Dual Nationality - When To Use Thai & Uk Passports

[TheGoose]

My 4 month old daughter currently lives in Thailand with my wife & once I get the visa for my wife I plan to have them both come live with me in the UK. My daughter has both a Thai passport & a UK passport so I wanted to know when I should use these. Simplistically I thought I would use the Thai passport to leave/enter Thailand & use the UK passport to leave/enter the UK. However I then started to think about potential problems I may encounter so I was hoping someone on the forum who has been through this before may be able to answer some questions I have. Obviously I know I have to use the UK passport to enter the UK as I don't have a visa for my daughter & I should also point out that neither passport has been used yet.

1/ If I use the Thai passport to clear Thai immigration & the UK passport to enter the UK will I have any problems clearing UK immigration ? My thinking here is that there will be no entries in the UK passport to say my daughter has left a country although she has just stepped off an international flight.

2/ If I use the UK passport to clear both Thai & UK immigration could I encounter problems at Thai immigration when leaving Thailand ? My thinking here is that there is no entry stamp into Thailand on the UK passport.

3/ Finally, when I book a flight for my daughter they will ask for advance passenger information including passport details, which passport should I use ? I don't know how the information you provide is used by the airline & immigration in both countries. If I was to use either passport all the way through then the details I need to enter is easy. The situation I am asking about here is if I were to use the Thai passport to leave Thailand & the UK passport to enter the UK.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[ripstanley]

Use #1 from above. I am departing in March for Australia. My boy has Thai and Aust. When you book the flight some airlines do ask for passport numbers but others do not. If they do just supply Thai passport number. When you checkin show both passports. Show the Thai passport to Immigration on departure and UK passport on arrival in UK. There will be no problems.

[tw25rw]

I think 1 is the only option.

[Mario2008]

You enter and leave Thailand on the Thai passport and leave and re-enter the Uk on the UK passport.

At check-in with the airline you show both passports, to confirm that no visa is needed for either country.

For booking a flight you can use either passport, you will be showing both passports anyway. So it doesn't matter.

Do have the birth certificate with you when she travels for the first time.

[p_brownstone]

The subject has been discussed hundreds of times on this Forum.

Absolutely no problem whatsoever.

Show both Passports to the Airline at Thai Airline Check-in (just to prove your daughter does not need a Visa to enter UK).

Leaving Thailand at Immigration just show the Thai Passport which shows that your daughter was in Thailand legally - as a Thai Citizen, that's all they care about.

Enter UK show just the UK Passport.

Leave UK show just the UK Passport, enter Thailand show just the Thai Passport.

Happens dozens, if not hundreds of times a day.

Patrick

[7by7]

As an aside:-

On arrival in the UK you and your daughter can, obviously, enter via the EU queue.

Officially your wife should use the non EU queue.

However, if you ask the Immigration Officer at the EU queue they may, as she is traveling with you, allow your wife through with you and your daughter; which will be quicker.

They are not obliged to do this, so I suggest that your wife and daughter join the non EU queue while you go and ask; you can then wave them over if the IO says it's ok.

If not, then you should join your wife in the non EU queue so you can help her should she be questioned by the IO.

[MrZM]

This question comes up so many times.

It really quite simple. When you leave Thailand use th Thai passport when you arrive in the UK use the British passport.

And same again

As you leave UK use British passport and enter Thailand on thai passport.

I always carry both on me at all times, at UK border they have asked to see both before.

Thanks

[7by7]

Did they say why?

If you hold a valid British passport they should not be concerned about any others you may hold.

Or do you mean the airline, not immigration staff?

[TheGoose]

Thanks for all the replies

[Arkady]

As an aside:-

On arrival in the UK you and your daughter can, obviously, enter via the EU queue.

Officially your wife should use the non EU queue.

However, if you ask the Immigration Officer at the EU queue they may, as she is traveling with you, allow your wife through with you and your daughter; which will be quicker.

They are not obliged to do this, so I suggest that your wife and daughter join the non EU queue while you go and ask; you can then wave them over if the IO says it's ok.

If not, then you should join your wife in the non EU queue so you can help her should she be questioned by the IO.

My experience with taking my Thai wife to the UK on a visit visa via Heathrow was that the Immigration officer told me to bring her with me in the EU queue next time as it makes their job easier to have her husband or fiance with her and available to answer questions, if required. We thought that might only apply to Heathrow and on another trip we flew in to Bristol and exactly the same thing happened. I think this is the norm now, as it is more efficient for all involved and it is more logical to upgrade the alien than vice versa.

In the past things were different. My brother was roundly ticked off at Gatwick over 10 years ago for bringing his infant son who only had a US passport at the time with him in the EU queue. When he asked if the IO expected the toddler to crawl along the alien queue by himself with his passport in his mouth, he was told he was expected to go in the alien queue with him. Anyway the boy's passport was duly stamped in the EU at the cost of the pathetic show of power from the IO who must have got out of the wrong side of the bed that day. I don't think she would have scored many brownie points, if she had tried to escalate the situation and the supervisor had been called.