Entering Thailand ~ Which Passport ?

[autan]

I am British and hold a brand new 10 year British Passport. (Recently renewed).

My Wife is British and has dual nationality in Thailand. She has a British Passport and a Thai Passport.

My Son is British and has dual nationality in Thailand also. He has his own British Passport and Thai Passport.

What would you do if you were going for more than 4 weeks. Has anyone come accross this before ?

Thanks in advance.

[Mario2008]

They leave and enter the UK on their British passports and eter and leave Thailand on their Thai passport. At airline check-in they show both passports to confirm no visa is required.

Both countries allow dual nationality, so there is no problem.

You can go with you wife and child into the Thai paspsort lines at immigration, often shorter than the foreign passport lines.

[autan]

They leave and enter the UK on their British passports and eter and leave Thailand on their Thai passport. At airline check-in they show both passports to confirm no visa is required.

Both countries allow dual nationality, so there is no problem.

You can go with you wife and child into the Thai paspsort lines at immigration, often shorter than the foreign passport lines.

Thank you for an excellent reply.

On the plane, you are given a card, what details do we put down the Thai for entering Thailand ?

I figured I cant be the only person in this position.

[stevenl]

They leave and enter the UK on their British passports and eter and leave Thailand on their Thai passport. At airline check-in they show both passports to confirm no visa is required.

Both countries allow dual nationality, so there is no problem.

You can go with you wife and child into the Thai paspsort lines at immigration, often shorter than the foreign passport lines.

Thank you for an excellent reply.

On the plane, you are given a card, what details do we put down the Thai for entering Thailand ?

I figured I cant be the only person in this position.

The answers according to their Thai passports.

[smokie36]

They leave and enter the UK on their British passports and eter and leave Thailand on their Thai passport. At airline check-in they show both passports to confirm no visa is required.

Both countries allow dual nationality, so there is no problem.

You can go with you wife and child into the Thai paspsort lines at immigration, often shorter than the foreign passport lines.

Thank you for an excellent reply.

On the plane, you are given a card, what details do we put down the Thai for entering Thailand ?

I figured I cant be the only person in this position.

The answers according to their Thai passports.

Surely they don't need to fill out immigration cards if showing Thai passports?

[kurtmartens]

They leave and enter the UK on their British passports and eter and leave Thailand on their Thai passport. At airline check-in they show both passports to confirm no visa is required.

Both countries allow dual nationality, so there is no problem.

You can go with you wife and child into the Thai paspsort lines at immigration, often shorter than the foreign passport lines.

Thank you for an excellent reply.

On the plane, you are given a card, what details do we put down the Thai for entering Thailand ?

I figured I cant be the only person in this position.

The answers according to their Thai passports.

Surely they don't need to fill out immigration cards if showing Thai passports?

Of course they do. My wife fills one out when he return to Thailand from vacations. (I fill one out when I return to the States on business, etc. even though I hold a US passport.)

[k9inkrabi]

Surely they don't need to fill out immigration cards if showing Thai passports?

Yes they do! TIT

[smokie36]

Yes they do! TIT

Wow....there would be riots if this was introduced in the UK!

[7by7]

On the plane, you are given a card, what details do we put down the Thai for entering Thailand ?

The answers according to their Thai passports.

My daughter, a dual Thai/British national, once filled the card in in English and the immigration officer made her complete it again in Thai; saying "If you're Thai you must fill it in in Thai, not English!" He was probably out of order, but easier and quicker to comply than complain.

[jybkk]

On the plane, you are given a card, what details do we put down the Thai for entering Thailand ?

The answers according to their Thai passports.

My daughter, a dual Thai/British national, once filled the card in in English and the immigration officer made her complete it again in Thai; saying "If you're Thai you must fill it in in Thai, not English!" He was probably out of order, but easier and quicker to comply than complain.

I think he was in a bad day.

For whatever reason, I usually am the one filling my thai wife's immigration card and they never said a thing.

And yes, Thai citizen have to fill immigration form to enter and leave their own country, and until recently, it took pretty much as long for them to be processed than some average foreigner.

