Is dual citizenship in Thailand allowed ?

[Muggi1968]

Hi

Next year I will apply for Thai Citizenship but.

At a party here I meet a Thai man who is married to an American Woman...

She tried to get Thai citizen ship but when it was granted she decided not to have it anyway.

The police told her that Thailand would not allow people to have 2 passports, so she had to give up her US citizenship, which she did not want.

He and I had not been drinking much

Have anybody ever heard something like this ?

(Maybe she got denied and just did not want to lose face)

[ubonjoe]

Having dual nationalities are allowed. There is no requirement to give up your other nationality when getting Thai citizenship.

[Muggi1968]

I ask because I had a meeting with an officer from Royal Thai police to check if I was qualified.

He told me, that if I get the citizen ship, I had to go to my own embassy and change my citizenship.

(I guess it could also mean that I have to report the new dual citizen ship to my embassy myself :-)

Thanx

[ubonjoe]

I think you will find that most police and even immigration officers are really not that aware of what the nationality act says.

There are many people that have Thai and another nationality..

[lopburi3]

Yes that is about it - and some countries do have laws preventing dual citizenship.

Having dual nationality is not allowed by any Thai law AFAIK - but there is no law preventing it so many people do have. The same as in USA - dual nationality is not allowed by any laws but there is nothing to prevent so in effect it is allowed.

[hgma]

Some countries DO have a law of preventing dual Nationalities, and in some cases when taking up another nationality the excisting nationality will be revoked.

Nationality act 2003 Netherlands have a number of excemptions but overall?

Dual nationality in The Netherlands means giving up your Dutch citizens ship except excemptions.

Laos is considered VERY strict and NO way under ANY circumstances will a dual nationality be allowed by Law (nationality act 2004)

Maybe the informal contacts this gentleman is referring on talks about these cases?

[dbrenn]

I ask because I had a meeting with an officer from Royal Thai police to check if I was qualified.

He told me, that if I get the citizen ship, I had to go to my own embassy and change my citizenship.

(I guess it could also mean that I have to report the new dual citizen ship to my embassy myself :-)

Thanx

Assuming you are from a country that allows dual nationality.

All you have to do is get a letter from your embassy stating your intention to renounce your original citizenship once you get Thai citizenship.

There is, however, no enforcement. You can change your mind later and decide to keep both citizenships after Thai citizenship is granted.

[DavisH]

I'm aware that Thais can have dual citizenship, but does it work the other way around? A foreigner taking up Thai citizenship? That seems to be the issue here. Perhaps it works both ways.

[ubonjoe]

I'm aware that Thais can have dual citizenship, but does it work the other way around? A foreigner taking up Thai citizenship? That seems to be the issue here. Perhaps it works both ways.

It is the same both ways.

[IMA_FARANG]

There have been a number of posts on this forum in the past by dual Thai and U.S. citizens. holding both countries passports.

As far as I know there is no law requiring a person to give up his or her citizenship in the U.S. or Thailand.

I am aware that other countries do require a person to give up his or her citizenship.

But as far as I know there is no U.S. or Thai law actually requiring them to give up their citizenship to take up the other countries citizenship as a dual citizen.

However, I am not a lawyer so I am not 100% sure of the law.

[mngmn]

Researching the legal code in Thailand is pretty much a waste of time. The "law" here is what ever the person at the point of contact thinks it ought to be.

The police officer you spoke to probably "thinks" that Thailand ought to prohibit dual nationally so as a law enforcement officer he states it as the "law".

If you follow these forums for long enough you will learn that embassy officials, immigration officers, labor department officials all apply what they think should be the correct law, irrespective of what the statute book says.

Just count yourself lucky that you have options unlike the many Thai nationals whose lives can be ruined by an arbitrary application of a "law".

[questionsreplies]

Sorry off topic but i wonder how it can be forbidden in china ?

How do they find out ?

Thanks.

[Tomtomtom69]

I'm aware that Thais can have dual citizenship, but does it work the other way around? A foreigner taking up Thai citizenship? That seems to be the issue here. Perhaps it works both ways.

It is the same both ways.

I would say if there were ever an issue, the Thai authorities would rather have natural born Thais pledge allegience to their home country and strip their Thai nationality upon acquiring a foreign one, than the opposite.

However, it doesn't seem to be enforced in either case. I can't imagine the Thai authorities being stricter with naturalized citizens than their own natural born citizens though.

[stevenl]

Some countries DO have a law of preventing dual Nationalities, and in some cases when taking up another nationality the excisting nationality will be revoked.

Nationality act 2003 Netherlands have a number of excemptions but overall?

Dual nationality in The Netherlands means giving up your Dutch citizens ship except excemptions.

Laos is considered VERY strict and NO way under ANY circumstances will a dual nationality be allowed by Law (nationality act 2004)

Maybe the informal contacts this gentleman is referring on talks about these cases?

Dual nationality Netherlands-Thailand is no problem at all.

Please do not confuse the issue here.

