kunrj Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I have been living in the U.S. for more than 30 years with a green card. I am now thinking about applying for the U.S. citizenship but I wonder if it will cause any problems. I read some topics here that many are dual citizens of Thailand and USA. I would like to confirm that this will not cause any problems. I certainly do not want to lose my Thai citizenship. I think when someone becomes a US citizen, they need to say oath of allegiance to renouce allegiance to other countries. How would that work? Can some Thai people who became US citizens let me know your experience. Thanks, RJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 This is a very difficult subject, and the Thai law doesn't seem to be clear on this point and that might be deliberate. Some will say you will lose your nationality, see the government on Thaksin for example, others will say it is allowed. One of our best informed members regarding Thai nationailty is Samran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 The US oath will not remove your other citizenship and it is not designed to do so. Only if the other country did not allow dual citizenship would there be a problem. Thailand has no such law (although like the US had no law making it legal either). You should not have a problem under current policy/law. There are thousands of dual citizenship Thai/Americans and many of them are traveling back and forth every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipvice Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) My Thai Wife got her US citizenship 5 years ago after living in the US for 31 years, we traveled to Thailand soon afterwards and she renewed her Thai Passport in Bangkok. we now travel to and from Thailand once a year with no Problems, she also owns land in her home town in Thailand. The last time we were in Thailand she even voted in her village election and she also recives old age pension of 500 Baht so legal or not ? it is being allowed Edited March 30, 2010 by skipvice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakachalet Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 This is a very difficult subject, and the Thai law doesn't seem to be clear on this point and that might be deliberate. Some will say you will lose your nationality, see the government on Thaksin for example, others will say it is allowed. One of our best informed members regarding Thai nationailty is Samran. mario2008 and may i boldly ask.... how do you know.... ONE OF OUR BEST INFORMED MEMBERS REGARDING THAI NATIONALITY IS SAMRAN....? is samran, with all due respect, an immigration atty?.... an u.s. embassy staff?.... a personal friend....? .... a dual citizenship person?.... or is he all of the aforementioned....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 nakachalet, if you read all posts in this forum for a year or longer you will get a pretty good idea about who is knowledgeable about what subject. This is, for example, how I know about it. This is how other members will determine what you may or may not be knowledgeable about. -- Maestro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard W Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 is samran, with all due respect, an immigration atty?.... an u.s. embassy staff?.... a personal friend....? .... a dual citizenship person?.... or is he all of the aforementioned....? He has dual citizenship and has had personal incentives to understand such laws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totsagan Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 To follow up on this question... My wife will leave US on US passport and enter Thailand on Thai passport. When wife returns to US (about 1 year+/-) she will exit Thailand on Thai passport (but also carrying US Passport). Will she be stopped at the airport because she does not have visa in her Thai passport for US? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakachalet Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) totsagan you would advise your wife to use her u.s. passport, at u.s. immigrantion, upon re-entry to u.s. soil, won't you? from several previous posts, many thai nationals with duel citizenship, depart thailand with thai passport.... and use the other passport for re-entry into u.s..... without any reported problem.... but then.... who knows.... if and when per chance your wife's name and/or her beauty happens to fit into immigrantion certain profile of the day.... normal procedure and process could be suspended.... secondary examination might take place.... that would be time consuming.... and your wife would miss her scheduled connecting flight for sure.... we all have many rights in a civilized world.... but when we are airborned.... we try not to demand our rights too loudly to attract any undue attention.... either.... OK? most flight attendants are usually exhausted and quite easily frightened and scarred.... it is much better not to frighten them to render ourselves reportable.... even if when they refuse to bring us our fifth cup of icecream request.... well, many of us won't need to worry about all these.... since they would be flying in first.... where they'll be very well fed from the time they first settle in.... Edited March 30, 2010 by nakachalet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totsagan Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I'm not worried about entering US. - my wife will have the US passport. I'm wondering if the airline will refuse her ticket to depart BKK because she does not have a US visa in her Thai passport. Let me explain further. Three months ago we departed US for Thailand with a Round-Trip ticket for six weeks. The airline would not issue us our pre-purchased tickets because we did not have a Thai visa (required for more that 30 days). I explained that we would also be traveling to Laos and Khmer within and we would re-enter Thailand obtianing the appropriate (15-day) visa. The