Born in Thailand living is US How claim Thai nationality.

[bchantha]

Hello everyone. I am looking to reclaiming my Thai nationality. Both my parents are Thai. Mother remarried Lao national and we ended up moving to US. Now stepfather is out of the picture and mother has passed. What did not know was when came to the US my name was changed. Before my mother passed she had given me a Thai health card with my information with Thai ID number on it. I called the Thai embassy here in US. They looked up the number and said will complication due to my name changed and that my name was not registered in the Thai house book. I am now 39 years old. Embassy says wait until I am 47 to try again because selective service might give me trouble. I have family back in Thailand but I would need to go back. Has anyone had something like this? Must wait 8 more years to apply? I would like to get kids official Thai status but it requires me proving who I am.

[theoldgit]

Moved to Thai Visas and residency forum.

[Maestro]

You do not have to reclaim your Thai nationality. You became a Thai national at birth and unless you have renounced it and the Thai government accepted you renouncement, you have remained a Thai national all the time. What you apparently want is a Thai passport.

 

I don't know what you or the embassy mean with "selective service"

 

Have you ever had a Thai passport?

 

Do you have your Thai birth certificate, showing your nationality as Thai?

 

The fact that your name is different on Thai government documents should be no impediment if your intention is to get a Thai passport in your name as shown on your birth certificate.

 

It appears that you were born in Thailand and therefore you should have been entered in a Thai house registration book after your birth, with the name you have on your Thai birth certificate. Do you have a copy of the house registration book with your name in it?

 

You say you have a Thai health card with your Thai ID number on it. Are you in possession of your Thai ID card?

[Maestro]

Regarding your children, they are Thai nationals by birth because one of their parents, ie you, their father or mother (your didn't say which your are and it does not matter), is a Thai national. If they were born in the USA you should register their births with the consular section of the Thai embassy and get a Thai birth certificate for them showing them as Thai nationals.

[wayned]

If you were born in Thailand to Thai parents and came to the US, you must have had a Thai passport to enter the country and are now a naturalized US citizenand ,if so, all of that documentatiuon should be on file with US immigration, but good luck getting it..  As far as I know the maximum  "draft age" is 30 years old, not 47.  It sounds like the Embassy just doesn't want to spend any time helping you as it's something "out of the box" and they can't just stamp sme documents.  Just my thoughts as I have absolutely no experience.  Sorry I can't be of more help but you are a Thai citizen and do have a Thai ID number so that's a start, just getting someone to help you will be th "rub"!

[bchantha]

Yes do have the Thai health card on hand. I do not nor have
ever had a Thai passport. As for my children I am their father. I do not have any copies with my name on the house book or birth certificate. I was told by the embassy that the house I was once registered to no longer exists. And my family did not put my name on the new house book. Told to go back Thailand and have my name put on the new book and get birth certificate with DNA samples. My biological father no nowhere to be seen. My mother has passed. Could I still register my children with the Thai Consulate even though I do not have a Thai passport? As for the selective service. Embassy says the military draft they may still want me to serve. But once I turn 47 they will not care since I'm too old. I thought Thai drafts stops at age 30? Are they pulling my chain? Thanks for the reply.

Sent from my LG-P769 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[zeichen]

Contact a Thai Lawyer.  There are many problems that need to be addressed . Tthat without having someone on the ground in Thailand will be even more difficult. The name change is minor but you would need to have proof of the original name that is on the birth certificate. If you have originals and legal documents showing the change it is easier.

 

Having the original birth certificate would speed the process. Getting your children Thai passports isn't as easy as others have said. Without a name on a landbook or family registry it is hard to prove.

 

If your parents renounced your Thai citizenship then you have more obstacles. They didn't have to but some do it.

 

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

It will probably require a trip to here to sort things out. You will need to go the Amphoe where your birth was registered to get a copy of your birth certificate and if possible be entered on a house book along with a Thai ID card. Once you get that you could get a Thai passport.

As said your draft problems went away when you turned 30.

Once you got all this sorted out then your children could get their Thai nationality extablished by registering their birth at the embassy or one of the 3 consulates.

[wayned]

If you are a naturalized US citizen born to Thai parents that nether were US citizens then you had to have the proper documentation to leave Thailand and enter the US which included a passport.  I brought two of my ex-wife's chidren from the Philippines in 1987, not 39 years ago but 27 years ago and they had to have passports before they could leave the Philipines, enter the US and  apply for residency.  The documents should be on file with the immigration service.  Enough said, you know wht you have, I don't, I'll butt out.

