Citizen of 2 countries: Can I alternate visa runs between passports?

[shawn82]

I am 40 years old and retired. Want to move to Thailand.

Have dual citizenship Finland/Sweden with passport for each country.

Could I take a free 30 day visa. Do a visa run and enter with the other passport for 30 more days?

Or maybe 90 day tourist visa. Take plane to for example Singapore and back to Thailand for 90 more days

on my other passport?

[ubonjoe]

You cannot do a passport swap at a border crossing. Using either of you passports will only give you 15 days at a border crossing. If you fly out and back you will always get 30 days using either passport and their is no limit on how many you can do.

You should get a 2 or 3 entry tourist visa before traveling. Each entry would give you a 60 day entry that can be extended by 30 days at immigration.

[koo]

You could avoid running into "back to back" visa problems by changing passports between the visas, but then you need to exit and re-enter Thailand from a country that does not stamp your passport or require a visa.

Just as an example, you arrive and stay in Thailand with you Finnish passport. Then you go to Laos for a visa run, and receive the Thai exit stamp in your Finnish passport. You have to apply for the Lao visa, and that you must do with your Finnish passport because Lao officials will need to see the Thai exit stamp before they let you in. If you then go to the Thai embassy and apply for a visa, you could do that with your Swedish passport, but you need to exit laos with the Finnish passport (since it has the entry stamp and visa in it), and again you will not be allowed in Thailand without the Lao exit stamp - so you are bound to use the Finnish one again.

Almost all countries now have computerized immigration, so you are in trouble entering a country with one passport and trying to exit with another. Also, many immigrations (including Thai) check your information against the passenger manifest (in arriving by air) and become suspicious if they see discrepancies with what the airline reports as your nationality and what your passport states.

Of course, all of this can be avoided by travelling to the Shengen area , where you can truly enter with a Finnish passport and exit with a Sweidish one, and no one stamps it anywhere

The above is how everything should function with immigrations. There might be some workarounds allowing you to travel with two passports, and lazy immigration officials on checking the stamps, but if they play it strict, there are not many options to play around with.

[ubonjoe]

You could avoid running into "back to back" visa problems by changing passports between the visas, but then you need to exit and re-enter Thailand from a country that does not stamp your passport or require a visa.

Just as an example, you arrive and stay in Thailand with you Finnish passport. Then you go to Laos for a visa run, and receive the Thai exit stamp in your Finnish passport. You have to apply for the Lao visa, and that you must do with your Finnish passport because Lao officials will need to see the Thai exit stamp before they let you in. If you then go to the Thai embassy and apply for a visa, you could do that with your Swedish passport, but you need to exit laos with the Finnish passport (since it has the entry stamp and visa in it), and again you will not be allowed in Thailand without the Lao exit stamp - so you are bound to use the Finnish one again.

Almost all countries now have computerized immigration, so you are in trouble entering a country with one passport and trying to exit with another. Also, many immigrations (including Thai) check your information against the passenger manifest (in arriving by air) and become suspicious if they see discrepancies with what the airline reports as your nationality and what your passport states.

Of course, all of this can be avoided by travelling to the Shengen area , where you can truly enter with a Finnish passport and exit with a Sweidish one, and no one stamps it anywhere

The above is how everything should function with immigrations. There might be some workarounds allowing you to travel with two passports, and lazy immigration officials on checking the stamps, but if they play it strict, there are not many options to play around with.

You can do a passport change by air because immigration at the airport does not check for entry/departure stamps for another country.

At a border crossing it is not possible because they check for entry/departure for the other country to check that you did enter the other country. This to keep a person from clearing departure immigration and just turning around and re-entering Thailand.

[Sayonarax]

Why don't you apply for a visa.

[jacko45k]

The passport you exit Cambodia on (say) should have a Cambodian entry stamp... and the passport you then re-enter Thailand on, should have a Cambodian exit stamp.

How do you achieve this?

[thepool]

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The passport you exit Cambodia on (say) should have a Cambodian entry stamp... and the passport you then re-enter Thailand on, should have a Cambodian exit stamp.

How do you achieve this?

By "entering and exiting" Cambodia ?

[jacko45k]

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The passport you exit Cambodia on (say) should have a Cambodian entry stamp... and the passport you then re-enter Thailand on, should have a Cambodian exit stamp.

