I am getting my daughter her Canadian citizenship card, however I need to get some Thai documents translated to English, and certified. Are there any places in Pattaya to get this done, or do I have to resort to lengthy and frequent trips to Bangkok for this?

Thanks again.

You need to pay a great deal of attention as to what sort of translation/translator will be acceptable to the body that is requesting it. From your description it would be some Canadian government body, and so you need to consult with them as to exactly what type of Thai translator will suit their needs.

Government bodies can be extremely fussy and may even have a list of acceptable translators' names.

You are correct about them being picky.. You have no idea. They did leave the translation and notary requirements rather open ended, or at least, I could not find any requirements about this aspect. I will give them a shout and see if they do in fact have a recommended list of names. With all the trouble this is ending up being for something so simple, I don't want it to be refused on some silly technicality.

I'm also Canadian and have been getting several documents both translated and notarized here in Pattaya for years. Our Government/Embassy has NO list of acceptable notaries because like 90% of us they don't even know who is legally qualified here in Pattaya or even THAILAND FOR THAT MATTER. Out of the thousands of lawyers in Thailand, only a handful are registered as certified notaries.

The only one that I have used here is on Sukhumvit between Pattaya Klang and Pattaya tai on the beach side of the road (West side) and they have a big sign saying "CARGO & SHIPPING" out front. I would not use this lawyer for ANYTHING else but translation and notary services though and I have never had a document refused from Canada or USA (for my father.)

H e will probably start out asking 2500 baht per not arty however will accept 1000 to 1500.

Name: Wisit

Phone: 0 3842 6668-9

Magna Carta on Pattaya Tai are the only

registered notary I know of magnacarta.co.th/

For copies:

There's a lawyer in Soi Post Office who has a notary sign in his window and who charges 500B (negotiable) to certify a copy which I consider to be way over the top for 5 minutes' work. I have no idea whether he would be qualified as a translator though.

I have found that UK government bodies and UK banks universally accept copies certified by any registered Thai lawyer, and there was no need for a notary as such to do it. Of course Canadian mileage may vary.

You may also find that a doctor is acceptable for certifying copies and if so this will probably be the cheapest option in Pattaya as they usually only charge 100B or so for certificates.

Again, it all depends on what is acceptable to the body requesting the copy of the document.

We needed a document translated from Thai to English for the Danish embassy recently and used "RP Office of law and business", a legal/translation service on Soi Kao Noi, about 100m up from the railroad/bypass road. I'm sorry I don't have the phone number handy. They charged 300 baht for a one-page document, and took one day to do it. I scanned both original and translation and emailed it to the Embassy who checked it and emailed it back with 2 or 3 minor translation issues (a missing comma, the use of the word "soi" instead of "road" in an address, and such things). These were corrected free of charge by RP. After that the document was accepted, stamped and all those other legal things the Embassies love to charge a fortune to do for no apparent reason.

We needed a document translated from Thai to English for the Danish embassy recently and used "RP Office of law and business", .... They charged 300 baht for a one-page document, and took one day to do it.

A very fair price that just goes to show what a total rip-off 500B for a simple 5 minute photocopy certification job is, let alone the crooks who try to charge 2500B for the same 5 minute job (consulates, this includes you).

Lawyers make the jet-ski scammers look like angels.

Thanks, I will look into some of these places. Siam Legal website seems to offer some of these services as well, but they refuse to reply to my emails, so time to move on and check one of these alternatives (and probably better price too).

No "probably" about it!

We needed a document translated from Thai to English for the Danish embassy recently and used "RP Office of law and business", a legal/translation service on Soi Kao Noi, about 100m up from the railroad/bypass road. I'm sorry I don't have the phone number handy. They charged 300 baht for a one-page document, and took one day to do it. I scanned both original and translation and emailed it to the Embassy who checked it and emailed it back with 2 or 3 minor translation issues (a missing comma, the use of the word "soi" instead of "road" in an address, and such things). These were corrected free of charge by RP. After that the document was accepted, stamped and all those other legal things the Embassies love to charge a fortune to do for no apparent reason.

Here's a link with the info. I'm headed there today!!

Just confirmed it's 300B.

Just got back. Very nice people. 300B for one page notary.

If you don't want to head over to the dark side, I just saw one on Pattaya Klang, just past 3rd road as you are headed to the beach on the left, maybe 100M or so. Does notary and translation, at least that's what the sign says.

300B for one page notary.

I dont quite follow. Is it 300B for translation or certification, or both? How much is certification on its own (if they do that)?

The only certification offered, afaics, is a stamp saying the translation was done by a legal office. In our case the actual certification was then done by the Thai Foreign Office (500 baht) and the Danish Embassy (1000 baht) - both needed for the validity of this particular document.

What I had them do today was to certify that I am the one who signed this document. In the US, they are called a notary public. They look at your ID, record it, watch you sign the doc, then stamp it and sign it themselves....oh...and then collect a bunch of money for doing that. Not unusual to charge $30-40.

Here, they stamp and sign it, collect your 300B, and let you do what you want with the doc. A bit looser here....

The lawyer there speaks great English. Call first, as he is not always in the office.

Thanks, I will look into some of these places. Siam Legal website seems to offer some of these services as well, but they refuse to reply to my emails, so time to move on and check one of these alternatives (and probably better price too).

I suspect that Siam Legal are the most expensive in Pattaya. I recommend Magna Carta, junction of Third Road and Pattaya Tai.

What I had them do today was to certify that I am the one who signed this document. In the US, they are called a notary public. They look at your ID, record it, watch you sign the doc, then stamp it and sign it themselves....oh...and then collect a bunch of money for doing that. Not unusual to charge $30-40.

I seem to remember reading that in the US there is some historical fixed charge of 25cts or something like that. Not that it's relevant to what happens here of course.

Here, they stamp and sign it, collect your 300B, and let you do what you want with the doc. A bit looser here....

That seems to be the same as the copy certification that I had done in Soi Post Office for 500B. I suspect that it would satisfy any UK bank or government agency.

For copies:

There's a lawyer in Soi Post Office who has a notary sign in his window and who charges 500B (negotiable) to certify a copy which I consider to be way over the top for 5 minutes' work. I have no idea whether he would be qualified as a translator though.

I have found that UK government bodies and UK banks universally accept copies certified by any registered Thai lawyer, and there was no need for a notary as such to do it. Of course Canadian mileage may vary.

You may also find that a doctor is acceptable for certifying copies and if so this will probably be the cheapest option in Pattaya as they usually only charge 100B or so for certificates.

Again, it all depends on what is acceptable to the body requesting the copy of the document.

hi darrel any idea is the lawyer office still there? have you use his service ?

If you ever went 'back home' the Thai Consulate office in your home country will certify the translation with their seal and stamp for you, I've gotten marriage certificates translated and certified from Thai consul in the past.