How to Get a Certified Translation of a Document in Thailand
If you are bringing foreign documents into Thailand or sending Thai documents abroad for official purposes, in most cases, you will need to get them translated if they are not in the required language. Whether you are looking to translate from English to Thai, or from Thai to English, you need a professional translator in Thailand who can help translate it into the right language.
However, since the document is for an official purpose such as a visa application or marriage registration, just any translation will not be acceptable. You need a certified translation from a reliable translator or your document and the application it is for, may be rejected by the requesting authority. This page explains what qualifies as a “certified translation” in Thailand, which documents require it, and how you can get certified translations for your important documents.
What is a “Certified Translation” in Thailand?
A certified translation is a document copy that has been translated but also includes the stamp and signature of the translator as proof of its accuracy. This does not mean that the translation itself is certified as accurate or up to the standards of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs or MFA. A certified translation only means that the translator has taken responsibility for the translation and certified that they did the job to the best of their ability. To prevent problems that may arise in the future, it is best to find a reliable certified translator who meets the MFA’s standards and prevent the official documents you want to translate from being rejected from being used in or outside of Thailand.
How to Find a Reliable Certified Translator in Thailand
If you want to find a reliable certified translator in Thailand, you will have to pay close attention to how they describe themselves. As mentioned earlier, there is no one license or certification that enables a translator to provide a certified translation; just about anyone could technically do it. To ensure your translation won’t be refused by the MFA and your plans aren't disrupted because of an inexperienced or unscrupulous translator, you need someone with the right credentials.
There are two qualifications that you should look for that will separate the genuine, reliable professionals from the scammers:
Ideally, you want a translator that has both of these qualifications. In particular, a translator enlisted by the MFA is most desirable, as they are familiar with the MFA’s standards and will ensure your document is acceptable for legalization.
Which Documents Require Certified Translations, and Why?
A certified translation ensures a document can be legalized by the MFA for official use, which is the primary purpose for most certified translations. Without legalization, a translation cannot be used officially in Thailand or abroad, and if a translation is not certified or does not meet the MFA’s standards, it will not be legalized.
Official documents from abroad must generally be translated into Thai before they can be accepted by local institutions in Thailand. However, many foreign countries such as Schengen states, also accept documents in English, even though it is not their primary language. So typically, you will only need an English translation of Thai documents to be sent abroad, but be sure to check with the requesting authority.
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The following documents may require a certified translation:
For example, if you are applying for a dependent visa for your child in Thailand, you would have to provide their birth certificate. If it is from a foreign country, it would first need to be translated into Thai. Once that process is complete, the certified translation would need to be legalized before Thai Immigration would accept it.
Conversely, if you are divorcing a Thai partner and you have assets abroad, you would need a legalized certified translation of your Thai divorce agreement before it could be enforced in a foreign country.
What to Do After Getting a Certified Translation
After a document has been translated, you will then likely need to get it notarized so that it can then be legalized. Unlike most foreign countries, there are no notaries public in Thailand because it is not part of the Hague Convention on Legalization of Foreign Public Documents. To get a document certified in Thailand, you will instead need to seek out a Thai Notarial Services Attorney (NSA), who can be found at law firms throughout Thailand such as Siam Legal International.
NSAs are fully licensed and trained to handle professional notarization of various legal and immigration documents. They are authorized by the Thai government and ensure that each translated document is certified in a way that meets accepted Thai legal standards.
How to Get a Certified Translation Legalized in Thailand
Once a translated document has been notarized, you may need to get it legalized for international or domestic use, depending on where it came from. Before going through the MFA’s legalization procedure, you need to ensure the original document and its translation are notarized (if necessary). You will then need to submit it in person to the MFA’s legalization office.
Upon receipt, the MFA will review the notarized copy and compare it with the original document, ensuring that it is translated correctly and meets international legal standards. After legalizing the document, the MFA will stamp it as proof that it can now be used outside Thailand.
Alternatively, you can enlist legalization services to perform this task for you to save you time and the headache of dealing with the bureaucracy. Fortunately, many translation services providers also offer legalization services so you can get it all done in one go.
How to Get an Accurate Certified Translation, Guaranteed
To get a document translated and certified legally and reliably, partner with Siam Legal International. We are a full-service law firm and visa consultancy with 20 years of experience in assisting foreigners with legal and immigration matters. As part of our diverse services offering, we provide precise and professional translation services which are handled by a level 3 translator and interpreter.
Our translator is an Enlisted Document Translator for the MFA who is fully certified by the Southeast Asian Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters (SEAProTI). This means they are entrusted by the Thai government to provide high-quality, certified translations of official government documents.
Because of this, you can be sure that we can translate your documents accurately from English to Thai, and vice versa, ensuring that it meets both local and international standards. We also provide notarization and legalization services, so you can get all your document needs met reliably in one place.
Contact Siam Legal today for an accurate, notarized, and legalized translation that ensures your application or legal process won’t be delayed by a rejection from the MFA.