25yr old Half-Thai interested in Thai ID Card

[kebbertine89]

I was wondering if anyone had useful information or a page to direct me towards that clarifies whether or not there is any possibility of me getting a Thai ID card/passport. I've studied university here and have went abroad for work. I'd like to be able to move freely from the US/Europe/Thailand and have several buddies who claim to have dual citizenships or two passports. What's the process here besides relinquishing my US citizenship?

Thanks in advance.

[MilesofSmiles]

call the embassy

[Mario2008]

The question is if you are Thai or not. If one of your parents was Thai at the time of your birth you are Thai and thus have the right to apply for a Thai ID-card and passport.

Both Thailand and the US allow dual nationality.

How to apply for a Thai passport depends on where you were born: in Thailand or in the US.

[ubonjoe]

You would not have to give up your US citizenship. Thailand allows dual nationality as well as the US.

The first step is to prove the Thai nationality you already have if you have a Thai parent.

You need to get a Thai birth certificate issued by the embassy in DC or one of the 3 official consulates in the US.

With a Thai birth certificate you can get registered in a house book and then get a Thai ID card and passport.

[kebbertine89]

Thank you ubonjoe. I had read previously that there was an age restriction (19 or 20). Is this true?

[paz]

By they way, allow me. Nobody is half something, it is not a nice way to describe a person. One can be both.

[kebbertine89]

Really? Quite proud to be a halfie.

[paz]

Really? Quite proud to be a halfie.

Good for you then. Where I do come from is a term used for animals.

[ubonjoe]

Thank you ubonjoe. I had read previously that there was an age restriction (19 or 20). Is this true?

There is no age restriction for establishing your Thai nationality.

Probably confusion from a section of the nationality act that allows a person to choose between the 2 nationalities at the age of 20 but it is not mandatory. Before the age of 20 it is the parents choice.

[casualbiker]

But be aware that you will be eligible for Thai national service (conscription)

[ubonjoe]

Really? Quite proud to be a halfie.

Good for you then. Where I do come from is a term used for animals.

I think if you called a person a half breed it would be considered derogatory.

I wish I was half of something. There have been efforts to figure out my family tree and they could not figure it out because it is so mixed up.

[ubonjoe]

But be aware that you will be eligible for Thai national service (conscription)

That is a minor consideration. If over the age of 21 the chances of being called up for the draft are small.

[kebbertine89]

ubonjoe, thanks for your help! Confirmed everything on the thaiconsulate website and am downloading the thai birth certificate form right now!

[casualbiker]

But be aware that you will be eligible for Thai national service (conscription)

That is a minor consideration. If over the age of 21 the chances of being called up for the draft are small.

I thought that you had to present yourself. As you were of grid so to speak!

[ubonjoe]

But be aware that you will be eligible for Thai national service (conscription)

That is a minor consideration. If over the age of 21 the chances of being called up for the draft are small.

I thought that you had to present yourself. As you were of grid so to speak!

They call everybody up during their 21st year. if not on the registry at that time the chances of being called up are small.

[kebbertine89]

Would I go to my local immigration office to submit my documents? Or the embassy in Bangkok? I'm in Thailand right now (Chiang Rai).

[bbi1]

By they way, allow me. Nobody is half something, it is not a nice way to describe a person. One can be both.

Tell that to whoever invented the word "luuk kreung" & all the Thai people who use that word.

[Maestro]

For the ID card you go the district office, for the passport to the nearest passport office.

[kebbertine89]

Is there any proof that states that I can have dual citizenship? Looking online further I see no indication that I am legally allowed to have dual citizenship. My mother is Thai and was married to my father who is a US citizen when I was born (I was NOT born in Thailand). I am 25 years old and currently in Thailand with a tourist visa.

[samran]

Is there any proof that states that I can have dual citizenship? Looking online further I see no indication that I am legally allowed to have dual citizenship. My mother is Thai and was married to my father who is a US citizen when I was born (I was NOT born in Thailand). I am 25 years old and currently in Thailand with a tourist visa.

You need evidence of your mothers Thai citizenship and you will need to liase with the Thai embassy in Washington dc to get your Thai birth certificate.

If in Thailand the department of consular affairs at the ministry of foreign affairs at chaeng wattana can help with sending the documentation to DC for issuance.

[ubonjoe]

You can apply for the birth certificate at the consular affairs department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok. Website in Thai: http://www.consular.go.th/main/th/home

If your parents are in the states they can do the application at the embassy for you.

You can find info in the nationality act that confirms you are a Thai national from birth.

Thailand Nationality Act 2508 (1965) amended until 2555 - English - refworld.pdf

If you can get some basic proof that your mother is Thai you can apply for a one year extension of stay at immigration as a returning Thai national. Your US birth certificate and proof of her Thai nationality should be enough. Her proof could be her Thai ID card, passport or birth certificate.

[zeichen]

Good luck OP

You don't do any of this at Immigration. Immigration does not handle any paperwork for Thai citizens. Once you get your Thai ID, you will need to leave Thailand on your US passport and then Re-enter on your freshly minted Thai passport. Thai passports are only good for 5 years, so if you go back to the US for a long time might keep an eye on that.

Some of the confusion about dual nationality and revoking citizenship is out of date. As stated before you can have both. At one point in the US, Immigrants did have to give up their old nationality, when they became US citizens. Years ago (more than 30) Thailand did have issues with children being born abroad. Without the Thai birth certificate, it was hard to get your Thai ID.

As stated above

1. you need documentation that proves one of your parents is Thai. Either their birth certificate, Thai ID, Landbook etc.

2. You need your Thai birth certificate.If not born in Thailand, then you need to contact the Thai embassy in your home country. (as you are filling this out. You are half way there.)

3. As stated above, Foreign affair office in BKK

4. Local Amphur office wherever you reside to get your ID, Passport office is near.

If you don't speak Thai, expect some level of grief from some staff at regional offices. T'hey can be rude at times.

as for the half comments. Really not the point of the thread. But in a sense both are correct. You cannot be Half Thai Half American, they are nationalities, so you are both. The other viewpoint is also correct it is common for biracial/cultural people to say I am half... You are both correct and both have one the award for useless drivel on this thread.

[seedy]

You are both correct and both have one the award for useless drivel on this thread.

+1 555

[asiaexpat]

If your mother is willing to help that will be the most efficient way to get a Thai birth certificate in the USA. Where she applies depends on where she lives. Look at the Consulate page of the Thai Embassy for regional Consulates. Of course she can apply to DC but they are not very fast. She will need to contact the Consulate to be sure what they require. When my kids did this the Chicago Consulate was much easier to deal with than DC. DC Consulate requires a U.S. State Department authentication of your birth certificate. All the information for DC is on their web site. The process takes some patience and can be a little frustrating but keep after it and all will work out. It is a great advantage to have the ID card when in Thailand. Oh, if you do not speak and read Thai take a family someone that does with you when you go to government offices.