DrDweeb

The items mentioned in that statement are almost certainly incorrect. None of those things are dependent upon "name", they are dependent on birthright documentation. In any case, we have reached the point here, that irrelevance has taken over. Thanks for the people with actual experience and knowledge who chimed in. /end

What is the "Big Chief Ampur" and where do I find it? My understanding was that name change was a local issue, which was what we tried.

Since one parent is dead and the other wholly supportive, this is a non-issue. What is the legal impediment? It seems you are focusing on something wholly irrelevant

An 18yo is not an "adult" in Thailand. This is at 20. My intent was to do it while he was still a minor, but that may not be possible according to unsupported commentary here

That doesn't sound encouraging. My situation is somewhat similar and clearly there are some tricky issues. a) As the father is deceased he is not in the frame b) The mother is my partner, would she have to "give up" maternal rights? c) What changes after 20, aside from becoming an "adult" and able to sign documents, and why? Any details of the issues you have encountered would be helpful, as well as "where to start". PM me if you prefer

Situation. I have a long term Thai partner. We are not married nor ever expect to be and the reasons are not relevant here. She has a son from a deceased father. I have been his father since a very early age. Are there options for adoption? The principle reason is so that he may legally use my surname. He is already in my will along with my partner and he has a Thai passport, ID card etc. This is not about sliding into a new nationality, travel, inheritance or anything else specifically. Before y'all tell me he can just change his name with the Thai authorities ... I have a Western surname, our local authorities would not allow him to change to my surname (transliterated) because he "wasn't white enough" (that is a direct quote)! Apparently someone in Thailand has a Thai transliterated version of my surname, so it should have been possible, but it's not, at least not before I enlist legal help and/or go "Thai style".