Obtaining A Copy Birth Certificate From Abroad

[oliquito]

Hi.

My fiancée, Katherine, was born in Bangkok in 1971. Her father has both British and Canadian citizenship and so Katherine should be entitled to have British citizenship by descent. However, her father never registered her birth with the English Embassy, although he did register it with the Canadian Embassy. Her parents also lost her original birth certificate. Now we are leaving the UK so we feel it is crucial to have Katherine's British citizenship proven before we leave, so that we can come back in years to come if we want to.

The British require an original birth certificate or certified copy as proof of citizenship by descent, so we have been trying to obtain a copy of the birth certificate. I have spoken to someone in the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok today because the Canadian embassy were informed of Katherine's birth in 1971, but they have told me to get in touch with the local Thai Register Office.

Searching on the internet I have found that these are called Amphurs. Is this right? My dilemma now is that I have no idea which Amphur to contact, I don't speak Thai and I am in England with no contacts in Thailand so I cannot go in person to any register office.

If anybody can give any advice on how I can get hold of Katherine's birth certificate it would mean the world to us. This has been a real trial for Katherine for years and we really need to get to the bottom of it now.

Many thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you.

Edited June 30, 2005 by penzman

[Crossy]

What nationality passport does your lady currently have??

Her first port of call will probably be the Thai embassy in London, a phone call should point you in the right direction.

[Greer]

Not sure if it is still the same, but when my ex-wife was being "processed" for her Australian PR visa (we were in Oz at the time and she could not leave the country till it had been completed) they wanted her original birth cert and that of her son (by her first marriage)...the Thai authorities would only provide a copy of the birth certificate to the actual person on the certificate - not even a close family member could collect it on her behalf.

Eventually the Oz Immigration relented and granted the visa to her conditional on us going to BKK, getting the certificate, and taking it to the Australian Embassy. This was many years ago, before I moved to Bangkok, so it is possible that the law has changed, but you should check - I am sure you could ask the local embassy or consulate in the UK.

[BkkPundit]

Hi.

My fiancée, Katherine, was born in Bangkok in 1971.  Her father has both British and Canadian citizenship and so Katherine should be entitled to have British citizenship by descent.  However, her father never registered her birth with the English Embassy, although he did register it with the Canadian Embassy.  Her parents also lost her original birth certificate.  Now we are leaving the UK so we feel it is crucial to have Katherine's British citizenship proven before we leave, so that we can come back in years to come if we want to.

The British require an original birth certificate or certified copy as proof of citizenship by descent, so we have been trying to obtain a copy of the birth certificate.  I have spoken to someone in the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok today because the Canadian embassy were informed of Katherine's birth in 1971, but they have told me to get in touch with the local Thai Register Office.

Searching on the internet I have found that these are called Amphurs.  Is this right?  My dilemma now is that I have no idea which Amphur to contact, I don't speak Thai and I am in England with no contacts in Thailand so I cannot go in person to any register office.

If anybody can give any advice on how I can get hold of Katherine's birth certificate it would mean the world to us.  This has been a real trial for Katherine for years and we really need to get to the bottom of it now.

Many thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is no centralised record of birth certificates in Thailand. You will need to go to the local district/amphur office and obtain a certified copy from the register.

As Greer says, your wife will have to go in person to the amphur in which the birth was registered, you can't just turn up to any old amphur.

Options available

1. Plead with the Canadians and ask if they can search through their records (might have been sent to Ottawa by now given how long ago it was) and ask them for a copy. This will probably still involve you going through step 3, but would make step 3 a whole lot easier.

2. Plead with the Brits to make an exception. Your problem will be that, it is actually possible to obtain a certified copy of the details of the birth so this will probably just be a forlorn hope but might be worth a try if your fiancee can show her Canadian citizenship details/passport, and her parents and herself could make statutory declarations (maybe even some kind of paternity test as well). Although, you might have to go through step 3 first.

3. Get the parents to try to remember the amphur in which your fiancee's birth was registered. If they can't, at least try to get them to remember the hospital in which she was born. Once you have the hospital you can find the amphur (as it will be the amphur in which the hospital is located).

You will need the original name in which your fiancee was registered and its equivlaent into Thai. If your fiancee can't speak Thai as well, you would need to turn up to the amphur office with a Thai speaker, maybe hire a local lawyer they might be able to help you on the day.

Good luck (as you will need it)!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Doesn't her father or mother know where she was born ?

[oliquito]

Thanks so much for the replies. The problem is that we cannot afford to get to Thailand to visit the amphur in person and even if we could we do not speak Thai nor do we know anyone who does. I will try some of the other suggestions in your replies and update this post. Your advice is very much appreciated.