Thai Childs Aussie Passport Application

[jackliveswhere]

Guys,

My wife is giving birth to our child in June, I will be taking my 2 weeks R&R to be present at the birth and would also like to arrange an Australia Passport for the new born.

I am an Australian Citizen and have seen alot of different websites but nothing that can give me an accurate process and the forms/certificates required.

Can anyone help me with a step by step for this one?

[think_too_mut]

Guys,

My wife is giving birth to our child in June, I will be taking my 2 weeks R&R to be present at the birth and would also like to arrange an Australia Passport for the new born.

I am an Australian Citizen and have seen alot of different websites but nothing that can give me an accurate process and the forms/certificates required.

Can anyone help me with a step by step for this one?

I did it 4 years after baby's birth. It is a 2-step process.

1. Application for Australian citizenship

Baby's birth certificate, translated (they take a copy and return it to you on the spot)

Your passports (current one + one in effect at the time the baby was conceived)

Mother's ID + passport (s) as above

Marriage certificate translation if you are married

A half page write up about the history of your relationship, how it started, where, future plans (it is advisable to mention moving to Australian in the future)

If the mother has no passport, it is advisable that she gets one before entering the procedure - she will have to have it anyway.

A committee will sit and consider the application and, if approved, two weeks later a Certificate of Australian Citizenship will be issued.

This is where it can get tricky if you are not married - they may ask for more documents and evidences.

From then on, your baby is like any Oz baby that needs Oz passport.

2. Passport

Before going back to the Embassy:

Have 2 pictures of the baby. They are quite fussy what the pictures are like, check Oz embassy web site for instructions how the pictures have to be made. It's something to do with new passport format that has the picture watermark in the background.

The pictures have to be signed by someone, like baby's doctor. Also, the application has to be signed by that same person, will ask private information like date of birth and address, phone number.

Back to Oz Embassy, with the Citizenship certificate, signed pictures and signed passport application form.

(section 11 of passport application form asks for signatures of both parents that allows the baby to have a passport, that is "parental consent" that you will find discussed so many times on this Forum).

You will need a Marriage certificate translation if you are married and she has changed her name.

Someone with Oz pasport has to witness (sign) your application, it can not be Embassy staff. Anyone with Oz passport who happen to be in the Embassy can do it.

10 days later, the passport can be mailed to your Thailand address or you can come and pick it up.

No need for baby to be present at all.

Both processes cost money (can't remember how much, 2-3,000B) payable cash on the spot. No credit cards.

2 weeks that you have allocated are not enough. The most you can do is to start the citizenship procedure. The document will arrive after you are back to Oz. For the passport, you have to do it next time.

Edited March 12, 2009 by think_too_mut

[Goinghomesoon]

Email [email protected] for their full guideline.

[samran]

forms are downloadable from the Australian embassy website. As Think too mut said, it is a two stage process.

1) Application for citizenship by decent

2) Application for passport.

A couple of notes that can slow down the process/trip you up:

a) Step 1) requires a statuatory waiting time of 10 days to process. Once done, only then can you go for the passport. Passport takes a similar amount of time as it is issued in Canberra

'b) Step 1) requires that a person of certain profession vouches for the baby's identity. This can be a slight pain to get.

c) Translation of birth certificate will take 3 to 5 days, as it will need to be certified by the ministry of foreign affairs in BKK as a true translation. Same for marriage certificate if not in English.

d) Immigration section, where you apply for the citizenship, is only open between 10am and 12pm. So it is a small window of time, and we've missed getting there on time in the past.

e) you'll need a cashiers cheque for the application fee. The fee varies according to the exhange rate..so you have to be up to date with the exact amount. Last time we did it it changed the day we arrived....needed to get the cheque refunded and then re-issued.

f) you'll need another Australian citizen, not related, to vouch for the baby's identity for the passport application. Either that, or someone from a registered profession required on the passport form.

g) before all of the above happens, you'll need to get the Thai birth certificate issued. From memory, it took about a week before we had it in our hands....

