Thai passport issued abroad can't be used

[bmwrob]

Hi forum members,

My daughter (11y) holds 1 Swedish passport and 1 Thai. The Thai passport was issued in Hong Kong (were we live) and has never been used. The Swedish passport has all the Hong Kong residents / Visa information.

The problem I that when we fly to Thailand, the immigration refuses my daughter entry using the Thai passport as there is no stamps that she ever left the country. With her Swedish passport she will get permission to stay for 30 days though without any visa.

When leaving Thailand, she can't use her Thai passport traveling to Hong Kong as it doesn't have any Visa!

So basically her Thai passport is useless!

Should it really be like this? What is needs for her to be able to use her Thai passport traveling back and forth to Thailand, but her Swedish passport for all other countries?

BR /// Rob

[steve187]

Use the Thai passport to leave Thailand and use Swedish to enter Hong Kong, happens all the time. then next trip use Thai passport to enter and leave Thailand

[Crossy]

Has this actually happened?

If the immigration chap at BKK airport has a problem, tell him she has never travelled to Thailand before, so she cannot have any departure information.

If you still struggle ask to see a supervisor.

When travelling the other way show airline check-in both passports, but you only need to show immigration the passport she entered on, they are not interested where you are going.

EDIT What you cannot do is enter on one PP and exit on the other.

[ubonjoe]

Just fight it a bit and she will be stamped in on her Thai passport. They cannot deny her entry to Thailand using her Thai passport. Don't make the mistake of them seeing the other passport she has.

[stevenl]

Use the Thai passport to leave Thailand and use Swedish to enter Hong Kong, happens all the time. then next trip use Thai passport to enter and leave Thailand

No need for that, she should be able to enter on her Thai passport already on the first arrival.

[bmwrob]

Yes, it has happen. Three times to be precise.

It's been awhile sine I tried it though (normally 30 days have been enough so we've been using the Swedish pp). I'll try next week again and see if it works with some arguing.

[steve187]

Use the Thai passport to leave Thailand and use Swedish to enter Hong Kong, happens all the time. then next trip use Thai passport to enter and leave Thailand

No need for that, she should be able to enter on her Thai passport already on the first arrival.

should but can not

[stevenl]

Use the Thai passport to leave Thailand and use Swedish to enter Hong Kong, happens all the time. then next trip use Thai passport to enter and leave Thailand

No need for that, she should be able to enter on her Thai passport already on the first arrival.

should but can not

See the answers above.

[samran]

Yes, it has happen. Three times to be precise.

It's been awhile sine I tried it though (normally 30 days have been enough so we've been using the Swedish pp). I'll try next week again and see if it works with some arguing.

I'm an overseas born Thai citizen and they tried it on me years ago when I showed up with an overseas issued Thai passport. I argued.

If it happens to you, don't take no for an answer. Escalate it until she gets stamped in, as is her right.

Alternatively, if they are older than 7 they can use the automatic gates if they have an e-passport.

[koratjohn]

I'm a US Citizen, wife is Thai, kids have both US and Thai passports. The kids were born in Italy, initial Thai passports were issued in Rome Italy at the Thai Embassy and have an Endorsement stamp from the Thai Embassy in Rome stating it was issued there, thus no Thai stamps. The endorsement stamp should explain why the Thai passports were not issued from within Thailand.

For both of the kids, we entered Thailand for the first time using their Thai passports with no questions.

[bmwrob]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

I did previously ask the Thai embassy here in HK if they could write/stamp something in the passport so I can use it when entering Thailand. But they said they don't and that,it also shouldn't be necessary.

She has an e-passport so I will give that a go next time.

[Smokin Joe]

Use the Thai passport to leave Thailand and use Swedish to enter Hong Kong, happens all the time. then next trip use Thai passport to enter and leave Thailand

No. If she enters on her Swedish passport she must also exit on it, not on her Thai passport. Next time she can enter on her Thai passport.

[stevenl]

Use the Thai passport to leave Thailand and use Swedish to enter Hong Kong, happens all the time. then next trip use Thai passport to enter and leave Thailand

No. If she enters on her Swedish passport she must also exit on it, not on her Thai passport. Next time she can enter on her Thai passport.

She can already enter Thailand the first time on her Thai passport.

[Eff1n2ret]

Many Thai Immigration Officers seem to have a problem with the concept of dual nationality and attempt to apply their own interpretation of how they should deal with passengers holding two passports. A Thai lady of our acquaintance had an identical experience to the OP. After living in the UK for nearly 30 years, raising a family there and obtaining British citizenship a long time ago, she visited Thailand for the first time for many years and got a 30-day stamp in her British passport (holding no valid Thai passport). On this visit she bought a house and decided to stay here for longer periods so on her return to UK obtained a new Thai passport from the Thai Embassy in London.

On her next arrival at BKK, she presented both her passports at the desk, and the IO refused to stamp her in as a Thai citizen, it seems on pretty much the same grounds as stated by the OP, and he would only give her a 30-day stamp in her UK passport - a problem, as she was planning to stay 3 or 4 months. My advice to her was that the only remedy lay in going back to the airport and speaking to a senior officer. However, she preferred to go to the local immigration office and seek help there, so off we all trotted to Maptaphut.

