For Half-Thai American Adults Wanting A Thai Passport And / Or Birth Certificate

[Nicole79]

I guess this could be considered a guide of sorts. It also pertains to the Thai Consulate-General in Chicago. The procedure might differ at other branches.

I recently had a friend ask for my help in figuring out what he needed in order to get his Thai Passport. His mother is Thai, his dad is American. He was born here in the US and did not at that point receive a Thai Birth Certificate. He is now 34-years-old, and is currently visiting with his mom in Thailand.

His dad and I stopped by the Consulate-General on Monday to get our Visas for next month's trip, and decided to ask about Thai passports while we were there. This is what we were told:

His mother will have to go to Bangkok's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and apply for his Thai Birth Certificate. It does not matter that he is 34-years-old and was not previously registered. But, the only one who can do this is his mother. She needs to take a legal (notarized) copy of his US Birth Certificate with her. And the lady at the Consulate-General recommended she call the Department of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask about all of the paperwork involved.

From there, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do their thing with the paperwork then mail it back to the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Chicago. The folks in Chicago do whatever they need to do with it, then send it back to Bangkok, at which point he will be issued his Thai Birth Certificate. Once he has that, he can then apply for his Thai Passport.

We have no ideas about fees yet. We're trying to figure out when and how to get his mom down to Bangkok. If and when we get through this whole procedure, I'll post anything else we learn.

[Maestro]

You say he has a US birth certificate, which presumably means he was born in the USA and I assume he is in the USA now. This means that he should register his birth at the Thai embassy in Washington and get the Thai birth certificate and passport from them, since the consulate in Chicago is not willing or not authorised to do it. He should talk to the embassy, respectively its consular section. They will also be able to give you information about the fees.

[Nicole79]

Actually he is in Thailand right now on a Tourist Visa (which he has renewed a few times), visiting with his mother. Which has complicated it all a bit. She is living there and will not be returning to the US. So they advised us she has to go to Bangkok (Department of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), as I mentioned above. But yes, he was born in the USA. His dad is flying out with me and will be retiring in Thailand with his wife.

[samran]

Maestro,

Given the guy is in Thailand, the consulate is right. The MFA have a desk these days at the office of consular affairs in Chaeng Wattana which can help organise the BC of overseas born Thai's.

There are no fees for BC's and as you know the cost for most Thai ID's are nominal.

Then the usual story. He gets on the tabieen baan, ID card and then passport. Flies out on his US passport and re-enters on his Thai PP to stay without time limit.

[Maestro]

Yes, it is as Samran says, since he is in Thailand now and wants to get it done here.

After he gets gets his Thai passport, then leaves Thailand on his US passport and returns with his Thai passport, he should from then on always use his Thai passport to leave and enter Thailand, and use his US passport to enter and leave the USA and of course can also use it for other countries where the US passport is more convenient.