Apostille in Thailand: apostille or legalisation for your Thai and foreign documents?
Short answer: an apostille is a single certificate recognised between member states of the 1961 Hague Convention. If either country is not a member, or the receiving office does not accept it, documents go through legalisation instead — usually the issuing authority, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the destination country's embassy. Always confirm which one the receiving office wants, in writing, before you start.
How the two routes differ
Legalisation is a chain: each authority confirms the signature of the one before it. An apostille replaces the embassy part of that chain with one certificate issued by the competent authority of the issuing country. Neither route checks whether the content is correct, and neither replaces a translation.
Typical order of steps
- Ask the receiving office in writing whether it wants an apostille or embassy legalisation, and whether the translation must be certified too.
- Obtain the original or an issuer-certified copy from the authority that issued the document.
- Translate the document if required, with the English name spelling matching the passport.
- Certify at the Department of Consular Affairs, then add the apostille or embassy legalisation as the destination requires.
- Submit within the validity period the receiving office accepts, and keep scanned copies of every certified page.
Mistakes that force you to start again
- Certifying a photocopy when the receiving office wanted the original or an issuer-certified copy.
- Translating before knowing whether the translation itself must also be certified.
- English name spelling in the translation not matching the passport.
- Letting a time-limited document, such as a police clearance, go past the age the destination accepts.
- Not allowing time for the embassy step when the legalisation route is required.
Questions we are asked most
What does an apostille actually certify?
It confirms that the signature, the capacity of the signer and any seal on a public document are genuine. It does not confirm that the content of the document is true, and it is not a translation.
Can a Thai document receive an apostille?
Not yet. Thailand deposited its accession to the 1961 Apostille Convention on 30 June 2026, and the Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027 (HCCH). Until then, Thai documents still need certification by the Department of Consular Affairs followed by the destination country's embassy. From 28 February 2027, Thai public documents for use in other Contracting Parties can be apostilled under the procedure the Department of Consular Affairs announces.
Will a Thai office accept my foreign document with an apostille?
Not automatically. District offices, immigration and schools may still ask for legalisation by the Thai embassy in the issuing country and a Thai translation certified by the Department of Consular Affairs. Ask the receiving office in writing before you send the document.
Should the document be translated before or after certification?
It depends on the receiving authority. Some want the original certified first and then translated; others also want the translation certified. Getting the order wrong is the most common reason documents have to be re-done.
Do you publish prices or guarantee acceptance?
No. We quote after reviewing the documents, and acceptance is always decided by the receiving authority.
Official sources: HCCH: Thailand accedes (in force 28 Feb 2027) · HCCH Apostille Section and Department of Consular Affairs, Thailand. Thai version (ภาษาไทย)
Not sure which route your documents need?
Our translation and legalisation team checks the receiving office's requirements and plans the order of steps. Acceptance is decided by that office.