Thai Mother = Thai passport...kinda

[izzybella]

I'm having an absolute night mare of a time trying to get my Thai citizenship. Here's a summary:

(1) I have a British father and a Thai mother.
(2) I was born outside of Thailand (in the UK)
(3) My birth was legitimated (married when I was 2, divorced by 8)
(4) However I am no longer in contact with either parent

Due to Thai Embassy in London's strict guidelines, I have to take my mother with me to the Embassy. Problems:

(1) My mother is in Thailand somewhere - I have no idea where and have no way of contacting her (not that I would want to)

(2) I haven't spoken to her since I was 14 (so, 10 years ago) and asking for a favour after the last thing I said to her is probably not going to go down well

(3) I am under the impression she may have gotten herself in trouble (not surprised) and is now in Thai prison (and people wonder if I miss having a mother)

I'm talking to a Thai-English law firm about it but they seem no help.

Has anyone got any idea how I can achieve claiming my Thai citizenship without my mother's (or father's, for that matter) presence?

[Maestro]

Do you have your birth certificate?

What documents or copies of documents regarding your mother's Thai nationality do you have in your possession?

[izzybella]

I have my birth certificate that clearly states she's Thai.

I don't have their marriage or divorce certs but I could probably get in contact with my father (joy) and get them.

I also legally changed my name by deed poll (to get away from my family - ironically) in 2012, but I have full documentation of that and my passports (etc) should be linked to my birth name.

I doubt I'd be able to get hold of her passport/ID card. I'm a little annoyed and flummoxed because my older half-brother (bother from another mister) just told me he was registered at the Thai Embassy in London as is my younger half-brother (from yet another mister - are you starting to get an idea about my mother?) yet when I asked my father years ago, he said he didn't think I was.

[izzybella]

and of course the Embassy won't tell me anything useful, no matter how many emails and phone calls. Then the lawyer I asked to pursue it just parroted what's on the website.

[ubonjoe]

The embassy website is written with the assumption that the birth registration would be done while the child was an infant.

In order to get any useful (maybe) information form the embassy it may require a trip there to get it.

You will certainly need to get more documents to prove your mothers Thai nationality.

If your brother has Thai nationality it might be possible to get yours by doing a DNA test to prove you are related.

[Mario2008]

An application can be done in Thailand itself, through the department of Consular Affairs. They certify all documents and send it to the embassy in London for processing.

As your mother is Thai, the legitimization is not an issue. (who the mother is cannot be questioned, only who the father is).

The easy way is getting the documents you need from your mother, maybe you have grandparents in Thailand who can help? if not DNA testing and family to vouch for you is normally what is done in Thailand itself. Don't know what they do in such cases at the embassy..

[samran]

There was a member now banned called 'greenwanderer' who went through the DNA process and documented it here. If you google him he also has a website of sorts.

Believe his mother has passed on so had to rely on Thai relatives to provide DNA to prove the link.

[izzybella]

Thank you very much. I wondered what the process would be for adopted/orphaned children - not that I equate but I assume I could use it to my advantage.

Both my grandparents are dead. My mother was one of 7 but 3 are deceased and I wouldn't know how to get in touch with the others.

I'm really unsure as to why my half brothers (older and younger) would both be registered yet I wouldn't. As far as I can recall, neither have had a Thai passport. In fact, my younger brother had a huge fine against him for overstaying his visa when my mother ran off with him to Thailand for 18 months whilst he was a toddler - something doesn't quite compute with me - so I doubt they were ever registered.

I also have an even older half-brother in Thailand who was born and lives there. I don't even know his full name as I only met him twice as a child and my mother rarely spoke of him.

I'm currently an expat in the UAE but I plan to visit London next month, where I'll be making in-person enquiries. I'll let you all know my outcome. Hopefully I was registered as an infant and they can dig up my Thai ID in my old name.

Thanks for all your time.

[ToddinChonburi]

Good luck !!!! Hope everything works out

[RTH10260]

/** offtopic **/

/* snip */

In fact, my younger brother had a huge fine against him for overstaying his visa when my mother ran off with him to Thailand for 18 months whilst he was a toddler - something doesn't quite compute with me - so I doubt they were ever registered.

As just discussed in a different thread kids below the age of 15 cannot be fined. I believe this is now just a nice story within your family.

What likely happened was that the mother didn't care about the visa formalities for the toddler, and at the time got into trouble with immigration authorities.

Apart from this and that I deduct from your quote that the events happend some two decades ago, the toddler was listed in mothers passport. So Thai authorities will likely not have any separate register entry for him. Considering that at the time all paperwork was on stacks of real paper, they will have discarded most by now. I cannot believe even the most ardent bureaucrat will have spent any time to transfer such old historical matter into the fairly fresh computerized systems.

Tell your relatives to feel free to travel with their current time passports to Thailand.

/** offtopicend **/