Can my Thai/American daughter leave Thailand without a Thai passport?

[durianfan]

I have an interesting query here. I'm an American and left Thailand back in June. My Thai wife is currently in Thailand waiting for her green card to be approved. Our daughter, who is dual nationality, is with her. She is two years old, has an American passport but no Thai passport. It's my understanding that in order for her to obtain a Thai passport, both parents have to physically appear to apply. 

 

Will there be a problem when they leave Thailand, as our daughter has no stamp in her American passport (she's never left the country). And if so, then what are some solutions? 

[GinBoy2]

Well a couple of thoughts.

 

For most of us with dual nationality kids, they use their farang passport at check in, and Thai passport at immigration, for TM-6 purposes or it gets messy

 

I'm trying to think back, but when our son was born in Singapore, I didn't need to go to the Embassy to get his Thai passport, my wife did it by herself.

 

Now that was over 20 years ago so things may have changed

[vinci]

yes she can leave with out stamp on American passport because she have a birth certificate proven she was born in Thailand, therefore no stamp

[Estrada]

11 hours ago, durianfan said:

I have an interesting query here. I'm an American and left Thailand back in June. My Thai wife is currently in Thailand waiting for her green card to be approved. Our daughter, who is dual nationality, is with her. She is two years old, has an American passport but no Thai passport. It's my understanding that in order for her to obtain a Thai passport, both parents have to physically appear to apply. 

 

Will there be a problem when they leave Thailand, as our daughter has no stamp in her American passport (she's never left the country). And if so, then what are some solutions? 

No problem for her mother to get a Thai passport for her daughter, she does not need your permission and you do not need to appear. My wife did our eldest daughter's Thai passport because we were fed up having to renew her 12month extensions every year and doing 90 day reports. You must get a Thai passport in order to leave the country and then she shows her U.S. passport when she arrives in the U.S. If she comes back she does the same in reverse. Don't show the U.S. passport for an entry stamp when she comes back to Thailand, use the Thai passport. (They will want to see the exit stamp in the U.S. passport).

 

[Retfed50]

1 hour ago, Estrada said:

No problem for her mother to get a Thai passport for her daughter, she does not need your permission and you do not need to appear. My wife did our eldest daughter's Thai passport because we were fed up having to renew her 12month extensions every year and doing 90 day reports. You must get a Thai passport in order to leave the country and then she shows her U.S. passport when she arrives in the U.S. If she comes back she does the same in reverse. Don't show the U.S. passport for an entry stamp when she comes back to Thailand, use the Thai passport. (They will want to see the exit stamp in the U.S. passport).

 

The US doesn't use exit stamps in passports.

[picctrainop]

If she has a passport to travel then there should be no problem and you can apply for her Thai passport at the Embassy in The US... That’s what you can do in The UK...

[youreavinalaff]

58 minutes ago, picctrainop said:

If she has a passport to travel then there should be no problem and you can apply for her Thai passport at the Embassy in The US... That’s what you can do in The UK...

Each time my daughter, Thai/UK, has left Thailand she has needed a Thai passport to leave.

 

When we applied for her Thai passport we were both present and both needed to sign some forms.

 

It is my understanding that there is a document you can sign in absentia. 

[youreavinalaff]

2 hours ago, Retfed50 said:

The US doesn't use exit stamps in passports.

The poster was not referring to an exit stamp from US.

[youreavinalaff]

15 hours ago, durianfan said:

then what are some solutions

Get a Thai passport.

 

It can be done without you being present. There are some forms you will need to arrange to sign. Hopefully they will accept scanned copies.

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, Estrada said:

No problem for her mother to get a Thai passport for her daughter, she does not need your permission and you do not need to appear.

My daughter's Thai mother was not allowed a Thai passport for my daughter without me being present and give permission; it might depend of the passport office.

[khunPer]

16 hours ago, durianfan said:

Will there be a problem when they leave Thailand, as our daughter has no stamp in her American passport (she's never left the country). And if so, then what are some solutions? 

The best thing is to get a Thai passport.

Your wife should check with the passport office if she can get a passport without the father's permission, or there is some document that can be accepted for power of attorney. However, when we applied for the first passport for my half-Thai daughter the passport office insisted on me being present, and would not accept a power of attorner, but different passport offices, might have slightly different regulations, as it's often the case in Thailand.

 

I recall a post in an earlier thread stating something about that there are no overstay fees for minor children, in reply to a question about leaving Thailand with a foreign passport.
 

[Upnotover]

3 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Your wife should check with the passport office if she can get a passport without the father's permission

By some margin the very best advice so far in this thread.  In just a few posts I have learnt that the answer to the question "do both parents have to be present" is Yes, No and Maybe.

[GroveHillWanderer]

1 hour ago, youreavinalaff said:

Each time my daughter, Thai/UK, has left Thailand she has needed a Thai passport to leave.

