Luk Khrueng needs Thai Passport/ID

[drawyks]

Long time lurker, first time poster. Hello everyone.

 

I want to go study in Thailand, get my degree in an international program, and hopefully live, work and marry in Thailand afterwards.  

But well... tuition fees for international students are about twice those for Thai Nationals. 

I am 27 years old, born and raised in Germany. My mother is Thai, my father isn't.. therefore, I should be Thai since birth too.

Unfortunately, I never got any thai documents.. my birth was never registered in Thailand, I'm in no Tabien Baan, I have neither an ID, nor a passport.

 

Admission deadline at the university is in january... I am worried that I cannot prove my Thai citizenship in time, and thus are expected to pay Farang tuition fees.. which I cannot afford at all. 

 

Right now, I am in the process of getting my birth registered with help of a consulate/embassy here. 

My question is, do I obtain my 13 digit thai ID number with my birth certificate already? 

Are there any chances I can get my passport in time so that I can send the university a copy of my passport as required?

 

Also, from what I've gathered, for my Thai ID I have to be in a Tabien Baan. However, I wont be in Thailand before January.. but my mother will be visiting family in the amphoe just next month... will she be able to put me in the blue book without me being there too? 

That would be very convenient. I just want to get as many things done asap, so that I don't have to worry about admission and ultimately, visa troubles too.

 

Thanks for any help in advance

 

[ubonjoe]

A birth certificate issue by an embassy will not have a Thai ID number on it. You will not get it until you are registered in a house book at an Amphoe.

I am certain you will need to be present to be registered in a house book. As soon as you are registered you can get a Thai ID card.

You might be able to use your birth certificate to register at the university.

Before traveling to Thailand I suggest you get a certificate of identity from the embassy so you can enter the country as a Thai citizen.

[whatsupdoc]

Are you male? If so, you might have to report for military service in Thailand. If you do not want to do that you better stay in Europe for another couple of years.

As I understand, tuition fees in Germany are quite low and the educational level will most likely be much better than in Thailand.

[asiaexpat]

My sons obtained their Thai ID and passports as adults and were required to be present at the district office to submit to an interview. You have completed the first step by applying for a Thai birth registration in Germany but there are several more things to do that will require you to be present at your district office. Contact your school administration and explain your situation as most will work with you for a good outcome.

[williamgeorgeallen]

sorry for not posting anything useful but why would you want to study in thailand? a European degree is far better than a thai one. i assume you can read and write thai if you are going to study here. not easy to finance your studies here either.

[drawyks]

Thanks everybody for the responses.

 

1 hour ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

sorry for not posting anything useful but why would you want to study in thailand? a European degree is far better than a thai one. i assume you can read and write thai if you are going to study here. not easy to finance your studies here either.

 

No problem, that’s a valid question. 

I can speak/read/write only basic Thai. My parents never bothered to raise me bilingual, which is a bummer. So, only international programs taught in English one of the Top universities in Thailand are an option. 

If its not up to German standards, I want at least the best I can get in Thailand. I am currently enrolled in a Mechanical Engineering program here. But I’m not happy at all. 

One major reason I want to expatriate is that I grew very discontent with life here, up to the point of being depressed for years on end.

Also, since I mostly grew up with my german father following the divorce of my parents in the early 00’s, I was even more disconnected with the Thai side of my family. 2014 was the first time I visited Thailand after 1999, where I was only 10 years old. This year I went there the 2nd time in my adult life and it was wonderful. I feel like living in Thailand gives me a fresh start, one that I really need.

 

 It’s kind of hard to explain, but I’m more or less in search of my identity and roots. The last years here were not the easiest for me, and since I reconnected with my Thai family, I sort of feel like I was given a new perspective. I want to properly learn the language (also to be able to communicate with my family) and breathe and live the culture, even ordain as a monk later for a few months, as is custom.

It is true that a german engineering degree might be better and I could even earn a fortune too compared to Thailand... but I can’t imagine having a future in Europe anymore, I wouldn’t be happy, my thoughts would be elsewhere.

