Adoption

[Stu levy]

Hi

I have adopted my stepson in the UK he's Thai. When we were in Thailand recently we tried to change he's ID card and passport to he' new name. We were told that it can't be done as he has to be adopted in Thailand. 

Does anyone know the rules and regulations and where will I find them.

Cheers Stu 

[steady]

About 2 years ago we tried to change our adopted (in the UK) daughter's name from her Thai family name to our family name. Same outcome as you, however we were told to contact the Thai government's adoption department in Bangkok as they had the power to allow the name change once they had seen all the relevant paperwork.

 

We were in Thailand but 400km away from Bangkok. The wife phoned and asked what they needed and how long it would take and could she make an appointment as we were on holiday and time was limited. The adoption department were really quite useless, they wouldn't let us make an appointment, didn't know how long it would take or what documents they needed and we could just leave all of our original documents with them and if they wanted anything else they would tell us!

 

We tried to change the name thinking that it would tidy things up but now years later I wonder why we even bothered to try. It makes no difference to life here in the UK.

 

As for rules and regulations - I got the impression that they made them up as they went along. Same as most things legal but not mainstream.

[Stu levy]

5 hours ago, steady said:

About 2 years ago we tried to change our adopted (in the UK) daughter's name from her Thai family name to our family name. Same outcome as you, however we were told to contact the Thai government's adoption department in Bangkok as they had the power to allow the name change once they had seen all the relevant paperwork.

 

We were in Thailand but 400km away from Bangkok. The wife phoned and asked what they needed and how long it would take and could she make an appointment as we were on holiday and time was limited. The adoption department were really quite useless, they wouldn't let us make an appointment, didn't know how long it would take or what documents they needed and we could just leave all of our original documents with them and if they wanted anything else they would tell us!

 

We tried to change the name thinking that it would tidy things up but now years later I wonder why we even bothered to try. It makes no difference to life here in the UK.

 

As for rules and regulations - I got the impression that they made them up as they went along. Same as most things legal but not mainstream.

We found the same first they said did not recognize the UK adoption.  

Waste of time.

[steady]

Now you need to decide what your benefits are in trying to change the name. In our case we couldn't find any. Our adopted daughter just lives her life as one name in the UK and when we go to Thailand on holiday she digs out her Thai passport. She prefers the British passport - it allows her to go to Spain and France for holidays and weekends away!

[Stu levy]

The problem we are now having is that we had to send he's Thai passport of with he's UK passport application, but he's Thai passport is different from he's application name. So will not issue a UK passport until will change he's Thai name in he's Thai passport.  I've told them to destroy it but said they can't. Banging my head against a brick wall. 

[Maestro]

Will the UK passport office process an application with the same name as in the Thai passport?

[steady]

To Stu Levy

 

We have been there and what you must do is contact the Thai Embassy and get a letter from them explaining that name changes are impossible in your case. However they wont give that info, they only say that they don't have the power to change names because house books and IDs can't be changed by the embassy. However even with that letter you have to apply for the passport. (By the way they wont even answer you if you don't send a stamped addressed envelope.)

 

When we did it the UKPO sent a letter of refusal saying that we had to go back to Thailand to sort things out. I phoned their help desk number, and after explaining things they said that they had to escalate things and someone would phone us within the next few days. Sure enough they phoned b utthey couldn't act on what I told them ( bog standard  - cannot change name because adoption was UK).

 

A day later someone else phoned and they were a bit more knowledgeable - they stated that it was possible to change names in house books and IDs in Thailand. I responded - not if they have been adopted in the UK! The voice on the other end said that he had to take advice. Three days later the new passport arrived in our family name, not the Thai family name.

 

My view is that when you send the bog standard applications to the passport office they are not very aware. However once you send your complaint about individual cases then they are very professional and fair.

 

All I can say is that my adopted daughter now has a UK passport with one name and a Thai passport with another - all done after talking honestly to the UK passport office.

[tim1uk]

hi stu did you get any further . i adopted my thai step son in uk last year got him a uk passport in his new family name . but tried thai embassy in london to change his thai passport to new surname  and they told me they cant. we have to do in thailand . we are going back to thailand soon to try and sort . have been told to start at my wifes local government office . but from your comment feel will be waste of time. we are left with thai and uk passport with different surnames for our son