Child With Two Passports

[Mel Brooks]

Scenario:

Thai lady was married to Dutchman. They had a child then father unfortunately died.

The child is now 12 years old and has a Thai passport with her mother's maiden surname and a European/Dutch one with her father's surname.

They are both travelling to Holland for 2 weeks to see the late father's relatives. The mother has a Schegen (sp?) visa already. They have not applied for a visa for the child as the intention is for the child to leave Thailand on her Thai passport and then enter Holland on her European one. The child will then leave Holland using her European passport and re-enter Thailand on her Thai passport.

Will this be okay or could there be problems re-entering Thailand for the child if she has no entry or exit stamps from Holland in her Thai passport?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[singa-traz]

No problem.

The mother could take, as an added measure, copy of document (Birth certificate) to prove that she is the mother ... just in case.

[AceCafe]

My (1st) Thai wife had a UK passport in her married name and Thai passport in her maiden name. She was always able to do exactly as you've described above, getting away with the comments about "forgetful, incompetent, busy, or harassed" etc etc officials at the "other" end! After all, it's not the Thai entry officials remit to check up on the exit officials of another nationality, and vice versa! But....... this was many years ago so I wouldn't have a clue if it can still be done. Very grey area, I should imagine.

[CharlieB]

Possible problem is the names in the passports not being the same and so any return ticket would not match one of the passports, ie if you get a return ticket in the name on the Thai passport, it won't match the dutch one and vice versa. Airlines require the tickets to be issued in the name used on the passport.

[7by7]

As far as Dutch and Thai immigration is concerned, there would not be a problem leaving Thailand on the Thai passport, entering Holland on the Dutch one and then vice/versa on return.

But as said above, the name on the airline tickets must match the name on the passport. The passport you need to show when checking in is the one that allows you entry at the other end. So one way round this would be to buy single tickets, but that woud be more expensive.

[Mario2008]

There is no problem. Both airlines and immigration deal with this situation daily.

At check-in at the airport on has to provide both passport, as to show that no visa for either country is needed. At immigration one only shows 1 passport, the passport of th country one leaves or enters.

[Mel Brooks]

Thanks for the input everyone.

I do see a problem with her leaving Holland with a different name on the ticket.

The mother is contacting the Dutch Embassy about this. Apparently when she went for the visa interview last month the embassy told her the child could enter and leave Europe on the Dutch passport, however she didn't mention to them that the child's passport has different names.

[PattayaParent]

My (1st) Thai wife had a UK passport in her married name and Thai passport in her maiden name. She was always able to do exactly as you've described above, getting away with the comments about "forgetful, incompetent, busy, or harassed" etc etc officials at the "other" end! After all, it's not the Thai entry officials remit to check up on the exit officials of another nationality, and vice versa! But....... this was many years ago so I wouldn't have a clue if it can still be done. Very grey area, I should imagine.

This may not be strictly true. I have travelled with a couple of people with 2 passports that have been turned back at an overland border by Thai Immigration in order to get the necessary entry/exit stamps from Malaysia in the passport they are trying to enter Thailand with.

Admittedly a lot more difficult to do if arriving by air from Europe but if them's the rules then they could be enforced.

Edit: This was due to one of the passports not being recognised by Thai Immigration rather than having 2 valid passports.

Edited April 9, 2009 by PattayaParent

[samran]

My (1st) Thai wife had a UK passport in her married name and Thai passport in her maiden name. She was always able to do exactly as you've described above, getting away with the comments about "forgetful, incompetent, busy, or harassed" etc etc officials at the "other" end! After all, it's not the Thai entry officials remit to check up on the exit officials of another nationality, and vice versa! But....... this was many years ago so I wouldn't have a clue if it can still be done. Very grey area, I should imagine.

This may not be strictly true. I have travelled with a couple of people with 2 passports that have been turned back at an overland border by Thai Immigration in order to get the necessary entry/exit stamps from Malaysia in the passport they are trying to enter Thailand with.

Admittedly a lot more difficult to do if arriving by air from Europe but if them's the rules then they could be enforced.

Edit: This was due to one of the passports not being recognised by Thai Immigration rather than having 2 valid passports.

This is true. A distinction needs to be made between entering via air and entering over land.

As a general rule travelling by air, when doing the 'passport swap' they don't care where you have come from and where you are going to. Never been asked in my life.

Travelling overland is a bit different. They do care to make sure that you have been stamped out of the country you just exited before you enter Thailand.

As a general rule, I travel across Asia (whether by air or land) on my Thai passport (it helps that most places a via free for Thai's, or that most Asian countries will expedite your visa if you are Thai and apply in BKK). It ensures that there is 'stamp consistency' on the odd occasion I do hop over a land border. And I travel around the rest of the world on my OZ passport to minimise the need for visas and minimise the stamping (and the cost of a replacement OZ passport!!)

Edited April 9, 2009 by samran

[coalminer]

There is no problem. Both airlines and immigration deal with this situation daily.

At check-in at the airport on has to provide both passport, as to show that no visa for either country is needed. At immigration one only shows 1 passport, the passport of th country one leaves or enters.

That's exactly the problem I had a few times.

When asked the question in Thaivisa.com, everybody told me that my child could leave/enter Thailand on her Thai passport and enter/leave the other country with her foreign passport.

But every time I went to the airport in Thailand, they required us to produce BOTH passports.

[Haddo]

I've actually had to show my second passport when arriving in Macau from Bangkok.

Immigration official went through my passport to find the Thai departure stamp, and then quizzed me as to why there wasn't one. Explained I had 2 passports, and she wanted to see the other one.

(the reason for using 2 was that I wanted to get a China visa in the other passport from HKG).

Thats the only time I've ever been checked on exit stamps from another country.

[7by7]

The procedure is really very simple.

For example, if Thai/British and travelling to the UK:-

At Airline check in show both passports; Thai one to show you are in Thailand legally and British one to show you can enter the UK.

At passport control show Thai passport to show you are Thai and so have not overstayed.

On arrival in UK show UK immigration British passport.

Returning to Thailand, show both passports at airline check in, British passport at passport control (if any, passports are not always checked when leaving the UK) and Thai passport at Thai immigration (which is what my wife and daughter did last week with no problems at all).

If for any reason immigration or passport control want to see both passports simply show them; it's no big deal as you'll have both anyway.

The only problem is if the names in each passport are different. As already said, the name on the ticket must match the name in the passport. Whether the airline will accept two passports in different names with only one matching the ticket, I don't know. If the name on the ticket matches the name on the passport that lets you in at the other end, I don't see a problem; but if it doesn't then there may be. I suggest checking with the airline first.

[Mel Brooks]

Ok here's the update based on advice from both the Dutch Embassy and Thai officials:

Return ticket bought in Dutch name. Has to check-in using Dutch/Euro passport, then go through Thai immigration using Thai passport.

Arrival and departure in Holland using Dutch/Euro, arrival back in Thailand using Thai passport.

Mother will be carrying numerous documents in both Thai, English and Dutch regarding marriage, death and birth certificates, etc.

We'll see what happens in a couple of weeks!