Thai I.D Card Done. Still One More Issue Tho...

[cindyjacobs]

Hey, guys.

I entered the kingdom last year on my oz passport with a one year tourist visa. Well, initially my visa was only suppose to last 3 months but was granted an additional 1yr because I'm Thai. I didn't have a Thai I.D

card up until three days ago. I obtained it from

Amphur in the same district/province that my house is registered. Fortunately for me the process didn't take over an hour.

My previous Thai passport has been expired for over 18 years. Today, I planned on going to Changwattana Consular Affair building and signing all the paper work for them to start processing my new Thai PP. I

assumed that I'd have to do this because having entered on my oz passport, I'd need to do a border run, leave on my oz PP and re-enter on my Thai PP.

I was told because I now have my Thai I.D card leaving the kingdom on my oz passport and re-entering on my Thai passport was unnecessary, because I now have a dual

citizenship and the visa I entered on is now irrelevant. The man said that Thai passport is only needed if I plan on traveling, and that my I.D card is my actual citizenship.

I'm not sure what the man told me was correct....

Should I leave on my oz PP and enter on my Thai PP just to be safe?

what would you do in this situation?

thanks

Cindy Jacobs x

[samran]

suspect you are right for now, though I suspect immigration might differ in their opinions. You entered on your Australian passport, and you have a time limit on your stay (flexible though it is!)

Depends what your plans are. What you could do is just stay on your OZ passport for the time being, and get your Thai passport done while in Thailand.

You can easily do the passport swap when you are flying.

Exit on the Australian passport to complete that stay. When you return to Thailand the next time, hand over both your old thai passport (the 20 year old one) and your new passport and you'll be stamped in on either one of those, depending on the immigration guys. Would be like you are returning to Thailand as a Thai citizen for the first time since you left 20 years ago.

This can only be done at airports though. Doesn't work at land borders doing the passport swap.

given you have your extension of stay, there isn't any rush I guess. Your ThaiID card will be the only thing you need to show in Thailand from now on, if you want to work or get any services (eg banking, credit card etc).

[Mario2008]

As above. Thai immirgation will still consider you an Australian, but will give easy 1 year extensions with your Thai ID-card. If you don't get extensions, they might consider you on overstay. If a judge will see it that way is questionable, but it might not be conviniend to try and find that out.

[cindyjacobs]

I actually planned on doing a border run to Laos by land, leaving on my oz PP and re-entering on my Thai PP. I was told this is acceptable and could be done.

If that is the case should I fly to Laos instead than going by bus? Or, would I actually need to leave and go back to oz? I hope this isn't the case.

any other suggestions would be helpful..

[samran]

I actually planned on doing a border run to Laos by land, leaving on my oz PP and re-entering on my Thai PP. I was told this is acceptable and could be done.

If that is the case should I fly to Laos instead than going by bus? Or, would I actually need to leave and go back to oz? I hope this isn't the case.

any other suggestions would be helpful..

won't work. Land border officals look for stamps from the other country, otherwise they won't stamp you in on that passport.

Cheap flight to Singapore would do it.Out on the Aussie, back in on the Thai.

[dantilley]

won't work. Land border officals look for stamps from the other country, otherwise they won't stamp you in on that passport.

Really? So, you couldn't just show them the exit stamp in the other passport, but explain that you want to stamp in on the Thai passport? Moreover, do they actually stamp your Thai passport when entering Thailand, or just let you in with no stamp needed, as they do in the UK?

If you were at the border and they insisted on using the same passport that you used to exit the bordering country, what would be the ramifications anyway? Surely they wouldn't lock up a Thai citizen for simply residing in Thailand?

(PS: Reason I ask is that my son has dual nationality, so would be good to know in case we make a land journey to a bordering country any time)

[samran]

won't work. Land border officals look for stamps from the other country, otherwise they won't stamp you in on that passport.

Really? So, you couldn't just show them the exit stamp in the other passport, but explain that you want to stamp in on the Thai passport? Moreover, do they actually stamp your Thai passport when entering Thailand, or just let you in with no stamp needed, as they do in the UK?

If you were at the border and they insisted on using the same passport that you used to exit the bordering country, what would be the ramifications anyway? Surely they wouldn't lock up a Thai citizen for simply residing in Thailand?

(PS: Reason I ask is that my son has dual nationality, so would be good to know in case we make a land journey to a bordering country any time)

All Thai's get stamped in and out. I wish they wouldn't, but there you go.

All a bit contradictory I know. The first time I entered Thailand on my Thai passport, I swapped from my Aussie passport to Thai passport at the Malaysian border. Basically the immigration officer refused me. I demanded to speak to the head guy (all this a 5.30am) who first refused to admit that I was allowed dual nationality, and said I needed to be stamped in on my Aussie passport cause I left Malaysia on it.

I stood my ground, and he eventually relented, but truth be told, they don't like it. They like to see an exit stamp (with stapled arrivals card) so they can put the entry stamp next to it.

I've given the advice above especially as the OP can't speak Thai. I can speak Thai, and have work for government, so can argue my case politely and succesfully with most government officials.

You'll also see that many TV members who are border runners find themselves having to enter the next land border country before Thailand lets them back in. As I said, they look for stamps.

None of this happens at airports as many countries these days simply don't stamp people out when travelling by air (US, UK for example).

The OP has her old Thai PP which she left Thailand on. It has an exit stamp from her exit 20 years ago, it needs an entry stamp to 'close the circle' so to speak (you are very often stamped in on your old Thai passport). The new PP which she will get can then be used for any new travel.

[cindyjacobs]

Hey, guys !!

I just arrived back from Changwattana about an hour ago. All I had to do was sign a some forms (which were in Thai) and answer a few questions.

Overall, the process didn't take over an hour. I should have my new Thai PP sent home via mail within the next week.

The lady I dealt with was friendly and answered any concerns I had. She told me that it wasn't necessary to leave on my oz PP and re-enter on my Thai PP because my I.D card

is proof of my citizenship. Even tho she had told me that, I was still skeptical. So, I went to the immigration department for foreigners on The other side of the building and

asked another official the same question. He also said it It wasn't necessary to do so. hmmmmmmm..

[samran]

Hey, guys !!

I just arrived back from Changwattana about an hour ago. All I had to do was sign a some forms (which were in Thai) and answer a few questions.

Overall, the process didn't take over an hour. I should have my new Thai PP sent home via mail within the next week.

The lady I dealt with was friendly and answered any concerns I had. She told me that it wasn't necessary to leave on my oz PP and re-enter on my Thai PP because my I.D card

is proof of my citizenship. Even tho she had told me that, I was still skeptical. So, I went to the immigration department for foreigners on The other side of the building and

asked another official the same question. He also said it It wasn't necessary to do so. hmmmmmmm..

Give it a go, you should be able to get away with it. The only proviso is that you NEVER re-enter Thailand on your Australian passport...as they will want to know how you 'left'...

My simple rule..

travel around SE Asia on my Thai passport (easy for visa's)

Everywhere else on my OZ passport (EU, US, Aust +NZ)

[KimoMax]

Might be a good idea, just for sake of your OZ passport and being in Thailand without ever leaving Thailand on that PP.

Possibility to leave using the OZ passport by air, then enter another s/e asian country using your Thai PP.

If the immigration there questions you about departing Thailand, you can then show your departure from Thailand on your OZ PP, and say you now wish to travel and later to return to Thailand using your Thai PP.