First time I experienced this I was really surprised.

When I'm leaving my country, the guy barely takes a look at the passport and I'm done. It takes them slightly longer upon arrival, just the time for them to scan it.

[samran]

On the plane, you are given a card, what details do we put down the Thai for entering Thailand ?

The answers according to their Thai passports.

My daughter, a dual Thai/British national, once filled the card in in English and the immigration officer made her complete it again in Thai; saying "If you're Thai you must fill it in in Thai, not English!" He was probably out of order, but easier and quicker to comply than complain.

I've seen you mention this before...very bizarre.

[samran]

Yes they do! TIT

Wow....there would be riots if this was introduced in the UK!

There are riots in the UK even without it....

[roamer]

On the plane, you are given a card, what details do we put down the Thai for entering Thailand ?

The answers according to their Thai passports.

My daughter, a dual Thai/British national, once filled the card in in English and the immigration officer made her complete it again in Thai; saying "If you're Thai you must fill it in in Thai, not English!" He was probably out of order, but easier and quicker to comply than complain.

I've seen you mention this before...very bizarre.

And on one occasion my wife had the exact opposite, given another form and told to write it in English She has done that ever since with no problems TIT.

[lumply]

Nice one Samran

Yes they do! TIT

Wow....there would be riots if this was introduced in the UK!

There are riots in the UK even without it....

[smokie36]

Yes they do! TIT

Wow....there would be riots if this was introduced in the UK!

There are riots in the UK even without it....

Hmm well there are worse riots in Thailand now if we are honest...

[roamer]

Riots in England ? Would hazard a guess that over 90% of people involved in riots in the UK never held a passport, don't think LOS would be that different. How did we get so far off topic ?

[asanee]

You can go with you wife and child into the Thai paspsort lines at immigration, often shorter than the foreign passport lines.

How long ago were you there? They have skipped this-for entry into Thaild-to make ques more even and hopefully a tiny bit shorter-they are now mixed-or for general anyone. Only separate are the highly paid quick speedy entry lines.

IN fact I think-though dual citizen is allowed, that a Thai (also) national MUST use the Thai passpt to enter here. AND THai fill out the EMIgration card whenm theyleave-keep in the pass-and return the other half when re-entering. Thus the other way as farang do.

[autan]

I appreciate the replys and I think it is appropriate to divulge a little informationas to why I am asking this particular question.

Around 4 years ago my Wife only had a British Passport, being half Thai and half English and born and bred in England. Because her Mum was Thai she was entitled to hold dual nationality and so she went with her Mum to the Thai Embassy in London. She is was then aged (27 years old). They asked all kinds of questions like why this wasnt done at birth and why now etc etc. Long story short, they gave her a passport but not an ID card, she would have to get this from a local admin office near Chiang Mai.

At Manchester Airport, she used her British Passport to check (as per normal), on the plane, so to speak she put her British Passport away and at BKK she showed up at the line for Thai Citizens (or whatever they are calling it this week). They pointed their little webcam at her and waived her through, she did fill in her immigration in English and this wasnt a problem.

She was in Thailand for just less than a month.

On the way out at BKK, she used to Thai Passport at the checkin but there was a problem, they would not let her checkin. She needed a visa in her Thai Passport from Britain to let her in and they refused point blank to check her in. She produced her British Passport and that when the herding of cats began. Security were called and we were escorted to a little room.

They wanted to know why she was travelling on two passports. We explained because she has dual nationality and is entitled to carry both. It seems they had no terms of reference and acted like this had never happened before in the entire human history of the world.

My Wife got scared and let me tell you, I was too.

After an hour of one busy body or another popping in to take a look at both passports, it was decided she could check in on her British Passport, but needed to get a immigration card and fill it in. Yes we were leaving and they wanted us to fill out paperwork as if we had just arrived. She was then treated as if she was British and not Thai or Dual Nationality.

On the plane she said to me "Thats the last time I used the Thai Passport to do that". The language has been cleaned up a lot.

