Notarised Power of Attorney in Thailand — When & How
A Power of Attorney lets someone act on your behalf for property, banking, court, or immigration matters. In Thailand it must be notarised by a Notarial Services Attorney, not a regular notary.
Published 2026-02-05 Updated 2026-05-12 6 min readBy Attorney Pichaya R.
Notarial services attorney in a Bangkok law office pressing a notarial seal onto certified documents
TL;DR
Thai POA is signed before a Notarial Services Attorney (licensed by Lawyers Council)
Cost: ฿700 stamp + ฿1,000–2,500 attorney fee
Bilingual TH/EN format is standard
For overseas use: notarise → MFA Apostille (or embassy legalization)
Common scenarios that require a Thai POA
You'll likely need a notarised POA if you can't be physically present for: a property closing in Bangkok, opening or closing a Thai bank account, submitting visa documents to Immigration, signing court paperwork, or instructing a Thai lawyer remotely.
Property purchase/sale at the Land Office
Bank account opening for non-residents
90-day reporting or visa extension
Civil court representation
Company registration or share transfer at DBD
Why a Notarial Services Attorney (not a Notary Public)
Thailand does not have the common-law concept of a 'Notary Public'. Instead, the Lawyers Council of Thailand licenses qualified attorneys as 'Notarial Services Attorneys' who can witness signatures, certify copies, and administer oaths. Their seal is recognised by the Thai MFA for legalization and Apostille.
Step-by-step at NYC's office
1) Email us the draft POA and ID/passport. 2) We review and produce a bilingual TH/EN final draft (30 min). 3) You attend in person at our Asok office to sign before the attorney. 4) We hand you the notarised originals same-day. 5) If for overseas use, we courier to MFA the next morning and return apostilled documents within 3–5 days.
Yes, through two accepted routes. Option A: sign in person at the nearest Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate, which provides consular legalisation that Thai authorities accept directly. Option B: sign before a local notary in your home country, then have the notarisation apostilled (Hague members) or fully legalised by the Thai embassy abroad before couriering the original to Thailand.
How long is the POA valid?
A Thai POA remains valid until the authorised act is completed, until the stated expiry date passes, or until you formally revoke it in writing and notify the agent. For single-purpose transactions like property transfers or bank account closures, we recommend including a 3–6 month sunset clause to limit risk and satisfy Land Department or bank compliance reviewers.
Is a photocopy acceptable?
Generally no. Most Thai government authorities — Land Department, DLT, Revenue Department, Immigration — require the original notarised POA bearing wet signatures and seals. A small number of private banks and registered companies will accept a true certified copy that has been re-notarised, but always confirm in advance to avoid a wasted appointment.
Tags:#POA#power of attorney#notary#notarial-services-attorney
Our team has over 15 years of experience in translation, certification, and filings with Thai and overseas authorities. We advise on choosing the correct certification route, sequencing your documents, and repairing files that were previously refused.
A case review before work begins, so you only prepare the documents that are genuinely required
The correct order of steps from day one, reducing the risk of a refusal and a restart
A plain explanation of the destination authority's stated requirements as published at the time of advice
If you would rather not handle it yourself, we run the full process end to end and return the finished file
