Adoption

[pipchatel]

Hello can anyone help. I have been in thailand now 4 yrs. We have been married 3 yrs. My Thai wife has twin daughters. I want to adopt them, thus take our family name. Can anyone advise where to begin? thanks pip

[Richard Hall]

Hello can anyone help. I have been in thailand now 4 yrs. We have been married 3 yrs. My Thai wife has twin daughters. I want to adopt them, thus take our family name. Can anyone advise where to begin? thanks pip

Actually I was pretty much in the same situation as you and approached the subject about 2 years ago. I remembered that the Department of Public Welfare was in charge to get you the proper information and paperwork.

The officier was very cooperative and friendly but on the other hand had to absolutely assure that an adoption is of sole benefit and to the best of the child/children. The requiremens are immense. Most importantly you must be financially secure and able to show that you can actually can take care of the family. Besides non immigrant visa and work permit you require a regular income, and ideally in addition should possess assests of any form (property, shares, retirement fund rights or whatever).

First step is to adopt the child/children as per Thai law and second to get the adoption recognized by your own country because by the adoption the child/children will automatically require the same rights like blood children of yours. Therefore the Thai Department of Public Welfare also requires imput by your embassy such as if an adoption materializes the adopted child/children will be granted visas for your home county. Reason for this is to prevent problems for example when the Thai mother dies and you want/have to return to your home country. No need to mention that the unability to take the children with you will cause an extreme problematic situation. The subject is extreme complex and hence very hard to accomplish so be ready to cope with heaps of obstacles and headaches.

When searching for a suitable link on this subject I came across the following

http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/population/c...s/Thailand.html

and have attached the most important parts of it to this message.

Wish you lots of luck to succeed. You are going to need a lot of persistence to get this project accomplished.

Richard

Info as found on the internet.

GENERAL: All adoptions in Thailand are managed by the

Department of Public Welfare and the first step in the process

is direct communication with that office. For complete

information and appropriate application forms, inquirers should

write to: Child Adoption Center, Department of Public Welfare,

Rajvithee Road, (Rajvithee Home for Girls), Bangkok 10400,

Thailand. At the same time, inquirers should contact the

international organization licensed to arrange intercountry

adoptions of children in Thailand at the following addresses:

Holt Sahathai Foundation, 20 Sukhumvit Soi 2, Prakanong,

Bangkok 10110, Thailand, mailing address: Holt Sahathai

Foundation, P.O. Box Na Na 1478, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.

AVAILABILITY OF CHILDREN FOR ADOPTION: You should be aware

that adoption in Thailand is a difficult and time-consuming

process, and that success cannot be guaranteed. Recent

statistics show that only about one of every six applications

for intercountry adoption is eventually approved by Thai

authorities.

DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS: After you obtain and complete an

application for adoption, you must submit the following

documents to the Department of Public Welfare:

1. Medical Certificate verifying good health for you and

your spouse;

2. Birth Certificate for you and your spouse;

3. Marriage Certificate;

4. Proof of termination of any previous marriage (death

certificate of spouse; decree of divorce or annulment);

5. Complete financial statement indicating all assets and

liabilities (prepared by a CPA, if possible);

6. Recommendations from two responsible persons;

7. Confirmation from competent authority or relevant

authority that after the adoption is finalized under Thai

law it will also be legalized under the concerned law of

the applicant's country;

8. Up-to-date license of the involved adoption agency;

9. Statement from the relevant state government Social

Welfare Department authorizing your adoption agency to

handle inter-country adoption with the Thai Department of

Public Welfare;

10. Photographs of yourself and your spouse (4 each), 4.5

cm. x 6 cm.

PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS: (a) If you live in Thailand, the

required documents must be submitted directly to the Thai

Department of Public Welfare. If you live in the United

States, the documents must be submitted by a licensed adoption

agency or child welfare organization authorized to assist in

intercountry adoptions; ( a licensed adoption agency or child

welfare organization in the United States must confirm that you

are suitable person to adopt a child; © such an agency or

organization must complete a formal home study if you live in

the United States, and forward it to the Thai Department of

Public Welfare.

TIME REQUIREMENTS: It is not possible to say exactly how long

it takes to complete an intercountry adoption of a child in

Thailand because it depends upon the exact status of the child

to be adopted, the identity, location, and desires of the

natural parents, and a variety of interdeterminable

bureaucratic variables. The most rapid adoption of which the

American Embassy is aware took one year. Occasionally, an

adoption has required approximately 12-18 months.

[thaihome]

I am just starting this process, adopting my wife’s daughter. I am not real clear on what is involved, but understand we must get some approval at the provincial level and then register at the Public Welfare in Bangkok.

We have retained a lawyer at the provincial capital and we are scheduled to appear in court next month. No mention of Non-Imm visa, work permit, or financial statements. We live outside Thailand (but not in the US), so couldn’t show a visa or work permit anyway. Financial statements would not be problem.

We shall see how it goes

I have also investigated the steps to getting the daughter US citizenship. The biggest obstacle for me is there is an interview required that, apparently must take place in the US.

I don’t thing the article quoted is applicable to the situation in this thread, since it is dealing with intercountry adoptions of orphans and not stepchildren.

TH

[pipchatel]

I thank you both very much for your usefull replies. Yes I always knew it would be a 'long haul' and as with all things Thai, masses of paper work. But we will go for it. I think we can provide all the requirments. I have no intention of ever living in the U K again, but as you say could well need visas for them to vist my family, and maybe some school for their English. They are lovely daughters and will look after me very well I think, so i must do it for them. I was interested to read somewhere on the Forum, that you cannot with two "Kingdom" countries, have dual nationality, as you can only give your alience to one King/Queen! but I think that after the adoption happens, I think they must remain Thai, as Ive already said its my wish to stay here. Again so many thanks and will let you know what I learn!!!!

Pip in Lampang

[Maverick]

I thank you both very much for your usefull replies. Yes I always knew it would be a 'long haul' and as with all things Thai, masses of paper work. But we will go for it. I think we can provide all the requirments. I have no intention of ever living in the U K again, but as you say could well need visas for them to vist my family, and maybe some school for their English. They are lovely daughters and will look after me very well I think, so i must do it for them. I was interested to read somewhere on the Forum, that you cannot with two "Kingdom" countries, have dual nationality, as you can only give your alience to one King/Queen! but I think that after the adoption happens, I think they must remain Thai, as Ive already said its my wish to stay here. Again so many thanks and will let you know what I learn!!!!

Pip in Lampang

ON the subject of dual nationality I understand that up till the age of 18 the child can have dual nationalities but at age 18 has to choose. This was bar room advice and may (probably) is wrong.

[thaihome]

Dual citizenship has been discussed several times, and the consenus seems to be that a Thai is allowed dual citizenship. I think there are several regulars here that hold dual passports.

TH

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Dual citizenship has been discussed several times, and the consenus seems to be that a Thai is allowed dual citizenship. I think there are several regulars here that hold dual passports.

TH

It can be done,. Duality of nationality is accepted by both countries. Pip should contact the British Embassy and follow their instructions in tandem with the Thai rules