Thailand Allows Dual Citizenship?

[EUFCB5]

Hi I m wondering if Thailand allows dualcitizenship by marriage between a Thai girl and a Western man?

or at leats Permanent Residency at Thailand. Thanks everybody!!

[Lite Beer]

Hi I m wondering if Thailand allows dualcitizenship by marriage between a Thai girl and a Western man?

or at leats Permanent Residency at Thailand. Thanks everybody!!

For the Thai Girl. Yes

For You. No.

[jumnien]

Dual-citizenship is no problem if one parent is Thai. My son qualifies and is dual. For you however, it is all but impossible. One-year visas are easy to get and maintain. Enjoy Thailand!

[Lite Beer]

One-year visas are easy to get and maintain.

They are if you qualify.

[Sophon]

Hi I m wondering if Thailand allows dualcitizenship by marriage between a Thai girl and a Western man?

or at leats Permanent Residency at Thailand. Thanks everybody!!

Yes, Thailand allows dual citizenship. And no, simply marrying a Thai lady won't give you Thai citizenship - it takes a lot more than just marriage to achieve that.

Sophon

[Sarge]

as far as I know, dual citizenship is allowed to a child who's born in Thailand to at least one Thai parent and only until he/she reaches the age of 18. After that he/she must decide which nationality he/she wants to keep. Cannot have two nationalities after 18 years old. That's how the law stands at the moment.

[sbk]

Thailand tacitly allows dual, and as far as I know, that requirement to choose at 18 was dropped years ago. I know many Thai/Australians Thai/Americans etc with dual citizenship and they are well over the age of 18

Regardless, OP is asking if Thailand allows a foreign citizen to obtain citizenship without losing their own, and the short answer is yes. However, be sure to check the laws of your own country. There is a thread by a member who obtained Thai citizenship, please read that first.

Story Of My Thai Citizenship Application

[TerryLH]

"...dual citizenship is allowed to a child who's born in Thailand..."

They don't have to be born in Thailand.

[hansnl]

Hi I m wondering if Thailand allows dualcitizenship by marriage between a Thai girl and a Western man?

or at leats Permanent Residency at Thailand. Thanks everybody!!

Officially a Thai subject can only have one nationality!

However, until adulthood two nationalities are allowed.

Then the choice for one nationality needs to be made.

On the other hand, there are many Thai people with two nationalities.

Getting the Thai nationality as a farang, well, you might say, a chance in a lottery!

Certainly, it is possible.

But expensive, uncertain, demanding.

And, you are expected to comply with the law, which means giving up your other nationality.

[Crossy]

Officially a Thai subject can only have one nationality!

However, until adulthood two nationalities are allowed.

Then the choice for one nationality needs to be made.

I'm sure this requirement has been dropped.

I know a number of Thai/Oz and Thai/US who are well over the age of majority and hold both passports, a number of TV members are also in this class.

But to the OP, no chance mate, marrying into a Thai family won't even get you PR

Edited July 5, 2008 by Crossy

[Heng]

Yeah, it's pretty well documented on TV, and a forum search will get you what you need. I've renewed both my Thai and US passports in Thailand without any issues and regularly "appear out of thin air" in Thailand on my Thai passport without any issues from immigration either (usually they don't even ask to see the other passport -although they used to- if I just tell them I have US citizenship as well).

[teacup]

Same here as Heng, no problems.......with being dual (thai/ US by naturalization)

I'm thai girl, married to my husband (american).

[Sarge]

Officially a Thai subject can only have one nationality!

However, until adulthood two nationalities are allowed.

Then the choice for one nationality needs to be made.

I'm sure this requirement has been dropped.

I know a number of Thai/Oz and Thai/US who are well over the age of majority and hold both passports, a number of TV members are also in this class.

But to the OP, no chance mate, marrying into a Thai family won't even get you PR

then nobody told the immigration officers at the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok about this supposed change of law. Last December, I was told in clear terms, that my daughter can only carry a dual citizenship/passport until she is 18, after that she must choose which nationality to retain. With all due respect, I'd rather listen to Thai government officials than forum members, especially when they use words, "tacitly....", "I'm sure this...."