Moreover, I am thinking of starting a family sooner or later too... I can imagine returning to Europe later so to not subject my future kids to the horrendous education system in Thailand. But that’s something to worry about at another time.

Ultimately, it’s the whole culture, people and quality of life in Thailand that I need. If I don’t go now, I fret I will be stuck here till I retire and regret that I wasn’t bold enough to make that decision.

 

4 hours ago, asiaexpat said:

My sons obtained their Thai ID and passports as adults and were required to be present at the district office to submit to an interview. You have completed the first step by applying for a Thai birth registration in Germany but there are several more things to do that will require you to be present at your district office. Contact your school administration and explain your situation as most will work with you for a good outcome.

 

Thanks, I will contact them asap. 

According to the university, to be eligible for the “Thai discount” when I am Thai by law... which is the case. So I hope, a copy of my birth certificate will suffice even without an ID..which I can obtain anytime later, when I am actually living there.

 

4 hours ago, whatsupdoc said:

Are you male? If so, you might have to report for military service in Thailand. If you do not want to do that you better stay in Europe for another couple of years.

As I understand, tuition fees in Germany are quite low and the educational level will most likely be much better than in Thailand.

 

Yes I am. But I don’t really speak Thai. And judging from other expriences, I should not be too worried about it really. I’ll take my chances.

 

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

A birth certificate issue by an embassy will not have a Thai ID number on it. You will not get it until you are registered in a house book at an Amphoe.

I am certain you will need to be present to be registered in a house book. As soon as you are registered you can get a Thai ID card.

You might be able to use your birth certificate to register at the university.

Before traveling to Thailand I suggest you get a certificate of identity from the embassy so you can enter the country as a Thai citizen.

 

Thank you very much for this info. Do you mean, having a Thai birth certificate will be enough? Since I have no Thai passport, I might enter the country on my German one..which only permits me to stay for 30 days without visa. Best case scenario would be, if I can get a Thai passport prior to entering the country of course.. but I understand that this might not be as easy as I thought without being registered in a blue book.

[williamgeorgeallen]

18 minutes ago, drawyks said:

Thanks everybody for the responses.

 

 

No problem, that’s a valid question. 

I can speak/read/write only basic Thai. My parents never bothered to raise me bilingual, which is a bummer. So, only international programs taught in English one of the Top universities in Thailand are an option. 

If its not up to German standards, I want at least the best I can get in Thailand. I am currently enrolled in a Mechanical Engineering program here. But I’m not happy at all. 

One major reason I want to expatriate is that I grew very discontent with life here, up to the point of being depressed for years on end.

Also, since I mostly grew up with my german father following the divorce of my parents in the early 00’s, I was even more disconnected with the Thai side of my family. 2014 was the first time I visited Thailand after 1999, where I was only 10 years old. This year I went there the 2nd time in my adult life and it was wonderful. I feel like living in Thailand gives me a fresh start, one that I really need.

 

 It’s kind of hard to explain, but I’m more or less in search of my identity and roots. The last years here were not the easiest for me, and since I reconnected with my Thai family, I sort of feel like I was given a new perspective. I want to properly learn the language (also to be able to communicate with my family) and breathe and live the culture, even ordain as a monk later for a few months, as is custom.

It is true that a german engineering degree might be better and I could even earn a fortune too compared to Thailand... but I can’t imagine having a future in Europe anymore, I wouldn’t be happy, my thoughts would be elsewhere.

Moreover, I am thinking of starting a family sooner or later too... I can imagine returning to Europe later so to not subject my future kids to the horrendous education system in Thailand. But that’s something to worry about at another time.

Ultimately, it’s the whole culture, people and quality of life in Thailand that I need. If I don’t go now, I fret I will be stuck here till I retire and regret that I wasn’t bold enough to make that decision.

