Is a Thai Notarial Services Attorney the same thing as a notary in my country?

In function, close enough for almost every purpose: the attorney witnesses, attests and takes oaths under a licence that receiving authorities can verify. In structure it is different, because the role sits inside the legal profession rather than in a separate notarial office. If a foreign checklist literally demands a 'Notary Public', the attestation issued here is what Thailand provides and is normally accepted, sometimes with the licence details noted on the covering page.

Can I have documents notarised without coming to Thailand?

Not for signature witnessing or oaths, because presence is the whole point of the attestation. What you can do from abroad is sign in front of a notary where you are, then have that document legalised for use in Thailand. We tell you which of the two directions your matter needs before you book flights.

Which is faster, the embassy route or an apostille?

Where the destination accepts an apostille, that route removes one stage and is usually quicker. The embassy route depends entirely on the individual mission's appointment availability, which varies from days to several weeks. We check the current position for your destination rather than quoting a general figure.

Will you attest a copy of a document I only have as a scan?

No. A copy attestation records a page-by-page comparison made by the attorney while holding the issued record itself, so that record has to be produced. If the original is held by an institution abroad, the practical route is usually to obtain a fresh certified copy from the issuer rather than to attest what you have.

Can one appointment cover several documents?

Yes, and it usually should. Each document receives its own certificate and register entry, but preparing them together avoids repeat appointments and keeps the identification check to one occasion. Tell us the full list in advance so every certificate is drafted before you arrive.

What happens if the receiving authority rejects the document?

Send us the rejection wording. Most rejections are procedural, such as a missing onward stage, an extract considered too old, or a required phrase absent from the declaration. Once we see the exact objection we reissue or extend the chain to match it, and we keep the register reference so nothing has to be reconstructed from scratch.

Notarial Services Attorney

Notarisation in Thailand, explained for people whose documents must be accepted abroad

Thailand never created a stand-alone notarial profession. Instead, the Lawyers Council of Thailand trains practising attorneys and issues them a Notarial Services Attorney licence, and only those attorneys may witness signatures, attest copies and administer oaths for use overseas. This page sets out what that licence covers, what it cannot cover, and how a signed page becomes something a foreign registry, bank, court or university will accept.

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Short answer

Thailand has no separate notary profession. Notarisation is performed by attorneys holding a Notarial Services Attorney licence from the Lawyers Council of Thailand, who may witness signatures, attest copies and take oaths. For overseas use the attested page usually continues to consular legalisation, and from there either to the destination country's mission or along the apostille route, depending on which the destination recognises.

Who is allowed to notarise here

Every attestation must be signed by an attorney who holds a current Notarial Services Attorney licence and whose registration number appears on the certificate. A receiving authority abroad can check the attorney against the Lawyers Council register, which is why the number, the licence period and the seal all belong on the page rather than in a covering letter.

An attorney without that licence may still draft your document, but any certificate of signature or attestation of a copy signed by them is worthless once it leaves Thailand. We therefore confirm at intake which of our licensed attorneys will sign, so nothing has to be redone after the document has already travelled.

What the certificate does and does not prove

An attestation records something the attorney personally observed: that you appeared, that identification was produced, that you signed in their presence, or that the copy laid before them matched the original also laid before them. It never asserts that the statements inside your document are factually correct.

This distinction decides many cases. A foreign bank asking for proof that a signature is yours is satisfied by an attestation. A foreign registry asking for proof of a company's paid-up capital is not, because that fact comes from the Department of Business Development record, translated and certified separately.

Where notarisation sits in the wider chain

For many destinations the attested page is only the first of three or four moves. Thai-issued civil records normally pass the legalisation counter run by the Consular Department, after which certain destinations still demand a stamp from their own mission. Since Thailand joined the Hague Apostille framework, other destinations accept an apostille instead and skip the embassy stage entirely.

Because these routes differ per destination, we ask which authority will receive the file before anything is signed. Getting the order wrong is the single most common reason documents come back rejected, and re-running the chain costs more time than confirming it once at the start.

Language, translation and who signs what

A translation is not notarised in the sense of being declared accurate by the attorney. What can be attested is the translator's declaration that the translation is complete and faithful, sworn in front of the attorney. Receiving authorities that demand a sworn translation are looking for exactly that construction.

Where the underlying document is in Thai and the recipient reads only English, we prepare a paired bundle: the Thai original or certified copy, the English translation, and the attestation pages referring to both by their identifying numbers so nobody at the far end has to guess which page belongs to which.

