Thais with dual nationality -Thai & Thai Gov't attitude toward

[foreverlomsak]

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

My son was born in the UK to his Thai mother, has a Thai birth certificate and a Thai passport (obtained at RTE London).

Same as me, but never had any trouble with Amphur over entry in blue book.

[foreverlomsak]

1 minute ago, foreverlomsak said:

Same as me, but never had any trouble with Amphur over entry in blue book.

Further thought, it was when we tried to get him registered in the blue book that they found out I had been put in the blue book instead of the yellow, caused quite a stir in the ranks, they probably didn't have the heart to say no to my sons entry after having to apologize to the wife and 2 making new books (at 20 Baht each of course, after 3 hours in the office I just paid up so I could get out)

[lolex]

Thanks very much to you all for your informed and useful replies.... Thank you !

[Dogmatix]

Legally in Thailand all is stacked in favour of half Thai children retaining Thai nationality despite holding other parent's nationality.  The Thai Nationality Act gives the right but not the obligation to surrender Thai nationality with no fuss between the ages of 20 and 21.  (This may be useful for those who don't live in Thailand and really need to show evidence of surrendering Thai nationality to retain their other nationality.)

 

If that is not enough protection, the current constitution for the first time made involuntary revocation of Thai nationality from someone Thai from birth an unconstitutional act.   

 

Unfortunately there is a lot of nonsense spewed about about  Thailand not permitting dual nationality, some of it from Interior Ministry officials who disagree with the laws they are supposed to enforce but can't change them.  I saw an article in Thai by a senior Interior Ministry official in the nationality section maliciously advising Thai mothers living abroad to remember to revoke their kids' Thai nationality at age 20.  The Thai Foreign Ministry, however, is totally onside and you can find decent advice about dual nationality on their website.  Another example of how Thai government ministries interpret the same laws differently and don't talk to each other.

[Dogmatix]

On 3/29/2021 at 10:38 AM, soi3eddie said:

 

Reminds me of the time in 2004 in Nakhon Si Thammarat at the Amphur office. My son was born in the UK to his Thai mother, has a Thai birth certificate and a Thai passport (obtained at RTE London). The Amphur officials said he could not go on the Tabian Baan as "he's not Thai". Wife, her sister and Puu Yai Baan held out and after 6 hours the Amphur staff reluctantly added him to the house register.

 

 

 

It is pathetic how some government officials, particularly in distrct offices, act like little Hitlers and invent their own laws. 

 

I had a problem in a district office in Bangkok where I went for the supposedly joyous event of registering my marriage.  I had PR and was aware that the requirement for the embassy affirmation to marry paper didn't apply to PRs.  The head of registrations thought differently and made an outrageous claim that my red alien book was fake because he held the ludricrous belief they could only be issued to ethnic Chinese aliens.   We bade farewell to that jumped up nincompoop and went down the road a piece to the next district office where we were just in time to be happily married by smiling officials before they closed. 

[GinBoy2]

Never heard of any dual citizen having a problem in Thailand.

 

Our son was born in Singapore, he got both his Thai & US passports while we were living in Singapore.

 

He was entered into the house blue book, or course I wasn't, but him no issues.

 

When in college in the US always he always visited Thailand on both passports, the usual way, Thai inbound, US outbound.

 

I have no idea if there are any Thai laws regarding dual citizenship, and God knows we know how effective they all are, but for the thousands of Thai's who hold a second passport it's absolutely fine.

[herfiehandbag]

Don't ask don't tell seems to be the best bet!

 

As far as Cornwall is concerned, I thought that was down to the "Janners" (people from Devon) having better tractors, and the rest of the English using long words like wheelbarrow and marmalade!

[Berkshire]

On 3/26/2021 at 8:12 PM, digibum said:

US also doesn’t stamp out US passports.  In fact, I don’t think there’s even an immigration check on departure.  
 

Also, some countries do not stamp you in or out, Israel being one.  They just give you a slip of paper that they collect on departure.  Supposedly this is to prevent the traveler from being hassled traveling through countries hostile to Israel.  
 

Cuba used to do something similar for US passports when Americans were prohibited from visiting there.  No stamp to explain to US immigration.  

Correct, no check on departure from US for US passport holders.  US immigration doesn't even stamp your US passport when you come in....unless you ask for it.

[Arkady]

9 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

I have no idea if there are any Thai laws regarding dual citizenship, and God knows we know how effective they all are, but for the thousands of Thai's who hold a second passport it's absolutely fine.

 

Yes, there is a law that covers dual citizenship - The Thai Nationality Act 1965.  The relevant section is Section 14. 

