Submitting a commercial invoice and packing list to China — how must it be translated and certified?

The scope of this answer is “Submitting a commercial invoice and packing list to China”, so it deals with the case-specific points first and the shared rules afterwards. Transport authorities often apply a validity window to certified documents; confirm it will still be valid on the filing date. Hire purchase contracts state the interest rate and instalment count; keep both figures exact. Selling to a foreign buyer requires the buyer's passport copy with a certified translation. Inspection history and odometer readings should be translated in full, as they feed the import valuation. Plan the schedule with room for at least one review cycle at the receiving office. When several certification layers are required, start with the slowest one. High-resolution photos of seals and signatures help when the destination asks for re-verification. Note who signed each certification and on what date for later reference. The point to fix before starting is the real deadline, so the steps can be scheduled backwards from it. The most frequent cause of delay in this group is missing supporting documents on the first submission. Before starting, make sure document numbers, issue dates and issuing-office names match across the set, then keep a digital copy of every page, including seals and signatures, then plan the timeline so certification finishes before the real filing deadline. The specifics here are document type: Invoice; destination: Cn, and those decide which translation and certification level applies. The terms that frame this page are Submitting · commercial · invoice · packing. Once the set is complete, check it line by line against the destination's own checklist before filing. VIN and engine numbers must be transcribed character-for-character; the destination checks them against a register. For import and export cases the customs papers and the registration papers must identify the same vehicle beyond doubt. A logbook with hand corrections needs the registrar to certify the correction before translation. Transfer papers need both transferor and transferee signatures in place before certification. For overseas use of a Thai transport or customs document the sequence is: obtain the original or the issuer-certified copy, translate it into the target language, have the translation certified by the Legalisation Division of the Department of Consular Affairs, MFA, and then legalise it at the destination country's embassy or consulate where that country requires it. Always obtain the destination's written requirements first. A transport or customs translation must keep every number and code exact — licence number, plate, chassis and engine numbers, declaration number, tariff code, units, quantities and currency. Personal and company names must match the passport or company affidavit, dates must state whether the Buddhist or Gregorian era is used, and nothing may be summarised or omitted, seals and endorsements included. Thailand is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so no Apostille is issued for Thai-issued documents; Thai transport and customs documents go through Department of Consular Affairs certification and destination-embassy legalisation instead. Where a destination asks for an Apostille, request written confirmation that it accepts the Thai legalisation route. Cost and lead time depend on page count, target language, the number of line items in the document and the certification steps required, so every file is quoted before work starts. Send scans of every page together with the written requirements from the transport authority, customs office or receiving agency via LINE @NAATI, call +66 80-557-8887 or email ilc@thainotary.co.th.

ปรึกษาฟรี — LINE @NAATI · โทร 080-5578887 · อีเมล ilc@thainotary.co.th