Thai Nationality When Born To Foreign Parents

[bapak]

I have been told that back around the 1960's, a person born in Thailand of foreign parents could claim citizenship and/or could obtain a Thai ID card. Has anyone heard of this? Just curious.

[samran]

Essentially true up till dec 1971, so long as the parents were legally in Thailand and not diplomats.

Those born after 1971 and till 1992 to legally landed parents can also claim it so long as they have shown an ongoing association with Thailand.

For all others, post 1971n both parents need to be PR's unless on of them is also a Thai national.

[Arkady]

In fact those born in Thailand to parents who were not both permanent residents prior to December 1971 were stripped of their Thai nationality retroactively. However, it was relatively easy to obtain PR in those days before work permits and non-imm B visas and most legal immigrants and longer term expats had PR which was the only way to get a visa for more than three months. There was also a procedure for those affected by the 1971 revolutionary decree to re-claim Thai nationality at the discretion of the minister. Children born to foreign parents who were in Thailand legally but not yet PRs generally got it back without too much trouble. Problems occurred for those who had one or more parent who could not prove legal immigrant status and many of these poor devils have remained stateless to this day.