Child's Thai passport expired, will we be hassled entering on his foreign one?

[Goinghomesoon]

We currently live in an African country that doesn't have a Thai Embassy and our son's Thai passport has expired. We'll be in Thailand twice in the near future but only for short 1 day transit stops. Not long enough to get a new passport issued.  So I'm planning for him to enter/exit on his Australian passport instead.

 

Has anyone been given extra hassles for their child entering/exiting on their non-Thai passport?  (To make this even more fun I'm also travelling on my own with our son, without my husband. So already expecting 100 questions and carrying a ream of paper.)

[LawrenceN]

My daughter is Thai/American. She enters Thailand on her Thai passport and most other places using her American one. This you know. Once when she was still in university in the US, she came to visit during the summer. She entered Thailand on her US passport, 30 days exempt, which was a mistake. She was treated like any other American, had to cross a border and come back in for another 30 days. Your son will be treated the same. Come in on an Oz passport, fair dinkum, he's an Aussie.

[KhunBENQ]

4 hours ago, Goinghomesoon said:

for short 1 day transit stops

Transit to where?

And how could he transit to another country with an expired Thai passport?

He could enter Thailand with the expired passport, but then?

No other way than using the Australian passport.

 

Do you also have and use an Australian passport?

Edited October 29, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[maprao]

A Thai can enter Thailand, his own country, on his expired passport. Just make sure you check in for his flight with a valid passport. His 2nd nationality. After you land show the expired Thai passport to the Thai Immigration  and enter Thailand  as a Thai national.

 Renew the expired thai passport while you are in Thailand.

 

I may be wrong but thus used to be the case. Same as Brits (dual nationals) can return  to the UK on an expired UK passport.

[CM Dad]

For your child's sake, stay in Thailand long enough to get a new Thai passport.  You will be glad you did, and it will only take a few days.  Your other option is to go to a country with a Thai Embassy and do it there.

[tabarin]

Can always return to home country with expired passport and you can board plane with Oz one if they do make it an issue, just make a new one while here. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by tabarin

[bkk_mike]

3 hours ago, maprao said:

A Thai can enter Thailand, his own country, on his expired passport. Just make sure you check in for his flight with a valid passport. His 2nd nationality. After you land show the expired Thai passport to the Thai Immigration  and enter Thailand  as a Thai national.

 Renew the expired thai passport while you are in Thailand.

 

I may be wrong but thus used to be the case. Same as Brits (dual nationals) can return  to the UK on an expired UK passport.

Don't do this for a stay that's not long enough to get a new passport. As you'd need to also leave on the Thai passport as you won't have an entry stamp in the foreign passport. And leaving on an expired passport is a LOT harder than entering on one.

 

It's fine to enter AND exit on the foreign passport if you're not going to be in the country long enough that it's an issue.

[cabanlit]

My child has dual-nationality, but the Thai passport expired ages ago. There's just no need to replace it, when you live outside of Thailand.

 

For all other country visits, we use the UK passport. And, for returns to thailand, the UK one is also used.

 

This is important for our Travel Insurance policy. It covers UK nationals, so if an accident or whatever happened when in Thailand 'as a Thai', the insurance cover wouldn't be valid.

 

Even for trips longer than 30 days, the passport is just stamped 'overstay' on exit, and that doesn't matter at all for a child.

[Goinghomesoon]

5 hours ago, CM Dad said:

For your child's sake, stay in Thailand long enough to get a new Thai passport.  You will be glad you did, and it will only take a few days.  Your other option is to go to a country with a Thai Embassy and do it there.

Now I've realised it's expired, its a good excuse for a long weekend in Nairobi (nearest place to us that has a Thai Embassy)! 

[Goinghomesoon]

9 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Transit to where?

And how could he transit to another country with an expired Thai passport?

He could enter Thailand with the expired passport, but then?

No other way than using the Australian passport.

 

Do you also have and use an Australian passport?

We'll be enroute to Australia and stopping in Thailand for 12 hours to let my 5yo run off some steam and have a decent sleep in a real bed between the two long-haul flights.  Unfortunately one day isn't enough to make a passport in Bkk and the Thai Consulate in Melbourne doesn't do them either.

[Goinghomesoon]

1 hour ago, cabanlit said:

My child has dual-nationality, but the Thai passport expired ages ago. There's just no need to replace it, when you live outside of Thailand.

 

For all other country visits, we use the UK passport. And, for returns to thailand, the UK one is also used.

 

Brilliant, thanks!   Worst they can say is "you can enter but you can't leave" which wouldn't be that bad ????

[Autonuaq]

You just are asking for problems because you did not arrange all well. Murphies Law you forget it still applies to all of us.

Be smart skip Thailand if you not have the time to do things right get all docoment done abroad.

[Preacher]

The child can enter Thailand on either passport. if using the Thai passport no visa or extension is of course required. But one must leave on the same passport as you entered the country. So if entering on the Thai passport one must apply for a new Thai passport before one can leave, as you can enter Thailand on an expired passport but not leave.

 

In BKK one can fast-track a passport application, regular only takes a few days anyway. It is one of the best and fasted service I have ever seen, in and outside Thailand.

[KhunBENQ]

12 hours ago, Goinghomesoon said:

Brilliant, thanks!   Worst they can say is "you can enter but you can't leave" which wouldn't be that bad

Really?

As previous post: he will not be allowed to leave with the Thai passport.

Use Australian passport on entry and exit.

Edited October 30, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[Goinghomesoon]

Hi all. Was given absolute curry this morning by three immigration staff of successively senior levels.  Son has previously entered only on his Thai passport and they could (would) not even attempt to understand why we were now using Australian. (A) we live in a country with no Thai Embassy (B) we are not in Thailand long enough to get a new passport And (C) we are traveling to Australia tonight and the Thai Consulate in Melbourne doesn’t make passports.  
 

The upshot was that the supervisor stamped him in but with extremely bad grace.  

 

When we exited this evening there were no questions asked.   
 

Good news was that this morning they forgot to do the usual inspection of documents that normally comes with having only one parent travelling with a child ????  

[bbi1]

On 10/29/2019 at 1:49 PM, LawrenceN said:

My daughter is Thai/American. She enters Thailand on her Thai passport and most other places using her American one. This you know. Once when she was still in university in the US, she came to visit during the summer. She entered Thailand on her US passport, 30 days exempt, which was a mistake. She was treated like any other American, had to cross a border and come back in for another 30 days. Your son will be treated the same. Come in on an Oz passport, fair dinkum, he's an Aussie.

With the biometrics in play now there's gonna be serious problems for the OP's son to come in on a different passport which is not his Thai passport. Expect to be questioned and hassled by the IO when entering.

[bbi1]

On 10/30/2019 at 10:04 PM, Goinghomesoon said:

Hi all. Was given absolute curry this morning by three immigration staff of successively senior levels.  Son has previously entered only on his Thai passport and they could (would) not even attempt to understand why we were now using Australian. (A) we live in a country with no Thai Embassy (B) we are not in Thailand long enough to get a new passport And (C) we are traveling to Australia tonight and the Thai Consulate in Melbourne doesn’t make passports.  

That was absolutely expected.

[Maxamillions]

Good news was that this morning they forgot to do the usual inspection of documents that normally comes with having only one parent travelling with a child   

What documents are normally required when only one parent is travelling? 

What if one parent has left the family a long time ago?