Thai Child first British passport application.

[stefan2519]

Hi all,

Can I apply for my child's first British passport in the UK on their behalf?
I am in the UK so will be sent to my address of course.
Or must it be done via VFS in BKK?

I have all the documentation here and from what it appears it can be done online?
Maybe I am missing something.

Thanks.

[brewsterbudgen]

As long as you have all the required documentation, translated into English if in Thai, and counter-signed photographs, then I'm sure you can.  The child doesn't need to be present.  Will you give your UK address as the child's address?

 

I might be missing something, so see what others suggest.

[stefan2519]

10 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

As long as you have all the required documentation, translated into English if in Thai, and counter-signed photographs, then I'm sure you can.  The child doesn't need to be present.  Will you give your UK address as the child's address?

 

I might be missing something, so see what others suggest.

Yes, that was the plan ideally.
I applied 8 months ago while I was in Thailand but they just emailed me saying that it had been accepted and can take another 12 weeks for documents to arrive to Thai address.
A pain that they didn't email or answer the emails I had sent before as now you have to apply for passports separately.

 

Thanks.

[Jumbo1968]

If you are not married to the Mother she has to sign the application form, I signed our sons and I had to resubmit the application form with his Mothers signature.

The other point is if the it’s the child’s first passport VFS Global in Bangkok now require a DNA Test not sure if you have to as you are applying in the U.K. but I doubt it.
DNA testing – For first time child cases (first passport for a child) applying for British citizenship and who have been offered by His Majesty’s Passport Office to take their DNA test at a VFS Global Visa Application Centre.

Edited June 12, 2023 by Jumbo1968
Edit

[benlovesnuk]

21 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

If you are not married to the Mother she has to sign the application form, I signed our sons and I had to resubmit the application form with his Mothers signature.

The other point is if the it’s the child’s first passport VFS Global in Bangkok now require a DNA Test not sure if you have to as you are applying in the U.K. but I doubt it.
DNA testing – For first time child cases (first passport for a child) applying for British citizenship and who have been offered by His Majesty’s Passport Office to take their DNA test at a VFS Global Visa Application Centre.

This guidance tells HM Passport Office staff:

• that we follow Home Office DNA guidance
• that we cannot require customers to provide DNA evidence as part of their passport application
• that we have no specific statutory power to require DNA evidence
• what we do when we receive DNA evidence to support a British passport application

[Jumbo1968]

1 hour ago, benlovesnuk said:

This guidance tells HM Passport Office staff:

• that we follow Home Office DNA guidance
• that we cannot require customers to provide DNA evidence as part of their passport application
• that we have no specific statutory power to require DNA evidence
• what we do when we receive DNA evidence to support a British passport application

This is link for the DFS Global website stating a DNA Test is required,

https://visa.vfsglobal.com/lao/en/gbr/hmpo

[brewsterbudgen]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

This is link for the DFS Global website stating a DNA Test is required,

https://visa.vfsglobal.com/lao/en/gbr/hmpo

That's for Laos and is very badly written.  The HMPO website makes no reference to a DNA test being required for a child's first UK passport, and unless it's changed very recently, it certainly wasn't required when I got my child's first UK passport in Bangkok. 

 

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/overseas/information/thailand/first/child/thailand

[benlovesnuk]

4 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

This is link for the DFS Global website stating a DNA Test is required,

https://visa.vfsglobal.com/lao/en/gbr/hmpo

What I posted is from the UK governments website, not some company working on their behalf. As it states quite clearly what is necessary or not, any company suggesting you *need* to do x, y or z should be pointed to the the states own requirements, that they are working on behalf of.

 

If you want to do a DNA test that is upto you, but its not a requirement, and, more importantly, they have no power to insist you take it. 

Because VFS is a company, and they make money, this is probably the angle that they try to use in order to get you to pay more money, like their other products that they make seem would be of use to you.

 

[Jumbo1968]

1 minute ago, benlovesnuk said:

What I posted is from the UK governments website, not some company working on their behalf. As it states quite clearly what is necessary or not, any company suggesting you *need* to do x, y or z should be pointed to the the states own requirements, that they are working on behalf of.

 

If you want to do a DNA test that is upto you, but its not a requirement, and, more importantly, they have no power to insist you take it. 

Because VFS is a company, and they make money, this is probably the angle that they try to use in order to get you to pay more money, like their other products that they make seem would be of use to you.

 

A previous poster said this a VFS site for Laos but I can’t Laos mentioned ?

[brewsterbudgen]

4 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

A previous poster said this a VFS site for Laos but I can’t Laos mentioned ?

It's a Lao website address and refers to VFS in Vientiene.  That said, VFS/HMPO are likely to have the same policies in all Asian countries.  As @benlovesnuksays, you should follow the gov.uk instructions.  A DNA test is certainly not a requirement for a child's first UK passport.

