Our team & real credentials
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
A “sworn translator” (traducteur assermenté, beeidigter Übersetzer, traductor jurado, beëdigd vertaler) is a status granted by the state in several European countries, allowing that translator's work to be filed directly with courts and public authorities. Thailand has no state system that appoints sworn translators. Thai documents intended for use in Europe therefore normally follow a different route: translate into English or the destination language, have the translation legalised by Thailand's Department of Consular Affairs, and then, where the destination embassy requires it, legalised again at that embassy — or have the document re-translated by a sworn translator in the destination country. What each embassy accepts differs by document type and by the purpose of your application, so always confirm on the embassy's own website before you start.
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sworn translators in Thailand | Thailand does not operate a state register of sworn translators. Certification of a Thai translation is handled through the Department of Consular Affairs and, where required, the destination embassy. | Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand) |
| Order of legalisation | Consular legalisation in Thailand normally comes first; embassy legalisation is added on top of it. Most embassies will not legalise a translation that has not been through the Thai consular step. | Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand) |
| Apostille for Thai documents | The Apostille Convention enters into force for documents issued in Thailand on 28 February 2027. Until that date, documents still follow the legalisation route. | HCCH — Apostille Convention |
| NAATI and Europe | NAATI certification is the Australian standard. European authorities generally do not treat it as a substitute for their own sworn-translator systems. | NAATI |
| Processing time and fees | Both vary by authority, document type and workload. Figures published by the receiving authority at the time of lodgement are the ones that apply. | Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand) |
The accepted translator depends on whether your matter is filed in Thailand (through an embassy here) or inside the destination country. Establish this first — it decides the whole route.
Civil registry documents are often required to have been issued recently. Request new certified copies from the district office before translation rather than reusing old ones.
The translation must cover every line, stamp and signature. Personal names must match the passport letter for letter, and document numbers and dates must match the original exactly.
Start with the Department of Consular Affairs, then the destination embassy if that embassy requires it. This order cannot be reversed.
Re-check names, dates, document numbers and the completeness of every stamp. Keep a complete scan set — the receiving authority may ask for additional copies while your matter is being assessed.
| Route | Who certifies | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|
| Translation legalised in Thailand | Department of Consular Affairs, then the destination embassy | Thai documents prepared in Thailand for use abroad |
| Sworn translator in the destination country | A translator appointed by that country's court or ministry | Filings with courts, municipalities and authorities that require their own registered translators |
| NAATI certified translation | A translator certified by NAATI (Australia) | Documents lodged with Australian authorities; not the European standard |
How Thai documents are prepared for French authorities, and when a court-appointed translator in France is required.
Preparing Thai documents for German authorities, including document verification (Urkundenüberprüfung).
Preparing Thai documents for Italian authorities and the role of a sworn translation filed in Italy.
Preparing Thai documents for Spanish authorities and the role of the traductor jurado.
The route for Thai documents used in the Netherlands and translators listed in the Rbtv register.
Content reviewed August 2026. General information on document preparation, not legal advice. Embassy requirements change — confirm with Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand) and the destination embassy before lodging. Ask our team by phone, LINE @NAATI or email.
Reviewed August 2026. Requirements change — confirm with the receiving authority before lodging.
Several civil-law countries appoint sworn or court-appointed translators whose translations carry legal force domestically. Australia does not use a sworn translator system; the reference point for Australian bodies is NAATI certification. A sworn translation from another country is not automatically accepted in Australia and often has to be redone.
A NAATI certified translator certifies their own work. An existing translation can be reviewed and, if it is accurate, reissued under certification — but the translator must take responsibility for the whole text, so the review is not a rubber stamp and is sometimes no faster than translating afresh.
A certified translation reproduces the structure of the source: headings, tables, seals, stamps and signatures are described in place so the reader can match every element to the original. Nothing is added, removed or summarised.
Send us the query in writing. Where the issue comes from our translation or certification format we correct and reissue at no charge. We cannot influence the decision on your application — we are a translation provider, not a registered migration agent.
Not for the translation itself. But if the receiving body requires legalisation or an apostille on the original, that step should normally happen before the final translation so the certificate is captured in the translated set. Confirm the order of steps before starting.
Yes. Everything that carries meaning on the page is rendered: printed text, seals, stamps, handwritten annotations, signature blocks and anything struck through. Where a mark is unreadable the translator notes it as illegible rather than guessing, because inventing content is what makes a translation unusable.
A document that already carries an official English column may still need certified translation of the Thai-only parts — seals, endorsements and issuing notes are often Thai only. Send the full page and we tell you whether any translation is needed at all before you commit to anything.
Yes, and the amendment is rendered as it appears, with a translator note identifying it as a handwritten alteration. Do not tidy the original before scanning: an authority comparing the translation with the source expects them to match line for line.
NAATI does not put an expiry date on a translation. What expires is the source document — a police certificate or a bank statement, for example, where the receiving authority accepts only documents issued within a set window. When the original falls outside that window the translation of it is equally out of date. Check the accepted window published by the receiving body before ordering.
Source: NAATI
As a rule the whole document is translated, including the reverse side, the grading key, seals, signatures and any handwritten annotation. Partial translation is one of the most common reasons a body issues a request for further information. If the receiving body genuinely wants only part of it, keep their instruction in writing and attach it.
