How to prepare Thai civil and corporate records for a visa application abroad: certified translation, legalisation by the Department of Consular Affairs, embassy legalisation, realistic timelines, and what to do after a refusal. Figures that change often are deliberately left to the issuing authority.
Sources: Department of Consular Affairs (MFA Thailand) · HCCH · NAATI · embassy notices. Information as of 2026-07-30.
It depends on the destination. Most missions accept English or the official language of that country, with a certified translation attached. Some jurisdictions only accept translators on a specific register, for example NAATI-certified translators for Australia or sworn translators in several European countries. Always check the checklist for your specific application before translation starts.
Typically: obtain the original civil or corporate record from the issuing Thai authority, translate it, have the translation legalised by the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then, where required, legalised by the destination country's embassy in Thailand. Not every application needs the full chain.
Thailand deposited its instrument of accession on 2026-06-30; the Apostille Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027. Until then Thai documents still follow the classic chain: legalisation by the Department of Consular Affairs, then by the destination country's embassy in Thailand (source: HCCH, last reviewed 2026-07-30).
Most authorities set a validity window in the checklist for the application — commonly 3 to 6 months for house registration, marriage records, company affidavits and bank statements. The rule differs by visa category and country, so confirm before ordering fresh copies.
Usually about 5 to 10 working days, depending on page count, language pair and the current queues at the Department of Consular Affairs and the relevant embassy. Visa processing time itself belongs to the issuing authority and changes seasonally; check their current published timeline before booking travel.
Many countries route applications through a visa application centre such as VFS Global, TLScontact or BLS, and appointments must be booked in their system. Some categories also require you to attend in person for biometrics. We prepare the file so it is complete before your appointment.
Yes, where documents can be couriered and signatures can be executed in a way the authority accepts — for example signing before a notary in your country of residence and then legalising the document in Thailand. Steps that require personal attendance still have to be done in person.
Our fee depends on page count, language and how many certification steps are required. Government and visa fees are set by the authorities and change from time to time, so we do not publish figures here. Ask our team by phone, LINE or email for scope and fees.
No. The decision rests solely with the issuing authority. What we do is check that your file is complete and internally consistent against the published checklist, which reduces the chance of a document-based rejection.
Read the refusal letter in full, then decide between the appeal or review right stated in it and a fresh application supported by stronger evidence. We can review the file and prepare a new document set.
Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (consular.mfa.go.th); HCCH for Apostille status (hcch.net); NAATI (naati.com.au); and the published notices of each embassy or visa application centre. Information as of 2026-07-30 — please reconfirm with the authority before acting.
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