Settlement In Thailand

[the scouser]

Hello all,

Here's another question I've been asked and can't answer.

A dual national (British/Thai) lady is looking to live, marry and work in Thailand. She wants to enter Thailand on her British passport. What is the best way of keeping her immigration status valid or can she just toddle off to immigration and get some sort of acknowledgement that she does not require further leave as she is Thai?

Cheers,

Scouse.

[lopburi3]

I believe she can obtain a one year extension of stay but can't imagine what the advantage she believes this will have. Expect that if she goes this route she will have to remember extension time each year (although they might ignore the 90 day reporting requirement). Perhaps someone in the same boat can provide details.

If it is just a case of not having Thai passport/ID card? I would think it would be best to obtain Thai documentation and use it. And that is probably easier to start at an Embassy where they are used to the procedure; although it should not be too hard these days here in Thailand. Once obtained she could exit to remove the UK entry stamp and return on Thai passport and not have to worry about immigration.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

As a dual Scouse, whyever not arrive in Muang Thai on the Thai passport. That'll be the end of the problem.

Cheers

Pat

[the scouser]

Thanks chaps. I did ask the lady why not travel on her Thai passport. She said that because of having different names in the passports she preferred to travel on the British one. Perhaps upon reading this she may change her mind.

Scouse.

[lopburi3]

Thanks chaps. I did ask the lady why not travel on her Thai passport. She said that because of having different names in the passports she preferred to travel on the British one. Perhaps upon reading this she may change her mind.

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That sounds very suspect in these days where your name must be exactly the same for terrorist watch so she may indeed have a point. Of coarse she should change her name to match (I assume probably has a married name in one and not the other rather than something more sinister). In that case she may be better using one passport if she does not have paperwork with her to explain the difference. There is always the chance her arrival could be matched to boarding lists and she would not be listed. That would require some explaining if no paperwork available. She can always do the name change later and then a border crossing to get to Thai passport use.

[singa-traz]

As a dual Scouse, whyever not arrive in Muang Thai on the Thai passport. That'll be the end of the problem.

Cheers

Pat

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not sure about this ... last time, the immigration wanted to see, and only use the Farang passport because the Thai Passport did not have the TM Card.

[samran]

As a dual Scouse, whyever not arrive in Muang Thai on the Thai passport. That'll be the end of the problem.

Cheers

Pat

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not sure about this ... last time, the immigration wanted to see, and only use the Farang passport because the Thai Passport did not have the TM Card.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No TM in the Thai PP implies that either the PP was obtained recently at a Thai embassy overseas, or, that the person last exited Thailand on a foreign passport.

At the end of the day it is fine. As a Thai citizen, they have to let you in, no if's or but's. They may huff and puff (as they have done with me), but it is more a matter that they don't have to right paperwork more than the dual PP holder doing anything wrong.

Scouse - I'd have to query why a Thai PP holder would want to enter Thailand on a foreign PP, especially if she wanted to live there. She can get something similar to a one year 'right of abode' stamped into her Brit PP at the visa on arrival office at Don Muang, but that would mean that she is technically subject to 90 day reporting and work permit restrictions as she will be viewed as a foreign national while in Thailand.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Thanks chaps. I did ask the lady why not travel on her Thai passport. She said that because of having different names in the passports she preferred to travel on the British one. Perhaps upon reading this she may change her mind.

Scouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A trip to Consular Affairs will solve it. A name change is simple.

[penelope]

My wife has an aussie and thai passport. She never changed her name when we married for a a couple of reasons, but 1 of them being keeping her names the same across all her official documents. She always enters/exits thailand on her thai passport and then uses the aussie one for all other world borders.

[jkwn]

Samran:

Scouse - I'd have to query why a Thai PP holder would want to enter Thailand on a foreign PP, especially if she wanted to live there. She can get something similar to a one year 'right of abode' stamped into her Brit PP at the visa on arrival office at Don Muang, but that would mean that she is technically subject to 90 day reporting and work permit restrictions as she will be viewed as a foreign national while in Thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe she still wants to enter UK whenever she wants and not have to apply for visa.

Edited February 25, 2005 by jkwn

[samran]

Maybe she still wants to enter UK whenever she wants and not have to apply for visa.

JKWN,

Entering and leaving Thailand on her Thai PP has no bearing on whether or not she needs a visa for the UK. The fact that she also has a British PP ensures that she can come and go from the UK and the EU as she pleases.....without a visa.

I have dual nationality, and come and go between Thailand, Australia and the UK on a regular basis.

Edited February 25, 2005 by samran

[jkwn]

Maybe she still wants to enter UK whenever she wants and not have to apply for visa.

