Civil status & personal
Birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates, house registration, identity cards and family records — nearly always destined for an authority, so the certification route is fixed before translation begins.
40+ language pairs · native translators · certification advice included
Document translation in Bangkok across 40+ language pairs
Translation is only half the job — the other half is knowing which certification the receiving office will accept. We identify that first, translate to that standard, and where the document must travel, carry it through Apostille or embassy legalisation.
Quick answer
A plain translation is for reading; an official submission needs a certification the receiving authority recognises. Australia requires NAATI, Thai courts require the Ministry of Justice standard, several European embassies keep their own translator arrangements, and any document being legalised must satisfy Thailand's Department of Consular Affairs. Name the destination and the correct route follows from it.
Document types we handle
Academic
Transcripts, degree certificates, syllabi and recommendation letters for admissions and credential evaluation, with grading scales explained rather than converted.
Corporate & legal
Company affidavits, shareholder lists, articles of association, contracts, board resolutions and audited accounts, with a consistent glossary across the whole set of documents.
Financial
Bank statements, letters of guarantee, tax filings and payslips prepared for visa and immigration files, where figures and account identifiers must transfer exactly.
Medical & technical
Medical reports, vaccination records, clinical documentation, engineering specifications, manuals and safety data sheets handled by translators with the relevant subject background.
Marketing & digital
Websites, product copy and campaign material adapted for the target market by native speakers — the one category where a literal translation is usually the wrong answer.
Choosing the certification route
Australia
The Department of Home Affairs requires NAATI-certified translations for visa evidence. No other certification substitutes for it.
Hague Convention states
Certified translation plus an Apostille from Thailand's Department of Consular Affairs on the Thai public document, and on the translation where the destination asks for it.
Non-Convention states
Ministry of Foreign Affairs certification followed by legalisation at that country's embassy or consulate in Bangkok.
Thai government offices
A Thai translation the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can verify, with source authentication completed abroad before submission.
Requirements are set by the receiving authority and can change. We verify the current rule for your specific office at the time your file is prepared.
Frequently asked questions
Which language pairs do you cover?
More than forty pairs into and out of Thai and English: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Burmese, Khmer, Lao, Malay and Indonesian across Asia; German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Polish and the Nordic languages across Europe; plus Arabic, Turkish, Hindi and Nepali. Premium and publication-facing work is assigned to native-speaking translators of the target language.
Is a plain translation enough for an official submission?
Usually not. A plain translation carries no seal and is intended for reading, not for filing. Government offices, embassies, universities and courts each specify their own certification: NAATI certification for Australian visa evidence, a Ministry of Justice standard translation for Thai court files, an embassy-recognised translator for several European missions, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs certification where the document is being legalised or Apostilled.
How do I know which certification my document needs?
It is decided by the office receiving the document, never by the translator. Tell us the destination — the visa subclass, the university, the ministry, the court — and we identify the route from that office's own current requirement. Choosing the wrong certification is the single most common reason a translated document is returned.
Do you also handle Apostille and legalisation?
Yes. Since the Apostille Convention will enter into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027, Thai public documents going to another Convention state carry an Apostille from the Department of Consular Affairs instead of embassy legalisation. Documents going to a non-member state still follow the older chain: Ministry of Foreign Affairs certification, then legalisation at that country's embassy in Bangkok.
How is a page counted and how are quotations produced?
Quotations are based on the source text volume and the technical difficulty of the subject, not on a guess from a filename. Send the actual file — including any pages with stamps, seals or handwriting, which take longer — and you receive a fixed quotation for the whole job before work starts.
Can you keep the original layout?
Yes. Certificates, transcripts, statements and technical drawings are reproduced so the translated page mirrors the original layout, with stamps, seals and signatures described in place. Authorities compare the two side by side, so a matching layout materially reduces queries.
How do you handle names and dates?
Personal names follow the spelling in the passport or Thai identity document exactly, and Thai Buddhist Era dates are shown with the Gregorian equivalent. Where a client has used a different transliteration in an earlier filing, we match that earlier spelling and note the variant rather than silently changing it.
Is my document kept confidential?
Yes. Files are handled only by the assigned translator and reviewer, and commercial and personal documents are treated as confidential by default. Non-disclosure agreements for corporate work are signed on request before any file is transferred.
Free assessment before you order
Send the file and name the office receiving it. We tell you which certification it needs — including when a simple translation is genuinely sufficient.
Certified translation: what receiving authorities check
- Ask the receiving authority which certification it accepts — agency certification, a sworn/court translator, an embassy-listed translator or a NAATI-certified translator are not interchangeable.
- Provide a clean, complete scan including stamps, seals and reverse sides; missing seals are the top cause of a translation being refused.
- Give us the exact spelling of every personal name as printed in the passport, plus previous names if you have changed them.
Want us to check your documents before you file? Call 080-5578887 or message LINE @NAATI
Official sources
This page is compiled from the notices and manuals published by the agencies below. Rules, fees and forms change — confirm with the receiving authority before you proceed.
Related services
One team handles the full chain — translation, notarisation, MFA legalisation and embassy attestation — so your document is accepted the first time.
Certification & legalisation
Translation
Personal records & immigration
Not sure which route your document needs?
Send a photo or scan and our staff will confirm the exact steps, supporting documents and realistic turnaround under the receiving authority's current rules.