Going through this process again at the moment, and are taking our time, but with only two weeks here, you might have to try and have as many ducks lined up before you arrive (eg translations etc)

Edited March 12, 2009 by samran

[think_too_mut]

forms are downloadable from the Australian embassy website. As Think too mut said, it is a two stage process.

1) Application for citizenship by decent

2) Application for passport.

A couple of notes that can slow down the process/trip you up:

a) Step 1) requires a statuatory waiting time of 10 days to process. Once done, only then can you go for the passport. Passport takes a similar amount of time as it is issued in Canberra

'b) Step 1) requires that a person of certain profession vouches for the baby's identity. This can be a slight pain to get.

c) Translation of birth certificate will take 3 to 5 days, as it will need to be certified by the ministry of foreign affairs in BKK as a true translation. Same for marriage certificate if not in English.

d) Immigration section, where you apply for the citizenship, is only open between 10am and 12pm. So it is a small window of time, and we've missed getting there on time in the past.

e) you'll need a cashiers cheque for the application fee. The fee varies according to the exhange rate..so you have to be up to date with the exact amount. Last time we did it it changed the day we arrived....needed to get the cheque refunded and then re-issued.

f) you'll need another Australian citizen, not related, to vouch for the baby's identity for the passport application. Either that, or someone from a registered profession required on the passport form.

g) before all of the above happens, you'll need to get the Thai birth certificate issued. From memory, it took about a week before we had it in our hands....

Going through this process again at the moment, and are taking our time, but with only two weeks here, you might have to try and have as many ducks lined up before you arrive (eg translations etc)

Don't know when you did it, in May 2008. (when I went there first time, citizenship) and July 2008 (passport) payment was on the spot, cash. No banks, no cheques, nothing.

Member of "Certain profession" to sign the application is that baby's doctor I mentioned. They do that all the time, just arrange 9:00 sharp and no need to pay doctor visit. That is where importance of how pictures are taken pops up again: you don't want embarassment after you got the doctor to sign it all and then pictures are invalid and you have to go again.

Two weeks is impossible time to get both (even 1) documents.

Translation and verification of all documents may take from 4 hours up to 1 day if done by an agency. Next business day at worst.

They have express path through MFA, best if you let them do it all for you.

The Australian citizen is needed to withess your signature on the application, not baby's identity. That is in addition to baby's identity (and signed pictures) that doctor has to do.

[samran]

thanks for the clarification...did in 2006, and just getting the paperwork for no 2. lined up now.

Translation for no.2 took me 3-4 days to get, (Monday afternoon, pick up Thursday). But I forgot they do have the express translation option, either through the agency, or if you do it yourself. So that can make it a next day thing if you do it through the agency.

Payment was definetly by cheque then, which annoyed me to no end, as had to run out to the bank and back before 12!! Glad to hear cash is possible now.

Official paperwork didn't seem to mention that you could get the doctor to do it, so that does cut the time frame down (thankfully).

Cheers for the updated info.

[think_too_mut]

Payment was definetly by cheque then, which annoyed me to no end, as had to run out to the bank and back before 12!! Glad to hear cash is possible now.

Official paperwork didn't seem to mention that you could get the doctor to do it, so that does cut the time frame down (thankfully).

Looks like cash is the only option now. They have a PC with cash register display behind the counter.

Since they are no a retail outlet, they may have no change to give you. In that case, you will have to go out, pass the security again and bring exact change. Bring either exact money or various denominations (down to 10 baht coins) to be ready.

The Embassy is almost empty now, all the visa business has been outsorced to a local Thai company down the road. Former waiting room has chairs upturned on former desks. Never more than 2-3 people there, 3 out of 5 times there was nobody except us. I was lucky to have one countryman from Oz in there when I needed someone to witness my signature.

Yes, doctors can sign baby's identity and pictures, I found it in the forms. Take doctor's business card with you, Embassy will staple it to the application.

