Registration Of Birth

[Mike45]

I am hoping someone could advise me how to register my child's birth and Thai Citizenship. Here is our situation.

We are living in South Korea but may have to move out of the country for a new job a couple of weeks after the birth. I expect that I have to get my child's USA passport to leave the country and I believe that will be difficult with our time constraints.

I am a citizen of the USA.

My wife is a dual citizen Thailand and USA. She is here in South Korea on her USA passport with a one year visa. She is very nervous about letting any Thai Government official know she has USA citizenship.

Is it possible to simply do all the Thai registrations, passport and ID card next time we visit Thailand? If not with our expectation to leave the country soon after the birth in mind how do you suggest we proceed.

[TerryLH]

You take the birth certificate to the Thai Embassy/Consulate in the country she was born in. You cannot do it in another country. You cannot do it in Thailand. Once your child has the Thai passport, you'll be able to renew it in the US or in Thailand.

They'll issue your child a Thai birth certificate. Call them for what documents they'll need from your wife.

You can then use that to apply for your child's Thai passport, usually at the same visit. Very easy and straightforward.

I assume your wife still has a Thai passport. She'll need that to show as proof she is Thai. They won't care if she's a dual national. Nothing for her to be nervous about.

[Mike45]

You take the birth certificate to the Thai Embassy/Consulate in the country she was born in. You cannot do it in another country. You cannot do it in Thailand. Once your child has the Thai passport, you'll be able to renew it in the US or in Thailand.

They'll issue your child a Thai birth certificate. Call them for what documents they'll need from your wife.

You can then use that to apply for your child's Thai passport, usually at the same visit. Very easy and straightforward.

I assume your wife still has a Thai passport. She'll need that to show as proof she is Thai. They won't care if she's a dual national. Nothing for her to be nervous about.

Yes my wife does have her Thai passport.

I understand from your reply that our local Thai Embassy is the only place to get the Thai birth certificate.

Do I also have to apply for the Thai passport there as well? Can I apply for the Thai passport from the Thai Embassy in the next country we live in using the Thai birth certificate issued from the Thai Embassy in Seoul?

My concern is having to stay longer in Korea waiting for a passport that I do not need at this time(or having it arrive/issued after I have left the country). I will already be staying in Korea waiting for the USA passport that I need to use for immediate travel.

Thanks for your reply.

[beano2274]

Am not sure a child can travel using a Birth Certificate only these days, I know from personal experience that it was okay in 1994, but things have changed since then. Best wait for the passport, or contact the airline and ask them if the baby can travel on a Birth Certificate.

[Mario2008]

The passport can be issued at any Thai embassy, only the birth certificate must be procesed by the Thai embassy for the country where the child was born.

However, it is better and easier to do it all in once. Maybe check with the embassy about the time they will need.

[Mike45]

Am not sure a child can travel using a Birth Certificate only these days, I know from personal experience that it was okay in 1994, but things have changed since then. Best wait for the passport, or contact the airline and ask them if the baby can travel on a Birth Certificate.

My intent is to wait for and travel on the USA passport. First stop after Korea is to the USA for employment reprocessing, getting new work visa and then a couple of weeks later going to a third country to work and live in. As soon as the USA passport is ready I must leave Korea.

[Mike45]

The passport can be issued at any Thai embassy, only the birth certificate must be procesed by the Thai embassy for the country where the child was born.

However, it is better and easier to do it all in once. Maybe check with the embassy about the time they will need.

I will have my wife check with the Thai embassy to find out how long it would take to get the Thai passport. I will definitely apply for the Thai birth certificate. Thanks

My wife has concerns about them knowing the child is a dual citizen and that she is a dual citizen. She doesn't want either of them to be put in a position that have to choose only one.

[lopburi3]

There is no such requirement. Only males at military age are asked this and even then there is no loss of nationality unless they ask for it (and go through the process to do it). It is not an issue. Lower levels in police/government make claims that scare many people but in point of fact Thailand and the US are just about the same on this matter. It is not specifically allowed but it is not disallowed either. Thousands of Thai have dual nationality without any problem. Only those whose dual nationally was not by birth may currently have reasons for such concerns. Children of a Thai parent should not have an issue under current laws.