How do you achieve this?

By "entering and exiting" Cambodia ?

By swapping passports in no-mans land?

I thought he would need to show a Cambodian exit stamp in the same passport he tries to re-enter Thailand on...as I said if you read it.

What methodology are you suggesting?

[thepool]

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The passport you exit Cambodia on (say) should have a Cambodian entry stamp... and the passport you then re-enter Thailand on, should have a Cambodian exit stamp.

How do you achieve this?

By "entering and exiting" Cambodia ?

By swapping passports in no-mans land?

I thought he would need to show a Cambodian exit stamp in the same passport he tries to re-enter Thailand on...as I said if you read it.

What methodology are you suggesting?

Sorry --------- misunderstood what you were seeking to achieve.

Simple answer !

Passports cannot be "swapped" at land borders ! Out and In the same passport must be used. The immigration officers will look for a full set of exit/entry stamps.

[Bakseeda]

Also , over the age of 18yrs it is illegal to have a passport from 2 different countries in Thailand. You must be of one nationality only.

Edited April 15, 2014 by ubonjoe
removed a off topic comment

[thepool]

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Also , over the age of 18yrs it is illegal to have a passport from 2 different countries in Thailand. You must be of one nationality only.

Nothing "illegal"

There are many people with dual nationality who hold two passports.

[ubonjoe]

Also , over the age of 18yrs it is illegal to have a passport from 2 different countries in Thailand. You must be of one nationality only.

That is not true. Thailand has no such law or regulation.

There is a clause in the nationality act that confuses people that states that the age of 20 a person has the right to choose between nationalities. It is not mandatory they make the choice.

[crazyguyinthailand]

You cannot do a passport swap at a border crossing. Using either of you passports will only give you 15 days at a border crossing. If you fly out and back you will always get 30 days using either passport and their is no limit on how many you can do.

You should get a 2 or 3 entry tourist visa before traveling. Each entry would give you a 60 day entry that can be extended by 30 days at immigration.

Thats what I did before I came to Thailand. its great and I got it after 5 days

[slipperylobster]

Better off with at least a double entry visa before you arrive....if you plan to stay. But if you are going to be traveling a bit, do not worry about the visa for now.

I like to travel, and sometimes I hate throwing away a visa that has been hardly used. Had 4 back to back land border arrivals with no warnings. Recently flew to the Philippines. No problem with a another free 30 days on arrival. Now that I flew out, it will be a curiousity for me to see if I can still qualify for a visa in vientiane....with all the hype about abusing the border runs. I am hoping the flight out and a two week stay in PI takes away the doubt about all the consecutive border runs. Will find out on the 25th of this month. I still have one foot in Thailand and on in the Philippines.... it sure is nice having a getaway.

[Konini]

We do this quite often if we go to Malaysia for a border run or holiday, mainly because our last passports only lasted us 4 years before being full, so we juggle them to fill up fairly equally. We exit Thailand on the passport we entered on, say it was our Australian one, change over to enter and exit Malaysia on our UK one passport then into Thailand with the UK one. Once a Malaysian immigration officer asked my husband about there being no stamp from Thailand, he explained and showed the other passport and was then stamped in. Usually they don't ask. When coming from UK or Australia to Thailand, there are no entry or exit stamps from either country and we have never been asked about that, probably because the arrival card says we're coming from there and the immigration officers know there are no stamps from these (and probably other) countries. I once got a glimpse of the screen as we entered overland from Malaysia and under my name there were my two passport numbers for the officer to choose from, so they obviously know we have 2 and the records must be linked on the system.

[thepool]

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We do this quite often if we go to Malaysia for a border run or holiday, mainly because our last passports only lasted us 4 years before being full, so we juggle them to fill up fairly equally. We exit Thailand on the passport we entered on, say it was our Australian one, change over to enter and exit Malaysia on our UK one passport then into Thailand with the UK one. Once a Malaysian immigration officer asked my husband about there being no stamp from Thailand, he explained and showed the other passport and was then stamped in. Usually they don't ask. When coming from UK or Australia to Thailand, there are no entry or exit stamps from either country and we have never been asked about that, probably because the arrival card says we're coming from there and the immigration officers know there are no stamps from these (and probably other) countries. I once got a glimpse of the screen as we entered overland from Malaysia and under my name there were my two passport numbers for the officer to choose from, so they obviously know we have 2 and the records must be linked on the system.