[Mario2008]

Thai draft does not stop at 30, rather you will not be called for service but put on a reserve army list. That means you will not serve in the army unless there is a war and you are called to serve.

 

As has been said, you are a Thai national and that you have a Thai national ID-number and once were on a household book indicates that you have a Thai birth certificate and as a consequence the Thai goevrnment is aware of your birth and you being a Thai national. The problem lies with proofing that you are who you claim to be.

That can be done through documents showing the name change.But especially if in Thailand it is not uncommon that they want some family members to vouch for you. You will need someone willing to put you on a household book anyway, if you want a Thai passport in Thailand.

 

As has been said, as you are Thai your children are Thai. But you need to proof your Thai identity when applying for a Thai birth certiicate from the embassy.  The Thai embassy is the only one who can issue the birth certificate, as they are the amphur for the place where the children were born.

(But you can apply for the BC through the Thai ministry of foreign affairs in Thailand when in Thailand).

 

Any problems in getting a clear answer from the Thai embassy can be directed to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consular department:

www.consular.go.th

They have a good reputation in helping people.

[sburdic]

My story is similar to yours with a few slight differences.  I was born in Thailand, but we left for the US when I was 6 weeks old.  My Thai mother never registered me with the amphur before leaving.  After 40 years of living in the US, I decided I wanted to "reclaim" my Thai nationality.  So I embarked on a long journey to figure out how to get this done.  After a few years we finally got it done.

 

There are probably other ways to go about it, but this is how I finally received my Thai ID:

 

I did most of this with my mother, but in your case you should be able to do it with any other blood related family member.

 

Documents I had prepared prior to arriving in Thailand:

FS-240 - DoS certified, translated, legalized by the Royal Thai Consulate
DS-1350 - DoS certified, translated, legalized by the Royal Thai Consulate
Parents Divorce certifcate - DoS certified, translated, legalized by the Royal Thai Consulate
Father's Death certificate - DoS certified, translated, legalized by the Royal Thai Consulate
High School Transcripts - DoS certified, translated, legalized by the Royal Thai Consulate

2011-10-19 Arrived in Thailand
2011-10-20 Submitted translated & consulate certified FS-240 & DS-1350 to MFA in Lak Si for legalization 1600 Baht
2011-11-01 Met with Immigration "Pii Suut Sun Chadt" at Suan Plu / sent me to Royal Thai Police Hospital 800 Baht
2011-11-01 Cotton swab DNA samples taken at Royal Thai police hospital with mom 18,700 Baht
2011-11-04 Submitted translated & consulate certified Divorce, Death, and Transcripts to Lak Si for legalization 1200 Baht
2011-11-05 Deposited 100 Baht into someone's bank account so that we could receive a copy of the DNA results
2011-11-08 Quick chat with Amphur Pantong about how to get ID card. Outcome: wait for Immigration to process DNA test...
2011-11-09 Pick up documents from Minstry of Foreign Affairs at Si Ayuttaya Road
2011-11-09 Back to Immigration at Suan Pluu for interview, fingerprinting (200 Baht), and Naam Jai (2000 Baht)
2011-11-11 Back to Immigration at Suan Pluu for interview (mother) and have her sign documents (divorce, interview transcript)

 

(Returned to USA)

Wait for DNA results - about 2 months
Once the DNA results are complete, Immigration Special Division will issue a statement verifying my Thai nationality status. With this document the amphur has agreed to issue me an ID card and enter me into my mother's Tabien Baan.

2012-02-01 DNA test results are in. I'm related to my mother, duh!
2012-03-01 Amphur receives letter from RTP nationality division stating I am a Thai national
2012-03-01 Amphur agrees that I will receive ID card on my next return to Thailand

2012-11-08 Arrived back in Thailand
2012-11-08 Visit Amphur bangbuung Chonburi, signed application to be added to grandmothers tabien baan
2012-11-27 Signed more papers, received delayed birth registration, entered into grandmother's tabien baan, received my Thai national ID card.

2012-11-28 Applied for Thai passport at Bang Na received it a couple of days later.  Finally complete.

 

 

Hope this helps!