Our doctor was a lady from Samitivej Hospital who has known our daughter since day 1 of her life (it even says "I have known the applicant for at least 1 year or since birth..").

[jackliveswhere]

Thanks guys, i've noted it all down and will get most of the documents ready start of next month and continue for the application after the baby is born with the rest of them.

I've payed the fee for a fast translation approval and had it back in 3 hours so hopefully I can get most things sorted and maybe the wife can go to pick it up. My work roster is 8 weeks in Indo and 2 weeks on R&R so 2 weeks is all I have, the passport will have to wait til August.

Thanks again guys!

[Goinghomesoon]

Your Thai spouse can lodge the Australian passport application. You don't need to be there although you do need to have signed the application form.

[RJJ]

thanks for the clarification...did in 2006, and just getting the paperwork for no 2. lined up now.

Translation for no.2 took me 3-4 days to get, (Monday afternoon, pick up Thursday). But I forgot they do have the express translation option, either through the agency, or if you do it yourself. So that can make it a next day thing if you do it through the agency.

Payment was definetly by cheque then, which annoyed me to no end, as had to run out to the bank and back before 12!! Glad to hear cash is possible now.

Official paperwork didn't seem to mention that you could get the doctor to do it, so that does cut the time frame down (thankfully).

Cheers for the updated info.

When having documents signed in Australia, you can have almost anyone sign them (Police, Doc, Chemist, JP, Post Master, etc.) When Outside Aus, it is hard to find one of the above that is an AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN.

You can have the doctor that attended the birth sign the documents, but there is a time limit for that to be accepted.

I processed my Son's Citizen-by-decent about 1 month after he was born and almost had to drive back to Pattaya to get the Doctor to sign. Luckily there was a JP in the Consular Section waiting room and he approached me when I was bracing myself for travel to Pattaya. He signed my forms and I queued up again (should have seen the look on their face!).

For the passport application, the witness only needs to be an Aussie citizen (non relative), so find yourself an Aussie now for the passport application. Short of that; go into any bar with the form in one hand and offer an icy cold beer to the first Aussie to sign it!

[catwho]

thanks for the clarification...did in 2006, and just getting the paperwork for no 2. lined up now.

Translation for no.2 took me 3-4 days to get, (Monday afternoon, pick up Thursday). But I forgot they do have the express translation option, either through the agency, or if you do it yourself. So that can make it a next day thing if you do it through the agency.

Payment was definetly by cheque then, which annoyed me to no end, as had to run out to the bank and back before 12!! Glad to hear cash is possible now.

Official paperwork didn't seem to mention that you could get the doctor to do it, so that does cut the time frame down (thankfully).

Cheers for the updated info.

When having documents signed in Australia, you can have almost anyone sign them (Police, Doc, Chemist, JP, Post Master, etc.) When Outside Aus, it is hard to find one of the above that is an AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN.

You can have the doctor that attended the birth sign the documents, but there is a time limit for that to be accepted.

I processed my Son's Citizen-by-decent about 1 month after he was born and almost had to drive back to Pattaya to get the Doctor to sign. Luckily there was a JP in the Consular Section waiting room and he approached me when I was bracing myself for travel to Pattaya. He signed my forms and I queued up again (should have seen the look on their face!).

For the passport application, the witness only needs to be an Aussie citizen (non relative), so find yourself an Aussie now for the passport application. Short of that; go into any bar with the form in one hand and offer an icy cold beer to the first Aussie to sign it!

where in pattaya can you get the correct photos done ,i tried theprasit opp markets [useless] like you blokes i dont want a knock back.

And thanks fo the updates boys i'll be going in next week,i had he's birth cert done at soi post office [translated]or is it better to have it all done at thai f/affairs.

i was and want to get express marriage cert,etc done in the morning stay in bkk, o/n then go the next day to embassy,for his oz citizenship.

thanks

cat