If you have been doing this at a land order you are very lucky !

The immigration officers normally want to see a a full set of entry/exit stamps in one passport at land borders.

[jasonsamui55]

I also have two Schengen zone European passports but also am a Hong Kong resident. I just moved to Thailand and am here on a 60 day tourist visa but travel back to HK or elsewhere quite often, usually at least every 30-60 days anyway. I also plan to spend holidays like a month or so back in Europe around Christmas and 2-3 months back in Europe in the summer. So my schedule would be like this - enter Thailand on passport1 in September, stay til November, go back to Hong Kong (by air, obviously) where they don't stamp residents' passports in or out, stay in HK 3-4 days, return to Thailand on passport2, stay less than 30 days, then go back to Europe for Christmas for 3-4 weeks, then return in January on passport 1 for 30 days or less, then go back to HK for 3-4 days, then enter Thailand on passport 2, stay 30 days or less, repeat once more on passport1 and then go back to HK for 3-4 days and then repeat once more on passport2 and then finally go away to Europe for the summer. So, in a year, passport1 would be in Thailand for 60 days initially, then 2 periods of 30 days in the first half of next year, with gaps of 40+ days between visits on that particular passport, and then passport2 would be in Thailand for 4 visits of 30 days or less, again also with gaps of 40+ days between each. Do you think I could do this pretty much indefinitely?

[jasonsamui55]

We do this quite often if we go to Malaysia for a border run or holiday, mainly because our last passports only lasted us 4 years before being full, so we juggle them to fill up fairly equally. We exit Thailand on the passport we entered on, say it was our Australian one, change over to enter and exit Malaysia on our UK one passport then into Thailand with the UK one. Once a Malaysian immigration officer asked my husband about there being no stamp from Thailand, he explained and showed the other passport and was then stamped in. Usually they don't ask. When coming from UK or Australia to Thailand, there are no entry or exit stamps from either country and we have never been asked about that, probably because the arrival card says we're coming from there and the immigration officers know there are no stamps from these (and probably other) countries. I once got a glimpse of the screen as we entered overland from Malaysia and under my name there were my two passport numbers for the officer to choose from, so they obviously know we have 2 and the records must be linked on the system.

Konini - how did they ever find and link your data of both of your passports? Did you ever hand both of them to them at the same time?

[Chiangmai1]

I have a friend who has USA+UK passports, and usually came here with USA passport, but once used the UK one to enter (air).

They realized he is the same person using USA passport earlier (no idea how, and have not got more details).

Since then he says every time he enters Thailand, his immigration time is considerably longer, because they kinda look through things on the computer. But no problems, just noticeable checking on the officer side with the computer.

[bkkcanuck8]

My sisters swap passports -- but yes they do travel by air and the passports are both of the same country (one diplomatic, one the standard one). It really depends on whether they bother to go the official route and get a visa for the diplomatic passport or just rely on visa waiver entry.

I would be wary on it to skirt the regulations though since I would not be surprised if the system they have installed does basic checks (match name + birth date) since passports expire they might want to do some basic matching on names + birthdates for linking.

I wonder if you could change your name and have different legal names in different countries

Edited October 14, 2014 by bkkcanuck8

[Konini]

We do this quite often if we go to Malaysia for a border run or holiday, mainly because our last passports only lasted us 4 years before being full, so we juggle them to fill up fairly equally. We exit Thailand on the passport we entered on, say it was our Australian one, change over to enter and exit Malaysia on our UK one passport then into Thailand with the UK one. Once a Malaysian immigration officer asked my husband about there being no stamp from Thailand, he explained and showed the other passport and was then stamped in. Usually they don't ask. When coming from UK or Australia to Thailand, there are no entry or exit stamps from either country and we have never been asked about that, probably because the arrival card says we're coming from there and the immigration officers know there are no stamps from these (and probably other) countries. I once got a glimpse of the screen as we entered overland from Malaysia and under my name there were my two passport numbers for the officer to choose from, so they obviously know we have 2 and the records must be linked on the system.

Konini - how did they ever find and link your data of both of your passports? Did you ever hand both of them to them at the same time?