[Pungdo]

When my daughter was born, a Thai solicitor I was dealing with told me that she could indeed hold dual citizenship, but when she turned 21 she would have to make the decesion what nationality she wanted to be.

However I know a few guys here whose kids hold dual citizenship that are older than 21 and they have all said that their kids have never been forced or even asked to make that decision.

[Honkie]

As some members have stated , it all depends on the officer handling the case , My daughters hold both Thai and British citizenships and for obvious reasons when travelling ,they enter other countries with their British passports but return with their Thai passports, most of the times with no problems until we come across some supervisors who thought they KNOW the law and warn us that my daughters have to choose when they become 21.

[dominique355]

When my kids were born, we lived outside Thailand and they immediately got this foreign (my) citizenship and passport.

Later when we moved to Thailand, we applied for a Thai passport for them, which was quite complicated but in the end worked out fine.

No questions asked, ever.

[Arkady]

The Nationality Act neither expressly supports nor prohibits dual citizenship but the Interior Ministry and Immigration tend to take the view that it is undesirable. However, there are provisions in the law that allow for revocation of Thai citizenship in the cases of naturalised Thais and Thais who obtained citizenship through being born in Thailand to alien parents (since 1972 only possible, if both parents were PRs at the time of birth), if they remain abroad for more than 5 years without a residence in Thailand or use or take an active interest in their former or other nationality (this is not defined). This doesn't apply to women who adopt their husbands' Thai nationality and they can only lose Thai citizenship as a result of an offence against public morality (usually after being convicted of a serious crime such as drug dealing) - the same also applies to naturalised Thais. There is a provision in the Act to allow Thais who obtain another nationality through naturalisation to lose Thai nationality but the wording is ambiguous the interpretation of this to date has been that it is voluntary. There are no clear cut provisions in the Act that allow the revocation of Thai nationality from anyone who obtained it as a result of having one or more Thai parents, whether born in Thailand or abroad.

Since 2010 applicants for naturalisation under Section 10 or to adopt the Thai nationality of their husbands under Section 9 have been asked to submit a declaration of intent witnessed by a consular officer at their embassy to renounce their existing citizenship after they have obtained Thai citizenship. Once applicants are successful, Special Branch, now has sends letters to the embassies of applicants who submitted the declaration to inform them that so and so has been granted Thai citizenship. The majority of applicants are probably Chinese or Indian, whose countries expressly prohibit dual citizenship, and the effect of the declaration and the letters probably results in applicants' voluntary renunciation of citizenship, although Indians can get Indian Overseas Citizenship and it is not clear whether China bothers to enforce its own law against dual citizenship, as there are thousands and thousands of Chinese dual citizens nowadays. As has been mentioned by others, despite the fact that there are provisions to revoke citizenship of naturalised Thais who use or show an interest in a former nationality, there is no specific provision or ministerial regulation that allows Thai authorities to require a certificate of renunciation of former nationality from naturalised Thais, much as they would probably like to ask for one. There are many records of Thai nationality being revoked from Thais who obtained Thai nationality as a result of being born in Thailand to alien parents for staying abroad for more than 5 years or using or taking an active interest in the nationality of their fathers but this category is getting less common now, as those born after 1971 need two parents with PR which is now difficult to obtain. There are no known records to date of which I am aware of naturalised Thais involuntarily losing Thai nationality.

For those with half Thai children the Act provides for them to surrender Thai nationality on a voluntary basis between their 20th and 21st birthday. Many government officials will tell you it is compulsory for them to surrender Thai nationality at that point (and may wish it were so), if they wish to retain their foreign nationality, but that is simply not what the law says, nor how it is interpreted in practice. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fully supportive of dual nationality and will give every assistance to half Thais living abroad. In fact they seem to encourage them to take up and maintain their Thai nationality in addition to the nationality of the country where they reside. The MoFA states clearly on its website that dual nationality is neither expressly allowed or prohibited under Thai law and that whether you can hold dual nationality or not depends only on whether the other country prohibits it or not. It even provides instructions to dual Thai nationals as to how juggle passports when travelling.

Things may change in future but that is the legal state of play today to the best of my knowledge. If you ask my view as to why the MOI suddenly started to ask for the declaration with no corresponding change in the law or ministerial regulations, I would hazard a guess that it was in response to the amendment to the Act in 2008 to allow foreign men with Thai wives to apply for citizenship without getting PR first. They probably thought this would open the floodgates, although that hasn't really happened, and wanted to reduce that flow. Despite taking a rather nationalistic approach the MOI is very concerned about doing things according to the letter of the law and is very concerned about the risk of being sued in the Adminstrative Court. This may of course change, if the right for Thais and citizens to sue in the Administrative Court is eliminated or reduced in the next constitution, as was proposed in the draft constitution that was recently rejected.

[Jonmarleesco]

Technically, Thailand doesn't recognise dual nationality. Non-technically, they don't give a toss.

[Arkady]

I ask because I had a meeting with an officer from Royal Thai police to check if I was qualified.

He told me, that if I get the citizen ship, I had to go to my own embassy and change my citizenship.

