Q1050. What guidelines govern factory and industrial plant license translations for the Ministry of Industry?

Answered by the NYC Visa & Translation certified translation team

Factory licence translations for the Ministry of Industry arise when a foreign parent company's documentation supports a Thai factory application (Ror Ngor 4 under the Factory Act), or when a Thai factory's documents go to a foreign head office or regulator. For foreign-to-Thai direction: the parent's corporate documents, environmental compliance records, and technical specifications of machinery are translated into Thai and certified, with legalisation through the chain where the Department of Industrial Works (DIW) requires it. For Thai-to-foreign: the factory licence itself, the DIW approval conditions, and environmental permits (EIA approvals) are translated into English for the parent or for foreign auditors. Technical points: the licence's factory category number and the machinery capacity figures must be transcribed exactly — the DIW's category system determines which rules apply, and a mistranslated capacity figure can misstate the licence scope; EIA reports are long and usually only the executive summary and approval conditions are translated unless the counterparty needs the full text; and for ISO or GMP audits accompanying the licence, the certificates are translated with their accreditation body details preserved. Timing: a licence with conditions takes on a timeline confirmed after document review; an EIA summary takes longer. Confirm with the DIW or the receiving foreign body which documents and which certification form it requires.