[phuketrichard]

If ur a us citizen as soon as your child is born take the BC and apply for a "certificate for birth abroad" and get a us passport

and at the same time get the thai embassy to issue the thai BC andapply for the thai passport, then u will have both. Thai passport should take less than 2 weeks while a us one might be longer. You don't need to wait for one passport to get the other

My daughter holds us/thai passports and citizenship and its no problem.

Edited May 23, 2011 by phuketrichard

[samran]

The passport can be issued at any Thai embassy, only the birth certificate must be procesed by the Thai embassy for the country where the child was born.

However, it is better and easier to do it all in once. Maybe check with the embassy about the time they will need.

I will have my wife check with the Thai embassy to find out how long it would take to get the Thai passport. I will definitely apply for the Thai birth certificate. Thanks

My wife has concerns about them knowing the child is a dual citizen and that she is a dual citizen. She doesn't want either of them to be put in a position that have to choose only one.

Thai law has no problem for a Thai person to take up the nationality of their spouse. They lose their citizenship only if they request for it to be revoked. If not, no problem.

Neither does the law prevent a child born to a foreign parent taking the citizenship of their parents. The law states, a little ambiguously, that such children have the option of renouncing their Thai citizenship between ages and 20 and 21 only.

Some people misinterpret this as that the child 'must' renounce, however the wording is clear, and it only provides for the option. If no choice is made, there is no penalty under Thai law.

[Mike45]

The advice I received here was invaluable. We got the US report of birth abroad and the passport without a problem. We also got the Thai birth certificate and temporary one year passport before we left Korea went to the US and moved to Taipei Taiwan.

We are now vacationing here in Thailand. We have been to the local amphur and had my daughter added to the grandfathers house registration book. My daughter has been issued a Thai national ID number.

We want to get the long term passport for her to replace the 12 month one issued in Korea but something my wife read online has her confused. Something about having to get a document from the amphur about not being married and presenting it when she applies for the child's new long term passport.

We are legally married in the US but we never got it registered here so her ID card still says miss. Is that a problem?

What do you think? Will we need to have anything other than what we brought and have obtained so far?:

1 child's Thai birth certificate issued by thai embassy in korea

2 child's first passport ( valid for 12 months) issued by thai embassy in korea

3 child's house registration copy that has her Thai ID number in it

4 mothers Thai ID card

5 mothers Thai passport

6 mothers house registration copy

My second question is about my wife and daughter getting there "gold card" for medical care. Where what and how do they get it? We are still in her local Amphur.

Thanks

[lopburi3]

She likely needs to change her ID card to Mrs as she is married. This will likely involve translation of foreign marriage certificate into Thai, having country of marriage embassy stamp it and then taking to MFA in Bangkok for registration. Then take that to District Office to include in there marriage registration (and get a copy for yourself if intent to extend stay in Thailand) and at that time suspect wife can get new ID card made showing her married status.

[Mike45]

I am hoping that is not the case. We didn't expect to have to do this at this time and are unprepared for it. We do happen to have our original marriage certificate with us but do not have my previous marriage divorce decree so we would not be able to complete the transaction without it.

I am wondering why we need it if in fact we do. Aren't they just issuing a replacement passport with her newly assigned thai iD number?

[lopburi3]

Something about having to get a document from the amphur about not being married and presenting it when she applies for the child's new long term passport.

We are legally married in the US but we never got it registered here so her ID card still says miss. Is that a problem?

You are not getting married here so no divorce degree should be required - just what I posted above which you seem to have and just need to translate/take Embassy and MFA and then District Office. The document you would then get from District Office is the KR2 which lists your marriage and ID card can be changed to reflect this so MFA should not require more.