Send both. A certified translation reproduces what the source document says; it cannot silently correct a name. Where the receiving body allows it, a translator's note records the passport spelling alongside the document spelling so the discrepancy is explained rather than hidden. An unexplained mismatch is treated as a discrepancy by every authority.
Most online lodgement portals accept a digitally certified PDF from a NAATI certified translator, and NAATI publishes the digital certification format practitioners use. A minority of processes, and some counter lodgements, still ask for a printed set with a physical stamp. Tell us the authority and the lodgement channel and the correct format is issued from the start.
Source: NAATI
Yes. Where the error is ours — a typing mistake, a misread figure, a formatting issue — it is corrected and reissued at no charge. Where the source document itself was wrong and has since been reissued by the authority, the corrected original is translated as a new job because the certification attaches to a specific source document.
Australian receiving bodies work in English, so the direction is source language into English. Where NAATI certification exists for that pair a certified translator is used. Where it does not, Home Affairs sets out what a translation prepared outside Australia must show — the translator's full name, address, telephone number and details of their qualifications and experience in the language concerned — and the work is prepared in that format with the credential stated plainly.
Source: Department of Home Affairs
No. Clear full-page scans with all four corners visible are enough to produce and certify a translation. Keep the originals yourself: the receiving body may ask to sight them separately, and some ask for a certified copy of the original rather than the original itself.
Each seal and signature is described in place so the reader can match it to the same position on the original — nothing is added, removed or summarised. Text that genuinely cannot be read is marked as illegible rather than guessed. If a large part of a document is illegible it is usually faster to obtain a fresh certified copy from the issuing office first.
A certified translation normally carries the translator's NAATI stamp or digital certification, the practitioner number, the certification direction (for example Thai into English), the date, the translator's signature, and a statement that the translation is a true and accurate rendering of the document sighted. The receiving body checks those elements, so a translation missing any of them is often sent back.
Source: NAATI
NAATI publishes an online directory where a practitioner's name, number and certification type can be checked, and digitally certified translations carry a verifiable identifier. Ask for the practitioner number up front so the receiving body can confirm it independently.
Source: NAATI
If every element the receiving body needs, including seals, stamps, handwritten notes and the reverse side, already appears in English, a translation may not be required. In practice many bilingual documents carry Thai-only stamps or annotations, and those parts still have to be translated. Send the full scan and we will tell you which parts are not covered.
Australian online lodgement channels generally accept digitally certified PDFs, and NAATI supports digital certification. Some registries, courts and overseas offices still ask for a printed set with a wet signature or physical stamp. Tell us the receiving body and channel and we issue the matching format.
Source: NAATI
A certified true copy is a copy of an original that an authorised person confirms matches the original. It is a separate act from translation. Some bodies want the translation attached to a certified true copy rather than to a plain photocopy, so check the checklist before ordering.
The translation follows the source document, and where the receiving body permits it a translator's note records the passport spelling so the reader can reconcile the two. Never ask a translator to silently change a name; an unexplained change is treated as a discrepancy.
A certified translation must correspond to the document sighted. Extracting selected pages is possible only when the receiving body explicitly accepts an extract, and the certification must say clearly which pages were translated. Partial translations without that statement are a common rejection reason.
A translation itself does not expire; the underlying document may. Police certificates, bank statements and some registry extracts have validity windows set by the receiving body, and a fresh original means a fresh translation. Check the window before ordering.
Source: Department of Home Affairs
They are described in place — for example [official seal of the district office] — so the reader can match every element of the translation to the original. Nothing is omitted, and anything illegible is recorded as illegible rather than guessed.
Yes, but the accepted credential differs by country. NAATI is the Australian reference point; other jurisdictions may require a sworn or court-appointed translator, or legalisation of the translator's signature. Confirm the requirement with the receiving body before ordering.
Receiving bodies generally require an independent, appropriately credentialed translator, and translations by the applicant or a relative are commonly refused because of the conflict of interest. Use an independent translator even where the rule is not spelled out.
Source: Department of Home Affairs
A flat PDF or a sharp photo where all four corners, every stamp and the reverse side are visible. Avoid cropping, filters and screenshots of screens. Poor scans slow the work down and can force an illegible note into the certified text.
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.
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 (Europe)
Client: Thai national · Location: Overseas (Australia and Europe)
Reviewed August 2026. Requirements change — confirm with the receiving authority before lodging.
Many European and Latin American countries use sworn translators appointed by their courts or ministries — a different system from Australia's NAATI.
Ask the authority or that country's embassy whether an in-country sworn translator is required, or whether a Thai certified and legalised translation is accepted.
Some countries require the original to be certified or apostilled first, so the translation covers every seal.
A sworn translation carries the translator's seal, signature and registration number, which the destination can verify.
This may mean legalisation at that country's embassy in Bangkok, or direct use once you arrive.
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.
Each country defines an acceptable translator differently: some require a court-appointed sworn translator, others accept a professional translator's certification with a statement of competence. We check which group your recipient belongs to.
Reviewed August 2025. Confirm current requirements with the receiving authority before lodging.
Ask about your document path on LINE @NAATI