What is NAATI?
NAATI is the Australian government body that certifies translators and interpreters. NAATI-certified translations are accepted by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Australian universities, Births/Deaths/Marriages registries, and Immigration New Zealand. The translator's stamp must show the NAATI number and the language pair.
What is MFA-accredited translation?
Translators registered with Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs are eligible to certify translations that the Consular Department will then legalize. After MFA legalization, the translation is acceptable to virtually every embassy in Bangkok — except Australia and New Zealand which insist on NAATI.
Common mistake
Applicants submit a beautifully translated Thai birth certificate to an Australian university — translated by an MFA translator. The university rejects it because NAATI is required. The corrected NAATI version takes another 5–10 working days and costs more. Always check the destination institution's exact wording before ordering translation.
Cost comparison
MFA-accredited translation typically costs THB 500–1,500 per page. NAATI translation through a Thailand-based agent typically costs THB 800–2,500 per page because of the smaller pool of certified translators in Asia.