[Mario2008]

The law states indeed that you have to choose. But the law doesn't have any sanctions if you don't choose. The government cannot choose for you which nationality you will keep, so you can keep dual nationality.

[sabaijai]

Two different legal notions are getting mixed up here. A child born to foreign parents in Thailand must choose his/her nationality at 18. However adults who are already Thai citizens (including naturalised Thai citizens, that is, foreign adults granted citizenship following permanent residency) are permitted dual citizenship should they become a naturalised citizen of another country (or if they are already a citizen of another country).

Examples: A daughter born in Thailand to an American father and Thai mother may choose Thai citizenship when she reaches 18 years of age. Later if she seeks American nationality (on the basis of having a father who is an American citizen, for example) she may hold both Thai and American citizenship. Likewise an American who receives Thai citizenship after having attained PR has the right to keep his/her US citizenship afterwards. Not all countries don't permit dual citizenship, but Thailand does.

I'd guess that many thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of Thais currently enjoy dual (or more) nationalities. I personally know at least 8 or 9 Thais who hold dual nationality.

[tomuk76]

as far as I know, dual citizenship is allowed to a child who's born in Thailand to at least one Thai parent and only until he/she reaches the age of 18. After that he/she must decide which nationality he/she wants to keep. Cannot have two nationalities after 18 years old. That's how the law stands at the moment.

My two kids where born in the UK and are dual citizens with british and thai passports!

[sbk]

Officially a Thai subject can only have one nationality!

However, until adulthood two nationalities are allowed.

Then the choice for one nationality needs to be made.

I'm sure this requirement has been dropped.

I know a number of Thai/Oz and Thai/US who are well over the age of majority and hold both passports, a number of TV members are also in this class.

But to the OP, no chance mate, marrying into a Thai family won't even get you PR

then nobody told the immigration officers at the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok about this supposed change of law. Last December, I was told in clear terms, that my daughter can only carry a dual citizenship/passport until she is 18, after that she must choose which nationality to retain. With all due respect, I'd rather listen to Thai government officials than forum members, especially when they use words, "tacitly....", "I'm sure this...."

Tacitly: 1. Not spoken: indicated tacit approval by smiling and winking. 2... Implied by or inferred from actions or statements.

As has already been stated, there are many people in this country who hold dual. I was explicitly told by the Special branch polic (the special branch are the ones who process citizenship applications, not Immigration) and the US embassy that I would not lose my US citizenship if I gained Thai citizenship.

[samran]

Officially a Thai subject can only have one nationality!

However, until adulthood two nationalities are allowed.

Then the choice for one nationality needs to be made.

I'm sure this requirement has been dropped.

I know a number of Thai/Oz and Thai/US who are well over the age of majority and hold both passports, a number of TV members are also in this class.

But to the OP, no chance mate, marrying into a Thai family won't even get you PR

then nobody told the immigration officers at the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok about this supposed change of law. Last December, I was told in clear terms, that my daughter can only carry a dual citizenship/passport until she is 18, after that she must choose which nationality to retain. With all due respect, I'd rather listen to Thai government officials than forum members, especially when they use words, "tacitly....", "I'm sure this...."

The problem with immigration is that they are wrong.

For a start, there is no mention in Thai law of making a choice when you are 18. That the number 18 doesn't even appear in Thai nationality law already shows they have no clue.

What the law actually says is that a child born in Thailand to a foreign father and a Thai mother between the ages of 20 and 21, can if they so wish, make the choice to keep their fathers nationality by applying to renounce their Thai nationality.

So you have a couple of things with this clause:

1) there is no compulsion to do so. Unlike earlier versions of the Thai nationality act (all things must be read in context!!) there is no penalty for those who do not make this choice. What is essentially say instead is that if you are a dual citizen born in Thailand to a foreign dad then you only have one year between ages of 20 ad 21 to make a choice, otherwise you give up your opportunity to make a choice

2) Obstensibly, this rule does not apply to those who were born to foriegn mothers in Thailand, nor does it apply to those with dual nationality who were born outside of Thailand.

