base document before MFA legalisation in Thailand | Many Australian authorities will not accept it unless the translator is NAATI-certified |
| Notarial certification (Thai Notarial Services Attorney) | Certification of a signature, or that a copy is a true copy of the original | Notarial Services Attorney admitted in Thailand | Powers of attorney, affidavits, child travel consents, company documents, certified copies for overseas use | Does not certify that the content is true and does not replace a NAATI translation |
| Legalisation by the Department of Consular Affairs | Certification of the signature of the issuing officer or of the certifying translator | Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand | The destination requires Thai documents to pass through the MFA before the embassy step | Certifies signatures, not content, and it is not an Apostille |
| Embassy or consulate certification | The final link in the legalisation chain, applied by the destination country's mission | Embassy or consulate of the destination country | The destination country still requires a further certification after MFA legalisation | Each mission sets its own document list and queue; always check that mission's current notice |
| Apostille | Certification under the Apostille Convention that replaces multi-layer legalisation between contracting parties | The competent authority of the country that issued the document | A document from one contracting party used in another contracting party | For Thai documents the Convention enters into force on 28 February 2027 (source: HCCH); until then the MFA + embassy chain still applies |
If you are unsure where your document chain should stop, send scans and the name of the receiving authority on LINE. Our advisory team, with more than 15 years on this type of work, will map the route first so you do not pay for steps you never needed.
