Dual Citizen No Longer Considered Thai?

[donx]

Today I returned from a business trip to hear a story told by my wife of a Thai/US friend of ours that recently flew to Thailand. Our friend is a dual citizen. She has both Thai and US passports. She traveled with her son (whose father is also a Thai/US citizen), but her son only has a US passport. She went into the line for foreign nationals (because of her son) which I think was a mistake. She showed the immigration officer both of her passports and she was told that she is now no longer considered a Thai citizen and that she can only stay for 30 day and she will need a visa extension to stay the additional 2 days.

She was told that last year the Thai government changed the law and that Thailand no longer accepts dual citizenship. Now this may be a rogue immigration officer or not, so I am interested in hearing if anyone else has recently had any troubles with holding two passports. I know that last year, I told my wife to only show her Thai passport to the Thai immigration and emmigration officers and she didn't have any trouble last summer for her or our three children. Our two oldest kids have Thai passports but our youngest didn't.

My gut feeling is if our friend only showed Thai passports for both her and her son than she wouldn't have had any problems.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

There is no change in Thai law at all.

[kiakaha]

Rubbish.No law change.My wife never has issues and she goes through diplomat lane with me, not the thai lane.

always enter and exit thai immigration post with thai passport.

enter and exit all other immigration posts worldwide with other passport.

thai government has no record of whether or not its citizens hold other citizenships and why would you want to tell them.

Edited July 25, 2008 by kiakaha

[Jimjim]

Yes but people have been asked at Thai immigration efore when they notice there's no stamps from another country if they have another passport. They then say it's ok, they just wanted to know why they didn't see stamps from abroad and they just let them through. Why be afraid to tell them if there's no law change? She should not have shown two passports but just needs to show her Thai passport and she should just take her son through Thai immigration with her. The immigration cannot just remove her nationality when she enters.

[Marisa]

I have dual nationality (Thai/British).

On occasion I have been asked (esp back to the UK. When exiting Thai immigration). They sometimes just check where you are flying to etc.

This is because they want to know why I do not have a visa to enter the UK in my Thai passport and how I intend to enter the UK on a Thai passport with no visa?

That is why I have been asked to show both passports at Immigration when exiting Thailand.

But as far as I have experienced it is not illegal to hold dual nationality for these two countries.

[Maizefarmer]

Today I returned from a business trip to hear a story told by my wife of a Thai/US friend of ours that recently flew to Thailand. Our friend is a dual citizen. She has both Thai and US passports. She traveled with her son (whose father is also a Thai/US citizen), but her son only has a US passport. She went into the line for foreign nationals (because of her son) which I think was a mistake. She showed the immigration officer both of her passports and she was told that she is now no longer considered a Thai citizen and that she can only stay for 30 day and she will need a visa extension to stay the additional 2 days.

She was told that last year the Thai government changed the law and that Thailand no longer accepts dual citizenship. Now this may be a rogue immigration officer or not, so I am interested in hearing if anyone else has recently had any troubles with holding two passports. I know that last year, I told my wife to only show her Thai passport to the Thai immigration and emmigration officers and she didn't have any trouble last summer for her or our three children. Our two oldest kids have Thai passports but our youngest didn't.

My gut feeling is if our friend only showed Thai passports for both her and her son than she wouldn't have had any problems.

...................... Thai's can hold dual citizenship - end of subject.

[samran]

sounds like she is only here for a short trip, so she is fine. But next time, she should just plonk down the Thai passport and all is fine.

We always use the Thai passports line despite the fact that my wife isn't a Thai national (which is fine). Give that I and my daughter have the Thai PP's, then they are happy enough.

[donx]

sounds like she is only here for a short trip, so she is fine. But next time, she should just plonk down the Thai passport and all is fine.

We always use the Thai passports line despite the fact that my wife isn't a Thai national (which is fine). Give that I and my daughter have the Thai PP's, then they are happy enough.

Our friend is in Thailand now. She arrived on July 22 and she plans to stay for 32 days. I agree that she should have never shown the US passport and that she shouldn't have entered in the foriegn national line. That being said, the immigration officer stamped her US passport and said that if she didn't get a visa extension that she would be charged 500 baht per day that she stays in Thailand beyond the 30 day non-visa required stay. So she has her US passport that is stamped with her departure card attached.

I don't know what she is going to do at this point. I will report back what she ends up doing. If it was my wife, I would tell her to exit out of Thailand using the Thai national line, never show the US passport to the emmigration people and make sure she fills out a new departure/arrival form that they can attach to her Thai passport.

This information comes from a discussion my wife had with our friend's husband who is still in the US. These are friends both my wife and I know very well. Their son plays with our children on a regular basis. I will talk to her husband directly to make sure my wife correctly relayed this information to me.

[dbrenn]

I have dual nationality (Thai/British).

