I. Brief Introduction of Consular Legalization:
The consular legalization refers to the practice of confirming the authenticity of the last seal or signature on relevant documents issued by other countries, performed by consular legalization agencies upon the application of natural persons, legal persons, or other organizations.
The lawful documents which are issued by a Thai authority and will be used in China, should firstly be authenticated and certified by the Ministry of Foreign affairs of Thailand and then submitted to the Consular Section of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Kingdom of Thailand for legalization.
II. Types of Consular Legalization Service:
1. Civil: diploma, transcript, birth certificate, death certificate, registration of marriage, certificate of name change, etc.
2. Commercial: business license, certificate of enterprise registration, list of shareholders, etc.
III. Application Procedure:
1. Submit the document (in Chinese or English language) to the relevant notary offices in Thailand for notarization.
2. Submit the notarized document to the Legalization Division, Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand for authentication (some English documents issued by Thai official agencies do not require notarization and can be directly submitted for authentication to the Legalization Division).
Address of the Legalization Division, Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 3rd Floor, Consular Building, Chaeng Watthana Road, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
3. Submit the document authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (briefed as the Visa Center) in Bangkok to apply for legalization from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Kingdom of Thailand (briefed as the Chinese Embassy in Thailand). Online appointment is required to submit the legalization application. Please visit the Visa Center’s website at www.visaforchina.org for details.
Address of the Visa Center: 5th Floor, Thanapoom Tower, 1550 New Petchaburi Road, Makkasan, Bangkok 10400.
Telephone: 02-2075888.
Note: The Chinese Visa Application Service Center provides Chinese consular legalization services, including receiving application materials, consulting, collecting legalization fees on behalf of the Embassy, and issuing certifications. Chinese consular officials are responsible for reviewing the materials and approving the application. In case of emergency situations or urgent need for document legalization, applicants can submit the materials directly to the Chinese Embassy in Thailand after providing relevant supporting materials.
IV. Documents Required:
1. Completed “Application Form for Consular Legalization of the Embassy/Consulate of the People’s Republic of China”. The application form must be signed by the applicant in the “Applicant/Agent Signature” section. If someone else is entrusted to submit the application, both the applicant and the agent must sign. For legalization of death certificates, the “Application Form for Consular Legalization of the Embassy/Consulate of the People’s Republic of China (Legalization for Death Certificate)” should be filled out.
2. Proof of identity of the applicant (original and photocopy of valid passport or ID card). For legalization of business documents, the company’s registration certificate and the legal representative’s proof of identity must be submitted.
3. The original and photocopy of the document to be authenticated.
4. If someone else is entrusted to act on behalf of the applicant, the original and photocopy of the agent’s ID card and a power of attorney must be submitted.
Note: The original signature of the applicant and agent must be provided in the Signature section, and cannot be replaced by photocopies, faxes, etc.
5. For the consular legalization of medical certificate of Chinese citizens who died in Thailand, it should be handled by close relatives of the deceased (including spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, etc.), and the ID cards of the close relatives must be submitted, along with corresponding proof of kinship (such as household registration book, marriage certificate, notarized proof of kinship). If the close relatives entrust someone else to handle the legalization, a power of attorney and the agent’s ID card must also be provided.
6. The above are general requirements for application materials. For more important issues or when the Embassy deems it necessary, the applicant may be required to submit other supporting documents.
V. Notes:
1. The application form must be filled in truthfully and completely, otherwise it will not be accepted; the submitted copies of application materials must be clear and not forged or tampered with, otherwise they will not be accepted.
2. The content of the documents and the processing procedures must be true, complete, and legal, and must not contain any content that violates Chinese laws or may harm China’s national and public interests. Consular officials will review the documents applied for legalization. If any problems are found, including incomplete notarization or certification procedures, non-standard format, illegal content, or any alteration or replacement of the documents, the application for legalization will not be accepted.
3. For documents applying for legalization with more than two pages, they should be bound into a book to ensure the integrity of the documents and prevented them from being altered or replaced.
4. According to relevant regulations, for the single status certificate which will be used for registering marriage in Chinese mainland , the period between the date of receiving notarization or certification and the date of applying for consular legalization, should no longer than 6 months. Documents that exceed the validity period will not be accepted.
5. The documents legalized by the consulate cannot be changed or replaced. If they are changed or replaced, the consular legalization will be invalid, and the related responsibilities will be borne by the applicant.
6. Once the legalization application is approved, it cannot be revoked. The applicant must pay the relevant fees.
7. If the applicant or agent does not collect the completed legalization documents within one year, the consulate will handle it accordingly. The applicant shall bear all possible consequences of destroying the documents and application materials.
VI. Fee and Processing Time:
1. Regular Service: 4 working days. For Non-Chinese citizens, the fee for each civil legalization is 700 baht, while the fee for each commercial legalization is 1,400 baht. For Chinese citizens, the fee for civil legalization and commercial legalization is 260 baht and 500 baht, respectively.
2. Express Service: 2-3 working days, with an additional fee of 800 baht for Express Service. The fee of commercial legalization is 2,200 baht for Express Service.
3. The legalization accepted at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center, an additional center service fee will be charged.