[Mike45]

My experience with using my marriage certificate is always having to show the divorce decree as well. I found this on the US Embassy web site

MARRIAGE IN THAILAND

A legal marriage in Thailand consists of both parties registering their marriage in person with the local Thai Amphur (Civil Registry Office). The United States does recognize the validity of such a marriage.   For American citizens marrying either Thai citizens or another American citizen, the procedure is the same.  For Americans marrying a third-country national, their prospective spouse must also follow a similar procedure with their own embassy.

Procedure

1. Complete an affidavit at the U.S. Embassy. The affidavit form, available in our office or you may download a copy of the form here, includes all of the information required by relevant Thai law. The form must be completed and notarized at the Embassy. The notarial fee is $50 per seal.  To make an appointment for a notarial, please click here.

2. Have the notarized affidavit translated.  Click here for a list of translators in the Bangkok area. 

3. Take the affidavit and translation to:

            Legalization Division

            Department of Consular Affairs

            Ministry of Foreign Affairs

            3rd Floor, 123 Chaeng Wattana Road

            Tung Song Hong, Laksi District, Bangkok

            Tel: 02-575-1057-8, Fax: 02-575-1054

4. Take the affidavit and supporting documents to a local Amphur and register yourselves as married. The Amphur will also require the following documents:

Your U.S. passport;

Identification for the other party, such as a Thai citizen's identification card; 

If either party is under the age of twenty, written permission from the parents   (with Thai translation);

If either you or your fiance have been previously married the Amphur will want to see proof that prior marriages have been terminated.  Divorce or death certificates should suffice. These documents, if available, should be translated into Thai prior to presentation at the Amphur.

They seem to mention the divorce certificate almost as an after thought.

But I am still not convinced that we need to register the marriage.

[lopburi3]

You only need it to get married - if you are married outside Thailand that is the legal marriage so there should not be any need for such paperwork.

[PoorSucker]

My second question is about my wife and daughter getting there "gold card" for medical care. Where what and how do they get it? We are still in her local Amphur.

At your local hospital.

[ludditeman]

She likely needs to change her ID card to Mrs as she is married. This will likely involve translation of foreign marriage certificate into Thai, having country of marriage embassy stamp it and then taking to MFA in Bangkok for registration. Then take that to District Office to include in there marriage registration (and get a copy for yourself if intent to extend stay in Thailand) and at that time suspect wife can get new ID card made showing her married status.

I can assure everyone that a married Thai woman may choose either title (MRS or MISS) to be printed on her ID card.

I have been to an Amphur office very recently and discussed this with the head of the office.

Their married status is stored on the Amphur computer and the ID card title is not relevant to that information.

Just to repeat, you cannot tell a Thai ladies marital status from the printing on her ID card, only from an Amphur office.

Free Thai hospital care.

Wife

The card is issued from any hospital in the Amphur where your wife is registered.

I am told some Amphur offices will issue the card (but have not witnessed that myself)

It will provide free health care in that district only, out of Amphur you have to pay.

Child

This is similar BUT, I have heard (not confirmed) that a child under 5, may be treated free in any hospital in the country.

PS

Amphur office, Passport office will likely insist on seeing original house books, not a copy.

PPS

All the offices make up the rules as they go along, if they don't agree with something you want, a bribe often works.

Edited October 15, 2011 by ludditeman

[Mike45]

We went to the province passport office today to apply for my daughters passport. We successfully applied and are waiting for the passport to arrive in the mail.

We gave them:

1 child's Thai birth certificate issued by thai embassy in korea

2 child's house registration ORIGINAL that has her Thai ID number in it (also has mothers in it)

3 mothers Thai ID card

4 Fathers passport

They said it will arrive in a few days

Thanks all I guess the mothers marital status turned out to be a red hearing because my wife said it never came up in conversation. Oh and they couldn't get enough of my darling daughter!

Edited October 17, 2011 by Mike45

[Mario2008]

Only when the mother is not married do they check if the mother has sole custody or not. In your case both persons named on the birth certificate as parents showed up, in that case there is no need to check as you both signed the passport application form.