Using multiple passports for travelling to Thailand

[konisaan]

This trip I will be staying in Thailand for about 10 days.

I normally fly to Thailand from Australia with my AU passport. However, if possible I would like to use my EU passport to enter Thailand this time, for 2 reasons; 1) My AU passport is getting pretty full; 2) I already have a double entry visa (which I want to use for an extended stay later this year) in my AU passport which I am concerned some indifferent immigration officer will activate just because he sees it there.

Is the correct procedure to exit Australia on my AU passport and then present my EU passport for visa on arrival? My EU passport is currently blank, so it won't even have an exit stamp from Australia... I'm wondering if that could raise the eyebrows of some immigration officer who's having a bad day and wants to give someone a hard time?

[oncearugge]

Have you checked the expiry date of the unused visa?

There will be no problem entering with a valid EU passport.

[elviajero]

The advice from other dual nationals is to check in to the flight to Thailand using the EU passport and then exit Aus using the Aus passport.

You should be fine but the IO in Thailand might query the lack of exit stamp, and insist that you enter using the Aus passport. Depends on the IO on the day. Plenty of people have successfully entered the way you plan.

[Mangkorndang]

I have been using a British passport and Australian Passport to enter Thailand alternatively numerous times in the last five years. I produce the British passport at airline check in and then my Australian at Immigration then exit Australia.

On arrival in Thailand I produce my British passport which usually has my multiple entry tourist visa. I travel on the Brotish passport until I return to Australia where I use it to re-enter.

My main reason is I have several years left on the Australian passport but few pages and my British was practically unused.

I have never experience any problem entering Thailand or returning to Australia. Australian Immigration is use to people with dual passport ownership. Thailand Immigration appears only interested in you having a valid travel document with visa if required.

I stand to be corrected but can only say from my own experience.

[Boycie]

I have been using a British passport and Australian Passport to enter Thailand alternatively numerous times in the last five years. I produce the British passport at airline check in and then my Australian at Immigration then exit Australia.

On arrival in Thailand I produce my British passport which usually has my multiple entry tourist visa. I travel on the Brotish passport until I return to Australia where I use it to re-enter.

My main reason is I have several years left on the Australian passport but few pages and my British was practically unused.

I have never experience any problem entering Thailand or returning to Australia. Australian Immigration is use to people with dual passport ownership. Thailand Immigration appears only interested in you having a valid travel document with visa if required.

I stand to be corrected but can only say from my own experience.

I thought that the ME tourist visas were a new idea starting in November 2015?

[ubonjoe]

No problem with doing the passport swap. But the problem may be using your visa. Check the enter before date on it.

If it was issued in Oz it probably is 3 months from the date of issue. You must use the 2nd entry before the enter before date.

[glaswegian]

weill i would recommend you should use only one passport while entering Thailand, the situation over here due to whit happened at eriwan shrine lest month is verra critical, thai authorities may think thit yer one of those belonging tee terrorist group they are efter,

i went through this exp a couple o yirs ago when in bkk, and it took me a day tae get maself thro to them!

(i have a dual citizienship too)

slainte!

[LukKrueng]

No exit stamp in the EU passport should be no problem as EU passports don't get stamps when entering/exciting the EU

[kovaltech]

No exit stamp in the EU passport should be no problem as EU passports don't get stamps when entering/exciting the EU

Correct,

OP, be aware in your planning, the only thing what counts is, the passport you enter the kingdom of Thailand.

Once in Thailand, you can not swap that, unless you leave the country and re-enter with the other passport.

Once entering the country with 1 passport, you are considered to have chosen that nationality for the time you stay in Thailand.

All laws , benefits or obligations with that choice are applicable at that point.

Including the choice of embassy to be contacted in case of emergency... only the embassy , from the country of your passport at entrance, will be your legal representative.

Alway leave the country with the same passport as you entered. There is never a problem with air transports, might be question at land border crossings to show passport with exit stamp.

[Nemesis7]

A lot of people does it all the time. No problem at all

[elviajero]

No exit stamp in the EU passport should be no problem as EU passports don't get stamps when entering/exciting the EU

He is flying from Australia and would be expected to have an exit stamp.

[IMA_FARANG]

As Ubonjoe aid just be sure your double entry tourist visa is valid at our "must enter before" date when you attempt your 2nd entry or if it is past date you won't be allowed to use that 2nd entry.

Also. whatever passport you do use to enter Thailand , you will need to exit from Thailand on that same passport, because the entry stamp and the exit stamp from Thailand must match.

[Sayonarax]

This trip I will be staying in Thailand for about 10 days.

I normally fly to Thailand from Australia with my AU passport. However, if possible I would like to use my EU passport to enter Thailand this time, for 2 reasons; 1) My AU passport is getting pretty full; 2) I already have a double entry visa (which I want to use for an extended stay later this year) in my AU passport which I am concerned some indifferent immigration officer will activate just because he sees it there.