 

 

 

ok well i hope it works out for you. i came here 12 years ago and decided thailand was for me after a couple more trips. i have done 10 years full time here now. visiting and living here are 2 different stories and while thailand is a great place some of the shine has worn off. after about 5 years i was fed up and looked at leaving but after a long holiday abroad i saw the good side of thailand again. western ideas just dont work here and you have to accept that or you may become very disillusioned. i am enjoying thailand better now i dont own any property and i dont take care of the day to day running of my business.  i have 2 half thai kids and there mum is amazing, i doubt i could have found a mum for my kids like her back in the west. i have set a deadline for when my son turns 10 to take him to go to school back in nz. is going to be hard to leave. again good luck and dont get to invested in thailand unless you are sure you are going to stay.

[ubonjoe]

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

A birth certificate issue by an embassy will not have a Thai ID number on it. You will not get it until you are registered in a house book at an Amphoe.

I am certain you will need to be present to be registered in a house book. As soon as you are registered you can get a Thai ID card.

You might be able to use your birth certificate to register at the university.

Before traveling to Thailand I suggest you get a certificate of identity from the embassy so you can enter the country as a Thai citizen.

 

37 minutes ago, drawyks said:

Thank you very much for this info. Do you mean, having a Thai birth certificate will be enough? Since I have no Thai passport, I might enter the country on my German one..which only permits me to stay for 30 days without visa. Best case scenario would be, if I can get a Thai passport prior to entering the country of course.. but I understand that this might not be as easy as I thought without being registered in a blue book.

You talk to the school about using your birth certificate to prove your Thai nationality.

As an adult you will not be able to get a passport until you have are resisted in a house book and have a ID card.

The certificate of of identity would allow you to enter the country as a Thai national. The embassy should be able to issue you one after you get your birth certificate. 

[SoFarAndNear]

Be careful. Germany does not allow dual citizenship without a permit. If you will apply for Thai citizenship without having a permit you will automatically loose your german citizenship.

 

 

[sirmud63]

27 minutes ago, SoFarAndNear said:

Be careful. Germany does not allow dual citizenship without a permit. If you will apply for Thai citizenship without having a permit you will automatically loose your german citizenship.

 

 

yes . very true . and not just germany either . 

[drawyks]

32 minutes ago, SoFarAndNear said:

Be careful. Germany does not allow dual citizenship without a permit. If you will apply for Thai citizenship without having a permit you will automatically loose your german citizenship.

 

 

 

It is okay, I know many people here with dual citizenship. One of them is my sister. 

The thing is, as I am Thai since birth in Thai law, I am never actually applying for Thai citizenship. I have it already for 27 years. I am just requesting and accepting certificates that document it.

 

[drawyks]

Update:

 

I do now have my Thai BC (without the 13 digit ID#, as expected) issued by the embassy. It clearly states my nationality as being Thai.

However, in order to not pay the far too high farang tuition fee, I need to have a Thai ID and Passport. No way around it.

 

I will be flying to Thailand again in January just for that. I’ll need to get my entry into the house register first. 

 

Can anybody tell me how long it would take from getting myself into the Tabien Baan at the local amphur until I have my Thai ID card and passport in my hands? I need to book my flight with this information. It should only a matter of days, I hope..

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, drawyks said:

Can anybody tell me how long it would take from getting myself into the Tabien Baan at the local amphur until I have my Thai ID card and passport in my hands? I need to book my flight with this information. It should only a matter of days, I hope..

Hard to predict how long it will take to get the house book registry. It will depend upon which Amphoe you go to. At some you could have both it and the ID card in one day. Perhaps if you could contact the person whose house book you will be registered in and ask them to check with the Amphoe to find out what they will want and how long it will take for the registry would be best.

The passport under normal conditions will take about 5 days total. Less than a day to do the application and then about 3 days to get it by EMS. It can be done in a day on a rush basis at the main office in Bangkok.

A rough guess would be to allow 2 weeks to get it all done.

 

[drawyks]

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Hard to predict how long it will take to get the house book registry. It will depend upon which Amphoe you go to. At some you could have both it and the ID card in one day. Perhaps if you could contact the person whose house book you will be registered in and ask them to check with the Amphoe to find out what they will want and how long it will take for the registry would be best.

