Dual national, leave Thailand at Laos border and return.

[Ken]

My friend's Thai wife is a dual national with USA and Thai passport. She recently returned from an overseas trip and mistakenly entered Thailand using her USA passport instead of her Thai passport. To sort this out she wants to go to Nong Khai and exit Thailand with her USA passport. Then she wants to do a quick turn around without actually going thru Laos immigration, and immediately return to Thailand on her Thai passport. Will she be allowed to do this?

[Mario2008]

Best is if she asked on forehand and explains her situation. But it will probably not allowed. Normally it is best to leave and re-enter by air to change passports.

She can leave Thailand on her US passport, enter Laos on her YS passport, leave Laos on her US-passport and next enter Thailand on her Thai passport and stand her ground. A Thai naitonal can simply not be denied entry into Thailand.

She can easily get a 1 year extension of stay from immirgation upon showing her Thai passport or ID-card if she wants to wait till next time she leaves.

[ubonjoe]

it is not normally possible to do it because immigration at both sides of the bridge check for departure stamps for the other country. They will not allow you to enter on a passport that does not have a departure stamp fo the other country.

Since she is Thai she could try doing it but before going through Thai immigration talk to them to see if they will let her enter on her Thai passport without a Lao departure stamp in it.

[kdrayong]

Just recently I met a guy, travelling with two passports. He reported how he switches passports.

1. Always leave a country using the same passport that you used for entering the country.
   
2. Book the flight with the passport, you intend to use for the next country. The airline might have questions. But they are only interested, that you will be eligible to enter your destination country by this passport. So tell them frankly about two citizenships.
   
3. The immigration at your destination might compare your ID with the passenger lists.That is why your flight needs to be booked with the same passport, you intend to use at your destination.
   
4. Crossing a land border to switch passports is not possible, because the immigration usually will check the departure stamp.When arriving by airplane, your departure for the first flight leg could be from a country, that doesn't issue departure stamps.

This story is not related to a Thai passport. However it seems to make sense.
Many countries don't allow two citizenships. Does Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

Thailand does not have a law against dual nationality.

[Tomtomtom69]

Best is if she asked on forehand and explains her situation. But it will probably not allowed. Normally it is best to leave and re-enter by air to change passports.

She can leave Thailand on her US passport, enter Laos on her YS passport, leave Laos on her US-passport and next enter Thailand on her Thai passport and stand her ground. A Thai naitonal can simply not be denied entry into Thailand.

She can easily get a 1 year extension of stay from immirgation upon showing her Thai passport or ID-card if she wants to wait till next time she leaves.

If leaving by air she should use her Thai passport for all ASEAN travel as a US passport holder would be required to purchase a visa-on-arrival for Laos, but a Thai passport holder would not.

Therefore, the last time the US passport should be used would be to exit Thailand but at the check-in counter for her flight either passport could be shown as it doesn't make a difference - I have done this many times and presented a different passport at the destination provided that destination has the same entry requirements (for Laos and Cambodia it usually does). At Thai immigration, only the US passport should be shown, then only the Thai passport in Laos and of course upon return to Thailand.

Easy peasy. But I still don't understand why Thai immigration allows Thai nationals to enter on foreign passports. Some countries, including Australia and the USA don't allow this - you must only enter and exit on your home passport not your foreign one.

[Tomtomtom69]

Just recently I met a guy, travelling with two passports. He reported how he switches passports.

1. Always leave a country using the same passport that you used for entering the country.

2. Book the flight with the passport, you intend to use for the next country. The airline might have questions. But they are only interested, that you will be eligible to enter your destination country by this passport. So tell them frankly about two citizenships.

3. The immigration at your destination might compare your ID with the passenger lists.That is why your flight needs to be booked with the same passport, you intend to use at your destination.

4. Crossing a land border to switch passports is not possible, because the immigration usually will check the departure stamp.When arriving by airplane, your departure for the first flight leg could be from a country, that doesn't issue departure stamps.

This story is not related to a Thai passport. However it seems to make sense.

Many countries don't allow two citizenships. Does Thailand?

That guy was right on some counts and wrong on some counts and I'll explain why below. I have 3 passports by the way:

1. Yes - this is a must.

2. Wrong. I don't know any airline that requires passport information at the time of booking UNLESS you are heading for Australia, the USA and a few other destinations that require this information. Typically such destinations also require a visa so in addition to a passport a valid visa must be held and sometimes visa info must be entered too. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. If you are traveling to Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam etc. there is simply no such requirement. Some of these countries issue visas-on-arrival or allow visa exempt entries. In such case, present any passport at the check-in counter. Even if you change the passport upon arrival it won't matter. I have done this many times. Note that the only time you must present a specific passport is if 1. you are a national of that country or 2. you require a visa for that country and the visa is in one of your passports e.g. your American passport or 3. the passport you are presenting doesn't require an onward or return ticket for your destination whereas another one might e.g. presenting a New Zealand passport is best for entry to Australia not a British passport (which requires a return or onward ticket and an electronic visa).