[samran]

Yes do have the Thai health card on hand. I do not nor have
ever had a Thai passport. As for my children I am their father. I do not have any copies with my name on the house book or birth certificate. I was told by the embassy that the house I was once registered to no longer exists. And my family did not put my name on the new house book. Told to go back Thailand and have my name put on the new book and get birth certificate with DNA samples. My biological father no nowhere to be seen. My mother has passed. Could I still register my children with the Thai Consulate even though I do not have a Thai passport? As for the selective service. Embassy says the military draft they may still want me to serve. But once I turn 47 they will not care since I'm too old. I thought Thai drafts stops at age 30? Are they pulling my chain? Thanks for the reply.

Sent from my LG-P769 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

 

A couple of questions:

 

- What information does the 'Thai health card' have on it? Is it possible for you to scan it for us to see (blanking out your name).

 

- Do you have relatives living in Thailand still who you are in contact with?

 

- Do you know where you were last registered.

 

A couple of points:

 

- the previous poster (sburdic) gave an excellent summary of the DNA route, though I am guessing you'll need to prove your relationship to a Thai national.

 

- my relatives in Australia found themselves in a similar predicament to you, actually went to their old Ampur (municiplaity) and hired someone to dig out their old house registration. It will be useful if you have as much information to go through this process - your old Thai name, your ID, parents name, address, their ID numbers. Any old ID of theirs.

 

- Once they located that they were basically allowed to get back on a house registry and get the ID card, and then passport.

 

- Regarding military service. You can be conscripted between 20 and 30. After 30, you are automatically rejected for active service, but put on an inactive reserves roll till 45. So you don't have to stress about that.

 

So if I was you, I'd spend as much time digging out any and all old ID that you can find, including your Thai birth certificate, but by the sounds of it, you might need to travel to Thailand.

[dddave]

Is there a chance that your parents were classified as Lao refugees and entered the US with refugee status? During the Vietnam war era and especially in the years immediately following the war there were many NGO's and other agency's scrambling to empty the refugee camps around Thailand and many regulations and paperwork requirements were bypassed...that might explain your lack of a passport and other pertinent documents.

[asiaexpat]

My for 4 kids all re-claimed Thai nationality. Some were born in Thailand and some in the USA (all did it after 30 years of age.) You seem to have a Thai ID number, so someone in Thailand should can find your birth records and help register you in a House Register. Dig up all the records you can find and develop a contact in Thailand to help you (family member if possible.) Use a lawyer only as a last resort, they seem to complicate the whole process and cause delays. One of my sons found the Consulate General in Chicago very helpful. Also your local Thai Temple Abbott can help. Just do not let anyone tell you that you can get a new ID card and Passport- many will try.

[bchantha]

@Dddave - You maybe right. Does that change the situation? Being so young maybe around 3-4 years of age I do recall leaving my village being some sort of camp. I remember crying telling my mother I wanted to go back to grandma and uncle. Since they were the ones caring for me while growing up.

[kriswillems]

If you know the name of your father, you can try to find him in the national register. Many Thai people have unique names.

You would need to pay somebody at the amphur to look it up for you.

They will also know the address your father lives.

In case several people with this name, you might need to use his age/place of birth/birthdate.

He might be able to be the witness you need and he might be willing to do the possibly necessary DNA tests.

 

You can get your birth certificate in the amphur you were born. It has the name of your father on it.

 

I don't think you get this arranged in a short time. It might require a/several short or long visits to Thailand.

It would probably help if you could speak Thai.

You would have to decide how much effort it's worth to you ...

[samran]

@Dddave - You maybe right. Does that change the situation? Being so young maybe around 3-4 years of age I do recall leaving my village being some sort of camp. I remember crying telling my mother I wanted to go back to grandma and uncle. Since they were the ones caring for me while growing up.

Where are your uncles and other family now?

[bchantha]

They are still in the same village. I just need to get the new address. Seems I may need to get out there. Still wondering would my family there be able to get a copy of my birth certificate?

[ubonjoe]

They could do to it for you but it would require a letter authorizing them to do it notarized by the embassy or one of the consulates.

[Ntxhuav]

Hi,

 

My name is Ntxhuav. I was born as a refugee in Thailand in 1984. I am currently living in America and I want to claim my nationality. I am aware that Thailand has officially recognized Hmong people as being indigenous to Thailand. How do I claim my nationality on official court and public records, so that I may be protected by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP)?

 

Thank you.