(I guess it could also mean that I have to report the new dual citizen ship to my embassy myself :-)

Thanx

You won't have to report that to your embassy. Thai Special Branch will do it for you.

[smotherb]

Yes that is about it - and some countries do have laws preventing dual citizenship.

Having dual nationality is not allowed by any Thai law AFAIK - but there is no law preventing it so many people do have. The same as in USA - dual nationality is not allowed by any laws but there is nothing to prevent so in effect it is allowed.

"Dual Citizenship: The U.S. government allows dual citizenship. United States law recognizes U.S. Dual Citizenship . . . Dual citizenship means that an individual is a citizen of two countries at the same time. It is also possible to be a citizen of three or more countries. However, every country has its own laws regarding dual citizenship. Some countries allow it and others do not, while some countries have no particular laws regarding dual citizenship. Dual citizenship is not something that can be applied for. It is a process that happens when a person becomes a citizen of another country, in addition to his or her country of birth. Dual citizenship occurs automatically for some individuals. For example: a child is born in the United States to foreign parents. In this example this child has U.S. Dual Citizenship since the child is automatically a citizen of the United States and a citizen of its parent's home country. The same applies to children of U.S. citizens born abroad where the child is both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the country of birth."

https://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/dual-citizenship.html

[Oldgumshoe]

I was chatting with a young Thai lady in the immigration que a couple of days ago and she told me her Thai passport had expired and was entering Thailand on her Australian passport.

[mihalis]

Friends kids have thai and Aussie passports...

[sunnyjim5]

I was chatting with a young Thai lady in the immigration que a couple of days ago and she told me her Thai passport had expired and was entering Thailand on her Australian passport.

The lady could have entered using her expired Thai passport !

[lopburi3]

Yes that is about it - and some countries do have laws preventing dual citizenship.

Having dual nationality is not allowed by any Thai law AFAIK - but there is no law preventing it so many people do have. The same as in USA - dual nationality is not allowed by any laws but there is nothing to prevent so in effect it is allowed.

"Dual Citizenship: The U.S. government allows dual citizenship. United States law recognizes U.S. Dual Citizenship . . . Dual citizenship means that an individual is a citizen of two countries at the same time. It is also possible to be a citizen of three or more countries. However, every country has its own laws regarding dual citizenship. Some countries allow it and others do not, while some countries have no particular laws regarding dual citizenship. Dual citizenship is not something that can be applied for. It is a process that happens when a person becomes a citizen of another country, in addition to his or her country of birth. Dual citizenship occurs automatically for some individuals. For example: a child is born in the United States to foreign parents. In this example this child has U.S. Dual Citizenship since the child is automatically a citizen of the United States and a citizen of its parent's home country. The same applies to children of U.S. citizens born abroad where the child is both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the country of birth."

https://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/dual-citizenship.html

Yes - US allows because there is no valid law to prevent it and they recognize people do have it. But there is no US law that says this.

[jjablonsky]

No dual citizenship in Thailand is not allowed. A child may have dual citizenship if one of the parents is foreign born but at 18 must choose. Check with an immigration lawyer.

[blackcab]

No dual citizenship in Thailand is not allowed. A child may have dual citizenship if one of the parents is foreign born but at 18 must choose. Check with an immigration lawyer.

Wrong. Utterly wrong.

Educate yourself and read the excellent post by Arkady on this thread.

[smotherb]

Yes that is about it - and some countries do have laws preventing dual citizenship.

Having dual nationality is not allowed by any Thai law AFAIK - but there is no law preventing it so many people do have. The same as in USA - dual nationality is not allowed by any laws but there is nothing to prevent so in effect it is allowed.

"Dual Citizenship: The U.S. government allows dual citizenship. United States law recognizes U.S. Dual Citizenship . . . Dual citizenship means that an individual is a citizen of two countries at the same time. It is also possible to be a citizen of three or more countries. However, every country has its own laws regarding dual citizenship. Some countries allow it and others do not, while some countries have no particular laws regarding dual citizenship. Dual citizenship is not something that can be applied for. It is a process that happens when a person becomes a citizen of another country, in addition to his or her country of birth. Dual citizenship occurs automatically for some individuals. For example: a child is born in the United States to foreign parents. In this example this child has U.S. Dual Citizenship since the child is automatically a citizen of the United States and a citizen of its parent's home country. The same applies to children of U.S. citizens born abroad where the child is both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the country of birth."

https://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/dual-citizenship.html

Yes - US allows because there is no valid law to prevent it and they recognize people do have it. But there is no US law that says this.

Exactly, in 1967 the US Supreme Court abrogated most laws against dual citizenship. https://www.legallanguage.com/legal-articles/dual-citizenship-united-states/

[p_brownstone]

No dual citizenship in Thailand is not allowed. A child may have dual citizenship if one of the parents is foreign born but at 18 must choose. Check with an immigration lawyer.

Absolute nonsense in every respect - people should not confuse Threads with "information" unless they know what they are talking about!

Patrick

[donmeurett]

Mr. T The X PM of Thailand had several Passports and probably still has them.