I posted a while ago but really struggling.

I’ve moved out of Bangkok, new immigration centre, and suddenly to renew my visa I am being told I need to have my birth certificate of my child ‘certified’ for my visa process (child applying with me).

I have original certificate. The process in the Uk for this seems Mind boggling. First go to a notary (big charge), then send to FCDO (whatever this is with big charge), then send to Thai embassy (again a fee). This seems crazy, and will TAKE SUCH A LONG TIME !

Please tell me there is another way ?!?!

Anyone gone through this?

Can you go to the translation shop at Central World Bangkok and have the document translated and then legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 6th floor Central world?

Appointments are available online at the MoFA website.

32 minutes ago, mlkik said:

Can you go to the translation shop at Central World Bangkok.... (snip)

Like your thinking..

@Liquorice thoughts on this OP.

It’s an O visa for me, child studying education visa. No problem for child but suddenly for me they claim they need child’s birth certificate certified. What on earth ?! Never had this issue before and now immigration in this new city want this.

I am literally going to have to do a border run on a visa exemption as my o visa will be running out. Even my agent expressed shock. No budging you must get birth certificate certified. It’s an original birth certificate too! Utter insanity.

My cousin just got a DTV barely any questions asked, and she has spent 10 years in jail in the UK ! And here I am, done all correct work, child studying and I am stuck like this.

7 minutes ago, Bally Jaggers said:

I am literally going to have to do a border run on a visa exemption as my o visa will be running out.

When does current permission of stay stamp expire.

Assume you are under 50yr ?

Obviously child is non Thai.

6 hours ago, Bally Jaggers said:

I’ve moved out of Bangkok, new immigration centre, and suddenly to renew my visa I am being told I need to have my birth certificate of my child ‘certified’ for my visa process (child applying with me).

I have original certificate. The process in the Uk for this seems Mind boggling. First go to a notary (big charge), then send to FCDO (whatever this is with big charge), then send to Thai embassy (again a fee). This seems crazy, and will TAKE SUCH A LONG TIME !

This largely depends on exactly what your Immigration are requesting and expecting.
An original birth certificate is already 'certified' by the registrar and should always be retained by you.

1. If Immigration only want it 'certifying', then schedule an appointment with the British Embassy to make a 'certified' copy of the birth certificate.
Have the copy translated into Thai, then the translation and copy legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2. On the other hand, if Immigration are requesting certification that the document is authentic, that's a different ballgame, where the document can only be certified as authentic by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Milton Keynes, UK, then legalised by the Thai Embassy in the UK.
A Notary can complete the whole process on your behalf.

In Thailand, you then have the document translated to Thai and legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/documents-for-british-people-abroad#certifying-uk-documents

You have nothing to lose by trying the first option, and hopefully the Embassies stamp and apostille attached by the MFA will be sufficient for Immigration.

Only instruction the visa place said was you need to get the birth certificate certified.

It’s left me in limbo because no matter what we said they would not accept it. All she said was certified. As I said never had the issue before.

Agent said to go through a notary - then go through the NGO - then send all to Thai embassy route. This seems Ridiculous and very costly!

It’s a struggle to get the London embassy to answer their phone, and takes a while for them to reply to emails.

1 hour ago, Bally Jaggers said:

Agent said to go through a notary - then go through the NGO - then send all to Thai embassy route. This seems Ridiculous and very costly!

Documents can only be authenticated in the Country that issued them.
That's the standard legal procedure to legalise a foreign document for acceptance as original in another Country.

1 hour ago, Bally Jaggers said:

It’s a struggle to get the London embassy to answer their phone, and takes a while for them to reply to emails.

I've never had an issue phoning them, and e-mail replies within 24 hours.

It's now over a month since you first raised this issue and were given advice, but still complaining without having taking any action.

On 1/12/2026 at 6:47 PM, Bally Jaggers said:

I posted a while ago but really struggling.

I’ve moved out of Bangkok, new immigration centre, and suddenly to renew my visa I am being told I need to have my birth certificate of my child ‘certified’ for my visa process (child applying with me).

I have original certificate. The process in the Uk for this seems Mind boggling. First go to a notary (big charge), then send to FCDO (whatever this is with big charge), then send to Thai embassy (again a fee). This seems crazy, and will TAKE SUCH A LONG TIME !

Please tell me there is another way ?!?!

Anyone gone through this?

I had to do similar ,, but it was for me for house book and id card.. to the passport and birth cert to an office in Pranburi .. the woman filled out the paperwork and then personal takes it Bangok and does all the legwork had everything done and returned to me in less than a week . If I remember it was about 3000 baht total and next day went to the district office and got my book and id

On 1/13/2026 at 8:46 PM, Bally Jaggers said:

Only instruction the visa place said was you need to get the birth certificate certified.

It’s left me in limbo because no matter what we said they would not accept it. All she said was certified. As I said never had the issue before.

Agent said to go through a notary - then go through the NGO - then send all to Thai embassy route. This seems Ridiculous and very costly!

It’s a struggle to get the London embassy to answer their phone, and takes a while for them to reply to emails.

I agree with Liquorice, I did not have any issues with london thai embassy. Phone or email.
You need to check with MFA what they will accept for certification. Do they need a legalised (apostilled) copy?
AFAIK, they normally require a legalised copy of the document, and as Liquorice pointed out, documents can only be authenticated in the Country that issued them
You dont want to be certifying the original to go with the Thai translation. You need a copy authenticated.
To be valid in Thailand I was advised that my marriage certificate needed to be an original copy or copy notarised first before FCDO. I was told that a UK solicitor's certification is not valid overseas, it has to be a notary.
You could get the copy certified by a notary, and the FCDO legalisation, etc, but it is extremely expensive. Last december i was quoted about 150 GBP just for notarization of a document. Not including FCDO etc.
If you do need it to be legalised for MFA to certify and do not want the high cost of a notary, then I suggest the following steps. As I have done similar for a marriage certificate about a year ago.
1. You will be able to get an original copy of the birth certificate from the registrars for the district. Make sure it is a full birth certificate with all parents details not a short form.
There may be an ordering process on line now. Telephone the registrars.

2. Go to the UK gov website online to order certified docs Apostilled. You have to pay and then send them the original copy document. And tell them where to send the apostilled copy + pay for post.

3.You then have to get it to the Thai embassy in london for certification. You can walk in for the service and collect certified a few days later or get it sent by post.

The above posting etc, best done through somebody in the UK, otherwise it could take over a month, and with all the associated courier costs. You do not want the doc lost in the post.

4.When you have the copy document apostilled by FCDO, and then certified by UK Thai Embassy, you need to get the document translated to Thai. Then take the documents to MFA to be certified.
Getting the translation accepted may not be simple. It took me four visits to MFA and three to the translator to get corrections done to satisfy MFA. Even my english name became a spelling issue. Agents were quoting me 3000 baht for a document to be translated and certified by MFA, they know the problems with getting the translation accepted.

I went through this process step by step last year. I got the FCDO to send it to a friend in Kent (near to london) for when I was visiting the UK, collect it and take to the Thai Embassy.