The passport under normal conditions will take about 5 days total. Less than a day to do the application and then about 3 days to get it by EMS. It can be done in a day on a rush basis at the main office in Bangkok.

A rough guess would be to allow 2 weeks to get it all done.

 

 

That sounds reasonable. Thanks a lot!

[phuketrichard]

why do u need a passport right away??Is it something the school requires and if so why as i am sure most students dont have one.  Id cards are issued as u wait, (at least here in Phuket)

 

not sure about the rest of thailand, but here in phuket there is a house paper they will place thai people on if they dont have anywhere else.to be placed on.  My daughter is on one it at the amphur's office in Patong

Otherwise just get a relative to add you to theirs.

Edited October 28, 2016 by phuketrichard

[ubonjoe]

19 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

why do u need a passport right away??Is it something the school requires and if so why as i am sure most students dont have one.  Id cards are issued as u wait, (at least here in Phuket)

 

not sure about the rest of thailand, but here in phuket there is a house paper they will place thai people on if they dont have anywhere else.to be placed on.  My daughter is on one it at the amphur's office in Patong

Otherwise just get a relative to add you to theirs.

As far as I know there is no way for him to get a 13 digit identification number without being registered in a house book.

Not sure what they did for daughter but I have never heard what you described being done. Perhaps they did a print out of the registry that was done before so she had something to show.

I think he wants to get the Thai passport do he can enter using it the next time arrives.

[drawyks]

3 hours ago, phuketrichard said:

why do u need a passport right away??Is it something the school requires and if so why as i am sure most students dont have one.  Id cards are issued as u wait, (at least here in Phuket)

 

not sure about the rest of thailand, but here in phuket there is a house paper they will place thai people on if they dont have anywhere else.to be placed on.  My daughter is on one it at the amphur's office in Patong

Otherwise just get a relative to add you to theirs.

 

The university wants copies of my Thai ID during application. Additionally, on the website they define foreigners as “Non-holders of a Thai passport”. I contacted them already and they told me there is no way around it, as they need my 13 digit number for registration as a local student, otherwise they have to use my German passport for the whole process.

 

Moreover, my family cannot add me to their tabien baan without me actually being there in person either.. so there’s no way around me actually going to Thailand and take a trip to Buriram first. 

 

Edited October 28, 2016 by drawyks

[asiaexpat]

drawyks, I suggest you send copies of all your documents to your family in Thailand so they can show the district office and get the process started. At the very least they can determine what that district office will require to put you in their Tabien Baan and how long it will take. The length of time it took for my 4 kids to get registered in their mother's Tabien Baan varied and in one case took over 6 months (had to verify his birth certificate issued in ChaiNat many years ago.) 

[drawyks]

2 hours ago, asiaexpat said:

drawyks, I suggest you send copies of all your documents to your family in Thailand so they can show the district office and get the process started. At the very least they can determine what that district office will require to put you in their Tabien Baan and how long it will take. The length of time it took for my 4 kids to get registered in their mother's Tabien Baan varied and in one case took over 6 months (had to verify his birth certificate issued in ChaiNat many years ago.) 

 

As of now, my only Thai legal document is the birth certificate (with several legalized copies).

My mother will be visiting the family in just 3 weeks and will take a few copies with her. 

Now that you’re saying this, I am slightly worried. I am short on money and actually have to sell some belongings just to finance my flight in January. (I can’t work in a minijob during this period either).

I wouldn’t be so happy about it all being for naught.

Edited October 29, 2016 by drawyks

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, drawyks said:

 

As of now, my only Thai legal document is the birth certificate (with several legalized copies).

My mother will be visiting the family in just 3 weeks and take a few copies with her. 

Now that you’re saying this, I am slightly worried. I am short on money and actually have to sell some belongings just to finance my flight in January. (I can’t work in a minijob during this period either).

I wouldn’t be so happy about it all being for naught.

I think there is a lot more to the story about the 6 months for one of the children. It is possible there was never a birth certificate issued or it was lost.

Since you have a birth certificate there should be no delay in you getting registered in house book.

