Leaving Thailand on UK passport, returning Thai passport.

[Neeranam]

Can a dual citizen go through immigration at the airport with their UK passport, then come back in using their Thai passport?

I'm asking as my kids have visas for Bhutan on their UK passports.

[ubonjoe]

They should leave on their Thai passports, enter and depart Bhutan using their UK passports and then enter here on their Thai passports.

[Neeranam]

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

They should leave on their Thai passports, enter and depart Bhutan using their UK passports and then enter here on their Thai passports.

Thanks, I know that is ideal, but do you know if anyone has ever left on the UK one and had problems getting back in with the Thai one?

[stevenl]

7 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Thanks, I know that is ideal, but do you know if anyone has ever left on the UK one and had problems getting back in with the Thai one?

On which passport did they enter Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Thanks, I know that is ideal, but do you know if anyone has ever left on the UK one and had problems getting back in with the Thai one?

People have done it because they had leave on their foreign passport because that is the one they used for entry.

[Neeranam]

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

On which passport did they enter Thailand?

They are Thai citizens, using new Thai passports. Last year, they entered on their old Thai passport.

[Neeranam]

It is my understanding that Thailand can't refuse a Thai citizen entry even if their Thai passport had expired, regardless of how they left, but could easily be wrong.

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

They are Thai citizens, using new Thai passports. Last year, they entered on their old Thai passport.

They have to use a Thai passport to leave the country since their last entry was with one.

[stevenl]

18 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

They are Thai citizens, using new Thai passports. Last year, they entered on their old Thai passport.

As Joe said, that means they have to leave Thailand on their Thai passports.

 

At checkin for their trip to Bhutan they show their UK passports though.

[Neeranam]

So an immigration officer would know by their UK passport, also new, that they had left Thailand previously using an old Thai passport, and not allow them to leave?

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

So an immigration officer would know by their UK passport, also new, that they had left Thailand previously using an old Thai passport, and not allow them to leave?

"So an immigration officer would know by their UK passport, also new, that they had left entered Thailand previously using an old Thai passport, and not allow them to leave?"

 

Yes.

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

So an immigration officer would know by their UK passport, also new, that they had left Thailand previously using an old Thai passport, and not allow them to leave?

They would see that they had left and re-entered before on a Thai passport on their computer screen. A person has to depart on a passport with the same nationality they entered on.

[jonwilly]

I have Brit friend with Thai nationality.

He has told me in the past that you must leave and return to Thailand on same passport.

 

john

[blackcab]

40 minutes ago, jonwilly said:

I have Brit friend with Thai nationality.

He has told me in the past that you must leave and return to Thailand on same passport.

 

john

 

 

You must enter and leave on the same passport.

 

You can leave and enter on a different passport when using an airport (but not at a land border) - with the stipulation that Thai citizens should always enter and exit using a Thai passport.

Edited January 6, 2018 by blackcab

[Big Guns]

I received Thai citizenship last year. When I last entered Thailand it was on my British passport as it was my only one at the time. Last month I went to Myanmar & used my Thai passport to leave & enter. Only a minute using auto gates ?

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, Big Guns said:

I received Thai citizenship last year. When I last entered Thailand it was on my British passport as it was my only one at the time. Last month I went to Myanmar & used my Thai passport to leave & enter. Only a minute using auto gates ?

I assume that is because your entry with the UK passport was removed from the system after you got Thai nationality.

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, jonwilly said:

I have Brit friend with Thai nationality.

He has told me in the past that you must leave and return to Thailand on same passport.

Not necessarily. Some examples ...

• If they left with a Thai passport they should re-enter with the same passport, but there is nothing 'legally' stopping them using a different passport to re-enter.
• If they left with a foreign passport they could re-enter with a Thai passport issued abroad, or a foreign passport.
• They might have a problem re-entering with a Thai passport issued in Thailand that wasn't used to exit Thailand, and might be forced to use their foreign passport.

