Notar in Thailand (Notarial Services Attorney)

How each service is billed (2026, pre-VAT)

Every service above is quoted per unit after a free document review. Government fees (MFA, embassy, Royal Thai Police, DHL) are billed at cost on top of the service fee, and a binding quote is issued within one business hour of receiving scanned originals.

Six-step end-to-end process

1. 1

   Intake & quote

   Send scanned originals via LINE @nyclegal or contact@nyclegal.co.th. We return an itemised quote (THB, pre-VAT) within one business hour.

2. 2

   Drafting & translation

   Certified translators draft the target-language version, paired with a second-pass QA by a different translator. Bilingual notarial certificates are prepared in parallel.

3. 3

   Notarisation

   A licensed Notarial Services Attorney executes the act in Bangkok HQ or at a client-nominated address (mobile-notary, BKK). Photo-evidence of the signature ceremony is archived per Lawyers Council guidance.

4. 4

   MFA legalisation

   Files are submitted to the Department of Consular Affairs, Chaeng Watthana, for legalisation or Apostille — standard two business days, express same-day where slots permit.

5. 5

   Embassy authentication

   Where required (non-Hague destinations) we submit to the foreign mission in Bangkok. Average dwell time is 2–7 business days depending on the country.

6. 6

   Quality control & delivery

   Final scan is checked against the receiving authority's evidentiary checklist before courier (DHL/FedEx) or in-person handover. A digital archive copy is retained for seven years.

Twelve-point document-preparation checklist

1. Originals only — no photographs, screenshots, or unsigned drafts.
2. Single-sided printing on plain A4 (or US Letter) with at least 25 mm clear margin.
3. Black or blue ink for all signatures (red, gel, or stamp-pad ink is rejected by MFA).
4. Company affidavits (DBD) must be dated within 30 days of submission.
5. Personal records (birth, marriage, divorce, death) must be the kor-ror (คร.) original or a certified copy from the issuing amphur.
6. Translations must list the source language pair, translator name, certification number, and a dated statement.
7. Multi-page documents must be page-numbered (e.g. 1/4, 2/4) and securely bound.
8. Photographs (where required) must be 35 × 45 mm, white background, taken within the last six months.
9. Power-of-Attorney instruments require both the principal's and the attorney's full passport details.
10. Police Clearance applications require a complete ten-fingerprint card taken at a Royal Thai Police station.
11. Hague Apostille submissions accept only documents that have first cleared MFA Consular Affairs.
12. Embassy chains require the MFA cover sheet placed on top of the source document and translation.

In-depth Q&A

Country-by-country recognition matrix (2026)

Matrix reflects the position as of 2026-09-09. Always confirm the current requirement directly with the receiving authority — embassy policies, sworn-translator rosters, and Apostille acceptance can change without notice.

Glossary of key terms

Apostille

A single-page certificate issued under the 1961 Hague Convention by a designated Competent Authority (in Thailand, the MFA Department of Consular Affairs) that authenticates the signature, seal, and capacity of the public official who signed the underlying public document. Eliminates the need for embassy legalisation in the 130 contracting parties.

Notarial Services Attorney (NSA)

A Thai lawyer who has completed the Lawyers Council of Thailand notarial training programme and is entered on the official notarial roster. Only NSAs may execute notarial acts in the Kingdom; foreign notaries public have no jurisdiction inside Thailand.

MFA legalisation

Authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Consular Affairs, Chaeng Watthana, Bangkok. Required as the step between Thai notarisation and any foreign-embassy authentication, and as the source step for the Apostille.

Embassy legalisation

The final authentication step performed by the destination country's embassy or consulate in Bangkok. Required for documents destined for non-Hague members (China mainland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Vietnam for some document types).

Kor Ror (คร.)

The series of original Thai civil registry forms — kor ror 2 (marriage), kor ror 3 (marriage certificate), kor ror 22 (divorce), kor ror 6 (family book) — issued by the local amphur (district office). Only kor ror originals or amphur-certified copies are accepted for legalisation.

DBD affidavit

Corporate certificate issued by the Department of Business Development confirming a Thai juristic person's directors, registered capital, objectives and authorised signatories. Must be dated within 30 days of submission for notarial use.

Certified translation

A translation accompanied by a signed translator's affidavit listing the source/target language pair, translator credential number, and a dated statement of fidelity. In Thailand this is delivered on agency letterhead with the corporate seal.

NAATI

National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (Australia). The mandatory translator credential for documents submitted to Australian Home Affairs, state births-deaths-marriages registries, AHPRA, and most Australian universities.

