Half-thai, Is It Possible To Apply For Citizenship/passport Once In Thailand?

[samran]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/post-a50475-.html

A copy of my military examption letter, clearly stating the reason why I was not conscripted (ie because I am over 30)

[bushke]

Thank's for the info

Good to know he can still visit Thailand from 18 to 30 without consequences.

[jimf]

Yes, I say that it is an excellent idea to get a Thai passport before your son leaves Thailand. Both of my sisters are Thai citizens and US citizens.(Thai by birth and US by naturalization.) When they enter and exit Thailand at the immigration points, they use Thai passports. When they enter and exit the US, they use the US passports. There is a believe by a few Thais that if you get a Thai citizenship, then you have to surrender your other citizenship/passport. This is strange to me in that I could just ask the US consulate to issue me another passport.

Just curious, as my wife will be in a similar situation (Thai citizen by birth, naturalized US) - I understand the idea of entering and leaving Thailand on Thai passports, and entering leaving US on US passport... but when your leaving Thailand, doesn't the airline want to see a visa in the Thai passport, or green card etc? i.e. Thai passports need a visa to travel to the U.S.

Do you just show the airline your US passport at that point in time but say your leaving on the Thai passport? That just sounds kinda fishy if so. Does Thai immigration care if the Thai passport has no US visa, I know they look at boarding passes so they know where your going.

[eggomaniac]

Phone that Thai embassy a few States way and ask what you need for yout Thai BC. You won't have to travel there, just mail. I think? you can get the Application their website.

To get out daughter's Thai BC, here in Canada, we just mailed the application, the large copy of her Can BC, and mom's ID card? i think that was all...

[lopburi3]

Yes you show both passports to airline to prove a visa is not required. Perfectly normal and done every day of the year.

[Arkady]

I know an English female who was born in Thailand during a period when her father worked at the British Embassy in Bangkok and his English wife lived here with him.

Being born in Thailand entitled her to a Thai passport and Thai ID which she obtained at the age of 25 without to much difficulty.

The next thing she did was to get a job in Phuket and that’s when her problems started.

The Thai’s who worked for the same company regarded her as farang and not Thai and constantly complained to the local labour office that more than once checked her out.

In the end the company dispenced with her services as they didn’t want the labour office people knocking on their door every other week and going through the books which was the Thai way of applying pressure on the company to force her out.

In the end she left Thailand stating Thai’s are racist and headed out to Australia where she still lives.

That was ten years ago so maybe things have changed or improved since then but having a Thai ID and Thai passport did her no favour’s with regard to working in Thailand.

At least she never had the worry of having to obtain a visa.

Being born in Thailand does not, and has not for a very long time, entitled you to Thai citizenship. At least one parent must be Thai.

TH

Being born in Thailand to parents of any nationality still entitles you to Thai nationality but Revolutionary Decree 337 of December 1971 added the rather important qualification that both parents must be permanent residents of Thailand. The 2008 Nationality Act restored the right to Thai citizenship to those born in Thailand to alien parents between December 1971 and 1992. However, it is not an automatic right. Applicants need to be vetted for good behaviour national security issues etc and they have to be living in Thailand.

As others have commented, the case of this British/Thai women seems strange. I have never heard of any farangs with Thai citizenship having any problems of this type. Most of them speak Thai well and make it well known they are Thai citizens. So everyone else knows there would be no percentage in calling in the Labour Ministry or Immigration police on them. Obviously a farang will always be regarded as a farang in Thailand in the same way as Asians will always be considered as such in the West but, all other things equal, I would think that having to put up with the "whinging pom" label in Australia would be a lot worse but each to his own. I am surprised that the law in those days allowed children of foreign embassy staff to register as Thai citizens. Embassy brats historically have for the most part been excluded from getting citizenship through birth in the country their parents were serving in.

[jimf]

Yes you show both passports to airline to prove a visa is not required. Perfectly normal and done every day of the year.

Excellent, good to know!

Thanks very much!

[khaowong1]

I know an English female who was born in Thailand during a period when her father worked at the British Embassy in Bangkok and his English wife lived here with him.