 

Section 14. A person of Thai nationality, who was born of an alien father or mother and has acquired the nationality of the father or mother according to the law on nationality of the father or mother, or a person who acquired Thai nationality under Section 12 paragraph two or Section 12 bis (2) and (3) is required, if he desires to retain his other nationality, to make a declaration of his intention to renounce his Thai nationality within one year after his attaining the age of 20 years, according to such forms and in the manner as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations. If, after consideration of the said intention, the Minister is of opinion that there is reasonable ground to believe that such person may acquire the nationality of his father, mother, or a foreign nationality, he shall grant permission, except in cases where Thailand is engaged in armed conflict or is in state of war, he may order the dispensation of any renunciation of Thai nationality.

 

This section was amended in 1993.  It is written in a convoluted way because the original intention was to force look krung children to show evidence they had renounced their other nationality between the ages of 20 and 21, if they wished to retain Thai nationality. Otherwise the Interior Ministry could automatically revoke their Thai nationality.  In fact the original version did become law in 1993 but was amended again three weeks later to its present form as above, which gives the right but not the obligation to renounce Thai nationality and deleted the requirement to choose either one or other nationality.  The odd thing is that the minister can refuse an application to renounce Thai nationality, if Thailand is at war with the country of the look krung's other citizenship.

 

Why did this total volte face in favour of look krungs occur only three weeks after the first amendment was published in 1993?  It is widely believed that the original version was considered a serious inconvenience to a very important person who had look krung children and which obliged the government  to immediately reconsider its plan to automatically revoke Thai citizenship from look krung children. It seems like it is too late for them to go back on this now.

[TheFreqFlyer]

No issue and I don't believe there is any particular discrimination towards foreigners now that is worse than pre-Covid. Maybe at the beginning last year a little bit, but this sentiment has since dried up (or been forgotten). When you're struggling to survive because your own government is running the economy into the ground, there's little time (or reason) to be resentful of westerners. It doesn't even make sense. Even less so, when so few westerners are left in Thailand. Aside from the usual long-term residents in my local neighborhood and on rare trips to the beach, I've hardly seen any westerners in Thailand since last March. 

[TheFreqFlyer]

On 4/19/2021 at 11:10 AM, Dogmatix said:

 

 

It is pathetic how some government officials, particularly in distrct offices, act like little Hitlers and invent their own laws. 

 

I had a problem in a district office in Bangkok where I went for the supposedly joyous event of registering my marriage.  I had PR and was aware that the requirement for the embassy affirmation to marry paper didn't apply to PRs.  The head of registrations thought differently and made an outrageous claim that my red alien book was fake because he held the ludricrous belief they could only be issued to ethnic Chinese aliens.   We bade farewell to that jumped up nincompoop and went down the road a piece to the next district office where we were just in time to be happily married by smiling officials before they closed. 

Why would they only be issued to ethnic Chinese aliens? Racist much? 

[soi3eddie]

16 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

As far as Cornwall is concerned, I thought that was down to the "Janners" (people from Devon) having better tractors, and the rest of the English using long words like wheelbarrow and marmalade!

 

Although from Devon (1967) I never heard the term "Janners". On research it seems to be reference to Devonians from Plymouth. There always was a rivalry between the Cornish and Devonians that I remember from my childhood. FWIW: When things reopen and you're in need of a decent pint and food in the Soi Nana area then pay a visit to Chequers Bar on Soi 4 which is owned by a thoroughly decent and affable Cornish landlord named Nick.

 

[herfiehandbag]

8 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

 

Although from Devon (1967) I never heard the term "Janners". On research it seems to be reference to Devonians from Plymouth. There always was a rivalry between the Cornish and Devonians that I remember from my childhood. FWIW: When things reopen and you're in need of a decent pint and food in the Soi Nana area then pay a visit to Chequers Bar on Soi 4 which is owned by a thoroughly decent and affable Cornish landlord named Nick.

 

Janners is the Army nickname for members of the former Devon and Dorset Regiment.

Now amalgamated into "The Rifles", ironically along with "The Light Infantry", amongst whose predecessors were"The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry".

 

Old prejudices die hard!

 

Next time I am in Bangkok I will try "Chequers Bar", although as a Somerset man of course my tastes are both sophisticated and metropolitan!

[soi3eddie]

5 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

 

Next time I am in Bangkok I will try "Chequers Bar", although as a Somerset man of course my tastes are both sophisticated and metropolitan!

 

You'll be fine as they have cider on  tap ???? 

 

[Heng]

It's a non issue in Thailand.   As a bonus, if you're travelling through parts of the world where bandits might board your bus, just show the Thai passport and you won't be held for ransom.