With globalization, personal and commercial relationships have become more complex and international than ever. The need to certify and prove the authenticity of public documents with origin in one country, extending their effects to a different country, is a reality in areas as diverse as family law, commercial law, or civil law. Our law firm in Thailand Herrera and Partners H&P receives several inquiries weekly from people all over the world requesting information on how to apostille in Thailand documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, criminal record certificates, DBD documents from companies, Thai court rulings, arrest warrants and others to be used in other countries abroad.
Our lawyers in Bangkok at H&P, from the private client area practice, have prepared a summary in Q&A format about the processes of apostille of documents in Thailand and legalizations to resolve many of the doubts that arise.
Question: Does Thailand recognize apostille under the Hague Convention?
Answer: On December 9, 2025, Thailand finally ratified the Hague Convention on Apostilles; however, to date, the apostille system has not been implemented in the country.
While the apostille, system is still being implemented in Thailand, the country continues to require double legalization: once at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and again at the embassy of the country where the Thai public document is intended to be used.
Our law firm in Thailand H&P anticipates a delay in the implementation of the apostille, as it is necessary to develop the grounds and compliance of the formal system of public notaries in Thailand beforehand.
Question: Can a Thai notary apostille a document?
Answer: Currently, Thailand does not have a Notary Public system in the common law sense. Instead, only lawyers who have obtained a Notarial Services Attorney license issued by the Lawyers Council of Thailand are authorized to perform notarial services. The scope of such services is limited and, in practice, certification of signatures can generally only be carried out for Thai nationals.
Question: What is the meaning and process of legalization of a document in Thailand?
Answer: As the apostille system was not implemented in Thailand, the documents should be legalized twice.
In Thailand, the legalization of documents refers to the authentication of the genuineness of a document or the signature appearing on such document by either a licensed Notarial Services Attorney or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Legalization is generally required when documents issued by Thai governmental authorities or Thai private entities are intended to be used abroad.
Question: What type of legalization stamps issue the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand?
Answer: Generally, Thailand Ministry of Foreign affairs have two types of certification or stamps which are “genuine signature” and “seen at” Certification.
This is extremely important because depending on the embassy of the country where our client want to use the document, one stamp or another will be required, so it is advisable to find out beforehand to avoid wasting time and money.
Question: What type of legalization stamps are accepted by foreign embassies in Thailand?
Answer: As we pointed out before, each embassy has its own regulations and requirements regarding documents that have already been legalized by MOFA. For example, some embassies require MOFA to certify that the signature appearing on the document is a genuine signature, while other embassies may accept a simpler certification confirming that MOFA has merely compared the original document with the copy (“Seen At” Certification).
The “certified signature” legalization seal implies that the officer’s signature must be listed in the signature database of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is not always the case.
Question: What happens if the signature of the officer is not registered at Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the foreign consulate requires the stamp “certified and genuine signature of”?
Answer: In cases where MOFA does not have a specimen signature available for verification, there are generally two possible procedures:
- For private individuals, the signatory must either sign the document in the presence of the relevant authority, or one of our licensed Notarial Services Attorney at H&P must first certify the signature (this option is generally available only for Thai nationals).
- For signatures of government officials, MOFA must coordinate directly with the issuing government authority and request an official specimen signature for verification purposes.
Based on our practical experience, we do not see this problem often when it comes of the signature of an officer in Bangkok, Phuket or Chiang Mai but when it comes to other provinces, we usually see that the signature of the officer is not in the database of MOFA.
Question: What is the process to follow if a foreigner with residence in Thailand wants to sign a POA to be used abroad?
Anwer: The foreigner’s identity and signature must first be certified by the relevant embassy or consulate of his or her nationality. Only after such certification can the document proceed through the legalization process.
This means that this process if much more complex than for the case of Thai nationals looking for granting powers via a POA outside of Thailand.
Question: What is the government fee for legalization at MOFA? And what is the timeframe for the whole process?
Answer: The government fee charged by MOFA depends on the number of documents submitted and is currently THB 200 per page (excluding any additional fees for express services). The government fees charged by embassies for legalization vary depending on the specific embassy and its applicable fee yearly schedule.
If you need a Bangkok lawyer to legalize a document in Thailand, please contact our law firm in Bangkok at info@herrera-partners.com