On occasion I have been asked (esp back to the UK. When exiting Thai immigration). They sometimes just check where you are flying to etc.

This is because they want to know why I do not have a visa to enter the UK in my Thai passport and how I intend to enter the UK on a Thai passport with no visa?

That is why I have been asked to show both passports at Immigration when exiting Thailand.

But as far as I have experienced it is not illegal to hold dual nationality for these two countries.

Same thing happened to me - immigration on the way out asked to see both passports (Thai and UK) to make sure that I was entitled to travel to the UK. Other than that, no hassles with Thai immigration apart from raised eyebrows and casual questions on how a white male could possibly hold a Thai passport.

Worst experience I had was when I showed my Thai ID card at Bang Pa In palace to get the Thai rate. The woman behind the counter looked at me like I was from another planet and became rather unpleasant. I reminded her that her King had approved my application personally, and that under the Thai constitution I had to be treated just like any other Thai, and that she was obliged by law to let me pass, which she grudgingly did. She wrote "Has ID card" on my ticket and waved me through - the miserable old hag.

[lopburi3]

She should plan to use her US passport to exit and pay the overstay fine.

[Crossy]

She should plan to use her US passport to exit and pay the overstay fine.

Absolutely, it is vital that she exits using the same passport she used to enter, otherwise she'll have mismatched entry-exit stamps in her US PP. This may lead to issues entering the US later as she will appear to have left Thailand illegaly.

Pay the overstay (2 days 1000Baht), or get a 7 day extension from immigration and avoid that nasty 'overstay' stamp (1900 Baht for the extension).

EDIT In future always enter Thailand on the Thai PP, no problem bringing the youngster through the Thai channel. I always use the Thai lines when with the Missus never an issue.

Edited July 27, 2008 by Crossy

[samran]

If it was my wife, I would tell her to exit out of Thailand using the Thai national line, never show the US passport to the emmigration people and make sure she fills out a new departure/arrival form that they can attach to her Thai passport.

.

that won't work. If she tried to leave Thailand on her Thai passport it would throw a spanner in the works. Remember, according to her Thai passport she is 'outside of thailand' and she'll have an exit stamp from the last departure but no corresponding entry stamp. Unfortunately, immigration are a bit like accountants. The debit and credit side of the ledgers must balance, otherwise 'it does not compute'.

Unfortunately, as your friends wife entered on the US PP, she'll have to leave on it too.

[samran]

posts attempting to start an off topic flamefest have been deleted. Members involved are publically warned NOT to try it on.

[donx]

Thank you all for the good advice regarding her use of the US passport when exiting. I will suggest as Crossy said for her to get an extension before she leaves Thailand for both her and her son.

[JimGant]

We heard the story several years ago about the dual citizen who, upon producing her Thai passport, was then asked for her US passport (which was tucked away in her purse). Reason she was asked: Thai passport was brand new, issued in the US, and had no stamps in it (and she did not have her old, expired Thai passport to show her last exit). Anyway, after producing the US passport, the Immigration officer stamped her in on it, without any valid explanation (except ignorance). Since she was staying for less than 30 days, however, she didn't pursue the issue.

When the wife was in a similar situation (new Thai passport, no stamps, etc), I held her US passport so she could truthfully say 'she didn't have it' if asked. Fortunately, the officer was an older, wiser type, and a simple explanation was all that was required. And now that her Thai passport is seasoned, she doesn't worry too much and carries her US passport herself.

However, were she be asked to produce her US passport upon entry to Thailand, she would refuse and ask to speak to a supervisor lest some stamp-happy officer get carried away. Slight chance this would ever happen, with a seasoned Thai passport and 'arrival' card stapled into it (and no 'departure' counterpart). However, stranger things have happened [per the OP; however, not sure this was a new or seasoned passport] -- and how one goes about undoing an erroneous entry stamp is not something we'd like waste time on.

Showing both passports to Immigration on exit doesn't seem to carry any down side. But their asking seems more a curiosity item vice legal, since it's the airline's burden to check travel documents -- and they're the ones who get burned for any irregularity.

Edited July 28, 2008 by JimGant

[samran]

Jims got it.

A lesson to everyone is that if an immigration officer is refusing to stamp you on your Thai passport, INSIST on seeing their superior. The older and wiser heads know the rules, and will immediately order the person at the desk to stamp you in on the thai passport. This has happened to a few people on this board, including myself. It always produces the results you want.

[monty]

I'm also of the impression that Thai dual nationality persons, when entering on their foreign passport, very easily can obtain an extension as long as they can prove their Thai nationality.

I've read reports of 1 year extensions being given without many questions asked, apart from showing a Thai ID card/passport

[lopburi3]

They have the same reporting of address, payment/TM7 and such requirements of anyone else. Yes, proof of Thai nationality is all that is required for application but it is not better than being here as a Thai and not having to report address or obtain a work permit or report your movements.