Passport for Thai Step Daughter - Father disappeared shorltly after birth

[angryfarang]

Hi,

We need to make a Thai passport for my 12 year old step-daughter. I have been married to her mother for 3 years and we also have a 2 year old son together.

The father of my step-daughter disappeared shortly after she was born. My wife was never married to him.

I have checked her birth certificate, the father's name is on it but he didn't register the birth.

Am I right in assuming as they weren't married and he didn't register the birth, my wife automatically has sole custody?

Or, do we need to go to the Amphur to obtain a letter stating she has sole custody? if so, can we do that at the local Amphur here in Samui? or do we need to go to the Amphur in her home town?

Any help/advice is appreciated.

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the Family and children forum.

[ubonjoe]

This from the passport application requirements. http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/1415/21479-Requirements-for-the-Ordinary-e-Passports-Applicat.html

"If the applicant was born to parents who did not sign a marriage certificate, only the mother of the applicant can sign the parental consent form. She will need to bring a letter guaranteeing sole guardianship issued by her domicile district office (Por Kor 14) accompanied by her ID Card which must bear the title ‘Miss’."

That would indicate your wife would have to get the Por Ror 14 at the Amphoe where she is registered in her house book. I suggest she check with the local Amphoe about getting it though since there may be some flexibility in the rules.

I also suggest she contact the passport office in Surat Thani to confirm it is needed. Contact info follows from: http://www.consular.go.th/main/th/organize/21037-%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87.html

Address City Hall Road, Muang Surat Thani. 84000

Phone Fax 077-274941 077-274940,077-274942-3

[angryfarang]

Joe - many thanks! We'll give them a call tomorrow.

[IMA_FARANG]

Iam not an expert on this....but i believe the law has been changed since around 1990....at least in regard to obtaining Thai passports and Thai I.D. cards for her children.

I believe the Mother can now get those without permission from the father.

i went hrough this with my then thai girlfriend in about 1980...who had been previously married to an Austraian man who fled the country in about 1976 without divoring her.

In 1979 she tried to get thai i.D cards for her 3 children by her husband....but was told then that she woul need his permission to get them for her children.

i believe that law was changed around 1990 and the Mother was allowed to get Thai I.D. cards and Thai passports for he children without the father's permission.

In 1991 i took her and her 3 children to Singapore wirh me.....and all 3 of her children were issued Thai passports for that trip. They were all also given Thai I.D. cards about the same time.

As i said i am not an expert, but that is my expeience.

[angryfarang]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[Monkey Fish]

I went through the exact same thing.

We did not have the custody certificate like we were supposed to when applying for passports in Bangkok, but they picked up the phone and called somebody in her home town (I think the head man in her village, but don't hold me to that). With that confirmation that the biological father was not in our daughter's life, they went ahead and issued the passport.

But they told my wife to get the custody certificate, and a few days later she had it.

The US Embassy has a bit on the custody certificate for people that are trying to immigrate. The following comes from here.

In case of child born out of wedlock to the traveling mother, the mother’s official

verification proof of custody (different form from the marital status certificate) verifying

that the child was born from an unregistered marriage and the child’s father has not

legitimated the child should be submitted. The sample custody certificate can be

downloaded from http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/immigrant_visas/custody_cert.html.

The correct link for the sample custody certificate is here: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/custody_cert.pdf

Bottom line, you might be able to get the passports without the custody certificate, but it will likely be easier if you have it already. Regardless, you might need it anyway for something else down the road.

[angryfarang]

Thanks for replying. We're going to go to her local Amphur this week and obtain the certificate. I believe it's called a Por Kor 14