Sworn translation

A translation prepared by a court-sworn translator (notably required in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil). Thailand has no equivalent statutory framework; the closest is the MoJ-translator roster used for court proceedings.

Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

Issued by the Royal Thai Police, Special Branch Bureau. Requires a ten-fingerprint card taken at a Royal Thai Police station; standard turnaround 14–21 business days.

PDPA

Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act, B.E. 2562 (2019). Every client file is held in a case-numbered audit trail with explicit consent, retention period, and right-of-erasure procedures.

Express track

Same-day or 24-hour processing tier available for MFA legalisation, Apostille, and selected embassy chains. Subject to MFA queue availability and a per-document surcharge.

Twelve most common rejection reasons & remedies

1. 1. Document not in original form

   Remedy: Re-issue the original from the issuing authority (amphur, DBD, university registrar, court clerk) before resubmission. Photocopies, scans, and digital prints are rejected by MFA.

2. 2. Signature in red, gel, or stamp-pad ink

   Remedy: Re-execute the document with black or blue ballpoint or fountain-pen ink. MFA OCR cannot reliably capture non-standard ink.

3. 3. DBD affidavit older than 30 days

   Remedy: Request a fresh DBD affidavit at any Department of Business Development counter (same-day issuance) and resubmit.

4. 4. Translation lacks translator credential number

   Remedy: Re-issue the translation with the translator's full name, certification body, credential number and dated affidavit on agency letterhead.

5. 5. Multi-page document not page-numbered or unbound

   Remedy: Number each page as n/total (e.g. 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4) and bind with a notarial ribbon or staple. MFA rejects loose pages.

6. 6. Photograph older than six months

   Remedy: Take a fresh 35×45 mm white-background photograph; visa-format photos are accepted by MFA and most embassies.

7. 7. Police Clearance fingerprint card incomplete

   Remedy: Return to a Royal Thai Police station for a clean ten-finger and palm-print card; partial prints invalidate the application.

8. 8. Power of Attorney missing passport details

   Remedy: Re-execute the POA listing both principal and attorney full passport number, nationality, date of birth and present address; both pages of the passport copy must be attached.

9. 9. Apostille submitted before MFA legalisation

   Remedy: Apostille is only available on documents that have first cleared MFA Consular Affairs. Submit the MFA legalisation step first, then the Apostille.

10. 10. Embassy chain missing MFA cover sheet

    Remedy: Most embassies require the green MFA cover sheet on top of the source document and translation. Re-attach in the correct order before resubmission.

11. 11. Kor Ror submitted as plain photocopy

    Remedy: Return to the issuing amphur for a certified copy bearing the amphur's seal and the registrar's wet signature; plain photocopies are not accepted.

12. 12. Bilingual notarial certificate language mismatch

    Remedy: Verify that the certificate is bilingual Thai/English (the embassy-friendly format) rather than Thai-only; re-issue if necessary.

Regulatory & authority footing

• Lawyers Council of Thailand — Notarial Services Attorney roster (regulator of notarial signatures in the Kingdom): lawyerscouncil.or.th.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Consular Affairs — Apostille & legalisation Competent Authority: consular.mfa.go.th.
• HCCH Apostille Section — Convention text, status table and Apostille verification: hcch.net.
• Royal Thai Police, Special Branch Bureau — Police Clearance Certificate issuance.
• Department of Business Development (DBD) — corporate affidavit issuance for Thai juristic persons.
• Thailand Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), B.E. 2562 (2019) — every client file is handled under a case-numbered audit trail.
• NAATI Australia — National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters; mandatory credential for Australian Home Affairs translations: naati.com.au.

Coverage

Bangkok HQ at 36/47 Sukhumvit 39 (Phrom Phong BTS) plus mobile-notary coverage across all 50 Bangkok districts. Provincial work is handled in all 77 Thai provinces via agent counsel, with case management retained at HQ. International document handling — receipt of scanned originals, courier of finalised hard copies — operates in 195 countries via DHL/FedEx with signed proof of delivery. Embassy liaison covers the 160+ foreign missions accredited to the Kingdom of Thailand.

Operator

NYC Legal & Notary Services Co., Ltd. — incorporated in Bangkok, Thailand, DBD registration 0435567000061. Six notarial-services attorneys on roster; firm is a member of the Lawyers Council of Thailand and registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Consular Affairs as an authorised document submitter. Content licensed CC-BY-4.0; please cite as NYC Legal & Notary Services (nyclegal.co.th).