Two Passports For My Thai-british Baby?

[Godders]

I feel a bit of a wally for not knowing this, but any help appreciated.

I am British. My Thai girlfriend and I, who live in Thailand, have a lovely young two month old daughter for whom I plan to apply for a British passport, so I can take her to meet the folks back home. I gather this will not be a problem, although we are not legally married (we would be, but my estranged wife will not grant me a divorce).

However, it occurs to me that while a British passport will be my daughter's open sesame to the UK, we might run into problems on our return to Thailand. Unless we also have a Thai passport for our little girl, Thai Immigration - having only her British passport to go on - will presumably treat her as a British visitor and only grant her a tourist visa. Or am I being even thicker and more pessimistic than usual? Assuming I am right, is getting a Thai passport for a baby plain sailing or a lengthy voyage into stormy waters?

One more thing. Under Thai law, I am told, I cannot become the baby's legal father (if we remain unmarried) until she is seven years old and my daughter can stand up in court and say: Yep, that's my dad. And this despite the fact that I can prove I am herbiological father (blood test) and my name is on the Thai and British birth certificates as her father.

Can anyone can confirm that this Alice In Wonderland situation is in fact law here - and if so, is there any way around it?

[darkside]

i am british, my daughter is 4 and i have both a Thai and British passport for my daughter since she was about 4 months old. Just take birth certificate, family book and wifes ID (and the wife) along to the passport office, they take the photo there, cost for passport about 1000 baht.

Cause you are not married, go have a look at the bangkok british embassy website that will tell you what to do as in aquiring a british passport for your kid.

Edited June 12, 2007 by darkside

[leftcross]

getting a thai passport is quite easy for the nipper. just use the thai one to leave thailand and the UK one to enter UK. best to show both passports when checking in either way.

[farangsay]

I feel a bit of a wally for not knowing this, but any help appreciated.

I am British. My Thai girlfriend and I, who live in Thailand, have a lovely young two month old daughter for whom I plan to apply for a British passport, so I can take her to meet the folks back home. I gather this will not be a problem, although we are not legally married (we would be, but my estranged wife will not grant me a divorce).

However, it occurs to me that while a British passport will be my daughter's open sesame to the UK, we might run into problems on our return to Thailand. Unless we also have a Thai passport for our little girl, Thai Immigration - having only her British passport to go on - will presumably treat her as a British visitor and only grant her a tourist visa. Or am I being even thicker and more pessimistic than usual? Assuming I am right, is getting a Thai passport for a baby plain sailing or a lengthy voyage into stormy waters?

One more thing. Under Thai law, I am told, I cannot become the baby's legal father (if we remain unmarried) until she is seven years old and my daughter can stand up in court and say: Yep, that's my dad. And this despite the fact that I can prove I am herbiological father (blood test) and my name is on the Thai and British birth certificates as her father.

Can anyone can confirm that this Alice In Wonderland situation is in fact law here - and if so, is there any way around it?

Sorry , I have nothing to add beyond the correct and comprehensive advice you have been given above but I wondered if the word in bold above was a typo or is the new word for "organic". Just trying to keep my English up to date.

[Ananke]

getting a thai passport is quite easy for the nipper. just use the thai one to leave thailand and the UK one to enter UK. best to show both passports when checking in either way.

Or, take the Thai and the British passport to the British embassy, and get a special right of abode stamp put in the Thai passport to say that the child has normal rights of entry into the UK. (I assume they still do this.) That's what we had as kids, and it was much easier than entering into all those "Why don't you have an exit visa? Why are you carrying 2 passports? Wait here 'till we check it out!" situations.

[coventry]

Just bring her in on a British passport get the tourist visa stamp and stay for up to 14 years before getting her a Thai passport. There is no overstay fine levied on a farang child up until the age of 14, as far as I'm aware. That ruling is open to abuse, so take advantage of it.

On top of that once you take her from Thailand you show the Thai passport, that you've aquired in the mean time. They will never see the over stay in the British passport.

Edited June 12, 2008 by coventry

[samran]

I feel a bit of a wally for not knowing this, but any help appreciated.

I am British. My Thai girlfriend and I, who live in Thailand, have a lovely young two month old daughter for whom I plan to apply for a British passport, so I can take her to meet the folks back home. I gather this will not be a problem, although we are not legally married (we would be, but my estranged wife will not grant me a divorce).

However, it occurs to me that while a British passport will be my daughter's open sesame to the UK, we might run into problems on our return to Thailand. Unless we also have a Thai passport for our little girl, Thai Immigration - having only her British passport to go on - will presumably treat her as a British visitor and only grant her a tourist visa. Or am I being even thicker and more pessimistic than usual? Assuming I am right, is getting a Thai passport for a baby plain sailing or a lengthy voyage into stormy waters?

One more thing. Under Thai law, I am told, I cannot become the baby's legal father (if we remain unmarried) until she is seven years old and my daughter can stand up in court and say: Yep, that's my dad. And this despite the fact that I can prove I am herbiological father (blood test) and my name is on the Thai and British birth certificates as her father.

Can anyone can confirm that this Alice In Wonderland situation is in fact law here - and if so, is there any way around it?

Hi Godders,

I think you are being over pessimistic.

Firstly. Neither Thailand or the UK have problems with dual citizenship. I myself have dual Thai-Australian nationality, and am in the process of applying for my wife to get Thai nationality too. I'm currently on my third of fourth thai passport, which I applied for in Bangkok.

My daughter has three nationalities, Thai, NZ and Australian, and we have residency in the UK as well as we lived there for a few (cold) years!! You'll find loads of people on this site who have kids with Thai-British nationality.

To find out whether you are recognised as her father, you need to look at your childs birth certificate. If your name is on it, then you are obviously her father as recognised by law.

You'll also need to figure out if your child is eligible for UK nationality. To do this, check out this link by one of our moderators 'Scouser' who is an expert on all these things. Your ability to pass on british nationality depaends on how you aquired it in the first place.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=105205

Having done it myself (for my daughter), the process of applying for a Thai passport is very simple and painless. Both parents need to attend the application. You'll need your daughters birth certificate, your daughters name needs to be on the 'house registration(tabieen baan), which you need to bring along. You'll need your passport, and your wife's ID card and her tabieen baan (if for some reason it is different to your daughters).

Don't need photos or anything, as they take the photos for you on site. The passport costs 1000 baht, and can be sent to you at home for a small courier fee. It is one of the most effiecient processes you'll go through in your life...that is for sure.

As I said, Thailand doesn't have a problem with dual nationality. I go in and out of Thailand all the time and swap my passports.

For leaving thailand:

- show the check in desk BOTH passports. Thai passport tells the airline that the child needs to fill out a departure card (which they'll give you. British passport tells the airline that the child has an absolute right to enter the UK, and thus does not need a visa (airlines have to be sure that the person has the right to enter the destination country. If not, they don't let them board)

- Fill out the departure card and show the Thai immigration man/woman your daughters Thai PP and departure card and boarding pass. The passport will be stamped out and an arrivals card will be stapled into the passport for use when she returns

Entering and leaving the UK

- upon arrival, simply flash the UK passport at the EU line, and she is on.

- On returning to Thailand, show both passports to the airline. There is no formal immigration control leaving the UK

arriving back in thailand:

simply fill out the arrivals form that was stapled into the passport when you left. Present completed form and passport to Thai immigration, where your child will be stamped back into Thailand with no limits on her stay.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to PM me.