Getting Your UK degree certified.

[jamiejoel]

Just to let people know, due to rule changes in May 2018. To get a teachers Non B visa you need to get your degrees certified at the UK Embassy in London. This is now not done in Bangkok. 

Now you have to send them to London and It takes about 3 weeks for them to be officially checked. 

I've been today to the UK embassy and they say there is nothing they can DO, they do not now notorize degrees. 

I hope this helps. 

[ubonjoe]

I don't think there is UK embassy in London.

This is now on the embassy website.

Quote

• Certified copies of UK degree/educational certificates. In May 2018 the Thai authorities confirmed that they require all foreign degree certificates to be verified (legalised) for use in Thailand. Before arriving in Thailand you are advised to get your UK educational certificates legalised before you travel. If you are already in Thailand you will need to follow the 3 step legalisation process under “Services provided elsewhere” above.

The procedure is here. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf

Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand#services-provided-elsewhere

[Tanoshi]

2 hours ago, jamiejoel said:

Just to let people know, due to rule changes in May 2018. To get a teachers Non B visa you need to get your degrees certified at the UK Embassy in London. This is now not done in Bangkok. 

You have to get in 'certified' by the Home office in Milton Keynes, then 'legalised' by the Thai Embassy in London.

It can then be translated in Thailand and the translation 'legalised' at the Consular section of the MFA in Bangkok.

[irishtoffy]

Has anyone been through the process and could advise? 

 

I am looking in to this right now so any advice appreciated.

 

Actually, does anyone know if this is only for the non-b visa? Not for the WP or teachers licence?

 

I am an a non-O anyway, if its definitely only for the non-b I might have a case for not doing it...

[SteveB2]

4 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

You have to get in 'certified' by the Home office in Milton Keynes, then 'legalised' by the Thai Embassy in London.

It can then be translated in Thailand and the translation 'legalised' at the Consular section of the MFA in Bangkok.

 

What a nightmare process...

 

Thankfully I still have family in the UK who were able to carry out this process on my behalf.

 

Note: For most documents, legalisation means that an  'Apostille' needs to be attached to the document - what a time vampire that is!

 

FInaly, the Thai Embassy(London) legalisation process.

 

Thankfully, my good old mom in the UK was able to carry this out for me. She told me that while she was standing in the Que at the Royal Thai Embassy(London), she was chatting to a guy who worked in Thailand. He told her that he had sent precious official documents to be legalised by post to the Thai Embassy... and that they had lost them twice. So he had traveled to the UK from Thailand just to carry out the legalisation process in person. The total cost of the documentation trip plus lost salary, hotel fees, food must have run into thousands of pounds.

 

... and all because the useless British Embassy in Bangkok is too lazy to carry out this and many other consular admin duties that British Expats need to carry out in Thailand from time to time. 

[LongTimeLurker]

21 minutes ago, SteveB2 said:

What a nightmare process...

This is what I had to do to get my first visa for Saudi Arabia 36 years ago.

[Steven mason]

You only need them verified if you are taking up a university position, I just got my non B visa for teaching in a goverment school last week, all they needed was copy of my diploma along with all the other paperwork  

[ubonjoe]

34 minutes ago, Steven mason said:

You only need them verified if you are taking up a university position, I just got my non B visa for teaching in a goverment school last week, all they needed was copy of my diploma along with all the other paperwork  

I assume you applied at a embassy or consulate. None of the nearby ones show the legalization as a requirement.

To apply at immigration if does have to be legalized.

[stubuzz]

And what is the total cost to legalize/notarize 1 document?

[lemonjelly]

 

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I assume you applied at a embassy or consulate. None of the nearby ones show the legalization as a requirement.

To apply at immigration if does have to be legalized.

So that hurdle is encountered when applying for the Non-B extension of stay at the immigration office which is often a last minute dash..... it’s going to be chaotic.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

 

So that hurdle is encountered when applying for the Non-B extension of stay at the immigration office which is often a last minute dash..... it’s going to be chaotic.

It is not required to apply for a extension of stay based upon teaching. It is a requirement to a apply for non immigrant visa ( category B) at immigration based upon qualifying for an extension of stay based upon teaching. See 6.6 here. https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_73

[thequietman]

4 hours ago, Steven mason said:

You only need them verified if you are taking up a university position, I just got my non B visa for teaching in a goverment school last week, all they needed was copy of my diploma along with all the other paperwork  

This is not true. A university can hire whomever they like without a degree cert. It is entirely up to the Uni but the muppets at Immigration think they know better. They can't distinguish between the requirements for OHEC and OBEC and so just follow the one they know.

Uni's need to stand up to these Imm morons and tell them what's what.

