Official Thai Blue passport

[beano2274]

Mother in Law has been informed that she will get a Blue passport valid for 5 years, question is, can she just board a plane to Europe with her passport without requiring a visa?

Also have seen somewhere that a Thai official passport gives the holder no entry into the UK without a valid visa, is this true.

Many thanks in advance

[7by7]

This list from the UKBA shows no exemption for Thai official or diplomatic passport holders and the UK is not on part 1 of this list from the RTE in London.

Which indicates she will still need the appropriate visa to enter the UK.

[Tony M]

Diplomatic passport holders are sometimes exempt from visa requirements in Europe, depending on the country and the reason for travel ( on government business, or just a holiday). Official passport holders normally need a visa to enter any European country ( including the UK ). However, each country has its own visa requirements for Diplomatic and Official passport holders, so the advice is to check. I doubt very much if she will just be allowed to board an aircraft to Europe solely because she holds an official passport.

[ishouldknow]

Congrats on the mother in law getting the "diplomatic" passport... however, I hope you realize that this is not something special - Thailand has a huge government sector employee base and for many/most that are qualified workers they will be given such a passport.

As an example, a Thai school teacher that has never had a passport before, but has some conference to attend in another country will be issued such (providing they can get a letter from the government place they work at).

Think of it as a normal Thai passport or at the most as a government sponsored normal passport (that all civil servants are entitled to if they have some "govt. business" to attend to abroad). At the most, you will see that a box might open in an ASEAN country to allow the passport holder to jump the queue.

The only "corps diplomatique" passports that are respected from Thailand are those that the respective governments have been notified in advance that such a holder is arriving etc....

Sorry to break your bubble, but with mutiple levels of "hiso" in Thailand the only ones that are recognized are those that are actually the real diplomats!

Edited August 4, 2013 by ishouldknow

[Basil B]

Not sure for what reason your mother in law qualifies for a blue passport, but may add some credibility to a visit visa application.

I doubt the blue passport is a diplomatic passport, just one of higher status.

Diplomatic passport

Issued to diplomats and other government officials for work-related international travel, and to accompanying dependents. Although most persons with diplomatic immunity carry diplomatic passports, having a diplomatic passport is not the equivalent of having diplomatic immunity. A grant of diplomatic status, a privilege of which is diplomatic immunity, has to come from the government of the country in relation to which diplomatic status is claimed. Also, having a diplomatic passport does not mean visa-free travel. A holder of a diplomatic passport must obtain a non-diplomatic visa when traveling to a country where he is not currently nor is going to be accredited as a diplomat, if visas are required to nationals of his country.

In exceptional circumstances, a diplomatic passport is given to a foreign citizen with no passport of his own, such as an exiled VIP who lives, by invitation, in a foreign country. Such is the case of King Constantine II of Greece who has travelled on diplomatic passports for Denmark (the ancestral home of his royal house) and Spain (the adopted country of his sister Queen Sofia).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passport

[Soutpeel]

Not sure for what reason your mother in law qualifies for a blue passport, but may add some credibility to a visit visa application.

I doubt the blue passport is a diplomatic passport, just one of higher status.

Diplomatic passport

Issued to diplomats and other government officials for work-related international travel, and to accompanying dependents. Although most persons with diplomatic immunity carry diplomatic passports, having a diplomatic passport is not the equivalent of having diplomatic immunity. A grant of diplomatic status, a privilege of which is diplomatic immunity, has to come from the government of the country in relation to which diplomatic status is claimed. Also, having a diplomatic passport does not mean visa-free travel. A holder of a diplomatic passport must obtain a non-diplomatic visa when traveling to a country where he is not currently nor is going to be accredited as a diplomat, if visas are required to nationals of his country.

In exceptional circumstances, a diplomatic passport is given to a foreign citizen with no passport of his own, such as an exiled VIP who lives, by invitation, in a foreign country. Such is the case of King Constantine II of Greece who has travelled on diplomatic passports for Denmark (the ancestral home of his royal house) and Spain (the adopted country of his sister Queen Sofia).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passport

A blue Thai PP is not a diplomatic passport..a diplomatic PP is red

The blue one is what is know as an official PP used by people who would be "representing" the goverment or by vitue of being a goverment official on official business oversea's...it costs the same as an ordinary Thai PP as opposed to a full diplomatic PP which is issued free. also the blue one does not infer any "visa privillages" over an ordinary Thai PP

[beano2274]

MIL is a Thai Government Teacher and qualifies as she has to go on trips abroad to other ASEAN countries on behalf of her school

[phosphorescent]

Holders of official (dark blue) passports or diplomatic (Red) passports, also hold ordinary (Maroon) Thai passports. Official and diplomatic passports are only permitted to be used on official government business. If the holder of a diplomatic or official passport wishes to go abroad on holiday, they must use the standard (Maroon) Thai passport.