Thai Foreign Ministry Offers Free Document Translation for New Years

The Thai Foreign Ministry offices are offering a free translation service and also waiving fees for 19 types of documents, in what it calls a “New Year gift” for customers.

The free translation service is available from Dec 21 until Jan 20. Furthermore the Bt200 (S$8.80) document certification fee will be waived for the first two weeks, or 10 working days, of 2021.

The services will be available at the Department of Consular Affairs in Bangkok’s Lak Si district and at the Office of Legalisation Division in four locations, namely MRT Khlong Toei station. Also the Temporary Passport Offices in Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Songkhla.

The Foreign Ministry will also install the country’s first automated passport application kiosk at the Pathumwan Temporary Passport Office in Bangkok’s MBK shopping centre. The kiosk will open on Jan 29 and operate daily, from 10am to 6pm.

Documents covered are:

ID card; civil registration particulars; house registration; birth certificate; death certificate; marriage certificate; registration of marriage; divorce certificate; registration of divorce; registration of family status; record of family status; certificate of personal title; a certificate of surname change,; name change certificate; use of joint surname certificate; certificate of surname registration; certificate of marital status;  child custody certificate; and also a letter of consent for child’s foreign travel.

Thailand Bans New Years Eve Gatherings

Meanwhile, Thailand imposed a ban on large gatherings and events across the country in an effort to contain its worst coronavirus epidemic yet during New Year, with active cases in over half of its provinces.

Authorities have asked the public to avoid travel and have imposed tighter control measures in some areas, including entertainment businesses. Targeted lockdowns have been imposed in some provincial districts.

The health ministry confirmed 250 new infections on Wednesday, among the highest number of confirmed daily cases since a big outbreak found nearly two weeks ago that was the country’s largest yet.

“Today’s figures made me nervous… What we don’t want to see is a second or third lockdown,” Covid-19 taskforce spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a briefing.

“If the situation can’t be controlled, rather than count down to the New Year, we may count up (the number of cases).”

Dr Taweesin on Tuesday (Dec 29) said more aggressive restrictions like those seen earlier in the year may need to be imposed if the spread is not contained.

The measures, which included closures of malls, restaurants and entertainment areas. Furthermore restrictions on international travel, caused the tourism-reliant economy to contract the most in 22 years in the second quarter.

New clusters have emerged in the wake of a big outbreak this month at a seafood market near Bangkok, among mainly migrant workers from Myanmar, with cases since reported in 48 provinces.

Though low in comparison to many countries, the sharp increase in Thailand’s daily cases is a setback for its efforts to keep the virus at bay, having recorded also just 6,690 infections and 61 deaths overall.