So my dilema is this, if we stay for more than 4 weeks, does she get a tourist visa from the Thai Consulate in the UK and travel as I would being British or does she risk it again, this time with a 2 year old which would be even harder to explain.

Any help is gratefully recieved. I dont expect much because this is a rare one I think, its not like she is Thai or looks Thai even, travelling on two passports, she looks English travelling on a Thai Passport. That seems to be the bottom line of it all.

[Mario2008]

That is a very strange story, as immigraiton and airlines deal with dual nationality at a daily basis. There is nothing strange to people holding two different passports.

You always fill in a arrival/departure card, wether you are a Thai or a foreigner.

[autan]

That is a very strange story, as immigraiton and airlines deal with dual nationality at a daily basis. There is nothing strange to people holding two different passports.

You always fill in a arrival/departure card, wether you are a Thai or a foreigner.

I agree, the problem came not when entering Thailand it was leaving. The way the checkin staff at Emirate reacted to two passports, anyone would have thought (<deleted>). Security didnt know what to do, they just wanted to know how she got a Thai Passport, which we told the truth.

It is very clear we did something wrong. Hundreds of people each day must pass through BKK with two passports, I just cvant figure out (beside my Wife looking English instead of Thai), why she was singled out. Until I can convince her all will be well, theres no way she and my Son are even using the Thai Passport, which seems such a waste of time getting in the first place. It was meant to make travelling to Thailand for them easier not more complicated.

If it helps, she now has a Thai ID card also. Obviously my Son doesnt have an ID card yet.

Edited December 22, 2011 by autan

[Mario2008]

It might have gone differently if she had just handed over both passports to start with at the airline. But that she didn't shouldn't have been a problem. If there is another problem just ask to see a supervisor.

[steve187]

Would a Thai passport holder not have the arrival half of the immigration form still in their passport on return to Thailand, the same as UK passport holder have the departure half of the form in their passport whilst in Thailand.

My wife uses Thai passport to enter/leave Thailand, UK passport to enter/leave UK, showing both to satisfy proof of permission to land at the other end. and i join her in the Thai immigration queue.

[autan]

The message I am getting is use both passports and show both from the get go, Thank you to everyone who contributed.

[samran]

That is a very strange story, as immigraiton and airlines deal with dual nationality at a daily basis. There is nothing strange to people holding two different passports.

You always fill in a arrival/departure card, wether you are a Thai or a foreigner.

I agree, the problem came not when entering Thailand it was leaving. The way the checkin staff at Emirate reacted to two passports, anyone would have thought (<deleted>). Security didnt know what to do, they just wanted to know how she got a Thai Passport, which we told the truth.

It is very clear we did something wrong. Hundreds of people each day must pass through BKK with two passports, I just cvant figure out (beside my Wife looking English instead of Thai), why she was singled out. Until I can convince her all will be well, theres no way she and my Son are even using the Thai Passport, which seems such a waste of time getting in the first place. It was meant to make travelling to Thailand for them easier not more complicated.

If it helps, she now has a Thai ID card also. Obviously my Son doesnt have an ID card yet.

Sounds like you came across a moron at check-in, it usually doesn't happen that way and I doubt it will happen again. If in doubt, always ask to speak to a supervisor.

I have dual nationality (Thai/Australian) and do the passport swap regularly - traveling that way since 1992. As you say, just plonk down both passports at check in, the Thai passport to show you need a departure card, the British to show you don't need a visa for the final destination.

As for all the questioning when she first got registered as a Thai national at the embassy, I suspect that is easily explainable. Thai law requires that in Thailand a birth be registered with the relevant authorities within 15 days of birth. I'd expect some leeway is given for overseas birth given that you need to report to the embassy, but 27 years is a long time (nb, I didn't get my first Thai birth certificate till I was in my late teens). Whoever was filling in the forms at the embassy would have had to supply a reason why the registration occurred 'late'. However there would never have been any doubt in the eligiblity of your wife to get a birth certificate and passport issued.

Similarly, there should never be any doubt about your wife's ability to use her Thai passport to travel in and out of Thailand, without any restriction on her stay.