 

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/overseas/information/thailand/first/child/thailand

Edited June 13, 2023 by brewsterbudgen

[Jumbo1968]

56 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It's a Lao website address and refers to VFS in Vientiene.  That said, VFS/HMPO are likely to have the same policies in all Asian countries.  As @benlovesnuksays, you should follow the gov.uk instructions.  A DNA test is certainly not a requirement for a child's first UK passport.

 

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/overseas/information/thailand/first/child/thailand

I agree but if you are in Thailand and use VFS they say it is ?

[chickenslegs]

From the guidance notes for UK passport applications:

 

Customer chooses not to send us voluntary DNA evidence
If a customer chooses not to provide DNA evidence, you must make a decision on
the application based on a balance of probability, using documents and information
the customer provides. You must not draw any negative inferences about a
customer’s decision against offering DNA evidence.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1112989/DNA_testing_for_British_passport_applications_V7.pdf

 

Seems you can decline a DNA test and, instead, provide evidence to show that "on a balance of probabilities" you are the father.

[brewsterbudgen]

12 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

From the guidance notes for UK passport applications:

 

Customer chooses not to send us voluntary DNA evidence
If a customer chooses not to provide DNA evidence, you must make a decision on
the application based on a balance of probability, using documents and information
the customer provides. You must not draw any negative inferences about a
customer’s decision against offering DNA evidence.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1112989/DNA_testing_for_British_passport_applications_V7.pdf

 

Seems you can decline a DNA test and, instead, provide evidence to show that "on a balance of probabilities" you are the father.

Sounds like VFS have made it sound like a requirement as a sneaky way of making extra money! 

[Jumbo1968]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Sounds like VFS have made it sound like a requirement as a sneaky way of making extra money! 

The way I read everyone who applies for a first Child U.K. Passport through VFS in Thailand has to supply a DNA Test, £200 if you use VFS. A previous poster says this only applies from people from Laos but I can’t see where it says that ?

I wonder if anyone has ever challenged VFS about having to supply a DNS Test ?

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Jumbo1968
Update.

[benlovesnuk]

1 hour ago, Jumbo1968 said:

The way I read everyone who applies for a first Child U.K. Passport through VFS in Thailand has to supply a DNA Test, £200 if you use VFS. A previous poster says this only applies from people from Laos but I can’t see where it says that ?

I wonder if anyone has ever challenged VFS about having to supply a DNS Test ?

 

1. DNA testing – For first time child cases (first passport for a child) applying for British citizenship and who have been offered by His Majesty’s Passport Office to take their DNA test at a VFS Global Visa Application Centre. VFS staff will contact you by email once we receive the notification from HMPO. The DNA testing company will send your results directly to HMPO, and to the email address you have provided to HMPO, after DNA samples have been collected for all family members.

    

   The indicative costs of DNA testing is as follows: £150 per family member sampled in country of application; or £200 per family member sampled in the UK.

 

 

This guff at the top is clearly meant to confuse. I will be going to get my sons first passport he is 8. My eldest already has one albeit needs renewing. I was born after jan 1, 1982 which means I have to provide my parents birth and marriage certificates to prove I'm British, to pass on my Britishness to my son. 

I will be refusing dna testing. I will if needs be, complaining to the embassy and my local mp, who helped previously when my wife was applying for settlement visa and then was delay, if this is what vfs are mandating. 

[Dazkkk]

Just another scam to get applicants to open their wallets for VFS. UK Government should really pull their license/contract to issue visas etc. ????

[brewsterbudgen]

On 6/14/2023 at 9:51 AM, Jumbo1968 said:

The way I read everyone who applies for a first Child U.K. Passport through VFS in Thailand has to supply a DNA Test, £200 if you use VFS. A previous poster says this only applies from people from Laos but I can’t see where it says that ?

I wonder if anyone has ever challenged VFS about having to supply a DNS Test ?

 

I didn't say it "only applied to people from Laos", I just pointed out that the link that was posted was for VFS in Vientiene, Laos.

 

I am not aware of anyone in Thailand who needed a DNA test for their child's first UK passport.  I certainly didn't (and I wasn't married to my child's mother at the time) and a colleague in Bangkok recently applied for his daughter's first UK passport and there was no mention of a DNA test.

 

If it's a new rule that's been introduced in the last month or so, I would expect someone here should have first-hand knowledge.  @theoldgit? @ThaiVisaExpress?

[theoldgit]

@brewsterbudgenyou are painfully aware the getting a child’s first UK passport is complicated as are the rules surrounding citizenship.

DNA testing could be requested as part of the process but it’s not common and certainly not at the behest of VFS.

I’m not aware of any changes in the procedure from Thailand, nor do l know of anyone who has been required to undergo such a test, that doesn’t mean it never happens.

[Satcommlee]

You may have to send original documents in UK, whereas at VFS you only need to  show the originals.

 

[arick]

My suggestion is just to keep the Thai passport work your ass off and give them a good education in Thailand and forget about going back to Britain

[theoldgit]

Nonsense troll post removed