Being born in Thailand entitled her to a Thai passport and Thai ID which she obtained at the age of 25 without to much difficulty.

The next thing she did was to get a job in Phuket and that's when her problems started.

The Thai's who worked for the same company regarded her as farang and not Thai and constantly complained to the local labour office that more than once checked her out.

In the end the company dispenced with her services as they didn't want the labour office people knocking on their door every other week and going through the books which was the Thai way of applying pressure on the company to force her out.

In the end she left Thailand stating Thai's are racist and headed out to Australia where she still lives.

That was ten years ago so maybe things have changed or improved since then but having a Thai ID and Thai passport did her no favour's with regard to working in Thailand.

At least she never had the worry of having to obtain a visa.

I don't things have changed. being a farang monk in Thailand helps some, but I can tell you that yes, Thai's are pretty racist.

[thecottonmill]

Hi all, what a great thread - really informative. Was wondering if anyone knew any way around this problem:

My mother was born in Udon Thani in 1946 but her mother never kept any paperwork. As a result she has no proof of being born there. She then moved to the UK and became a British citizen but now she would like to have her Thai citizenship too so that I too can also acquire it.

Not sure if there's any solution to this but thought I'd ask. Is there a register we can look up or research into or something like that?

Thanks

[Mario2008]

She will need her Thai birth certificate. The best place to start to see if they can get that is the amphur where she was born, they keep the birth register. If born in a hospital, the hospital might still have some paperwork.

[tripplejjj]

I know an English female who was born in Thailand during a period when her father worked at the British Embassy in Bangkok and his English wife lived here with him.

Being born in Thailand entitled her to a Thai passport and Thai ID which she obtained at the age of 25 without to much difficulty.

The next thing she did was to get a job in Phuket and that’s when her problems started.

I got this from Maestro Nationality Act B.E. 2508 (1965) as amended by Acts No. 2 and 3 B.E. 2535 (1992) and Act No. 4 B.E. 2551 (2008)

Section 8. A person born within the Thai Kingdom of alien parents does not acquire Thai nationality, if at the time of his birth, his father or mother was:

(1) Head of a diplomatic mission or a member thereof;

(2) Head of a consular mission or a member thereof;

(3) An officer or expert of an international organization;

Edited February 20, 2010 by tripplejjj

[Funboy]

Regarding the issue of being Look Kreung and offering my own personal experience:

I was born and raised in Washington state USA to a Thai mother, and American US citizen father. We only recently began the process of registering myself and my sister for Thai citizenship:

All our action has been executed via the Royal Thai Consulate in LA, California. The start of the process begins as such: BOTH father and mother have to provide the consulate, which represents the Thai government, with all their information, ie birth certificates, passport info, etc. Concurrently, they must send the same information about their children. It has to made clear that the family is registering the children for Thai citizenship, which means a Thai birth certificate. Like I mentioned previously, acquiring this requires both federal and state birth certificates as well as passport information. Additionally, anyone living outside LA and applying via post and email, needs to maintain constant communication with the consulate to ensure the bureaucratic process is working. Once a Thai birth certificate is acquired, one should be able to acquire a passport and ID card as well, which is actually the current step I am at, and as such would also welcome any advice or guidance with regards to this process (ie additional documentation that may be needed? perhaps contacting/communicating with another Thai agency? etc.) This is an informative thread that discusses an important subject; I apologize for any redundancies my reply may have addressed, but I also thank previous posters.

Very respectfully,

FB

[Mario2008]

If you have the Thai birth certificate, you can get a Thai passport with that just as any other Thai citizen. You just fill in the forms and submit the photo's.

Getting a Thai ID-card is only possible if you are registered on someones Tabien baan in Thailand and must be done in Thailand self. The embassy or consulate can not help you with this.