 

When we applied for her Thai passport we were both present and both needed to sign some forms.

 

It is my understanding that there is a document you can sign in absentia. 

I'm not sure why that would be. My daughter (dual Thai-British nationality) has left Thailand many times on her British passport. The first time was when she was less than a year old, when she had only a British passport.

 

Thereafter, she has always left Thailand on whichever passport she entered with (as you must). Sometimes she's used her British passport to enter and leave, sometimes her Thai one (depending on how long she was staying).

Edited November 18, 2020 by GroveHillWanderer

[Retfed50]

1 hour ago, youreavinalaff said:

The poster was not referring to an exit stamp from US.

Then what exit stamp is he referring to in the last sentence?

[GroveHillWanderer]

5 minutes ago, Retfed50 said:

Then what exit stamp is he referring to in the last sentence?

The exit stamp from Thailand, as I read it.

[herwin1234]

16 hours ago, durianfan said:

I have an interesting query here. I'm an American and left Thailand back in June. My Thai wife is currently in Thailand waiting for her green card to be approved. Our daughter, who is dual nationality, is with her. She is two years old, has an American passport but no Thai passport. It's my understanding that in order for her to obtain a Thai passport, both parents have to physically appear to apply. 

 

Will there be a problem when they leave Thailand, as our daughter has no stamp in her American passport (she's never left the country). And if so, then what are some solutions? 

 

how and where did you get your understanding that "both parents have to be physically present"? 

 

how about letting the wife inform at the proper authorities how exactly to get a Thai passport. info from the right source might be more correct than an unspecified "understanding."

 

lastly. i dont get it. your daughter is Thai. Born in Thailand. Why she has an American passport but not a Thai passport.

 

I feel the whole dual nationality thing often turns into a superior feeling that the homecountry of the father has more value than the mother country of the child. 

This is not specifically directed towards you, but just a general issue. I myself my child i only obtained a Thai passport for him and never a passport of my home country, until i was forced to get one for him bc making a visa for him to travel to my home country  was far more difficult than getting a passport for him.

[youreavinalaff]

16 minutes ago, Retfed50 said:

Then what exit stamp is he referring to in the last sentence?

The Thai exit stamp. One should leave and enter on the same passport. A Thai national entering with a foreign passport will be asked questions if there is no exit stamp from Thailand.

[youreavinalaff]

19 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

I'm not sure why that would be. My daughter (dual Thai-British nationality) has left Thailand many times on her British passport. The first time was when she was less than a year old, when she had only a British passport.

 

Thereafter, she has always left Thailand on whichever passport she entered with (as you must). Sometimes she's used her British passport to enter and leave, sometimes her Thai one (depending on how long she was staying).

I can only give advice from personal experience.

[youreavinalaff]

5 minutes ago, herwin1234 said:

until i was forced to get one for him bc making a visa for him to travel to my home country  was far more difficult than getting a passport for him

I can only speak from experience of UK. The rules on obtaining a British passport have changed a few times in the past. Some changes would have excluded my daughter from automatic right to receive a British passport solely based on my, her father's, nationality.

 

Also, British passports cannot be based on the basis of a dead parent's nationality.

 

With that in mind, I decided it was best to get my daughter a British passport at the earliest possibly opportunity. 

[youreavinalaff]

13 minutes ago, herwin1234 said:

how and where did you get your understanding that "both parents have to be physically present"? 

My daughter's first Thai passport was issued 5 years ago. Both parents were required to sign documents at the office.

 

We are currently in UK. Daughter's Thai passport has expired. We talked London Thai embassy to ask about requirements for renewal. Answer, as the passport holder is under 20 years old both parents must be present.

[vinci]

she was born in Thailand, she hasn't been anywhere, either Thai or US passport she can leave Thailand.

just put it this way if two farang having a baby in Thailand, when its time to leave the baby will use farang passport, all the page is clean.

in this case one thai one farang have a child she can either be thai or farang, when it time to leave she can use farang passport to leave with all page empty

Edited November 18, 2020 by vinci

[Salerno]

8 hours ago, herwin1234 said:

I feel the whole dual nationality thing often turns into a superior feeling that the homecountry of the father has more value than the mother country of the child.

 

The way I see it; by not getting the "foreign" passport as soon as possible a person could be depriving their child of opportunities in the future if things change in the "foreign" country. Even if a person doesn't intend travelling overseas, IMO, best to get the child's dual citizenship legalised at the earliest opportunity and for the sake of a few $, €, £, ¥ or whatever, might as well get a passport at the same time in case urgent travel to the home country is required.

 

Bottom line, the reality is in fact "the homecountry of the father has more value than the mother country of the child" in the vast majority of cases - there are many passports more "powerful" than a Thai passport so why hinder the child rather than expand his or her opportunities.

https://www.passportindex.org/byRank.php

Edited November 18, 2020 by Salerno

[KhaoYai]

11 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

The exit stamp from Thailand, as I read it.

