glan Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I am a British national travelling to the UK in July with my two daughters. They both have British passports and Thai passports. Their Thai mother will not be travelling with us. Do I need any signed paperwork from my wife in order for my children to leave Thailand? Also, should they leave Thailand on their Thai passports and enter UK on thier English passports? Any help anyone can offer would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singa-traz Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 (edited) It would be wise to have such documentation ready, however I have never been asked anything at the airport with my own kids. Yes, they should leave/enter Thailand with their Thai passports and enter/leave UK with their English passports. Once, I asked one of the immigration officer what documentation should I prepare, and "No problem" was the answer. Edited June 22, 2009 by singa-traz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigante7 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I am a British national travelling to the UK in July with my two daughters. They both have British passports and Thai passports. Their Thai mother will not be travelling with us. Do I need any signed paperwork from my wife in order for my children to leave Thailand? Also, should they leave Thailand on their Thai passports and enter UK on thier English passports? Any help anyone can offer would be great. I'm sorry but why would you think that you would need permission from your wife to take your kids out of Thailand? Do you think your wife would need your permission if she wanted to take the kids out of Thailand? They are as much your kids as your wifes, sorry if it seems if I'm having a go at the OP, I'm not, it just gets my back up that men are constantly told that their wives are more important when it comes to their kids and now men are starting to believe it. Brigante7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 No, you don't need any documents from the mother, you can just enter and leave Thailand with the children without any problems. Thailand has no parental kidnapping laws. They enter and leave Thailand on their Thai passports, and the UK on their British passports. When they check in with the airline they show both passports, to make clear that they don't need any visa. At Thai immigration you can go to the immigration channel for Thais with your 2 children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I am a British national travelling to the UK in July with my two daughters. They both have British passports and Thai passports. Their Thai mother will not be travelling with us. Do I need any signed paperwork from my wife in order for my children to leave Thailand? Also, should they leave Thailand on their Thai passports and enter UK on thier English passports? Any help anyone can offer would be great. I'm sorry but why would you think that you would need permission from your wife to take your kids out of Thailand? Do you think your wife would need your permission if she wanted to take the kids out of Thailand? They are as much your kids as your wifes, sorry if it seems if I'm having a go at the OP, I'm not, it just gets my back up that men are constantly told that their wives are more important when it comes to their kids and now men are starting to believe it. Brigante7. The question is not strange and a good one. Some countries do indeed ask for proof that the children are traveling with the other parents consent. In some countries parents can block the other parent from leaving the country with the children without consent. The question has nothing to do with man being told that their wives are more important when it comes to their kids. The OP would have had the same question when he was the mother instead of the father. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rinpoche Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 The question is not strange and a good one. Some countries do indeed ask for proof that the children are traveling with the other parents consent. In some countries parents can block the other parent from leaving the country with the children without consent. The question has nothing to do with man being told that their wives are more important when it comes to their kids. The OP would have had the same question when he was the mother instead of the father. I'm not sure if the folks who reassured you have any personal experience on this matter, but I know a Thai woman who calimed that her American husband tricked her into signing a document allowing their son to leave Thailand. I'm not sure of the details. Perhaps they did not register their marriage. Personally, I have brought my kids in and out of Thailand (to Singapore) using their Thai passports without any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glan Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Thanks for the replies. It puts my mind at ease. The reason I asked the question is that I was unable to find the info I wanted on the Brit Embassy website. I know that some countries have laws governing children leaving accompanied by only one parent regardless of whether it is the father or mother. For example, my nephew must have signed documents from his FATHER when he leaves Australia with his MOTHER. I was concerned there would be similar laws in Thailand too. Actually, it was my Thai wife who thought of it first. And the only reason my wife is not travelling with my children is financial. I asked the very same question to the embassy and have just received the following reply - Yes, to both questions. That sounds as if I DO need signed documents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojo Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 At Surwanapoom (spelling?) they made a note at immigration and took my daughters picture at the desk behind passport control on exit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Look at this from this way: you are only going on a holiday to Thailand. The tickets show that all you do when you return to the UK is to return home, not leave the country of residence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 At Surwanapoom (spelling?) they made a note at immigration and took my daughters picture at the desk behind passport control on exit. Not sure of Thai nationals, but they take a pic of everyone entering and leaving Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsouza Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I am a British national travelling to the UK in July with my two daughters. They both have British passports and Thai passports. Their Thai mother will not be travelling with us. Do I need any signed paperwork from my wife in order for my children to leave Thailand? Also, should they leave Thailand on their Thai passports and enter UK on thier English passports? Any help anyone can offer would be great. The general rule is that if the mother is not traveling with you, you need to bring the birth certificates with you. When I traveled with my daughter who has multiple passports, we had to present her Thai passport on exit and return. At first, the immigration officer had no clue how to handle the situation, so I told him the procedure as I learned it by calling the immigration in BKK. Basically they make a note in the kid's passport that they have two passports, thus no visa stamp for the country they are going to. When entering and leaving the foreign country they use the passport for that country. It worked fine, but I did show them the birth certificate, so you should have it with you just in case. As usual, nobody knows the procedures and it can differ depending on the officer. A friend of mine did not bring the birth certificate, so he had to call the hospital to fax it before he was allowed to leave the country with his kid. TIT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorecard Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Here's my experience. My Thai son officially divorced from his Thai wife at the local Amphur office, and ex wife signed documents to give full custody of young daughter to the father (my son). Mid last year my son wanted to take his daughter for a few days holiday to Singapore and he was concerned about the same points: - Will I be asked to produce a letter at Suvarnabhumi signed by the mother giving her permission for 4 years old daughter to leave Thailand? - Will I be asked at Changi Airport to produce proof that the mother has given permission for the four year old daughter to leave Thailand and also to enter Singapore. So my son contacted the appropriate Thai government agency and he also contacted the Sinagpore Immigration people. Both agencies indicated he would need such a document. The local Amphur ffice said they had a standard letter to cover this situation and my son completed the details and his ex-wife signed. He did the same for the document needed for Changi. End of story - at both airports (both going in and going out) the subject was not raised in any way. The documents were never offered and never asked for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraBangkok Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Thank you for that very interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumarianson Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 (edited) If their surname is same as you then no problem. I have been all over the world with my daughter. UK, Irish, Thai passports. Her aunt had to have a letter to take her out of the country, which I and the mother had to sign. I am registered as her father in Thailand at the Amphur. If you did not do this then do it. You will need your wife or GF with you and the children need to sign also that you are the father. They normally need to be over 7 years to do this but exceptions are made. Edited June 28, 2019 by Sumarianson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackcab Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 This post has been closed due to it being several years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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