Legalising Documents for Thailand and the 2027 Apostille

Thailand deposited its Apostille Convention accession on 30 June 2026, but it takes full effect only on 28 February 2027. Until then, the old route applies: the document is legalised by your home foreign ministry, by the Thai embassy, and again by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Thailand has signed up to the Apostille Convention, but the change does not bite yet: it takes full effect on 28 February 2027. If you need a foreign document for a Thai marriage, work permit or property deal before then, you are still on the old two-step route.

What the accession changes

Thailand’s ambassador to the Netherlands deposited the instrument of accession on 30 June 2026. The ministry says joining will make legalising documents simpler, faster, more convenient and cheaper, and the other member states get an eight-month objection period before the accession takes full effect.

Until that date, an apostille stamp is a gamble. An embassy page updated before the accession says Thailand does not accept an Apostille stamp for legalisation, and the 28 February 2027 date is the first day to expect that to change.

The route until then

For a foreign document going to Thailand, the first step happens at home. The embassy we read only accepts documents that your own foreign ministry has already legalised, and other embassies set their own details, so check the one you will use. After the embassy stamp, the document must also be legalised by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A personal signature needs a notary first: the embassy does not certify an individual foreign national’s signature unless a notary public has certified it. Our marriage registration guide and work permit guide list which documents the Thai side asks for.

Where to do the Thai-side step

The Department of Consular Affairs runs legalisation in Thailand, and its call centre is 02-572-8442. Beyond its Bangkok head office, the ministry has opened legalisation at the passport offices in Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Songkhla and Phuket, and at a legalisation office at MBK Center in Pathum Wan. In its last announcement on these offices, the ministry described a paperless pilot system where applicants fill out no paper forms. Ring the call centre to confirm which office takes your document before you travel to it.

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Not confirmed: How apostilles will be issued for Thai documents used abroad, and which Thai agencies will accept foreign apostilles after 28 February 2027, is not stated on the pages read. Ask the Department of Consular Affairs call centre on 02-572-8442 before you pay for an apostille.

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