The opening gambit from the officer to whom we spoke first was that if our friend wanted to use her Thai passport she would have to renounce her British nationality!! However, after this unpromising start and a bit of head-scratching in the back office, they came up with the most pragmatic suggestion that they would grant her a 1-year Non-Imm 'O' extension as a "Former Thai citizen resuming residence in Thailand" (it's there in the Rules). This suited her fine, albeit at a cost of the1900Baht fee.

Their parting recommendation was that on future arrivals in Thailand she should present only her Thai passport, which is what she has done on subsequent occasions without a problem. For what it's worth I pass on that suggestion to the OP.

[ubonjoe]

It is imperative to never ever show the other passport. Just show the Thai passport.

[laolover88]

My children enter Thailand on their Thai Passports and when they leave they fill in a departure card. They re-enter Thailand on their Thai passports. It is only the airline that has to be sure they have the appropriate visa/passport for them to enter the UK or Thailand. Thai nationals with valid passports ( or even expired ones!!) cannot be refused entry to Thailand. Never show 2 passports.If the children are old enough get them Thai ID cards.

[tonbridgebrit]

"When leaving Thailand, she can't use her Thai passport traveling to Hong Kong as it doesn't have any Visa!"

I don't fully understand. When she exits Thailand, she can show the Thai passport to the Thai government staff at the exit place. Then, when she enters Hong Kong, she shows the Swedish passport at the entrance gate. When at the airport in Bangkok, checking in for the flight to Hong Kong, yes, show the Swedish passport to the airline staff.

And when leaving Hong Kong, show the Swedish passport when exiting Hong Kong.

I say this, because I know a man who has a British passport and Hong Kong ID card (permanent residence). He leaves England and shows the British passport at the exit gate, and shows the Hong Kong ID card when walking through the entrance gate at Hong Kong airport. Hope things will be okay for you, please put up some writing about how you get on.

[bmwrob]

Well we did manage to get into Thailand on her Thai passport. It was a bit of a struggle though. To start with the idea of trying the e-channel went out the window she we started to queue up. A polite immigration officer gave us a fast track direct to the normal counter. Right away the officer said we cant enter with this PP as there are no stamps. After some discussion a superior officer arrived. Very politely though she sorted everything out. She wrote in the PP that my daughter was born abroad (a bit unnecessary IMO as it's already stated on the first info page). So now we have an entry stamp and I hopefully it shouldn't be any issue leaving the country with the Thai PP.

/// Rob

[SpokaneAl]

Well we did manage to get into Thailand on her Thai passport. It was a bit of a struggle though. To start with the idea of trying the e-channel went out the window she we started to queue up. A polite immigration officer gave us a fast track direct to the normal counter. Right away the officer said we cant enter with this PP as there are no stamps. After some discussion a superior officer arrived. Very politely though she sorted everything out. She wrote in the PP that my daughter was born abroad (a bit unnecessary IMO as it's already stated on the first info page). So now we have an entry stamp and I hopefully it shouldn't be any issue leaving the country with the Thai PP.

/// Rob

While we did get my wife's passport in Thailand, she had arrived on a U.S. passport, and as a result had to leave the country on that same passport. And with that process, when we returned six months later she arrived with no stamps in her Thai passport.

As a result the immigration guy did a bunch of whining and tried to imply that since her birthdate in the passport showed no day - only a month and year - he could not let her in. A very nice immigration lady was engaging my wife in conversation while that was going on and finally confronted the other immigration employee. He whined some more and stamped my wife's passport and she was in.

We left the country seven months later with no problems, and returned six months after that with no question or problem.

[samran]

Well we did manage to get into Thailand on her Thai passport. It was a bit of a struggle though. To start with the idea of trying the e-channel went out the window she we started to queue up. A polite immigration officer gave us a fast track direct to the normal counter. Right away the officer said we cant enter with this PP as there are no stamps. After some discussion a superior officer arrived. Very politely though she sorted everything out. She wrote in the PP that my daughter was born abroad (a bit unnecessary IMO as it's already stated on the first info page). So now we have an entry stamp and I hopefully it shouldn't be any issue leaving the country with the Thai PP.

/// Rob

Great to hear. Here on in, use the Thai PP for entry and exits and she will be fine. When it expires and if she is overseas at that time, you can use it in tandem with the replacement to be stamped back in. But these days I only use the automated gates.

[Arkady]

It was in the 2007 constitution (abrogated by the junta) that Thai citizens cannot be denied entry. Article 34 states, "Deportation of a Thai citizen or denying a Thai citizen entry into the Kingdom is prohibited."

I came across a Thai language thread in Pantip Plaza that discussed this problem amongst Thais living abroad who had obtained second nationalities. The conclusion seemed to be to demand their constitutional rights to be allowed entry into the Kingdom as Thai citizens and some said they would take copies of the constitution and the Nationality Act (which contains no specific prohibition against dual nationality) with them in order to educate any surly immigration officers they encountered.

Even though the current interim constitution doesn't cover any of this, I would be willing to bet that the courts would still uphold the right of Thais to enter the Kingdom and reside indefinitely (not just for 30 days). Otherwise what is the use of Thai citizenship? It is funny that IOs suddenly find that they are able to admit Thais on their Thai passports, if some one argues, but not if they don't. Outrageous.

I will be taking a keen interest in the sections about the rights and responsibilities of Thai citizens in the new constitution, whenever we get one.