airline replied 'Nice story but no dice'. The airline would not issue our RT tckt without visa. Quick fix - we purchased two return tckts (return within 30 days) - which we later cancelled once we were in Thailand. Sooo.....Will the airline in BKK refuse my wife her ticket if she does not have a US visa in her Thai passport, or can she show her US passport in lieu of the US visa? I appreciate your reply, but you lost me in your prose about causing attention in mid-air. We're commoners...we fly coach, not first class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryLH Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 "Will the airline in BKK refuse my wife her ticket if she does not have a US visa in her Thai passport, or can she show her US passport in lieu of the US visa?" No problem. If they ask, show the US passport. "I appreciate your reply, but you lost me in your prose about causing attention in mid-air." That was an odd post, wasn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 When you check-in for flight you show both passports. Perfectly normal and is done every day of the year. You would do the same buying a ticket if a visa were required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario2008 Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 At check-in you always show both passports, that way they can see that no visa is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samran Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 This is a very difficult subject, and the Thai law doesn't seem to be clear on this point and that might be deliberate. Some will say you will lose your nationality, see the government on Thaksin for example, others will say it is allowed. One of our best informed members regarding Thai nationailty is Samran. mario2008 and may i boldly ask.... how do you know.... ONE OF OUR BEST INFORMED MEMBERS REGARDING THAI NATIONALITY IS SAMRAN....? is samran, with all due respect, an immigration atty?.... an u.s. embassy staff?.... a personal friend....? .... a dual citizenship person?.... or is he all of the aforementioned....? I dare nominate Arkady as our best informed member, with Pbrownstone and the ChiefJustice up there too. One thing we all have in common is we have bothered to sit down and read the law, which seems to be beyond the capabilities of some. I also wonder why a US embassy staff members would rank high on nakachalet's list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kunrj Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Thank you everyone who replied to my post. It is good to know that there are many people with dual citizenship. Am I right that when I am approved to be a U.S. citizen, the U.S. government is not going to ask me renounce my Thai citizenship? Do I need to notify Thai government that I am a U.S. citizen? Based on what I read, when traveling between Thailand and USA, people with dual citizenship should use Thai passport when entering Thailand and use USA passport when entering USA. This makes sense. When leaving USA, you don't have to go through immigration, so there will be no stamp. When entering Thailand, I don't think the immigration looks for anything. In the past, when I got a brand new Thai passport with nothing on it, no one ever asked me to show them even my green card when entering Thailand. Last time, when I left Thailand, I got a new passport while in Thailand and there was nothing on it, no one asked me to see my old passport or anything either. People at the airline counter asked me to prove that I could enter USA by showing my green card. I suppose showing the U.S. passport would be the same thing. They are not immigration, so I don't see why they would care whether you have two passports. Has anyone ever be bothered by Thai immigration because they have two passports? I don't even see why they would ask to see the two passports. Thanks again, RJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipvice Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) When my wife got her US Citizenship she was not ask to renounce her thai citizenship and she did not notify the Thai goverment. and yes as others has stated when traveling between the US and Thailand, Handel your passport as you did your Green card, My wife has with no problems. and congratulations on getting your US Citizenship Edited March 31, 2010 by skipvice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kunrj Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Thanks, but I haven't started my application yet. I suspect that it will take a long time before I will be approved to be a U.S. citizen. I think after I submit an application, I will be asked to go in for biometric data. Then, someone will have to interview me and I will have to take some tests to make sure that I know something about USA. I think I don't have to do English test since I have been in the country a long time. Who knows how long this will take. I also heard that they are now using a new test, so I am not even sure what kind of questions they will ask me. Someone told me a while ago that it took him about 10 months before he became a U.S. citizen. If anyone has experience in becoming a U.S. citizen, I would love to hear about it especially if it is just recently. RJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipvice Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) No so bad just go to this web site if you have not done so yet, you can do a lot of the paper work on line. Have fun, I help wife my do it and help her study for the test, if you already fluent in english you will not have any problems. http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...0004718190aRCRD Edited March 31, 2010 by skipvice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipvice Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Wow I should edit what I post My english needs some work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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