Thai/briish Citizenship

[denboy]

Hyperthetical question.

A thai spouse stays the course in the UK and gains citizenship.

She returns to Thailand for a holidau using her new UK passport.

Is she then subject to the restrictions placed on other UK passport holders. ie: 28 day tourist cisa etc,

Cheers

[lopburi3]

Yes. She should use Thai passport for entry into Thailand. If not she can extend her stay on a yearly basis with proof of Thai nationality. A tourist visa allows a stay of 60 days - an entry without visa allows a 30 day stay.

[torrenova]

With dual nationality enter and leave the country of the passport with that passport. So from LOS to UK, you would leave LOS on a Thai passport and enter the UK on the UK passport and then leave on the UK and enter LOS on the Thai one. No visa problems this way.

[GuyDow]

With dual nationality enter and leave the country of the passport with that passport. So from LOS to UK, you would leave LOS on a Thai passport and enter the UK on the UK passport and then leave on the UK and enter LOS on the Thai one. No visa problems this way.

Two points:

1) Didn't Thaksin prohibit Thais from holding two passports as one of his pisspoor efforts to damp things down in the South?

2) On returning to LOS what do you say when immigration ask why there are no entry/exit stamps in your Thai passport from your destination? Do you say I have two passports? See question 1!

I'm not taking the mickey. Some of my wife's friends hold both British and Thai passports and I think this issue is not at all straightforward.

There is also the question of airport security. At various points in arrival and departure you have to show boarding card and passport. Since the boarding card is named as per the ticket there is the danger that immigration at either end may see a mismatch between the name on the boarding card and the name on the passport.

There is no problem at the UK end on holding two passports, UK immigration don't care. I am far from sure that the situation is as relaxed in Thailand as some have depicted.

Edited December 18, 2007 by GuyDow

[GuyDow]

Hyperthetical question.

A thai spouse stays the course in the UK and gains citizenship.

She returns to Thailand for a holidau using her new UK passport.

Is she then subject to the restrictions placed on other UK passport holders. ie: 28 day tourist cisa etc,

Cheers

Once spouse has citizenship she can get an Indefinite Leave to Remain stamped in her Thai passport. ILR, as the name suggests, gives spouse completely free and unfettered access to the UK with no visa required.

If spouse obtains a British passport I am not sure if they will then issue an ILR in her Thai passport. Certainly they will not transfer ILRs into new Thai passports once you hold a British passport.

[lopburi3]

1. No. The attempt was to prevent Thai nationals having Malaysian papers allowing those in the border area to escape easily. There was never any laws made to prevent dual citizenship or having more than one passport. There are also no laws allowing it AFAIK (like in the USA) so that is what makes it less than straightforward.

2. Many countries do not stamp passports these days - yes you can say you have two passports - in most cases you will display two passports when you exit Thailand in any case; to prove you do not need a visa.

[GuyDow]

1. No. The attempt was to prevent Thai nationals having Malaysian papers allowing those in the border area to escape easily. There was never any laws made to prevent dual citizenship or having more than one passport. There are also no laws allowing it AFAIK (like in the USA) so that is what makes it less than straightforward.

2. Many countries do not stamp passports these days - yes you can say you have two passports - in most cases you will display two passports when you exit Thailand in any case; to prove you do not need a visa.

Sorry, what does "AFAIK" mean?

I hear what you say but I'd still like to know if anyone has first hand experience of doing this.

FYI, the UK do stamp Thai passports on entry and departure, or at least they were doing so this summer.

[lopburi3]

As far as I know.

And yes many, many people do the passport change every day of the year. Read back a bit and you will find countless threads and reports of people doing.

[GuyDow]

As far as I know.

And yes many, many people do the passport change every day of the year. Read back a bit and you will find countless threads and reports of people doing.

Thanks, I'll do just that.

[torrenova]

In the Uk you can get a 2nd passport simply for stating that you will be visiting certain countried on business which other cuontries don't like or you can say that you have to travel on business whilst your passport is away getting a visa for OUter Mongolia or something. NO great hassle (or didn't used to be).