 

Until then, these asshats will continue to ask for something that is not required and beyond their scope.

 

A Uni in Thailand can hire whomever they want. Fact.

[lemonjelly]

46 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It is not required to apply for a extension of stay based upon teaching. It is a requirement to a apply for non immigrant visa ( category B) at immigration based upon qualifying for an extension of stay based upon teaching. See 6.6 here. https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_73

So, it’s not required by neighboring countries embassies/consulates when applying for Non-B nor is it required by local immigration when getting extension of stay based on that that Non-B.... which is the procedure that the majority of teachers follow.... 

[ChouDoufu]

7 hours ago, SteveB2 said:

... and all because the useless British Embassy in Bangkok is too lazy to carry out this and many other consular admin duties that British Expats need to carry out in Thailand from time to time. 

how would they be able to certify degrees?  do they have access to a database of registered university seals and associated authorized signatures?

 

similar situation with the us embassy.  they cannot certify anything other than your passport.  they will however notarize an affidavit.  my understanding is you can enter any information/claims (like monthly income) and the official will notarize your signature without taking responsibility for the actual content. 

 

 

 

 

[upu2]

".... UK Embassy in London" I didn't realise there was a UK Embassy in London or indeed anywhere in the UK. Is this an error?

[LongTimeLurker]

11 hours ago, ChouDoufu said:

how would they be able to certify degrees?  do they have access to a database of registered university seals and associated authorized signatures?

I had to get a copy of my degree certified by a solicitor, then get the solicitor certified by the Foreign Office in London, then send the copy to the university it was obtained from for them to certify that it was awarded and then get that certified by the department of education in the Saudi Embassy in London.

 

That was for my first job in Saudi and that document has been used for the last 36 years in getting visas to work in the Middle East and Korea.

[ChouDoufu]

that's the normal procedure.  my response was directed at the "useless british embassy" comment and the complaint that there was nothing they could do.

 

had similar problems getting a diploma certified for china, but the chinese now have an online process.  with so many of their students attending western universities they needed a more efficient way.  can now get it done in 2-3 weeks for the equivalent of about 1750 baht (350 RMB) and pay by credit card.  recently had a diploma from a california university from 1989 certified.

 

must be part of the china 4.0 program.

[jenny2017]

6 hours ago, upu2 said:

".... UK Embassy in London" I didn't realise there was a UK Embassy in London or indeed anywhere in the UK. Is this an error?

Who knows? There might be a German embassy in Berlin, but we just don't know it.

 

  

[upu2]

2 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

Who knows? There might be a German embassy in Berlin, but we just don't know it.

 

  

I think it would be a safe bet that there isn't

[Jonmarleesco]

There's a UK embassy in the UK?

[upu2]

53 minutes ago, Jonmarleesco said:

There's a UK embassy in the UK?

Not that I am aware of

[Tanoshi]

4 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

Who knows? There might be a German embassy in Berlin, but we just don't know it.

 

2 hours ago, upu2 said:

I think it would be a safe bet that there isn't

 

1 hour ago, Jonmarleesco said:

There's a UK embassy in the UK?

 

16 minutes ago, upu2 said:

Not that I am aware of

Get a grip people.

The OP never said the UK Embassy in London.

He said he went to the UK Embassy (obviously in Bangkok) and they told him degrees can now only be certified in London.

 

It was UJ that misinterpreted his post.

Not the first, or the last time we'll all probably make the same mistake at some point.

 

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

It was UJ that misinterpreted his post.

I don't think I misread or misinterpreted his post. He wrote this.

On 7/16/2018 at 9:37 AM, jamiejoel said:

To get a teachers Non B visa you need to get your degrees certified at the UK Embassy in London.

 

[brewsterbudgen]

And what is the total cost to legalize/notarize 1 document?

To legalise a UK marriage certificate costs £30 at the UK Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes and then £10 to get it certified by the Thai Embassy in London. A degree may be priced differently but all prices should be shown on the Legalisation website.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Andrew108]

Can I add some clarification here. As far as I understand it ‘certification’ is carried out by a solicitor in the U.K. The ‘certified’ degree certificate is then ‘legalised’ by the FCO in Milton Keynes. After the cert has been both certified and legalised it can then be sent to the Thai Embassy in London.

Since I’m outside of the U.K at the moment I will need to find a solicitor in the U.K willing to certify my degree certificate who will then post the certificate back to me. Then I need post the certificate to the FCO for legalisation who will post it back to me and then finally I’ll need post the certificate to the Thai Embassy in London, who hopefully will post it back to me..

Before I start this process can I confirm that it’s absolutely necessary?

