Taking my son to UK on a Thai passport

[ScottFtr]

Just looking at the process of applying for a UK passport for him and wondered what I would need to to to take him on holiday using his Thai passport?

He was born in Thailand.

[theoldgit]

Numerous threads on this.

If you want to travel to the UK on his Thai passport you will need to apply for a visa and all that goes with it, like affordability and reasons to return.

If you get him a UK Passport, then he travels on that, but get a Thai passport as well.

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y/thailand/applying/child/thailand

[ScottFtr]

Me being me I haven't bothered to sort out a UK passport yet and wanted to take him to Uk for Christmas.

I read on this site that if a person is eligible for a UK passport then it is illegal to obtain a VISA for them.

Have I any chance of taking him back this year?

[Jay Sata]

I think you have left it a bit late.

It is highly unlikely you can get him a British passport in the four weeks left before all the government offices wind down.

There is the expensive fast track visa service which I think is around £600.

[steve187]

If you wanted to take him that bad, then you should have applied when you started this thread some 7 weeks ago, the passport would/could have been winging its way to you.

anyway xmas is nice in Thailand

[ScottFtr]

If you wanted to take him that bad, then you should have applied when you started this thread some 7 weeks ago, the passport would/could have been winging its way to you.

anyway xmas is nice in Thailand

I don't want to take him that bad so no loss.

[ScottFtr]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/773527-uk-visa-for-child-entitled-to-uk-citizenship/

[Basil B]

Trying to get my head round when a qualifying child becomes a British citizen and it seems to be a right of birth, so it seems that even if you have not registered the child as British, he is. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-born-outside-the-uk-leaflet-bn4

What Tony says seems very logical that it is not legal to issue a British citizen with a visa, one option could be to enquire if it is possible to get him an "Emergency Travel Document"? as I recall with the problems at the Passport Office earlier this year the was a statement put out that the were going to extend passports for one year and issue ETD's for children without passports.

P.S./[Edit in], you never stated how old you child is, and whether you name is on the birth certificate, point is you being able to establish you are the father and a British citizen other than by descent.

[ScottFtr]

Thanks very much for your reply Basil.

My son is just over 2 years of age and yes my name is on his Thai birth certificate.

I am aware on these ETD, should I enquire at the Brirish embassy in Bangkok about this do you think or the Trendy office?

[7by7]

<snip>

There is the expensive fast track visa service which I think is around £600.

Priority visa service

You can use this service if you are a.....

General or Family Visitor applicant who has travelled in the previous 5 years to the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or to a country in the Schengen Area, (and their accompanying spouse/children under 18). A separate fee is payable for each application.

The fee is £100.

[7by7]

<snip>

I am aware on these ETD, should I enquire at the Brirish embassy in Bangkok about this do you think or the Trendy office?

You apply to the embassy.

See Get an emergency travel document.

But, that says

You can apply for an emergency travel document (sometimes known as an ‘emergency passport’) if you’re a British national outside the UK and your passport has been lost, stolen, damaged or has expired.

no mention of being able to get one instead of a first passport; but I can't see why it would not be possible.

Email

[email protected]

Telephone

+66 (0) 2 305 8333

Fax

+66 (0) 2 255 6051

If it's more convenient, you may be able to apply to the consulate in Chiang Mai

198 Bumrungraj Road

Muang

Chiang Mai 50000

Thailand

Email

[email protected]

Telephone

+66 (0) 2 305 8333

Fax

(+66) (53) 263 016

[Tony M]

I think you have left it a bit late.

It is highly unlikely you can get him a British passport in the four weeks left before all the government offices wind down.

There is the expensive fast track visa service which I think is around £600.

Wrong, as usual. The super priority visa service is not yet available in Thailand, probably until next year but certainly not now.

[NanLaew]

If the UK Embassy says that the kid qualifies for an ETD, then a UK passport application could be done IN THE UK after getting there with the Fast Track (7-day) option being the fastest option available. According to my enquiries with HMPO in UK, the Priority (same-day) service is not available for any sort of childrens passport business.

But my enquires drew a blank on defining the working hours and processing times over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

If the OP says it isn't really a priority and having started this thread last August it probably isn't, maybe better leave the travel until later. But by all means go ahead with the standard application through VFS at Trendy as soon as possible. Otherwise it will suddenly be summer 2015 and the kid 3 years old and still without a UK passport.

[theoldgit]

Two off topic posts, adding nothing whilst simply baiting, removed.

[ScottFtr]

Thanks very much forr the replies.