Thai Passport Question

[thecatman]

Hi, My daughter was born in the UK in March, I am British, my wife Thai ( with ilr). We have obtained a British passport for our little one and are actually all in Thailand at the mo (4 week holiday to visit family).

While in the UK we also obtained our daughters Thai birth certificate, so she now has both Thai and UK birth certificates.

My question is...is there really any point in us getting our daughter her Thai passport at this moment in time??

We don't see ourselves spending any longer than 4 weeks at a time in Thailand (holidays) for the forseeable, so visas won't come into play.

I can't see a reason why we might want to get it now, like I said, she has the Thai birth certificate, which is the main thing, so she's able to apply for a passpost at anytime in her life now...right?? ...Am I missing anything??

Thanks in advance.

[7by7]

It's basically up to you.

If she enters Thailand with her British passport then she will be treated as an alien, i.e. non Thai.

If she enters with a Thai passport then she will be treated as a Thai.

Plus, of course, she'll be able to stay longer than 4 weeks at a time without a visa.

If you do go for it now while in Thailand, she should use her British passport to leave as that's the one she entered with. If she doesn't, then there will be no record of that British passport holder leaving, which may store up problems for the future.

After that she should use her Thai passport to enter and leave Thailand and her British passport to enter and leave the UK.

Which passport she uses for other countries depends on which is the easier; e.g. British one for EU countries, Thai one for ASEAN ones.

[thecatman]

Thanks 7by7, I was kinda hoping you'd reply to this, and what you said about entering on a British passport = being considered alien/non Thai, (despite having a Thai birth cert) has probably swung it for us.

I now think it is worth getting the Thai passport while we're here. It is much easier for us to get it while we're here, rather than in the UK, I just couldn't think of any benefit to her for having it now...but your reply has shed some light on that, Thank You.

The other bit, once she does in fact have both passports, I was familiar with, but thanks anyway.

[thecatman]

Just one other thing 7by7, is it beneficial for us to add our daughter's name to the house registration book (tabien baan) while we are here in Thailand??

It would be on my wife's parents house (on which my wife is still registered)

Thanks in advance.

Edited November 3, 2013 by thecatman

[7by7]

Not a question I'm qualified to answer, I'm afraid.

[thecatman]

OK, Thanks. We're going to go ahead and add her to it anyway I think. I can't see it can do any harm. In fact, I've just read that the tabien baan, or at least a photocopy of it, needs to be shown when applying for a Thai passport and/or I.D. Card.

[ubonjoe]

Yes she needs to be on a house book or it will be impossible to get a passport.

Info for passports here: http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/1415/21479-Requirements-for-the-Ordinary-e-Passports-Applicat.html

[thecatman]

Thanks for the confirmation ubonjoe...we're doing it later today

[samran]

Just one other thing 7by7, is it beneficial for us to add our daughter's name to the house registration book (tabien baan) while we are here in Thailand??

It would be on my wife's parents house (on which my wife is still registered)

Thanks in advance.

you'll need to add her to the house registration where she'll also be isued an ID number. This needs to be done before you can get a passport in Thailand (this step wouldn't have been immediately needed for an overseas born Thai had passport been aquired in London, swings and roundabouts).

NB. Once she has the Thai passport, she'll still need to leave Thailand on the UK PP given she entered in on it, but subseqent trips she can use the Thai PP to come and go from Thailand.

[thecatman]

Hi samran, you mention that the house registration wouldn't be necessary if we had obtained the passport back home...but this link showing the documents required suggests otherwise http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/78

[samran]

Hi samran, you mention that the house registration wouldn't be necessary if we had obtained the passport back home...but this link showing the documents required suggests otherwise http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/78

Hi Catman,

I said 'immediately required' from memory.

Being on the house registration within 15 days of birth is required for all Thai born citizens. This puts you on the database which makes issuing of passports in Thailand a snap.

However, if you are born overseas (like I was), it is impossible for a Thai child born overseas to get on the house registration as they aren't in Thailand. As such, at the embassies, there is generally a waiver applied to overseas born Thai's not to need to be on the Tabieen Baan.

How long you can go with this depends on the embassy. In my case, Canberra let me be off the Tabieen baan when I applied for my first Thai passport in my late teens. Other embassies start asking for it alot sooner, but certainly for very young children, the requirement is waived at the embassy. So milage varies.

All the best.

Edited November 4, 2013 by samran

[thecatman]

Thanks Samran, that makes sense...I have just noticed that if we had applied for the passport at the same time as we did the birth certificate, then the documentation required is in fact different i.e. No tabien baan needed.

We're in no hurry to get the Thai passport, but we'd like to get everything else in order on this visit...as for a I.D. Card...from what age do they issue these?? We may as well get that today too if baby's are applicable.