I think he means an Entry stamp. She has never left Thailand and therefore has no entry stamp in her US passport.

 

If that is the case and the passport was issued by the US Embassy in Bangkok, then surely there shouldn't be a problem?

Edited November 19, 2020 by KhaoYai

[Retfed50]

18 hours ago, Estrada said:

No problem for her mother to get a Thai passport for her daughter, she does not need your permission and you do not need to appear. My wife did our eldest daughter's Thai passport because we were fed up having to renew her 12month extensions every year and doing 90 day reports. You must get a Thai passport in order to leave the country and then she shows her U.S. passport when she arrives in the U.S. If she comes back she does the same in reverse. Don't show the U.S. passport for an entry stamp when she comes back to Thailand, use the Thai passport. (They will want to see the exit stamp in the U.S. passport).

 

Estrada. Seems to be a little confusion so maybe you can clear it up. Exactly what exit stamp are you talking about in the last sentence of your post. Thanks.

[StevieAus]

14 hours ago, herwin1234 said:

 

how and where did you get your understanding that "both parents have to be physically present"? 

 

how about letting the wife inform at the proper authorities how exactly to get a Thai passport. info from the right source might be more correct than an unspecified "understanding."

 

lastly. i dont get it. your daughter is Thai. Born in Thailand. Why she has an American passport but not a Thai passport.

 

I feel the whole dual nationality thing often turns into a superior feeling that the homecountry of the father has more value than the mother country of the child. 

This is not specifically directed towards you, but just a general issue. I myself my child i only obtained a Thai passport for him and never a passport of my home country, until i was forced to get one for him bc making a visa for him to travel to my home country  was far more difficult than getting a passport for him.

I don’t know how you come to the conclusion that having a passport from the father’s country of origin somehow creates a feeling of superiority.

Anyone I know who has obtained a non Thai passport for their children has done it for the reason stated in your last paragraph.

My wife and daughter both have Thai passports and Australian citizenship and passports.

Not only does it negate the need to obtain visas for most countries but should they so choose they could also live in Australia.

A no brainer I would have thought.

[youreavinalaff]

11 hours ago, vinci said:

she was born in Thailand, she hasn't been anywhere, either Thai or US passport she can leave Thailand.

just put it this way if two farang having a baby in Thailand, when its time to leave the baby will use farang passport, all the page is clean.

in this case one thai one farang have a child she can either be thai or farang, when it time to leave she can use farang passport to leave with all page empty

Incorrect. There is a difference between foreign and Thai. Someone born in Thailand to a Thai parent is deemed as Thai in Thailand. They cannot chose to be Thai or Farang.

[NanLaew]

Apart from people with Thai/UK dual-national experience responding to someone seeking Thai/US dual-national advice, there's talk here of mother and father but nobody has clearly defined if they are talking about 'my Thai wife' or speaking as 'her foreign husband'. Some are also talking about what's needed to renew a Thai passport at a Thai embassy overseas which certainly won't be the same as doing the same renewal in Thailand. Maybe actually being a legally married couple in Thailand dictates what can or cannot be done by only one of the parents at a Thai passport office?

 

When we got my lads first Thai passport, I was there as the driver and provider of documents on request but to be honest, I cannot recall being asked to sign anything. This was maybe twelve years ago already so my memory could be clouded but right now, I think it's time for a drink.

Edited November 19, 2020 by NanLaew

[durianfan]

Thanks for the replies. Wife is going to call a few places and see if there's any way that she can do this without me. I'm also going to ring the Thai consulate here in the US and see if they know anything. 

 

About two years ago we had to renew my eldest daughter's Thai passport, and we both definitely had to be there to sign some documents. 

 

Hopefully this will be sorted out soon.

[n00dle]

On 11/18/2020 at 8:25 PM, herwin1234 said:

 

how and where did you get your understanding that "both parents have to be physically present"? 

 

how about letting the wife inform at the proper authorities how exactly to get a Thai passport. info from the right source might be more correct than an unspecified "understanding."

 

lastly. i dont get it. your daughter is Thai. Born in Thailand. Why she has an American passport but not a Thai passport.

 

I feel the whole dual nationality thing often turns into a superior feeling that the homecountry of the father has more value than the mother country of the child. 

This is not specifically directed towards you, but just a general issue. I myself my child i only obtained a Thai passport for him and never a passport of my home country, until i was forced to get one for him bc making a visa for him to travel to my home country  was far more difficult than getting a passport for him.

It has nothing to do with suoeriority and giving your child citzenship and the options that come with it.

 

A thai passport can be arranged in a few days at the drop of a hat. Giving my child a passort from my country took weeks and involved humping through that, so I focused on that first.

 

 

 

 

[GroveHillWanderer]

On 11/18/2020 at 8:29 PM, youreavinalaff said:

I can only give advice from personal experience.

As am I.