3. Unless you have multiple identities, your names will be the same on ALL your passports. I have seen passenger manifests and they don't usually show a nationality next to them, only passenger names. So that's a non-issue. However, quite obviously you must follow point #2 - which is if you require a visa, onward ticket, funds to be presented on arrival etc. use the passport that actually contains the visa and/or the one that allows the most simplified entry procedures into the destination country. If there is no difference then it doesn't matter.

4. This is true especially in developing countries and in this part of the world. Sometimes pleading with officials will get you through when making a passport switch at a land border, but it's best not to try it as I have asked about it and said they won't allow it (I asked both Thai and Lao officials at the Thai/Lao border crossing). However, some countries don't care about stamps from the neighboring country. For example, it has been reported quite often that expats/tourists etc. based in China, especially Yunnan that need to do visa runs cross over to Laos and DON'T go through Lao passport control and are thus able to return to China with no Lao stamps just a few minutes later. They are stamped back in and there is no problem. Therefore, presumably a passport switch could be made there (although only if you don't require a visa for the neighboring country or are already in possession of one if it is required), but obviously trying to re-enter China with a visa-less passport wouldn't work...the idea is that China doesn't care about Lao or other foreign stamps (indeed nowadays Hong Kong no longer stamps passports so no matter what you do at the Hong Kong/mainland China border, there won't be any evidence of Hong Kong entry/exit in your passport) so it would be better to switch a passport there for Laos entry if heading INTO Laos only and not returning to China overland. It's unclear how Laos would view passport switching at the China/Laos border crossings (there are now 2 international crossings since Dec 2013) but at the Thai/Lao, Lao/Cambodian and Lao/Vietnamese crossings as well as all the Thai/foreign country crossings it's best to stick to the same passport.

[kovaltech]

1: Stamp out the US pasport in Nong Khai

2: Stamp in the Thai pasport going in to Laos

If they ask, make a surprised face ???? worst case scenario they send you back with your Thai passport to Thailand....

Never admit that you made a deliberated switch at point 2

3: if 2 went well, then go shopping in Laos for the cheap wine ;-)

4 : Return on Thai pasport to Thailand...

If they ask, make a surprised face ???? and ask them what is the problem...

5: next trip don't use US pasport to enter Thailand to avoid the same problems

[Ken]

Thanks for the replies folks. As it turned out she has already gone to Nong Khai and somehow managed to exit Thailand on the US passport (with no discussion with any immigration official with what she wanted to do) and then "turn around" without stamping in to Laos and re-enter Thailand on her Thai passport. Apparently no questions asked, so don't know if they just didn't notice or didn't care or what. I'm thinking she was just lucky and I'll make an assumption that the action won't cause any future problem.

[kovaltech]

Thanks for the replies folks. As it turned out she has already gone to Nong Khai and somehow managed to exit Thailand on the US passport (with no discussion with any immigration official with what she wanted to do) and then "turn around" without stamping in to Laos and re-enter Thailand on her Thai passport. Apparently no questions asked, so don't know if they just didn't notice or didn't care or what. I'm thinking she was just lucky and I'll make an assumption that the action won't cause any future problem.

The Thai style ... don't talk, just do it...

[HasipHasip5]

About three years ago, I claimed my Thai citizenship (US citizen as well). As I was currently on my US passport, i was in the same situation as your wife. I also went out through Nong Khai. I received my exit stamp on my US passport, turned around and went to the bathroom (located just to the left of the immigration booths). When I came out, I went through a different line and got the exit stamp for my Thai passport I crossed into Laos and got entry stamp and then went back to Thailand. No problems. They really don't pay that much attention to what is going on. Hope this helps.

[Tomtomtom69]

About three years ago, I claimed my Thai citizenship (US citizen as well). As I was currently on my US passport, i was in the same situation as your wife. I also went out through Nong Khai. I received my exit stamp on my US passport, turned around and went to the bathroom (located just to the left of the immigration booths). When I came out, I went through a different line and got the exit stamp for my Thai passport I crossed into Laos and got entry stamp and then went back to Thailand. No problems. They really don't pay that much attention to what is going on. Hope this helps.

Despite being Thai, they may still want to see Lao entry/exit stamps, especially at that border. The fact that they didn't probably indicates that they didn't pay attention but for future reference, never enter Thailand on a foreign passport if you're Thai. If for some reason you do make that mistake, flying in/out is the preferred way to go, not going overland.