Dual Passport Holder Visit To Uk

[mick barnacle]

My Friend has a daughter aged 4 and wants to take her to the Uk for a holiday.She holds both a Thai and British passport.The question is can she leave Thailand on her Thai passport and use her Uk passport on arrival,and when returning to Thailand use her Thai passport for re-entry without obtaining any permission or anything from immigration.

[vinny]

Shouldn't be a problem. When entering and leaving Thailand, she can show only her Thai passport at Thai Immigration. When entering and leaving the UK, she can show only her UK passport at UK immigration.

The only time that she may have to show both passports is when she checks in at the airline counter.

If he is worried about showing multiple passports, then he can apply for a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode to be placed in her Thai passport. With it, she would only need to show her Thai passport, both in the UK and Thailand. If the application is made in the UK, the cost is only £20, elsewhere, e.g. in Thailand, it would cost £85, currently 5,950.00 Baht, in local currency.

[samran]

Just do the passport swap as vinny suggested. I travel between Thailand and the UK regularly enough and it is common enough practice.

[mick barnacle]

Thankyou for your responses,very much appreciated and i will inform my friend.Many thanks again

[bensark]

I was told that to exit Thailand residents from there need a visa to travel to any European country. Is that not the case?

[Axel]

I was told that to exit Thailand residents from there need a visa to travel to any European country. Is that not the case?

Yes, Thais do need visa, but no visa, of course, required if they hold as well a British passport.

So, when arriving in the UK, just present your British passport and that's it.

But, as vinny mentioned, the airline check-staff want to see both, the Thai- and the British passport, they make sure the passenger can enter the UK with proper documentation.

[bensark]

My girlfriend can get a "borrowed" french passport, sounds risky? presume would have to be in her name then assuming she made it to the uk, they would check the database???and she would get deported!!

[bensark]

Unless she travel totally on French one and say the reason it not stamped on entry was becuase lost.

[samran]

Ben, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I am tempted to flail you publically.

On second thoughts...screw it....

Your last idea is totally dumb and stupid and a waste of time. Plus it is illegal.

But to walk you though the process.

Airlines need proof that you are indeed the person on the ticket. They also need proof that the person travelling has the right to enter the country of destination. Otherwise they won't board you.

So, for Thai dual passport holders, this involves showing the check in person both passports. The Thai one tells the airline check in that you need a departure card, as the Thai passport will be the one a Thai citizen gets stamped out on.

The foreign passport (usually US, Canadian, Aus, NZ or EU) tells the airline that that Thai person doesn't need a visa to enter the country of destination. So they let you board.

Now, this is where your truely stupid idea comes unstuck. The airline check in will notice that the names on the ticket and Thai PP don't match on your 'borrowed' passport.

Now I am assuming that the borrowed passport is from a 'friend' who looks Asian. Good try, but Asians with their yellow skin and black hair actually don't all look alike.

If the passport has fallen off the back of the truck so to speak, odds are it will have been cancelled, so at anystage if it is scanned, then your BG is screwed, and you'll likely be done for people smuggling.

All I have to add to my rant is to suggest that you run a google search on the terms 'ICE team' and 'Bangkok Airport'

[wolf5370]

My wife has both UK and Thai passport and only ever shows her Thai PP in LoS and UK in the UK - excellent queue dodger at Heathrow.

She has never had to show her UK passport at the checkin desk or anywhere at Don Muang. However because she went through the whole naturalisation process in the UK, her Thai passport has the "indefinite right to remain" visa. She has extended it, but the day will come soon when she needs to renew her Thai one, so may have to show both at check-in.

Does the 4 y/o have the 'right to remain' or did she just get the UK PP directly ?

[samran]

She has extended it, but the day will come soon when she needs to renew her Thai one, so may have to show both at check-in.

If the Thai PP is blank with no visa, then the other PP is definetly required to show the right to enter. Say for eg, you are flying to the US or somewhere in the EU, even with the ILR in the Thai PP, the airline would still need to see the Brit passport so they are certain she can get in visa free.

