Advice Needed

[davidss1]

hi to all viewing,,,

my question is about the nationality of my soon to arrive baby.

i am an australian citizen married to a thai national and living in thailand.

we are unsure about registration of our new born,,,seeking advice as to which nationality we should select ,or is it posible to have dual citizenship ?

we are unsure of our long term plans ,but have no plans to return to oz ,,,,at the moment.

any information from people in similar situations that can inform us of the pro's and con's would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance,,,,dave

[Aussietraveller]

If you were born in Australia, your child will be entitled to Australian Citizenship.

As the mother is Thai, the child will automatically be a Thai citizen at Birth.

If you are not an Australian Citizen by Birth, download form 118 from the Department of immigration website, it lists the particulars of what would entitle your child to be an Australian.

Having citizenship of both countries opens up more possibilities for the child as he/she grows up.

Congratulations on the impending birth.....

[samran]

hi to all viewing,,,

my question is about the nationality of my soon to arrive baby.

i am an australian citizen married to a thai national and living in thailand.

we are unsure about registration of our new born,,,seeking advice as to which nationality we should select ,or is it posible to have dual citizenship ?

we are unsure of our long term plans ,but have no plans to return to oz ,,,,at the moment.

any information from people in similar situations that can inform us of the pro's and con's would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance,,,,dave

Dave,

Aussie travellers advice is spot on. I've been through the whole process.

Your child, born on Thai soil to a Thai national parent will automatically aquire Thai nationality at birth. The hospital will take yours and your wifes particulars and (should) organise the Thai BC for your child. The BC will be issued by the municipality that your child was born in. On the BC it will clearly state that your child is a Thai national. Once you have the BC, you then trot down to the Ampur where your wife has her house registration (tabieen baan) and with the BC and have your childs name put on the tabieen baan.

From the Australian perspective, you have to apply for Australian citizenship via descent at the embassy. Your child will then be issued a certificate of Australian citizenship 10 days later and their name will be placed on the Extract of Births which the embassy holds (I think that what it is called).

If you are having the baby at one of the bigger expat orientated hospitals, it is a good idea to organise for them to get a certified translation of the Thai BC. A certified translation is one which has been certified as legal and correct by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (consular division) out on Chaeng Wattana Rd in BKK. While you don't need the certified translation (as I recall) for the Australian citizenship application, it is needed for the subsequent application for an Australian passport.

As for dual nationality, no problems. I am a Thai/Aust dual citizen myself. The trick to it is, leave and re-enter thailand on the Thai Passport, enter and depart Australia on the Australian PP (or wherever else that Thai's need a visa to go to).

Next time you are down in OZ, be sure to register bubs on Medicare. You may/may not need it at the time but it is a little bit of extra peace of mind that you have should you need to use it. It also means that if you have a trip which co-incides with a month where your bubs needs an immunisation jab, you'll get it for free!

And finally, all the best and many congratulations!

[davidss1]

wow,,thnx for the fast reply guys,,and the info is fantastic ,,i was really hopeing it was going to be that easy and beneficial,but now u have relieved a little of my growing anxieties ,,hahaha,,im sure u know what i mean,,,thnx again,,,,,dave

[chatette]

All good above, altho we had to go to the district office the hospital was located in to get the birth registration certificate ourselves. This may, of course, differ from hospital to hospital. Our daughter was born at Phra Mongkut Klao, the military hospital near Victory Monument, and birth registered at the Rajavithee district office. If you do have to register yourselves, be sure to check the document very carefully. They had to redo our daughter's three times before they got it right....

[astral]

You should automatically get a Thai birth certificate for your child.

Then take this to your embassy and they will advise you on registering for your own nationality.

It should be a formality.