Marriage and Birth Certificates From 21 Countries Now Require Legalization
October 10, 2016
Country / Territory
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Foreign nationals from the following 21 countries applying for initial and renewal long-term dependent visas at the One Stop Service Center (OSSC) must legalize their marriage and birth certificates:
- Argentina
- Bangladesh
- Bolivia
- Chile
- Colombia
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- India
- Iran
- Liberia
- Mali
- Nepal
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Peru
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Sri Lanka
- Togo
- Uganda
This requirement does not apply to applications submitted to the Board of Investments.
Previously, applicants could submit original, non-legalized marriage and birth certificates to support their dependents’ visa applications.
Legalization Methods
Affected foreign nationals can legalize their documents by one of the following methods:
- Legalization at their country's Embassy in Thailand (if permitted by their Embassy); or
- Legalization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the document was issued, plus authentication at the Thai Embassy in that country.
As a reminder, applicants from a country other than the ones on the above list whose birth or marriage certificates are not in Thai or English must have the document translated into English and subsequently legalized using one of the methods mentioned above.
What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals
To avoid delays, employers applying for long-stay visas at the OSSC should ensure that dependents of foreign employees from any of the above countries have their marriage and birth certificates officially legalized far prior to submission of their dependent visa applications. Fragomen can assist with legalization and translation services.
We worked closely with Dej-Udom & Associates Ltd. to prepare this alert. It is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