On top of that, the Thai passport is becoming handier to have these days as well, there are a couple of asian countries where Thai's don't need the visa, but the farang does!! Love it!! :-)

[GU22]

Quite. The check in staff in LOS don't need to see the Brit passport as the Thai one has an ILR stamp in it, so that shows she can enter the UK. When she renews her Thai passport she can have the ILR stamp transferred to her new one, at a cost of £150, or simply show both passports, Brit and Thai.

Bensark, If your posts are meant as a joke, they only show you to be utterly stupid. If they are meant to be serious, they only show you to be utterly stupid. As would any one be who took you seriously.

[vinny]

When she renews her Thai passport she can have the ILR stamp transferred to her new one, at a cost of £150, or simply show both passports, Brit and Thai.

Don't transfer the ILR stamp. The Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode (ROA) is much more appropriate for a dual UK citizen. It's cheaper than the ILR and presently costs only £20 in the UK. If she wants to, she can apply for it now. Future transfers of ROAs to subsequent passports are currently free. See ROA application form.

[GU22]

But with dual nationality and a British passport it's not necessary to do either as there is absolutely no need to show the Thai passport to immigration when entering the UK; the British one is enough.

[p_brownstone]

I really don’t understand why people keep talking about getting an ILR or ROA Stamp in a Thai Passport.

This Stamp in a Thai Passport will only allow entry to the U.K. – if your Spouse or Child intends to travel to any other Country these Stamps are useless.

Get a full British passport and they can travel in most of Europe - and the USA under the Visa Waiver system - "without let or hindrance” (actually I'm not at all sure if that term is still used!) – attempt entry on only a Thai Passport with either of the above Stamps and they will almost certainly be turned back.

Patrick

[vinny]

See also Dual Nationality Kids.

[GU22]

I really don’t understand why people keep talking about getting an ILR or ROA Stamp in a Thai Passport.

This Stamp in a Thai Passport will only allow entry to the U.K. – if your Spouse or Child intends to travel to any other Country these Stamps are useless.

Get a full British passport and they can travel in most of Europe - and the USA under the Visa Waiver system - "without let or hindrance” (actually I'm not at all sure if that term is still used!) – attempt entry on only a Thai Passport with either of the above Stamps and they will almost certainly be turned back.

Patrick

Yes, an ILR or RoA stamp is, of course, only used to enter and reside in the UK. A Thai passport holder will still need to get the necessary visas to visit those countries where a Thai needs a visa.

However, a spouse visa, for example, is only valid for 2 years. If one didn't obtain ILR at the end of this time one would be living in the UK illegally, and if one left the UK then one wouldn't get back in!

Also, in order to qualify for British nationality one needs to have been legally resident in the UK for 5 years without restriction (or 3 years if the spouse of a British citizen). This means that one needs to obtain ILR or RoA first. (See General Requirements for Applying for Naturalisation)

Of course, people who obtained dual citizenship at their birth (Thai mother, British father for example) will already have British nationality so wont need a visa of any type to enter or live in the UK. Or to enter or live in Thailand as they're Thai as well.

So, do you understand now?

Edited March 29, 2006 by GU22

[samran]

Sorry, being a pedant, but isn't it that that you have to be resident 5 years or 3 years (if married), with the final year only being without any time restriction.

eg: 4 year work permit + 1 year ILR = Citizenship

or 2 year marriage permit + 1 year ILR = Citizenship.

??

[GU22]

Yep, poorly written on my part. It is only the last 12 months that need to be without restriction.

I'll go find the pointed hat and stand in the corner.

[GU22]

Yep, poorly written on my part. It is only the last 12 months that need to be without restriction.

Ignore the above, it was typed in haste and is wrong.

The residential requirement for naturalisation as British is:-

The applicant must have been living legally in the UK for at least 5 years, or 3 years if the spouse of a British citizen, and now be free of any time limit on their visa, immigration status etc. They do not need to have been free of restriction for at least 12 months.

As an example, someone enters the UK in March 2006 with a fiance visa. They then marry in July 2006 and apply for FLR. Two years after FLR, in July 2008, they apply for ILR. They do not have to wait until they have held ILR for 12 months, i.e. until July 2009, before applying for naturalisation; they can do so 3 years after first entering the UK with the fiance visa, i.e. March 2009.

Hope that's clear, and apologies for the error.

Pointed hat back on, and off to the corner once more.