Hope someone can advise –

My Thai gf is in on her second visitor’s visa to the UK, no problem getting her visa.
Next time she would like to bring her grand-daughter with her for a visit.
Her grand-daughter is 11 years old and has been raised by my gf since she was 5 months old.
It is her son’s daughter, he was only 17 when she was born.
The girl’s mother was even younger, she did not want the baby and since handing her over to my gf,has only seen her a few times. She has made no contact for the last 8/9 years.
My gf’s son works in Bangkok and sees her regularly.
The girl’s birth certificate names her real mother and father.
What would be required to obtain Passport and visa?
Would a letter from her son giving permission be enough? – or would the mother have to be involved?

Would a letter from the village ‘chief’ or school to say she has always

lived with my gf help.

I have suggested that she should legally adopt her, but I don’t know what this involves.

First step, I think, is to read VAT03 - Special visitor: Child visitors; note that not all of it will be relevant to your girlfriend's situation.

The Thai passport for a child normally needs both parents attendance when applying.

If one parent can't be there (i.e. in another country at the time happened to me once), you can have the missing parent fill in a form at the embassy (needs to be witnessed officially), and then courier it to the passport office so that the other parent can do the application.

There is a workaround for the case of single parents. i.e. You can get a letter from the local district office. I think it basically involves getting witnesses to testify officially (Por Khor 14) that the other parent has nothing to do with the child, and then the district office writing a letter relating to the support of the child by only one parent.

The best thing obviously is for someone to ask the passport office what's needed exactly, so that you don't end up going with the wrong form.

The same letter (with translation to English), can then be used when applying for the visa to explain why you only have the approval letter from the parent that looks after the child.

If the child's father is still in contact with the mother, and the mother's in the country, it would probably be a lot easier to persuade her to come with the child and the child's father for the passport application. (The visa just needs a letter from the parents giving their approval for the child to travel, not attendance in person, so if you're in contact with the mother, it's pretty painless.)