If you are born outside of Thailand but have a Thai father can you still claim Thai citizenship? My friend has tried to claim his Thai citizenship but being told by his local District office he has to follow his mothers citizenship not the father because his mother & father were not married. He is in his late 20s.

He first needs to apply for a Thai birth certificate.

That can only be done via the Thai embassy in the country he was born. They will give you the requirements you need in the case where the parents weren't married.

One thing that might need to happen is that a DNA test is taken to prove the paternity of the Thai citizen father.

If this fellow is now in Thailand, he can liase with the Thai embassy in the country of his birth via the Department of Consular Affairs on Chaeng Wattana Rd in Bangkok.

Thanks, he is in Bangkok and been to the Department of consular affairs but they were no help. Seems everybody just pushes you away to another department.

Can anyone find any links on the Internet to confirm that if you have a Thai father you can claim citizenship if not married to the mother.

From Thai Nationality Act B.E. 2508 (1965) with amendments until B.E. 2555 (2012)

"Section 7.⁶ The following persons acquire Thai nationality by birth:

(1) A person born of a father or a mother of Thai nationality, whether within or

outside the Thai Kingdom;

(2) A person born within the Thai Kingdom except the person under Section 7

bis paragraph one.

“Father” in (1) means also a person having been proved, in conformity with the

Ministerial Regulation, that he is a biological father of the person even though he did not

register marriage with the mother of the person or did not do a registration of legitimate

child.⁷"