Q1028. How to process multi-language foreign company registration certificate translations for branch offices in Thailand?

Answered by the NYC Visa & Translation certified translation team

Foreign company registration certificates for establishing a Thai branch or subsidiary are filed with the Department of Business Development (DBD) and follow this chain: issuance of a current registry extract from the home country's companies register (the DBD typically requires issuance within 3–6 months), notarisation in the home country, legalisation by that country's foreign ministry, legalisation by the Royal Thai Embassy, translation into Thai, and MFA certification (200/quoted on request per stamp). The DBD filing set usually also requires the company's articles of association, the list of directors, a power of attorney for the local representative, and the minutes or board resolution authorising the Thai establishment — all translated and certified the same way. Critical details: the company name must be romanised identically across every document in the set, and where the parent company has an existing English trade name, that form should be used consistently; the registered capital and objectives in the translation must match the home registry exactly — the DBD cross-checks; and the director names must match their passports. Timing: the legalisation chain typically takes 3–6 weeks depending on the country, so start the home-country layers before the Thai-side preparation. Confirm the current DBD checklist before commissioning, as requirements differ between a branch office, a representative office, and a subsidiary.