How do I legalise my documents for Thailand?
Legalisation is the process by which a document is authenticated for international use within a foreign country. The Hague Convention of 1961 abolished the requirement of legalisation of public documents to be used for cross-border purposes by the signatory nations of the convention. This abolished the cumbersome chain authentication method, which involved verification by multiple authorities. Over 100 countries are signatories to this agreement.
Thailand is not a signatory member of The Hague Convention of 1961 that abolished the requirements for legalisation of foreign public documents and therefore all the UK-issued documents to be used in Thailand, for various purposes including work and education, need to be legalised by the Embassy of Thailand in London, in addition to having an apostille certification.
The process of legalisation of documents for use in Thailand involves several stages:
- All the documents that have originated in the UK and need to be used or presented in Thailand for work and business purposes need to be submitted to the Thailand Embassy in London for legalisation.
- Before submitting these documents to the Thailand Embassy for legalisation, one needs to get them apostilled by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or FCO, the competent authority in the UK for issuing the apostille certificate. The apostille certification is required for international acceptance of documents to be used for work, business, legal issues and even personal matters, such as overseas marriage, registering of birth and foreign property purchases.
- The FCO may require certain documents to be notarised, which means signed and dated by a Notary Public or a UK Solicitor registered with the regulatory body. The Notary Public or Solicitor will check the documents and attach a certified cover sheet, besides stamping them to verify authenticity.
The process of legalisation of your documents by the Thailand Embassy in London can only be completed after your documents are notarised and apostilled by the competent authorities. The documents need to be submitted to the Thailand Consulate in the required format, along with the legalisation form and fees. The Thailand Embassy in London accepts photocopies of the documents, with no restrictions on bundling them.
Legalisations.org.uk offers a wide range of services associated with the legalisation of UK-issued documents to be used in any other country across the world. Our experienced consultants are well-acquainted with the entire process and have built strong relationships with various government and consulate offices to ensure that the process can be completed in the shortest possible time.
We also offer translation services, where required, through a network of qualified and experienced translators, belonging to the Institute of Translators and Interpreters, as well as the Institute of Linguists. Therefore, we are well equipped to get your documents translated into Thai, the official language of Thailand, before their submission to the Thailand Embassy.
We have years of experience, which ensures that the legalisation of your documents by the Thailand Embassy in London is completed in an efficient and smooth manner.
Please see the process as below that we follow:
STEP 1
Send Us the
Original Document
STEP 2
We quality check
documents internally
STEP 3
The document is
solicitor certified and then
Apostilled 24 hours.
STEP 4
If required, we take the
document to the required
embassy for legalisation
STEP 5
Documents Returned
Back to you Domestically
or Internationally
Please use the dropdown menu’s for your document requirement. The pricing and document type will be generated after pressing the button below. Please note that to complete your order you will need to use the dropdown menus per document order. After the pricing table, you will then be taken to our order page. Following this you will be sent to our upload page to upload the documents which you can also complete later.
Service Inclusions:
- Solicitor Stamp
- FCO Submission and Collection
- Embassy Legalisations
- Precheck of documents
- Free Resubmissions
- Same Day Send Out
Start Legalisation Order
The button above will redirect you to our legalisation order form via our main RLS website. You will be able to select your service, your return address and method and make payment via it.
After making your order, we advise you contact our legalisation consultants by emailing your requirement to: applications@rapid-visas.co.uk.
Important Notes for Thailand Embassy Legalisation
Remember that since Thailand is not a part of The Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, all foreign documents presented in the nation, for the purposes of work, business, education or residence, need to be legalised, in addition to having an apostille certificate. Legalised documents also help in opening bank accounts in Thailand.
All documents submitted to the Thailand Embassy in London for legalisation need to be apostilled by the UK FCO, and in some cases, notarised as well. The Consulate of Thailand accepts photocopies of documents, along with a fully filled legalisation form. There is no restriction regarding the bundling of documents. The consular fee of £10 per document to be legalised, payable in cash only.
The team at Legalisations.org.uk is well-versed with the rules and requirements for the legalisation of UK-issued documents for use in Thailand. We strive to complete the process, including getting documents notarised, apostilled and translated, where required, before their photocopies can be submitted to the Thailand Embassy in London. We can also arrange to send your legalised documents back to you via a courier.
Conclusion
The legalisation of various types of documents issued in the UK is required for the submission or presentation in Thailand for work or business visas, or for educational purposes. The apostille certification alone will not suffice, since Thailand is not a member of The Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, which abolished the need for consular legalisation of documents.
Documents such as proof of identity (eg: passport), educational documents, health certificates and police certificates for criminal record need to be apostilled by the FCO UK before they can be submitted to the Thailand Embassy in London for legalisation. In some cases, the documents may need to be translated into the Thai language and certified and attested by a Notary Public or a Solicitor.
The expertise and experience of the team at Legalisations.org.uk has helped our individual as well as corporate clients get their documents legalised in a timely manner.
Please get in touch with us through email at info@legalisations.org.uk or call us at 0845 224 9482, with all your requirements and queries. You can also fill in our contact form and let us know about your document legalisation needs. You can deliver all your documents in person, at our London office, or send them via courier. If you reside outside the UK, you can send the documents via DHL or UPS international courier services. We will return your documents through the same route.
