Thai Passport

[saranagon]

Hello All

First visit to Thailand for my 13 month old son this july ,Does anyone know if i can get him a thai passport in bkk ,if so where ?? Mother Thai, Father uk.

This could save me a visit to London Thai Embassy Later

Please also let me know what documentation i would need to take over with me.

[the scouser]

Hi Saranagon,

My wife and I also have a son who is British/Thai. The advice I've been given is to bite the bullet and take a day out to travel down to London to visit the embassy.

I was told that it is possible to complete the process in BKK, but that it's not as simple as just applying for a passport as, firstly, the birth has to be registered and, if in Thailand, your son added to the family tabien baan. I was advised that as my son was born in the UK, the amphur might create a bureaucratic nightmare that shouldn't occur at the embassy in London. Additionally, if your son is added to the Thai family's tabien baan, there may be call up issues when he reaches national service age.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[vinny]

Processing times for passport applications via the Royal Thai Embassy may take up to six weeks.

[samran]

Thats right, the child has to be registered as a Thai first. For that, he needs a Thai birth certificate. For overseas born Thai's they differ significantly from the locally issued ones and make clear that the child was born overseas.

The main issue here is that the local ampur in Thailand is not usually authorised to issue a birth certificate for a child born outside its boundries. As your child was born in the UK, the best place to handle the birth certificate via the embassy. They are the best equippled (and authorised) to handle these matters.

Given that you are going to have to get the birth certificate anyway, which basically establishes Thai nationality, you may as well get the passport there too, to save the hassel of running around in Bangkok to get it, as there are only three places to do so in Bangkok, and none of them are terribly convineient.

The embassy will have plenty experience in handling your type of request. Make sure you ring them first though to ensure that you have all the documents they need. (And calling them between 2 and 4pm seems to be the time they want you to do it)

[samran]

I just noticed it as well.

Point 5 of the notice from Vinny's link.

Offical recognition (as far as I can tell) by the Royal Thai emabassy that dual nationality is legit. It is infact, instructions on how to use two passports, given the advent of Thai 'E-passports' and the microchips in them. Specifically it deals with Irish/Thai and UK/Thai dual nationals.

It basically translates as: Thai citizens with dual nationality, and with two passports (that is a Thai and foreign passport) when traveling to and from the UK, for these people to use the UK passport. Or when travelling to and from Ireland, to use and Irish passport. And when travelling TO and FROM Thailand, it is possible to use the Thai passport so as to be able to stay and reside in Thailand WITHOUT time restriction.

So there you go. Print that out and take it with you when you travel. And stick it to any Thai immigration officers face if they give you hassel with the passport swapsie game many of us legitmately play.

[saranagon]

Thanks for all that info,Just what i needed to know

London it is then