[phuketrichard]

6 hours ago, drawyks said:

 

As of now, my only Thai legal document is the birth certificate (with several legalized copies).

My mother will be visiting the family in just 3 weeks and will take a few copies with her. 

Now that you’re saying this, I am slightly worried. I am short on money and actually have to sell some belongings just to finance my flight in January. (I can’t work in a minijob during this period either).

I wouldn’t be so happy about it all being for naught.

???ur short on Finances for ur flight> how are you going to pay ur tuition and living expenses for the next 2+ years???

[drawyks]

1 minute ago, phuketrichard said:

???ur short on Finances for ur flight> how are you going to pay ur tuition and living expenses for the next 2+ years???

 

I don’t see how this has anything to do with it. 

 

I got savings and support of my family for this. Also I’m working parttime now. Shouldn’t be too hard to earn a little bit on the side in Thailand either, I know some people/family in BKK. Moreover, I can “live like a Thai” and don’t need western food or alcohol. 

 

This additional roundtrip though just wasn’t planned. 

[asiaexpat]

21 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I think there is a lot more to the story about the 6 months for one of the children. It is possible there was never a birth certificate issued or it was lost.

Since you have a birth certificate there should be no delay in you getting registered in house book.

The facts are that the birth certificate for my son was the original one and needed to be verified by or Ket. The birth certificate was issued in ChaiNat province and they were not very responsive. It took a trip to Chai Nat to get things moving. Found that he was registered in a Tabien Baan of the landlord at the time. The other kids (now adults) were issued Registration of Birth (Thai birth certificate) from the Thai Embassy in USA. While the long period is not the situation the OP faces the process can be lengthy depending on District Office. A little advanced preparation helps and two weeks is a very short time to accomplish all the requirements. The OP's mother visiting with documents will certainly speed the process up. 

[naboo]

Why won't the university register you without a passport? Just use an ID card, I'm sure there are many Thai students who don't have a passport at Thai universities.

 

The ID card confirms your nationality.

 

The only problem you would then have is entering the country on your German passport. You would need to leave the country and re-enter on your Thai passport once you get it.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, naboo said:

Why won't the university register you without a passport? Just use an ID card, I'm sure there are many Thai students who don't have a passport at Thai universities.

He is making a trip from Germany to get his ID card a and passport just to get his ID card so that he can enroll in the University later. He wants to get the passport this trip so he can use it for his next trip when he plans on staying indefinatley.

[PoorSucker]

On 9/28/2016 at 8:53 AM, whatsupdoc said:

Are you male? If so, you might have to report for military service in Thailand. If you do not want to do that you better stay in Europe for another couple of years.

As I understand, tuition fees in Germany are quite low and the educational level will most likely be much better than in Thailand.

 

They will not draft you while studying at University, and after you turn 30 they don't want you.

[blackcab]

Once you are in a house book your ID card can be printed immediately afterwards.

 

After this you can immediately apply for your passport. In Bangkok a Thai passport arrives in less than a week. 

[drawyks]

On 10/30/2016 at 6:38 AM, naboo said:

Why won't the university register you without a passport? Just use an ID card, I'm sure there are many Thai students who don't have a passport at Thai universities.

 

The ID card confirms your nationality.

 

The only problem you would then have is entering the country on your German passport. You would need to leave the country and re-enter on your Thai passport once you get it.

 

I don’t have a Thai ID, but I’m in the process of getting one. This is what the thread is about.

[naboo]

On 10/28/2016 at 3:31 PM, drawyks said:

Update:

 

I do now have my Thai BC (without the 13 digit ID#, as expected) issued by the embassy. It clearly states my nationality as being Thai.

However, in order to not pay the far too high farang tuition fee, I need to have a Thai ID and Passport. No way around it.

 

I will be flying to Thailand again in January just for that. I’ll need to get my entry into the house register first. 

 

3 hours ago, drawyks said:

 

I don’t have a Thai ID, but I’m in the process of getting one. This is what the thread is about.

 

Sorry, the post above led me to believe you thought you needed a passport for the university as well.