The Most Common Documents We Legalise
Standard Personal Documents
- Birth, Marriage, Death Certificates
- HMRC letters
- ACPO, ACRO, Police Letters
- No Impediment Certificate
- Court Documents
Corporate Business Documents
- Incorporation Certificate
- Appointment Reports
- Mem & Arts
- Company Letters
- Companies House Certs
- Minutes & Resolutions
Educational Documents
- Degree, Masters, Diploma
- GCSE, CSE, O Level
- Professional Qualifications
- Training Certificates
- Transcripts & Reports
- School Letters
Frequently Asked Questions
Legalisations.org.uk is well-known for its highly experienced document legalisation team that offers the full range of services associated with the process. Our consultants have been assisting individuals as well as corporate clients for the attestation, ratification and verification of their documents to meet the legalisation requirements in various countries across the globe.
Our staff is also well-versed with the various procedures and requirements for Thailand Embassy legalisation and can help ensure that all your documents are in the right order and format required by the Embassy. They have the necessary expertise to check your documents before getting them attested and stamped by the Notary Public or a registered solicitor. We also ensure that your documents are submitted in the desired manner and format to the FCO and the Thailand Embassy in London.
Different embassies have different requirements for accepting legalisation forms. While some accept documents in original, many others accept photocopies. Our team is well-versed with the requirements of embassies of different countries, including the Thailand Embassy in London, and can also help you fill out the legalisation form.
We also offer additional consultancy services that include pre-checking of your documents to ensure their compliance with the existing rules. Our full range of services that include pre-checking of your documents before their translation, notarisation, apostille certification and then submission for the Thailand Embassy legalisation, and our clients do not need to personally visit the Thai Consulate.
The total cost of Thailand Embassy legalisation will depend on your requirements, the number of documents to be legalised and how soon you need them.
The cost of getting UK-issued documents legalised by the Thailand Embassy in London will include the consular fee of £10. The processing time taken by the consulate is usually three to four business days, plus we need one additional day to get your documents apostilled. Additional time will be required if notarisation and translation are required for any documents.
You can choose from two packages. The first is the standard packages, the fee for which is £95. In this package, the document legalisation process for Thailand is completed within six business days. The second is the express package. The fee for this is £135 and the document legalisation process is completed within three business days.
The processing time by the Thailand Embassy in London is 3 to 4 business days but the total time taken to legalise documents at the Thailand Embassy in London will depend on the state and type of documents. In addition, any Thai holidays or UK bank holidays need to be taken into account.
Since the documents to be presented to the Thailand Embassy need to be apostilled and notarised, additional time is required. Our consultants will take an appointment with the FCO UK for the apostille certificate, which can take anywhere from 2-3 hours to 24 hours.
If you need to get document legalisation completed urgently, you can choose our express service, which ensures that the whole process is completed within 2-3 working days.
If you wish to get your documents translated or checked for their adherence to the consulate norms, some more time may be required. Our certified translators will ensure that the translation is accurate with no change in the meaning of the content within the translated documents.
Documents issued in the UK need to be legalised by the Thailand Embassy in London, if they are required to be presented to the Thai authorities for a work or business visa. The legalisation by the Thai consulate means that the documents are authentic and can be accepted by the Thai authorities.
Foreigners who wish to work or do business in Thailand need to submit the following documents:
- Completed visa application form
- Recent passport sized photograph
- Evidence of financial security
- Letter of approval from the Ministry of Labour
- Corporate documents of the hiring company
- Educational certificates
- Police certificate
The most commonly required documents for a long stay visa, which will require legalisation for use in Thailand for work, business or education purposes include the following:
- Personal documents, such as birth and marriages or change of name certificates issued in the UK.
- Educational certificates that are proof of your educational and professional qualifications.
- Certificates from previous employers may be required to prove that you have worked for them.
- Police certificate stating that the applicant has no criminal record.
You can also check with your future employer or business associate in Thailand about their document requirements and the need for their legalisation at the Thailand Embassy in London. In addition, check which documents need to be translated into Thai before they can be used in Thailand.
Certain documents will need to be translated into Thailand’s official language before their legalisation by the Thailand Embassy in London. Experts or certified translators need to work on the translation to maintain the accuracy and the essence of the concerned document.
Legalisations.org.uk offers certified translation services for all types of documents required for legalisation by any Embassy. Our expert translators belong to the Institute of Translators and Interpreters, as well as the Institute of Linguists, which ensures the quality of translation. These translations are then certified by a notary public or a solicitor registered in the UK for their authenticity.
Please check with your prospective employers and work associates in Thailand about the documents that they would require to be translated into the Thai language. Please inform us of your translation requirements as well when you fill in the order form.
The Thailand Embassy in London is located in Kensington and is easily connected by bus, tube and train.
The address is:
29-30 Queen’s Gate,
London SW7 5JB
The Embassy is open from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm, from Monday to Friday.
The Consulate is located within walking distance of several stations such as the Imperial College, Prince Consort Road, Queens Gate Terrace, Natural History Museum, Royal Albert Hall, Gloucester Road, South Kensington and Royal Brompton Hospital. If you wish to travel by bus, routes 52,70, 74 and 9 stop near the Thailand Embassy. The District and the Piccadilly tube lines also stop near the Thai Consulate.
When you contact Legalisations.org.uk for all your Thailand Embassy legalisation requirements, you can rest assured that we will take complete responsibility to ensure that all your documents are handled with extreme care and are safely returned to you either in person at our office or via courier.