[Jedena]

Hello, I am a man living in the US, that was born in Thailand, in 1974. My mother is Thai. My father is American. He was in the United States Air Force, and was stationed in Thailand. I was born in a US military hospital. I know that I'm an US Citizen. Is there anyway I can be a Thai National? If so, how do I go about making it official? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

[Mario2008]

If your mother was Thai at the time of birth, than you are automatically Thai. Only thing you need to do is proof it. You will need a Thai birth certificate, if your parents didn't register your birth in Thailand at the local amphur. Best way to start is your US birth certificate from the hospital and with that try and register your birth here in Thailand. You will need several documents from your parents also, like their ID and probably birth certificate.

[Jedena]

If your mother was Thai at the time of birth, than you are automatically Thai. Only thing you need to do is proof it. You will need a Thai birth certificate, if your parents didn't register your birth in Thailand at the local amphur. Best way to start is your US birth certificate from the hospital and with that try and register your birth here in Thailand. You will need several documents from your parents also, like their ID and probably birth certificate.

Thank you. I do have my US birth certificate. I don't have a Thai one. Is there anyone, in the US, that I can contact regarding this? Or is it best to handle it in Thailand? I would like to find out what documents are needed. I plan on visiting in August. If I can take care of this before leaving, that would be great. If not, I will just wait until I'm in Thailand. Oh yeah, is there someone I can contact in Thailand regarding this, before I leave?

[thaiphoon]

You can obtain Thai birth certificate from Thai embassy/consulate in US using US birth certificate. With that you can apply for Thai passport at same time - is easier (paperwork wise) to handle in the US than in Thailand. Then when in Thailand you can obtain ID card from amphur, but will need to show Thai birth certificate and be on someone's tabbien bahn.

[Jedena]

You can obtain Thai birth certificate from Thai embassy/consulate in US using US birth certificate. With that you can apply for Thai passport at same time - is easier (paperwork wise) to handle in the US than in Thailand. Then when in Thailand you can obtain ID card from amphur, but will need to show Thai birth certificate and be on someone's tabbien bahn.

Thank you very much! I will get to work on this, right away.

[lopburi3]

Do you have a US birth certificate (they are issued by the State of birth) or do you have a US Embassy report of birth abroad? They are not the same thing.

If born in Thailand where? The normal hospital at that time was the US Army 5th Field Hospital in Bangkok (Sukhumvite Road). If born there there may be a record of birth filed with the Thai District Office here so you might want to check on that during your trip. If that can be found it is a key element in proving your Thai nationality.

[Jedena]

Do you have a US birth certificate (they are issued by the State of birth) or do you have a US Embassy report of birth abroad? They are not the same thing.

If born in Thailand where? The normal hospital at that time was the US Army 5th Field Hospital in Bangkok (Sukhumvite Road). If born there there may be a record of birth filed with the Thai District Office here so you might want to check on that during your trip. If that can be found it is a key element in proving your Thai nationality.

I have a Certification of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America, issued by the Department of State, Foreign Service of the United States of America. It shows that I was born in Bangkok, at the US Army Hospital. I'm guessing that this is the same hospital that you're talking about. Should I contact the Thai Embassy/Consulate here, or wait until I get to Thailand?

[lopburi3]

I would contact the Consulate in US for guidance as they are used to this type of situation and likely can help you. I would check during your visit if there might have been a birth registered with Thai District Office as that, if made, would be very helpful. Believe there is another thread of someone in the same position you are in and born there in this visa section within the last month or two so you might want to check for that. Look at posts of samran also as he often answers questions on dual nationality and can be a big help.

[Jedena]

Thank you. You have been very helpful.

[Mario2008]

As you were born in thailand, the authorithy who can issue you a Thai birth certificate is the amphur where you were born. Do contact the consulate, as they can tell you which documents you will need from your parents and indeed they will have dealt with this before.

[Jedena]

As you were born in thailand, the authorithy who can issue you a Thai birth certificate is the amphur where you were born. Do contact the consulate, as they can tell you which documents you will need from your parents and indeed they will have dealt with this before.

Thank you. I called the Thai Consulate in Chicago. They said I would have to get my Thai birth certificate in Thailand. I have another question. If I become a Thai citizen, will I lose my US citizenship?

[lopburi3]

No.