Foreign Baby To Be Born In Thailand

[netineti]

Dear friends,

I am a Russian national and my wife is Nepalese (things happen!) :-)

I am in Thailand on an Non-Im Ed visa, and my wife is on "O" type dependant visa.

She's about 7 months pregnant and will deliver the baby in Thailand.

I was trying to find a definitive answer whether the baby will need a visa or, as suggested by some, a baby doesn't need a visa until 7 years old.

I would really appreciate some clarification!

Thank you in advance :-)

[InterestedObserver]

In practical terms visa overstays are not enforced on children. Legally all foreigners in Thailand need a valid passport and visa/extension.

Edited June 14, 2010 by InterestedObserver

[Mario2008]

When the bay is born, you will get a birth certificate from the doctor/hospital. You must register the birth with the amphur within 15 days. As the birth certificate is in Thai, you will need to prepare your name, that of your wife and the name of the child in Thai. Also don't forget to register the birth with your embassies.

When you leave the country with the child, take the birth certificate with you. It shows the child was born in Thailand and therefor doesn't have a visa or record of its entry. As has been pointed out, there is no overstay fee for children under 15 and you will have no problems.

[TheOnceler]

I am Canadian and my wife is German, and both of our kids were born here in Thailand, so I'll tell you how it's worked for us.

When a child is born inside Thailand to foreign parents they don't need a visa (initially). Our kids were both more than a year old before we took them out of Thailand, and neither had visas - they received a special stamp on the way out, something about being born here. However, once they want to re-enter Thailand they WILL require a visa (remember, they aren't Thai citizens).

Another thing to remember is that children under 7 (or 14, still not sure as my kids are only 4 and 2) will not be charged overstay, but YOU need to maintain your valid visa, obviously.

We've flown in and out of the country a few times over the last few years and never had any problems with immigration. In fact, if you travel with kids they'll often push you to the front of the line!

Hope that helps.

[peregrine8]

I am a U.S. citizen and had my now 11month old baby here. We did not reg him with in the first 15 days and were told that we did not need to that was for Thai nationals. We did get both a Thai and English birth certificate maybe about 1 month or maybe even 2 after he was born. We then got him a U,S passport probably about 3 months after he was born and was adviced at that time we did not need to get him a visa. Again I am from the U.S. so things may be different for you.

Thanks

Peregrine8

[netineti]

Thank you all so much for this valuable information!!

Mario2008, since I am new to Thailand, what is "amphur"? Presumably some home ministry office?

So, my understanding is that a foreign baby who is born in Thailand doesn't require a visa for at least the age of 7 IFF the baby is not travelling abroad and comes back to Thailand.

This is the most important.

What remains uncertain and less crucial, is whether the baby should be registered in amphur or not, but I believe this we can find out at the spot.

Big thanks for help!

[Mario2008]

Amphur is the Thai word for district office, where among other things you register a birth, death or marriage. In Bangkok they are called Khet instead of Amphur. if the child is born in a private hospital, the hospital will probably offer to take care of the birth registration for you.

Make sure the your name and your wife names are used the same as they are in other official Thai documents you might already have, like a work permit.

Correct, not untill the child leaves Thailand and returns will it need a visa of its own.

[dchkchung]

Just wanted to provide some vital information for any Malaysian couples that intend to give birth in Thailand.

Before birth, it is important to find a hospital that can provide you the necessary information and advise. For instance in Bangkok, hospitals such as Bumrungrad and BNH do provide further service to expecting parents. Always inquire from your hospital if they do provide you the facility to prepare the birth certificate document for your children especially for English translation service. Sometimes, it is not advisable for the mother to fly out of the country after a big operation within the first 3 months. Bumrungrad for instance provide Visa service in the hospital itself without requiring the mother to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affair at Chaeng Wattana. Of course everything has a fee.

After birth, it takes around 2-3 weeks for the hospital to provide you the Thai and English translated birth certificate. Please note, you need to inform the hospital you need an English translated birth certificate, else you will only get the Thai version only. Upon collecting the birth certificate, please note the document will be stamp by Ministry of Foreign Affair as true certified copy. This is important as the Malaysian embassy/consulate require the document to be stamp or certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affair.

Once done, go to the Malaysian embassy/consulate.

Take along

- 3 sets of photocopy birth certificate for English and Thai

- 3 sets of photocopy birth certificate for English and Thai.

- 3 sets of photocopy parents ID copies.

- 3 sets of photocopy parents passport.

- 5 copies of baby passport photo (3.5cm x 5cm light blue background).

- 3 sets of photocopy marriage certificate.

- 3 sets of photocopy work permit, if applicable.

- Pay THB800+ to Malaysian consulate.

After 1 week, the Malaysian consulate will issue you a Form W and anemergency passport for the baby. That will allow you to make a trip back to Malaysia to make a passport.

Important thing to note:-

- Register before child reaches 6 months to avoid any complication

- If you do not want an emergency passport for the child, Malaysian embassy can issue you an manual (no chip) passport that is valid for 1 year only.