3) There is a section further along within the Thai nationality act which opens up the possibility for those to lose their Thai nationality "if they gained thai nationality by virtue of being born of a foriegn father". The clause and the language used in the clause is absurd when you think about it, given that those who gain thai nationality do so by virtue of having a Thai parent, not by having a foreign father. Therefore, unless you happen to be born in Thailand to two parents who are permanent residents, then it is only in these cases do these passages of text apply to you.

4) The last clause in the loss of citizenship section states that those who naturalise as a foreginer shall lose the their Thai nationality.

4a) Fine in theory, except that to do so would be unconstitutional (the constitution states that all Thai citizens must be treated equally). Given that according to this act, it is perfectly fine and legal for people to have and hold more than one nationality if you derive that situation by birth, or you have thai nationality conferred upon you (and thus keeping our old nationality too) then it is arguable that to take away someones right to Thai nationality and another passport would constitute discrimination as far as the consitution is concerned.

4b) On the last point, this clause of the consitution has been sucessfully been used in the past. A case came up a dozen years ago where parliament tried to make it harder for those with foriegn fathers to become Members of Parliament (ie you needed a masters degree rather than a simple batchelors degree to become an MP). The constitutional court threw out this rule based on the fact that it was illegal to discriminate between Thai citizens.

4c) From a practial perspective: My mother naturalised as an Australian citizen 30 odd years ago. At the time, under the old nationality act, she did lose her Thai nationality. However the current version of the nationality act was instituted in 1992, and she was explicitly told that given the new act she had the right to reclaim her citizenship which she did.

5) My wife is currently going through the process of naturalisation as a Thai. We have been told specifically by the police special branch (the guys who actually deal with these issues on a day to day basis) that there is no issue in my wife holding more than one passport.

[Koh Chang]

it would be also interesting to know how the thai army handles dual citizenship.

for example:

in which army does my son (thai/swiss) have to serve?

Edited July 27, 2008 by Koh Chang

[lopburi3]

Dual citizenship has no effect (for Thailand) - if you are a Thai male citizen of military age you must register for military service (far from all who register serve but there is no provision to not register because you have another nationality).

[JimGant]

that if you are a dual citizen born in Thailand to a foreign dad then you only have one year between ages of 20 ad 21 to make a choice

Other than to avoid being drafted into the Thai armed forces, what other advantage would there be to renouncing your Thai citizenship?

And, at what age do they start drafting around here? Might having to wait until age 20 to renounce be too late to avoid being drafted?

[samran]

that if you are a dual citizen born in Thailand to a foreign dad then you only have one year between ages of 20 ad 21 to make a choice

Other than to avoid being drafted into the Thai armed forces, what other advantage would there be to renouncing your Thai citizenship?

And, at what age do they start drafting around here? Might having to wait until age 20 to renounce be too late to avoid being drafted?

18 effectively, but if you are in university education, then the 20 to 21 age range become useful - but it is an extreme measure to simply avoid the possibility of getting conscripted. In my opinion, you are giving up a lot, so it isn't worth reouncing in my opion

[Koh Chang]

Dual citizenship has no effect (for Thailand) - if you are a Thai male citizen of military age you must register for military service (far from all who register serve but there is no provision to not register because you have another nationality).

thanks.

register is one thing. but i guess a male of military age has to do that for his second country as well.

that’s why the question, where he has to serve finally? i know you can not serve in two army’s.

[samran]

Dual citizenship has no effect (for Thailand) - if you are a Thai male citizen of military age you must register for military service (far from all who register serve but there is no provision to not register because you have another nationality).

thanks.

register is one thing. but i guess a male of military age has to do that for his second country as well.

that’s why the question, where he has to serve finally? i know you can not serve in two army’s.

You'll have to check with the swiss and the Thai authorities. Reading through the Thai rules a while back I noted that one way of being exempted from Thai military service was if you'd already done the equivalent elsewhere. Meaning that if he has swiss experience then Thailand would waive the need to do it here. I don't know the ins and outs however.

[Maestro]

it would be also interesting to know how the thai army handles dual citizenship.

for example:

in which army does my son (thai/swiss) have to serve?

To the best of my knowledge it depends on where he will live at that time. If he lives in Switzerland he will be drafted in that country. If he lives in Thailand he will be be called up there. If he lives in neither of these two countries, he will not be called up in either of them.

--

Maestro