Notary services in Thailand.
Notarisation of signatures, copies, and statements; witness attestations; consent forms; and downstream coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for apostille and embassy legalisation.
Does Thailand have notaries?
Not in the sense most foreigners expect. Thailand has no notary public of the kind found in the United States or the United Kingdom — there is no separate public office that exists solely to witness and seal documents. What it has instead is a regulated category of lawyer: the Notary Services Attorney, licensed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand to certify and authenticate documents and signatures.
The authority comes from the Lawyers Act B.E. 2528 (1985) and the Council's 2012 regulation on notarial services. A practising lawyer who has completed the prescribed notarial-services training course may register as a Notary Services Attorney and carry out notarial acts — most often on documents that are destined for use abroad.
The acts a Notary Services Attorney performs.
A Thai notary's remit is defined by the Lawyers Council regulation. These are the certifications we are most often asked to provide.
Authenticate signatures & identity
Confirm that a signature is genuine and that the person signing is who they claim to be, verified against valid photo identification.
Certify true copies & document execution
Attest that a copy is a faithful reproduction of an original, and certify that a document has been properly executed.
Witness the signing of contracts
Observe and record the signing of agreements, powers of attorney, and other instruments so that execution can be relied on later.
Certify translations
Certify that a translation corresponds to the original document, a step many foreign authorities require before they will accept it.
Administer oaths & affidavits
Administer oaths and affirmations and take sworn statements, declarations, and affidavits for use in legal and official matters.
Notarial certifications for international use
Apply the notarial certifications and seals that overseas institutions, courts, and registries expect on incoming documents.
What we notarise — and how it travels abroad.
Notarisation is rarely the last step. For documents leaving Thailand, the notarial act is the first link in a longer chain of authentication.
Documents we commonly notarise
- Powers of attorney
- Passport and ID copies
- Education and corporate certificates
- Bank statements
- Land and title documents
- Affidavits and declarations
- Visa-application documents
The legalisation chain
- Notarial certification by the attorney
- Then the Legalization Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Then the destination country's embassy
- This remains the standard route because Thailand is not yet part of the Hague Apostille Convention
The limits of a notarial act — and a reform on the way.
- The attorney certifies the signature, the copy, or the execution — not the truth of the contents. A notarised document confirms that something was signed or copied, not that what it says is correct.
- Foreign-language documents usually need a certified translation before they will be accepted abroad, and that translation often has to be certified too.
- Significantly, the Thai Cabinet approved accession to the Hague Apostille Convention on 9 December 2025. Once it enters into force — expected within 2026–2027 — a single apostille will replace the multi-step consular legalisation chain for countries that accept it.
How notarisation works.
From first contact to a document ready for use overseas, the path is short and predictable.
Tell us what the document is and where it will be used
The destination country sets the requirements, so we start by confirming what the document is and where it is going.
Bring the document and your ID to a notarial services attorney
Attend in person with the original document and valid photo identification — for foreigners, a passport.
The attorney verifies identity and witnesses or certifies as required
We confirm your identity and then witness the signing or certify the document according to the act requested.
For overseas use, we arrange Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalisation and embassy attestation
Where the document is bound for abroad, we lodge it with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and coordinate embassy attestation.
Once the apostille system is in force, a single apostille where the destination accepts it
When the Apostille Convention takes effect, one apostille will replace the embassy step for destination countries that accept it.
Thailand has no notary public — it has Notary Services Attorneys.
Unlike many other jurisdictions, Thailand does not have a public notary. Instead, lawyers registered with the Lawyers' Council of Thailand and trained as Notary Services Attorneys (NSAs) provide notarisation services for documents that will be used domestically or abroad.
We are an NSA practice. Common requests are: signature certification on power-of-attorney documents, witness attestation on contracts, certification of true copies of original documents (passports, certificates), affirmation of statements, and the downstream coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Department of Consular Affairs) for apostille and, where required, embassy legalisation.
Documents originating abroad and bound for use in Thailand follow the reverse path — the foreign notary or apostille certificate; MFA recognition; and translation into Thai by a court-recognised translator.
What we do
- Signature certification
- Certification of true copies
- Witness attestation
- Affirmations and statutory declarations
- Power of attorney notarisation
- Consent forms (travel consent, school consent, etc.)
- MFA legalisation coordination
- Embassy legalisation coordination
- Translation arrangement with court-recognised translators
What you get
- Same-day notarisation for in-person appointments
- MFA legalisation handled end-to-end — typically 1-3 business days
- Translation coordination included where the destination country requires Thai
How we work
Intake & document review
We review your documents and the destination-country requirements, then confirm what notarisation and legalisation steps are needed.
Appointment
In-person notarisation appointment at our Phuket or Bangkok office.
Certification
Notary Services Attorney certifies the document according to the request and the destination-country requirements.
MFA legalisation
Where the destination needs apostille or MFA stamp, we lodge with the Department of Consular Affairs.
Embassy legalisation
For non-apostille destinations, embassy legalisation follows. We coordinate with the relevant embassy or consulate.
Speak with our team
Send a message — typical response within one hour during office hours.
WhatsApp +66 95 332 2447 Send an Enquiry Call +66 2 026 0600Frequently asked
Does Thailand issue apostilles?
Not yet. Thailand approved accession to the Apostille Convention in late 2025, but the Convention is not yet in force and no apostilles are being issued. They are expected to take effect roughly six months after Thailand deposits its instrument of accession. Until then, MFA legalisation (by the Department of Consular Affairs) followed by embassy legalisation remains required.
What documents do I need to bring?
Original documents, photo ID (passport for foreigners), and any draft of the document to be notarised. Some documents must be signed in front of the NSA — don't sign in advance.
How long does MFA legalisation take?
Typically 1-3 business days for standard processing. Express options exist for time-sensitive cases.
Do you notarise foreign-language documents?
Yes — the NSA notarisation is on the signature or copy itself. Translation requirements are downstream and we coordinate when needed.
Reviewed by the Khonsu Legal team · 1 July 2026
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