Do I Need Permission From Ex Partner For Travel With Daughter

[DDuval]

Hi All

Here’s my situation. Im married to a Thai Woman and we have 1 daughter together that was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 2008.

My question is this if I want to take my daughter to the UK with me alone for a holiday do I need any written permission from the mother to clear Thai Immigration
because my Daughter is half Thai/Half English. Note my daughter has a valid UK and Thai Passport

To add me and the mother are not together any more even though I continue to support her and my Daughter and pay the full fare of the school Fees.

Many thx

Derek

[Boo]

It is advisable to get written permission from the mother along with a signed copy of her ID card or passport. Some posters have reported being stopped when traveling alone with their half thai child whilst others not.

It is always better to err on the side of caution.

[Mario2008]

Per above, it is advisable to gt written permission. In case your daughter has a different last name than you it is even highly likely that you will be stopped and questioned by immigration.

Also take a copy of the birth certificate with you.

[DDuval]

Thx for the 2 replies above. Note my Daughter has my name and I will get written permission from the mother as well as taking birth certificate with my name as the Father.

Question

Has anybody experienced this who could describe the process in detail. Also does the letter need to be in Thai/English and countersigned by anybody?

many thx in advance

[Mario2008]

The reason for checks is that immigration has made human and child trafficking a top priority. With having the same last name you can be checked, but it is rare. From reports the most likely thing is that they ask your daughter for confirmation that you are her father.

With your daughter you can just go through the Thai passport lines leaving and entering Thailand and the UK passport line together in the UK.

The note should be in English, just stating that she gives you (the father) permission to take the daughter to the UK for a holiday from **** till **** and signed by her. She can write it on the copy of the ID-card. No need for a counter sign.

As said, in your case chances of a check is small and it will just be a few questions if they do.

[bkk_mike]

As your daughter gets older, I think there's less likelihood of being asked (I haven't been asked in years). And once the kids are willing to talk to the immigration staff, they simply say (it's my Dad, what's the problem - in Thai... - and it's all fine).

If the mother is coming to the airport with you to see her daughter off, just ask her to hang around until you're through immigration, so you can ask her to come to the desk if questions are asked. Otherwise the letter would come in useful.

However, the fact that your daughter has her Thai passport will usually be seen as significant as Thailand will only issue the passport if you have proof that you have sole custody, or that the mother was willing to let her travel as you need both parent's permission for a child to be issued with a passport.

I've never carried a letter myself, and have never had a problem. But my kids don't look half-Thai (much to my wife's annoyance, they look nothing like her, and look just like me... - poor things).

If you're worried, have a letter just in case, but I wouldn't be surprised if you don't need it. (but better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.)