Getting Documents Certified

[KevinB]

I am cashing in a matured UK policy / Investment instrument and need to have a number of documents signed by a witness, and copies of my documents certified. Is there such a thing as a Justice of the Peace (JP) or Commissioner of Oaths in this country. What I don't want to do is have to get everything translated into Thai or go to an expensive lawyer to perform this simple task. Any suggestions?

[Chalky]

Try your host embassy's consular section or any lawyer, possibly a Thai Visa sposnor?

[Kwasaki]

I don't really understand your question but as for getting English translated into Thai there are Thai government registered translation shops that can do this for you. Maybe you be better asking in " Jobs, economy, banking, business, investments. " forum.

[StreetCowboy]

There's a bloke sits in a box on the paid-area concourse of Nana BTS that will do the job for you. He's a Notary Public. And there's a post office just underneath. It was like a miracle for me, when I was struggling to realise some investments and I was getting pissed about by the investment company, who insisted on complying with anti-money-laundering legislation. The embassy was closed of a Friday afternoon - the only working day I was in Thailand, on that visit.

And he's a nice bloke, too.

SC

[KevinB]

Street Cowboy

I normally avoid Nana - but I'll be there today looking for this bloke in a booth. Thanks.

My only problem will be if my wife doesn't believe that thats the only place you can easily find a public notary in Bangkok.

Another General Comment

As I've discovered today (Monday) there seems to be a the new delay (due to strict applications of the regulations) attached to getting myself officially put on our house register. Because of this it looks like I'm going to have to go the expensive lawyer route. How else do I "prove" that I live at a specific address? When you have a British insurrance company insisting on a utility bill in your name (sounds so easy from a UK perspective) - when it is not that easy to do here - especially when the house is in your wifes name and therefore all the ulitity bills are also in her name as well. The joke being that I don't want the money sent here - I want the proceeds paid back into an Off-Shore Bank Account - from whence the funds originally came. By the way - before someone gets the wrong end of the stick - I have never been resident of the UK except when I was a post grad student (many years ago) and none of the hard earned money was ever liable for UK tax. So much for all the reassurances you get when you hand your money over.

And all this time the company in the Isle of Mann gets to hold my money while I jump through little hoops trying to get my hands on all these documents "they require" just so I can get my own funds back.

Don't you love these companies which sell "hassle free" investment products.

[Kwasaki]

I might be barking up the wrong tree but I don't think you can get your name on your wife's house book, I ended up with a yellow book from the local government offices covering where i live, which is easily translated.

As for a utility bill I had the Electric bill for our house put in my name, and that is easily translated too.

The yellow book took a week and the electric bill was changed at the next reading which for me was just over a week.

Edited May 23, 2011 by Kwasaki

[StreetCowboy]

Street Cowboy

I normally avoid Nana - but I'll be there today looking for this bloke in a booth. Thanks.

My only problem will be if my wife doesn't believe that thats the only place you can easily find a public notary in Bangkok.

Another General Comment

As I've discovered today (Monday) there seems to be a the new delay (due to strict applications of the regulations) attached to getting myself officially put on our house register. Because of this it looks like I'm going to have to go the expensive lawyer route. How else do I "prove" that I live at a specific address? When you have a British insurrance company insisting on a utility bill in your name (sounds so easy from a UK perspective) - when it is not that easy to do here - especially when the house is in your wifes name and therefore all the ulitity bills are also in her name as well. The joke being that I don't want the money sent here - I want the proceeds paid back into an Off-Shore Bank Account - from whence the funds originally came. By the way - before someone gets the wrong end of the stick - I have never been resident of the UK except when I was a post grad student (many years ago) and none of the hard earned money was ever liable for UK tax. So much for all the reassurances you get when you hand your money over.

And all this time the company in the Isle of Mann gets to hold my money while I jump through little hoops trying to get my hands on all these documents "they require" just so I can get my own funds back.

Don't you love these companies which sell "hassle free" investment products.

Bank statements are accepted as proof of address - if they have the address on them!

Cable TV bills also. Phone bills?

To be fair to the company concerned, they are required by law to do this, to prevent amateurs encroaching on the domain of the professional money launderer

If I had known anyone in that organisation, I would have asked how the IRA handled such issues, but I guess that was then, and they did not have to cope with this bureaucracy.

SC

[KevinB]

SC

All part of this modern world we live in - off shore account and e-statement - or else the bank charges £10 for a monthly paper statement - but I like your suggestion of a cable bill - or an internet connection - thanks

And if you like asking questions about the conspiracy between money laundering, the intelligence community and our beloved friends - the BIG BANKS then I recommend the new John le Carre novel (now in paperback) - "Our Kind of Traitor" - paints a great picture - and is a very good read.

and Kawasaki (nice bike)

The yellow book is now a lot tighter (as I have discovered) - you now need to:

1) book and interview - (waiting list in our area is 21 farang)

2) get 4 witnesses to go along and vouch for you (nice thing to ask you friends and neighbours to do - we got to the offices at 10 am - and got number 400 something and they were calling for number 18 - to the gathered throng of folk sweating away in the office - half the population has woken up to the fact that they need IDs with the elections coming up). OK I admit it - my wife knows a lady who knows a lady - we blatantly jumped the queue to find out the information given here.