Is the correct procedure to exit Australia on my AU passport and then present my EU passport for visa on arrival? My EU passport is currently blank, so it won't even have an exit stamp from Australia... I'm wondering if that could raise the eyebrows of some immigration officer who's having a bad day and wants to give someone a hard time?

do dgey immigrants Edited September 23, 2015 by Sayonarax

[Sayonarax]

No exit stamp in the EU passport should be no problem as EU passports don't get stamps when entering/exciting the EU

He is flying from Australia and would be expected to have an exit stamp.

Australia has no need to stamp out citizens. Zero Aussies stamps in my passport.

[gandalf12]

Have you checked the expiry date of the unused visa?

There will be no problem entering with a valid EU passport.

There could be a problem. A friend of mine is Thai but is a naturalised Australian. He tried leaving Oz on his Australian passport and entering on his Thai ppassport. Immigration gave him a real hard time as the Thai passport did not have the exit stamp from Australia

[Suradit69]

I have been using a British passport and Australian Passport to enter Thailand alternatively numerous times in the last five years. I produce the British passport at airline check in and then my Australian at Immigration then exit Australia.

On arrival in Thailand I produce my British passport which usually has my multiple entry tourist visa. I travel on the Brotish passport until I return to Australia where I use it to re-enter.

My main reason is I have several years left on the Australian passport but few pages and my British was practically unused.

I have never experience any problem entering Thailand or returning to Australia. Australian Immigration is use to people with dual passport ownership. Thailand Immigration appears only interested in you having a valid travel document with visa if required.

I stand to be corrected but can only say from my own experience.

I thought that the ME tourist visas were a new idea starting in November 2015?

He probably means a two or three entry tourist visa. Some people assume that if you are allowed more than one entry on a visa that it's called a multi-entry visa, which it is not.

A multi entry visa means the holder can exit and re-enter as often as he likes during the validity of the visa, which would not be true for a two or three entry tourist visa ... at least not without some clever use of a re-entry permit.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Suradit69

[chilli42]

They don't care about what stamps you have or don't have from other countries. Just enter and exit on the same passport.

[elviajero]

No exit stamp in the EU passport should be no problem as EU passports don't get stamps when entering/exciting the EU

He is flying from Australia and would be expected to have an exit stamp.

Australia has no need to stamp out citizens. Zero Aussies stamps in my passport.

He is flying from AUS and plans to enter Thailand using his EU passport. Therefore, a Thai IO considers that he is an EU citizen traveling from Australia, not an Australian, and should have an exit stamp in his EU passport.

As I have already said it shouldn't be a problem. But some IO's in Thailand, especially at land borders, insist that the person enters with the passport they used to exit the last country.

[SaintLouisBlues]

The advice from other dual nationals is to check in to the flight to Thailand using the EU passport and then exit Aus using the Aus passport.

You should be fine but the IO in Thailand might query the lack of exit stamp, and insist that you enter using the Aus passport. Depends on the IO on the day. Plenty of people have successfully entered the way you plan.

Australia does not stamp the passport of its nationals as they exit Australia, nor when they arrive. It's only some aliens whose passports get stamped. These days of e-visas there won't even be an Australian visa visible in an EU national's passport

Edited September 23, 2015 by SaintLouisBlues

[Psychic]

In a similar vein,if I have a single re-entry stamp on my marriage extension, could I leave Thailand on that passport, return briefly and exit again on a different passport using a 30day visa exempt status and the re-enter using the single re-entry permit on the original passport?

[oncearugge]

In a similar vein,if I have a single re-entry stamp on my marriage extension, could I leave Thailand on that passport, return briefly and exit again on a different passport using a 30day visa exempt status and the re-enter using the single re-entry permit on the original passport?

Theoretically yes but why would you want to do that?

[konisaan]

The advice from other dual nationals is to check in to the flight to Thailand using the EU passport and then exit Aus using the Aus passport.

Thats interesting. What difference would it make? I suppose doing it that way, the flight would have to be booked with the EU passport as well.

[Jaggg88]

My Thai wife has been exiting the UK with her UK passport and entering Thailand with her Thai passport for 10 yrs plus and has never had an issue. In fact she couldn't find her Thai passport one year and entered on her UK passport but the IO asked her why she didn't use a Thai passport as its easier. Advance passenger info for the flight booking is always the UK passport info.

She has also entered Thailand with an expired Thai passport without problems. The airline (Emirates) queried the expired Thai passport at check in (its produced to prove you don't require a visa for a 6 week stay) but came back and said it was OK.

However if EU citizens are stamped in and out of OZ then a sharp eyed IO may notice you traveled from OZ and query this. I traveled last year with a brand new blank passport from the UK but the landing card info said I traveled from Dubai (where I transited) - 30 day exempt issued without a blink.