 

34 minutes ago, blackcab said:

You must enter and leave on the same passport.

 

You can leave and enter on a different passport when using an airport (but not at a land border) - with the stipulation that Thai citizens should always enter and exit using a Thai passport.

• There is no "stipulation" that Thai dual nationals should always enter with their Thai passport.
• It is possible for dual national Thais to 'switch' passports at land borders.

 

It is best for dual national Thais living in Thailand to exit/re-enter Thailand using a Thai passport. However, dual national Thais living abroad don't need to mess around swapping passports, especially if they are visiting less than 30 days, and qualify for visa exempt entry. If they are regularly staying longer than 30 days they are probably best advised to have/use a Thai passport, however, they can easily get a 1 year extension of stay/re-entry permit from immigration if entering as a foreigner.

 

My dual national children never use a Thai passport to enter/leave Thailand.

[samran]

They’d have a tough time leaving on the British passports. There would be no evidence of entry in them im guessing.

 

i don’t understand what your fear is in letting the kids depart on their Thai passport. It is totally standard operating proceedure for dual nationals. 

[sumrit]

As ubonjoe and others have said, a Thai national who left on a Thai passport should re-enter on a Thai passport. For those people who have gained dual nationality they can then enter Thailand using their (say) UK passport but they MUST have a valid visa/visa exempt stamp in their passport to enter Thailand and leave on that same UK passport, they can't exit using their Thai passport. Plus, technically, during that stay in Thailand where they entered with their UK passport they are British Citizens visiting Thailand, NOT Thai Citizens returning to their home country.

[elviajero]

I assume you are replying to me...

 

45 minutes ago, samran said:

They’d have a tough time leaving on the British passports. There would be no evidence of entry in them im guessing.

Not at all. They were born in Thailand and applied for the British passports in Thailand. The first time they left the country the IO wrote "born in Thailand" next to the exit stamp.

 

46 minutes ago, samran said:

i don’t understand what your fear is in letting the kids depart on their Thai passport. It is totally standard operating proceedure for dual nationals. 

I have no fear, and I understand the "standard operating procedure", but as my children aren't currently living in Thailand, and only visit a few times a year, I simply don't want the hassle of switching passports when it's unnecessary.

 

 

[samran]

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

I assume you are replying to me...

 

Not at all. They were born in Thailand and applied for the British passports in Thailand. The first time they left the country the IO wrote "born in Thailand" next to the exit stamp.

 

I have no fear, and I understand the "standard operating procedure", but as my children aren't currently living in Thailand, and only visit a few times a year, I simply don't want the hassle of switching passports when it's unnecessary.

 

 

Apologies, was addressing the OP. 

[stevenl]

15 hours ago, sumrit said:

As ubonjoe and others have said, a Thai national who left on a Thai passport should re-enter on a Thai passport. For those people who have gained dual nationality they can then enter Thailand using their (say) UK passport but they MUST have a valid visa/visa exempt stamp in their passport to enter Thailand and leave on that same UK passport, they can't exit using their Thai passport. Plus, technically, during that stay in Thailand where they entered with their UK passport they are British Citizens visiting Thailand, NOT Thai Citizens returning to their home country.

"As ubonjoe and others have said, a Thai national who left on a Thai passport should re-enter on a Thai passport. "

 

No, no reason at all for that. However a Thai national who entered on a Thai passport should leave on a Thai passport.

[sumrit]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

"As ubonjoe and others have said, a Thai national who left on a Thai passport should re-enter on a Thai passport. "

 

No, no reason at all for that. However a Thai national who entered on a Thai passport should leave on a Thai passport.

To clarify what I said, any Thai person who has two (or more) passports, one Thai and one foreign, can enter Thailand on that foreign passport but they must leave on that same foreign passport and technically, whilst in Thailand during that trip, they would not be a Thai national but would assume the nationality of the passport they entered on, plus, they would also have to have a valid visa in that passport to enable entry into Thailand. 