3) wait for the Village chairman and the MP to agree (both will need some "assistance with transport" - I'm told especially with an election coming up)

Edited May 23, 2011 by KevinB

[Kwasaki]

SC

All part of this modern world we live in - off shore account and e-statement - or else the bank charges £10 for a monthly paper statement - but I like your suggestion of a cable bill - or an internet connection - thanks

And if you like asking questions about the conspiracy between money laundering, the intelligence community and our beloved friends - the BIG BANKS then I recommend the new John le Carre novel (now in paperback) - "Our Kind of Traitor" - paints a great picture - and is a very good read.

and Kawasaki (nice bike)

The yellow book is now a lot tighter (as I have discovered) - you now need to:

1) book and interview - (waiting list in our area is 21 farang)

2) get 4 witnesses to go along and vouch for you (nice thing to ask you friends and neighbours to do - we got to the offices at 10 am - and got number 400 something and they were calling for number 18 - to the gathered throng of folk sweating away in the office - half the population has woken up to the fact that they need IDs with the elections coming up). OK I admit it - my wife knows a lady who knows a lady - we blatantly jumped the queue to find out the information given here.

3) wait for the Village chairman and the MP to agree (both will need some "assistance with transport" - I'm told especially with an election coming up)

Yeah ! the bike is nice it's still in Bangkok I think waiting for me to save up and buy it.

You must be in a popular area for farangs wanted books, there are not many where I am, and two of the ladies in the offices were witnesses, and as you say, as so happens sometime in Thailand a Thai wife makes life a lot easier.

The yellow book we got so we don't have to get a letter from the police for proof of residence for immigration.

It has other uses but never needed any of them yet.

Your get there in the end I'm sure, stay cool and go out into the jungle and scream out loud later.

[JusMe]

You might find the equivalent of a commissioner of Oaths or a JP, but you could have trouble with a Notary Public.

The following is a quote from another thread in which people were trying to find a Notary Public (specifically) and basically told the embassy was their hope.

Thai law doesn't recognise the concept of a "notary public" as we understand it in Common Law jurisdictions. The Law Society of Thailand has tried to promote the concept and has certified some members as "Notarial Services Attorneys" (attend a training course, get a certificate) but this designation has no standing in Thai law. If you require signatures or documents "notarized" for use in an overseas common law jurisdiction, then in all likelihood your only alternative is that jurisdiction's embassy or consulate in Thailand, unless you can find someone locally who is registered as a notary public under that jurisdiction's laws. In the U.S. notaries are appointed by the individual states and, with some exceptions, have jurisdiction only within the state that appointed them. Some of the larger international law firms may have foreign notaries amongst their staff.

Beware local law firms that promote notarial services: documents notarized by them have no legal standing outside of Thailand and only limited value inside the country.

Sorry, I didn't keep note of who it was that posted this.

[StreetCowboy]

You might find the equivalent of a commissioner of Oaths or a JP, but you could have trouble with a Notary Public.

The following is a quote from another thread in which people were trying to find a Notary Public (specifically) and basically told the embassy was their hope.

Thai law doesn't recognise the concept of a "notary public" as we understand it in Common Law jurisdictions. The Law Society of Thailand has tried to promote the concept and has certified some members as "Notarial Services Attorneys" (attend a training course, get a certificate) but this designation has no standing in Thai law. If you require signatures or documents "notarized" for use in an overseas common law jurisdiction, then in all likelihood your only alternative is that jurisdiction's embassy or consulate in Thailand, unless you can find someone locally who is registered as a notary public under that jurisdiction's laws. In the U.S. notaries are appointed by the individual states and, with some exceptions, have jurisdiction only within the state that appointed them. Some of the larger international law firms may have foreign notaries amongst their staff.

Beware local law firms that promote notarial services: documents notarized by them have no legal standing outside of Thailand and only limited value inside the country.

Sorry, I didn't keep note of who it was that posted this.

Seriously. In a box in the paid area of Nana BTS. AAA .... I forget the full name, notary public. I'm not sure if he's a Commissioner for Oaths as well, I imagine only if you pay your BTS ticket and his office is closed.

As Jus mentioned, his notariness (notoriety?) may be limited, but its just to provide a private sector bureaucrat with a piece of paper that he can use to tick a box in his checklist, in order that he can claim due diligence in the face of an audit by public sector bureaucrats, so the chap in Nana should suffice.

SC

[powderpuff]

You can go to your Embassy & get your address certified albeit for some outrageous fee.