How the work runs, step by step

Step 1
Tell us the destination and the receiving office
Requirements come from whoever receives the file, not from Thai practice. Name the country, the institution and, where you have it, the checklist they sent you.
Step 2
We confirm the route in writing
You get a short note stating which attestation is needed, whether the consular legalisation stage applies, whether a mission stamp or an apostille follows, and how long each stage usually takes.
Step 3
Documents are gathered and, where needed, translated
Missing pages, expired extracts and unsigned annexes are identified now rather than at the counter. Translations are prepared so the sworn declaration can be signed on the same appointment.
Step 4
You attend the appointment with original identification
Signature witnessing and oaths require your presence. The attorney checks the identification, watches the signature, completes the certificate and enters the matter in the notarial register.
Step 5
Onward legalisation is filed on your behalf
Where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an embassy or the apostille authority is involved, we lodge and collect for you and report each stage as it clears.
Step 6
The bundle is delivered in the form the recipient wants
Some offices insist on wet-signed hard copies by courier, others accept scanned sets. We deliver in the accepted form and keep a reference copy for reissue.

What you send us

Your passport in original, plus the Thai identity card or residence document if you hold one.
The document to be signed, complete with every annex, unsigned and undated.
For copy attestation, the original record itself, not a photocopy or a photograph of it.
For company matters, current registry extracts and the affidavit showing who may bind the company.
Any checklist, template or specimen wording issued by the receiving authority.
Where a translation is required, the source text in a form the translator can work from cleanly.

Where things usually go wrong

Signing before the appointment

A signature already on the page cannot be witnessed. Bring the document unsigned; a pre-signed copy has to be reprinted and signed again in front of the attorney.

Assuming an attestation replaces legalisation

For most cross-border uses the attorney's certificate is a prerequisite, not the finish line. Skipping the Ministry or embassy stage is the usual reason a file is returned.

Using an extract that has aged out

Company and civil-registry extracts are commonly required to be recent at the date of submission. An extract obtained months earlier often fails even when nothing in it has changed.

Leaving blanks to fill in later

Amounts, dates or party names added after the certificate is signed invalidate the attestation. Everything must be final on the page that gets witnessed.

Government fees and professional fees, separated

The ranges below reflect what our own files cost so you can budget before committing. An itemised quote is issued before work begins.

Item	Official fee	Our fee	Note
Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalisation	Government charge per document, with an express tier for shorter turnaround	Quoted with the scope	Applies to Thai-issued records for most non-apostille destinations.
Embassy or consular certification	Charge set by the embassy of the destination country	Quoted with the scope	Some embassies accept walk-in lodgement, others only booked slots, which drives the timeline.
Certified translation	Not a government charge	Quoted with the scope	Priced per document once the source text is seen, since page count alone is misleading.
Registry extracts and official copies	Statutory copying and certification charge at the issuing office	Quoted with the scope	Ordered fresh, because most receiving authorities reject extracts issued long before submission.

Questions foreign clients actually ask us

Is a Thai Notarial Services Attorney the same thing as a notary in my country?: In function, close enough for almost every purpose: the attorney witnesses, attests and takes oaths under a licence that receiving authorities can verify. In structure it is different, because the role sits inside the legal profession rather than in a separate notarial office. If a foreign checklist literally demands a 'Notary Public', the attestation issued here is what Thailand provides and is normally accepted, sometimes with the licence details noted on the covering page.
Can I have documents notarised without coming to Thailand?: Not for signature witnessing or oaths, because presence is the whole point of the attestation. What you can do from abroad is sign in front of a notary where you are, then have that document legalised for use in Thailand. We tell you which of the two directions your matter needs before you book flights.
Which is faster, the embassy route or an apostille?: Where the destination accepts an apostille, that route removes one stage and is usually quicker. The embassy route depends entirely on the individual mission's appointment availability, which varies from days to several weeks. We check the current position for your destination rather than quoting a general figure.
Will you attest a copy of a document I only have as a scan?: No. A copy attestation records a page-by-page comparison made by the attorney while holding the issued record itself, so that record has to be produced. If the original is held by an institution abroad, the practical route is usually to obtain a fresh certified copy from the issuer rather than to attest what you have.
Can one appointment cover several documents?: Yes, and it usually should. Each document receives its own certificate and register entry, but preparing them together avoids repeat appointments and keeps the identification check to one occasion. Tell us the full list in advance so every certificate is drafted before you arrive.
What happens if the receiving authority rejects the document?: Send us the rejection wording. Most rejections are procedural, such as a missing onward stage, an extract considered too old, or a required phrase absent from the declaration. Once we see the exact objection we reissue or extend the chain to match it, and we keep the register reference so nothing has to be reconstructed from scratch.

Tell us the destination country, the office that will receive the file and the list of documents involved. We will reply with the exact sequence of attestation and legalisation for that destination, what you need to bring, and how long each stage currently takes.

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