[Tanoshi]

17 minutes ago, Andrew108 said:

Can I add some clarification here. As far as I understand it ‘certification’ is carried out by a solicitor in the U.K. The ‘certified’ degree certificate is then ‘legalised’ by the FCO in Milton Keynes. After the cert has been both certified and legalised it can then be sent to the Thai Embassy in London.

The 'degree' is certified (as being a genuine) by the FCO, then the Thai Embassy 'legalise' it (for use in Thailand).

A solicitor can only usually 'certify' genuine copies from an original document.

 

22 minutes ago, Andrew108 said:

Since I’m outside of the U.K at the moment I will need to find a solicitor in the U.K willing to certify my degree certificate who will then post the certificate back to me. Then I need post the certificate to the FCO for legalisation who will post it back to me and then finally I’ll need post the certificate to the Thai Embassy in London, who hopefully will post it back to me..

Before I start this process can I confirm that it’s absolutely necessary?

A solicitor or Notary will be able to get the whole procedure completed on your behalf before returning it to you.

A Notary charged me £90, which included FCO and Thai Embassy charges plus postage.

 

[Andrew108]

Tanoshi,

Is it possible to give me the contact details of the notary you used?

[Tanoshi]

7 hours ago, Andrew108 said:

Tanoshi,

Is it possible to give me the contact details of the notary you used?

I know my Notary used a Visa agent in London to get it processed. (It was 3 years ago)

 

I suggest you try a Visa agent located in London first. They also offer legalisation services, such as;

https://regentvisas.com/page/legalisations

 

Have it translated in Thailand. From memory it was about 400 baht for the translation and 500 baht for the MFA legalisation + 60 baht EMS return to home address.

 

 

[post]

On ‎16‎/‎7‎//‎2018 at 10:48 AM, ubonjoe said:

Certified copies of UK degree/educational certificates. In May 2018 the Thai authorities confirmed that they require all foreign degree certificates to be verified (legalised) for use in Thailand. Before arriving in Thailand you are advised to get your UK educational certificates legalised before you travel. If you are already in Thailand you will need to follow the 3 step legalisation process under “Services provided elsewhere” above.

 

I don't think there is UK embassy in London.

This is now on the embassy website.

The procedure is here. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf

Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand#services-provided-elsewhere

(Method A) a notary public in the UK notarizes a photocopy of a degree cert after its original copy is confirmed to be issued by the relevant educational institution and the subsequent steps are done and followed accordingly.

 

(Method B) a notary public in the UK notarizes an original copy of a degree cert after it is confirmed to be issued by the relevant educational institution and the subsequent steps are done and followed accordingly.

 

Questions:

1) If (Method A) is OK, is the original copy of the degree cert still needed to be presented in Thailand?

 

2) If (Method A) is not OK, does it mean (Method B) is the only way to get the degree cert used in Thailand?

 

 

[Kalasin Jo]

Not exactly on topic, as this is about legalising a Thai marriage certificate and registration certificate translated in to English, 5 years ago. My wife needed this done for a Schengen family visa as the French Embassy where she was applying insisted on this to grant her a visa. As I am British they wanted them legalised by my Embassy, the British Embassy.  The British Embassy said we don't legalise Thai marriage or marriage registration  certificates. The French Embassy then said nonsense we have seen these legalised by the British Embassy for other visa applications. So I researched legalisation and notarization on the internet. In the end I understood that the first step is to get the document, and a translation by a certified approved translator, in this case in to English, legalised in the documents' issuing country. In our case that meant Thailand and you have to go to the Thai MoFA for that. There are, as usual plenty, of agents offering an approved translation service hanging around there and they can do it in about 30 minutes. You queue, hand both the original and the translation in , pay the fee and wait. If all is well ( they are very picky about the accuracy of the translation and ours was returned twice  for correction) they are returned to you each bearing a MoFA sticker ( the apostille, bearing the Thai MoFA official's signature and stamp) original and translation bound together. You can then take these to the British Embassy in Bangkok and ask them to certify that the Thai apostille signatures and stamps are authentic. Do not ask them to legalise the document, ask them to legalise the Thai signatures and stamps. This they CAN do and you collect the next day all signed and sealed.

 

No one was helpful enough either at the BE or at the French Embassy,  to explain to me all this and what actually needed doing and what was actually being legalised and by whom. Having done all that running around which altogether took several days due to lunch times, closing times etc, all was fine at the French Embassy, documents accepted! Never, ever, lose the originals once this has been done and you won't have to do it again!!!

 

 

So to answer the OP, if that is what's wanted this will all need doing in Belgium in his case as his degree is Belgian issued, first having it legalised and apostilled by whatever government authority there does this, including a translation in to Thai, then get the Thai Embassy there to legalise them too.