[samran]

Thanks Samran, that makes sense...I have just noticed that if we had applied for the passport at the same time as we did the birth certificate, then the documentation required is in fact different i.e. No tabien baan needed.

We're in no hurry to get the Thai passport, but we'd like to get everything else in order on this visit...as for a I.D. Card...from what age do they issue these?? We may as well get that today too if baby's are applicable.

ID cards aren't issued until you are 7 years old.

You may as well get the TB and the PP this trip. Being on the TB is really the 'keys to the kingdom' here in Thailand.

[thecatman]

Ahh, OK, Just the TB today then. When applying for the passport here in Thailand, do you happen to know if my wife and I need to provide our marriage certificate? (we do if applying in UK).

Thanks.

[samran]

From memory, no, but not entirely sure. Thai citizenship is passed down by blood and isn't dependent on marriage status. Given you'll both be listed on the BC that should suffice for what you need to do here.

NB again, both of you will need to attend the PP office.

[thecatman]

OK Thanks, perhaps I'll get the wife to give them a call first.

[ubonjoe]

If you are getting it here use the link I posted earlier.

The marriage certificate is not on the list there.

[thecatman]

You may as well get the TB and the PP this trip. Being on the TB is really the 'keys to the kingdom' here in Thailand.

Re: getting the babe on the TB

Went to our Amphur yesterday, it wasn't quite as straight forward as we had hoped....we need 4 identical photos of the babe, fair enough, another witness, as well as my father in law who was with us yesterday, and an appointment, as the process, we were told would take 2 hours...seems a little long winded to me but I'll report back, maybe next week now, when we're done.

Edited November 5, 2013 by thecatman

[nightwatch]

I can't see any good reason why to not get a Thai passport or add her to the tabien baan ,

You daughter is just a baby now, but in the future she will need these thing's for proof of of her citizenship or just anything that might require some form of I.D. for her in general.

why not get it now why she is young.

It could even be possible it might be easier to do now than when she get's older

Who' to know!

[thecatman]

We're on it nightwatch...we're on it.

[samran]

You may as well get the TB and the PP this trip. Being on the TB is really the 'keys to the kingdom' here in Thailand.

Re: getting the babe on the TB

Went to our Amphur yesterday, it wasn't quite as straight forward as we had hoped....we need 4 identical photos of the babe, fair enough, another witness, as well as my father in law who was with us yesterday, and an appointment, as the process, we were told would take 2 hours...seems a little long winded to me but I'll report back, maybe next week now, when we're done.

Yep, it does take that long. Took about the same for me to get onto the TB, witnesses etc etc etc. You should be fine, as at least they haven't said 'can not'.

[thecatman]

Just to update...we called our Amphur today to make the 'appointment' that we were told we needed... 'just come in this afternoon' was the answer given to the Mrs.

Got there just before 1pm, armed with all the necessary bits and pieces + photocopies...this saved us some time...in, out and daughter on the Tabien Baan in about an hour...Happy days

[Kevin1908]

How would I go about getting Thai passports for both my sons born in the UK?The eldest did have Thai passport but was lost in the tsunami. The yougest 14 now was registered in London when the Embassy was temporarily located at Hyde Park Corner. No point in asking their mother, she will be no help and I can't contact her anyway.

[ubonjoe]

How would I go about getting Thai passports for both my sons born in the UK?The eldest did have Thai passport but was lost in the tsunami. The yougest 14 now was registered in London when the Embassy was temporarily located at Hyde Park Corner. No point in asking their mother, she will be no help and I can't contact her anyway.

You should copies of their Thai birth certificate since it appears both have been registered at the embassy since one had passport already.

Where are at now? If in UK you should be able to get their passports at the embassy.

[Kevin1908]

How would I go about getting Thai passports for both my sons born in the UK?The eldest did have Thai passport but was lost in the tsunami. The yougest 14 now was registered in London when the Embassy was temporarily located at Hyde Park Corner. No point in asking their mother, she will be no help and I can't contact her anyway.

You should copies of their Thai birth certificate since it appears both have been registered at the embassy since one had passport already.

Where are at now? If in UK you should be able to get their passports at the embassy.

I am in the UK and the kids were born in the UK and have UK birth certificates. I know that they have both been registered at the Embassy as being Thai. If they have Thai birth certificates then my ex wife has them. No point is asking her. Next year the eldest will be 18 so I assume he can make enquiries in his own right.

[Mario2008]

Actually, in Thailand the age of majority is 20 and not 18. For a passport both parents must sign, unless one of the parents has sole parental rights.

If you have sole parental rights, you can apply for a Thai passport for the children. If not, that will be problematic. Although if the mother doesn't want to cooperate, that might be a reason to get sole custody.