Hello there, I am looking into obtaining the yellow book.

I have visited the local district office (amphur) but not surely sure about the requirements even though she wrote the list in thai.

As ive seen somewhere, one is required to get something certified? at the chaengwattana for submission to amphur.

Like police certicate or residency? I have TM30 from immigration, but i dont have police cert from thai or my home country.

Any of you whove done it, can please kindly advice what are the requirements?

Cheerios

Edited May 18May 18 by bkkryn

Use Google Lens to translate the list to English

Asking this here is useless.

Every amphur has different rules. Some will never give a housebook to a foreigner, some do it within 20 minutes, and there is everything in between.

@scubascuba3 gave you the best answer.

BTW this certification in CW probably means, get your passport translated into Thai (not kidding), have the translation certified by your embassy, and then go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at CW government complex to get the whole thing certified again.

But I am just guessing, I don't know what you mean.

On 5/18/2026 at 4:19 PM, Hish said:

Asking this here is useless.

Every amphur has different rules. Some will never give a housebook to a foreigner, some do it within 20 minutes, and there is everything in between.

@scubascuba3 gave you the best answer.

BTW this certification in CW probably means, get your passport translated into Thai (not kidding), have the translation certified by your embassy, and then go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at CW government complex to get the whole thing certified again.

But I am just guessing, I don't know what you mean.

Hi thanks for your reply and your probably right about certification thing.

Do you happen to know how the passport will be transplated into thai? is it just like the front photo page to be translated?

*does it have to be done at the translator shops or just any thai can translate them by handwriteen on passport copy?

Edited June 8Jun 8 by bkkryn

On 5/18/2026 at 4:19 PM, Hish said:

Asking this here is useless.

Every amphur has different rules. Some will never give a housebook to a foreigner, some do it within 20 minutes, and there is everything in between.

@scubascuba3 gave you the best answer.

BTW this certification in CW probably means, get your passport translated into Thai (not kidding), have the translation certified by your embassy, and then go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at CW government complex to get the whole thing certified again.

But I am just guessing, I don't know what you mean.

Some good points - I suspect it also makes a difference on your connection to the property, lease, chanote, etc ... and then over the years I have come to the conclusion that a Thai Wife makes a difference simply because I never met anyone with the yellow book and the pink ID that does not have a wife (I'm sure there must be some though).

7 hours ago, bkkryn said:

Hi thanks for your reply and your probably right about certification thing.

Do you happen to know how the passport will be transplated into thai? is it just like the front photo page to be translated?

*does it have to be done at the translator shops or just any thai can translate them by handwriteen on passport copy?

I did try to get this done myself, been over a decade now - got rejected at the final step, the Amphur interview - without any satisfying explanation. Note: I have my name on the Chanote

Anyway, I am preparing to try again - I will need the MFA certified translation of my passport to proceed. Here the way it works (me thinks) - talked to a translation place today
1) go to the Embassy and get a certified copy of your passport - this is the document that gets translated. (not actually your passport)
2) have a MFA authorized translation company do the translation
3) take it to the MFA for the final authorization - this can be avoided if the translation company will do this step for you

For the translation and the MFA service I got quoted 2700 THB + Embassy service another 50 USD ~1600 THB = total 4300 THB

I figure this will take some time, no appointments currently available at my Embassy (US) - the translation company quoted me 2 weeks to get the documents back from start to finish, if I manage to progress further I will post here again.

Edited June 8Jun 8 by expat_4_life

Does it really have to be translated outside?

Some Thai could just translate the passport verification cert and sign their name in it?

Also u have a hunch y u were rejected?

13 hours ago, bkkryn said:

Hi thanks for your reply and your probably right about certification thing.

Do you happen to know how the passport will be transplated into thai? is it just like the front photo page to be translated?

*does it have to be done at the translator shops or just any thai can translate them by handwriteen on passport copy?

It must be a translator (office) that is accepted by your embassy. Every embassy has a list of translators they accept.

Because the translation has to be stamped by the embassy.

These translators know what to translate, and they can usually get the embassy stamp for you (for a fee)

21 hours ago, expat_4_life said:

Here the way it works (me thinks) - talked to a translation place today
1) go to the Embassy and get a certified copy of your passport - this is the document that gets translated. (not actually your passport)
2) have a MFA authorized translation company do the translation
3) take it to the MFA for the final authorization - this can be avoided if the translation company will do this step for you

This is more or less how it worked for me during my unsuccessful* attempt to obtain a yellow book some years ago. In my case, 3) proved a time-consuming process lasting a good 3-4 hours as we had the misfortune to deal with a particularly nit-picking official in the MFA, who went back and forth with us (resulting in us, in turn, going back and forth with our translator) until we were eventually able to come up with a translation with which he was fully satisfied.

If, however, you can manage to find a translator who's prepared to engage in any backing-and-forthing with the MFA without the need for any involvement on your part, then all well and good!

*My application was subsequently rejected by our amphur on the grounds that the Thai transliteration of my surname as stated in the certified translation endorsed by the MFA didn't exactly match my wife's as stated in her ID card and tabien baan - whereupon I threw in the towel and haven't looked back since!

17 hours ago, bkkryn said:

Does it really have to be translated outside?

Some Thai could just translate the passport verification cert and sign their name in it?

They could, but what would happen once any back-and-forth games with the MFA over the certified translation started in earnest?

Edited June 9Jun 9 by OJAS

Lived in my home for 14 years. Did TM30 on my Mrs' behalf and still have the original. Went to Amphur Office quite a few years back only to be told that we must be married to get me a YellowBook/Pink Card. I argued against that but got nowhere.

A few years later I had to see the Taxman who is in the same building and told him about this. He immediately went to the other office and demanded they give me the Book/Card. 1 hour later all done and dusted.