Can a Thai Who Abandoned his Thai Nationality Regain it?

[NoGoodDeed]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I highly suspect that it was not done. It would of required a lot of paperwork being filed at the embassy to do the renunciation.

I suspect you're right as I certainly don't remember filing a lot of paper work, perhaps not any.   Also, I would suspect that renouncing citizenship would have required turning in her then valid Thai passport and we still have it (though, of course long since expired).

 

 

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

 

She should try applying for a Thai ID card at an Amphoe.  Does she have a copy of her house book registry.

I was thinking along the same lines.   If there was some automatic reporting of a loss of citizenship I would think that would be recorded and she could not get an ID card.

 

As to a house registry, our primary residence for the past 25 years has been the US but she did own property in Thailand prior to becoming a naturalized US citizen.  We don't have copies of her house registry but her sisters may have those records as she transferred her property to them.

 

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, NoGoodDeed said:

If there was some automatic reporting of a loss of citizenship I would think that would be recorded and she could not get an ID card.

There was no automatic reporting of her getting a 2nd nationality. The US would not of reported it to the Thai government.

[Arkady]

2 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

Thanks, I've asked that question many times and this is probably the best answer. 

 

Most amusing/telling response was when I asked a member of the New York Thailand Consulate staff, who had been very helpful up until my question about dual citizenship. Because once asked he suddenly lost his ability to communicate in the English language. 

 

It's strange that he suddenly became so bashful because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has long taken a pragmatic approach towards dual citizenship.  He could have just referred you to the Q&A section about passports in their website http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/1415/21483-Frequently-Asked-Questions-(FAQs).html

 

  "Can I apply for a Thai e-Passport if I am already holding a foreign  Passport?
-Yes, if you are a Thai national, you may apply for a Thai e-Passport.  However, many countries will not recognize dual citizenship. Therefore, you may be required to give up other nationalities before you can apply for a Passport from that country."

 

They used to even have an answer there advising Thai dual nationals how to juggle their passports while travelling, i.e. use the foreign passport to enter foreign country of residence and Thai passport to enter passport, but I can't that any more.