Thai names in Latin letters: passport spelling and transcription

Why spellings differ

Thai script has sounds and tones that do not map one to one on Latin letters. Several systems exist, and the Royal Thai General System of Transcription is commonly used as the official scheme. A passport office, a school or a private person may have used another spelling, often years ago. The result is that the same person can appear as, for example, a spelling with ph in one document and with p in another.

The passport spelling as reference

The passport is an identity document that German authorities know. A translator who writes your name in a different form from the passport creates a mismatch. In practice, ask the translator to use the passport spelling for you and, if possible, for parents and spouse, as far as their spelling is known from their own passports or documents.

For persons without a passport, such as relatives who are named only in a birth certificate, the translator will transcribe the Thai text. Tell them if you know a spelling used in other official documents.

Consistency across documents

Offices compare documents in a file. A birth certificate, a marriage certificate, a degree and a residence permit should show the same name. If they do not, the office may ask for clarification or for proof that both spellings belong to the same person. Prepare a short list of all spellings you have used and the documents where they appear.

• Passport spelling of every person in the file.
• Spellings used on previous documents and cards.
• Former names, if any (see the name change guide).

What a translator needs from you

Send a clear copy of the passport data page, the Thai documents in full, and the names of other persons with their spelling if you know it. Tell the translator which German office will receive the translation, because some offices have preferences. If the order is placed by one person for several family members, collect the passport data for each of them.

Thai legalisation or an apostille is a separate topic. See our guide on legalisation and apostille.

How we help, and when you need a sworn translator

DocDee reads the Thai names in your document, shows them in Thai script and in a Latin transcription, and lets you compare them with the spelling in your passport. We flag differences so you can fix them before ordering a translation. This is free.

The official translation must be made by a sworn translator, an optional paid step with us. The office that asked for the document decides what it accepts.