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, sumrit said:

To clarify what I said, any Thai person who has two (or more) passports, one Thai and one foreign, can enter Thailand on that foreign passport but they must leave on that same foreign passport

They do not have to ("must") leave with the foreign passport. They can leave on a Thai passport if they want to.

 

4 hours ago, sumrit said:

and technically, whilst in Thailand during that trip, they would not be a Thai national but would assume the nationality of the passport

They would still be a Thai national regardless of entering with a foreign passport. Passports don't dictate nationality, they are simply travel documents that confirm the nationality of the holder. A dual national Thai entering with a foreign passport is still a Thai, technically or otherwise, and has the same rights as any other Thai.

[Maestro]

I know of a Thai-born dual national, Enrico, who got his first Thai and Swiss passports in Bangkok. When we moved to Switzerland, he used the Thai passport to leave Thailand and the Swiss passport to enter Switzerland. Later he went to live, study and work in London, UK, using his Swiss passport to enter that country and occasionally made return trips to Bangkok, following my suggestion to use always the Swiss passport to leave the UK and the Thai passport to enter Thailand and vice-versa for the return trip, except once, when he used the Swiss passport to enter and leave Thailand, for whatever reason or more likely for no reason at all, and he was asked no question by the Thai immigration official. That must have been around 2007 and I don't know if this would work as smoothly today.

 

Subsequently, Enrico used again the old procedure, on one occasion using a new Thai passport issued in London after the old one had expired and he left the expired passport at home in London. Upon presentation of his virgin passport at Suvarnabhumi airport the immigration official asked him for his "other passport". Talking to me about it later Enrico said he thought the official meant his Swiss passport but I am quite sure that he wanted to see his last Thai departure stamp, which was in the old, expired passport. At any rate, still thinking that the Swiss passport was wanted, Enrico simply said that he didn't have "it" with him and promptly got the arrival stamp in his Thai passport.

 

Essentially, with an entry with a Thai passport the Thai official wants to match the entry with the last Thai departure stamp in the traveller's current or old Thai passport. When entry is made with a foreign passport the Thai official will upon the traveller's departure look for the latest arrival stamp in his foreign passport (which is obviously the reason why, when a foreigner obtains a new passport in Thailand, his last entry stamp is copied over to his new passport, among other entries being made in the new passport relating to information in the old passport)

[sumrit]

5 hours ago, elviajero said:

They do not have to ("must") leave with the foreign passport. They can leave on a Thai passport if they want to.

As I understand it, if Thai immigration pick up on the change of passports they could/would refuse to allow them to proceed. If they enter and leave on different passports There would/could at very least be complications in the future regarding visas, overstay etc.

 

If a Thai enters Thailand on a Thai passport and tries to leave on a foreign  passport they would be stopped because there is no entry stamp into Thailand on that foreign passport. If a Thai enters on a foreign passport and tries to exit on a Thai passport they would again be stopped if they previously exited on a Thai passport, because, there would be a previous exit on the system but no entry on a Thai passport. If that wasn't picked up on during exit other problems would accrue because the foreign passport presented when they entered would still be live and become the subject of overstay fines and possibly worse.

 

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They would still be a Thai national regardless of entering with a foreign passport. Passports don't dictate nationality, they are simply travel documents that confirm the nationality of the holder. A dual national Thai entering with a foreign passport is still a Thai, technically or otherwise, and has the same rights as any other Thai.

 

Sorry you obviously miss-understood my point. If a Thai person wants to enter Thailand (as a temporary visitor for example) using a foreign passport they would have to have a valid visa/visa exempt stamp in that foreign passport and comply with the relevant visa regulations (applying for extensions, border runs, etc) during their stay in the same way that any foreign visitor has to. It was in this context that I said the Thai person using a foreign passport would have to comply with the same rules as a foreigner. A Thai person can't enter using a foreign passport, ignore and not comply with the restrictions attached to that passport, then simply leave on that foreign passport at the end of their stay.