We've never shown both passports apart from once in Malaysia as above. I don't know for certain that they are linked, I'm making an assumption. It is possible that when they put my passport's magnetic strip through the machine it pulls up my name and date of birth and the computer automatically pulls up all other records that are an exact match; this is possible, from time to time we hear about people barred entry from US and Israel in particular because they have an unfortunate combination that matches someone on a list of suspect people. I very clearly remember reading in the local (Australian) newspaper 10 or so years ago of some poor unfortunate who had actually been incarcerated on his arrival at Tel Aviv and remained there with no outside contact allowed for quite some time, three weeks comes to mind, but I couldn't swear to that. He was eventually let out and sent on his way to enjoy the rest of his holiday with only a verbal apology (I think he'd actually missed his return flight to Melbourne and his family had started to make noises, which is how the whole thing came to light, but this was around 10 years ago and I'm doing it from memory. If I haven't got the facts exactly right it wouldn't be far off, I remember being quite shocked at the time and very pleased that while I'm no elite, my name is perhaps not as common as Jane Doe or the local equivalent).

And in reply to the question before your post, which I hadn't noticed previously. I've only ever entered by air apart from 2 border runs to Mae Sai, once by minibus and once when we hired a car, and on both occasions we said never again, make a short holiday of it when necessary. We go to England and Australia once a year each, that only leaves 2 other times that we have to. physically leave the country. Direct flights from Chiang Mai to Malaysia or Singapore are cheap enough, other destinations or competition to existing ones are coming online all the time, so it'll keep us happy for a good while to come.

[bkkcanuck8]

When I was born, I was probably the first person ever named with my first and last name combination (last name limited to maybe 49 families in total - almost all the same genetic line leading back to maybe 1100). I have noticed a second person now with the same first name (about 20 years younger) -- so it would be hard to get lost by getting buried in the same name - even without the birth date

I still regret having my passport with all my middle names on their since it never fits neatly on the immigration cards ....

Edited October 15, 2014 by bkkcanuck8

[Crossy]

The Thai immigration computer system is smart enough to connect passports featuring the same name and date of birth and then display the immigration photos taken at entry / exit.

I have two passports, I normally use only one to enter / exit Thailand but on the occasion I used my alternative the immigration officer said "new passport sir?".

[bkkcanuck8]

I do wonder if there is hidden information on the passport, does it have a reference to retired passports. Would legally changing your name bypass the name + dob search.

[KiwiCool]

I am in the enviable position of being a citizen of 3 different countries and holding passports for 3 different nationalities. I have also been wondering about alternating between them. The technique would be to stay in Thailand for 30 days on 1 of the passports, then exit on the same passport and fly out to one of the other countries which I have citizenship (IE not the one I entered Thailand on.) I would enter  that country on the relevant passport for that country, stay a few days then fly back to Thailand on that country's passport, stay for 30 days then repeat the process, this time flying out to the 3rd country that I hold citizenship for and so forth. By splitting the entries over 3 passports I was wondering if I could stay in Thailand pretty much indefinitely, but it seems that I would be thwarted by the fact that the names, dates of births and photos would be matched up on the computer system. Changing One's name by deed poll and obtaining a passport in the new name from 1 of the countries would presumably get around this, unless the computer system is smart enough to match up based on photos and date of birth only. It would be interesting to try it and see. I'd be very surprised if the computer system was that smart. It is legal to change One's name by deed poll so I can't think of any reason why this would not be allowed.

Edited August 13, 2016 by KiwiCool
Spelling

[gk10002000]

You might be able to do that, but you never know what the immigration folks might do.  All the words I have read of their laws and policies typically refer to "a person" or "a foreigner", and they do not delineate between different passports and nationalities.  Would they notice it?  I have read here where people changed passports but still at some point were noticed again. 

[Cuchulainn]

Just a quickie

 

If you have dual nationality (as I do), is Immigration aware that John Smith (passport country A) is the same person as John Smith (passport country B)?

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, Cuchulainn said:

Just a quickie

 

If you have dual nationality (as I do), is Immigration aware that John Smith (passport country A) is the same person as John Smith (passport country B)?

 

It is a good question, and the answer is that this has never been clear. It is worth mentioning that, even if they cannot link the passports now, it is very possible that they could be able to in the future.