JKWN,

Entering and leaving Thailand on her Thai PP has no bearing on whether or not she needs a visa for the UK. The fact that she also has a British PP ensures that she can come and go from the UK and the EU as she pleases.....without a visa.

I have dual nationality, and come and go between Thailand, Australia and the UK on a regular basis.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

O right. Yes but what someone else was saying in the post earlier (can't remember who) was that for her to go to the immigration office and declare herself thai again is that it? So if you declare yourself thai again doesn't that mean you're declining you British citizenship? Or am i just getting this all wrong.

Anyway, I'm curious now... just a bit off topic here but what if a person is born in thailand come over to uk and then got british citizenship etc are they still thai by nationality. Plus like you say you travel between australia thailand & uk. So if you use your thai passport to get into thailand it gets a stamp to say you entered the country so now when you travel to UK isn't there any complications upon where you came from etc because..... i think i get you now. Wow this is a bit complicated but hey so are all things in life.

[samran]

Maybe she still wants to enter UK whenever she wants and not have to apply for visa.

JKWN,

Entering and leaving Thailand on her Thai PP has no bearing on whether or not she needs a visa for the UK. The fact that she also has a British PP ensures that she can come and go from the UK and the EU as she pleases.....without a visa.

I have dual nationality, and come and go between Thailand, Australia and the UK on a regular basis.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

O right. Yes but what someone else was saying in the post earlier (can't remember who) was that for her to go to the immigration office and declare herself thai again is that it? So if you declare yourself thai again doesn't that mean you're declining you British citizenship? Or am i just getting this all wrong.

Anyway, I'm curious now... just a bit off topic here but what if a person is born in thailand come over to uk and then got british citizenship etc are they still thai by nationality. Plus like you say you travel between australia thailand & uk. So if you use your thai passport to get into thailand it gets a stamp to say you entered the country so now when you travel to UK isn't there any complications upon where you came from etc because..... i think i get you now. Wow this is a bit complicated but hey so are all things in life.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you are getting it wrong!! And it isn't really that hard/confusing

It is possible to have 2 nationalities at once. Just because you have one, doesn't mean you can't be the other also.

As for your question, regarding complications, in this day and age, no one cares where you have travelled from. The immigration officers only job is to determine 1) if you have the right to enter that country 2) how long and under what conditions they will let you in for. Thats it!!

Additionally no government requires their own citizens to have a visa to enter their own country.

I have dual Thai and Australian nationality. I can go and live in Thailand and Australia for as long as I want, because as a citizen of that country, I have the unrestricted right to live and work in those country's without any restrictions. I enter and leave Thailand on my Thai PP and enter and leave Australia on my Australian PP. I don't need a visa for both those countries.

To answer your other question, if a person was born in Thailand and went to the UK and eventually gained British nationality, then they would have 2 nationailties also. They would still be Thai, and whenever travelling back to Thailand should enter on their Thai PP. But they would also be British, so they should enter the UK on their British Passport - with no visa needed!

Hope this helps.

Edited February 25, 2005 by samran

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Strangely Samran, a Vietnamese travelling into Vietnam on a Vietnamese passport is required to have a visa.

[peterzxr]

Jeez guys you all seem to be over-complicating this so I'd like to address several points.

1. I've travelled in and out of Thailand with my GF and the only problem she had with a TM card was when she had first got her Thai passport and didn't have one on the way out. You get given a new one on the plane to Thailand and can use it for whatever passport you chose.

2. Seems ridiculous to enter any country on a foreign passport if you don't have to.

3. Lets face it none of the Thai or UK Imiigration officials are gonna know or care how many passports you have on you - only that you're permitted to enter.

4. Only once, ever, has a UK Immigration official actually looked inside my passport to check my photo let alone that I have the relevant stamps from the country I have just arrived from - I've got so many stamps anyway, it could take 'em all day to find 'em.

5. I'm sure the reason that the lady in question actually wants to enter on her UK passport is jsut to show the Immigration Official in a not too subtle way that she has British Citizenship and is therefore better than him / better than he thinks she is.

I'm sure my GF would try and be the same if I would let her.

Soooo, just make life as easy on yourselves as you can, whynot enter and exit any country you can with a pasport that doesn't require a visa and you'll have no hassles whatsoever.

[samran]

Strangely Samran, a Vietnamese  travelling into Vietnam on a Vietnamese passport is required to have a visa.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Always someone spoiling the party. Doesn't suprise me at all though. As I understand it, Vietnam requires its own citizens to have permits if they want to live and work in a province that they weren't born in. A bit like China.

I'm sure the reason that the lady in question actually wants to enter on her UK passport is jsut to show the Immigration Official in a not too subtle way that she has British Citizenship and is therefore better than him / better than he thinks she is.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was thinking that but didn't want to say it.