Thai passport refusal

[andye]

A good friend and her ten year old son have just returned from a visit to the UK.
Previously she has got her son in and out of Thailand on his British passport with a years visa.
Both she,and her son is by birth a Thai national and she recently got him a Thai passport for this latest trip.
On returning to Thailand he was refused entry on his Thai passport, and had to get him in with his british passport and yet another visa.
Has Thailand got it in for Dual Nationals again.

[db1]

If he wants to use his Thai Passport then he first has to leave Thailand on it, then there will be no problem when he returns next time, there has to be an exit stamp on it for him to re-enter Thailand.

[andye]

Yes, I came to the same conclusion, and wondered if others had come across this before.
But was it beyond the intelect of the imigration staff to see from his british passport that he had left Thailand on that one (sans exit stamp), and that he was in possesion of a nice new Thai one.
Could they have not theirfore, just stamped the passsport entry, correcting a paperwork procedure.

How would a Thai national born out of Thailand, gain their first entry to Thailand?

[Keef & Lee]

We took Anya, then aged 6 months, into Thailand last December and entered the country using her Thai Passport - it never occurred to us that there would be a problem and there was not... Unless there has been a change of policy, then perhaps this was just a "one off" interpretation by some officious immigration person.....

[bristolgeoff]

good question i hope you sort it out one way or the other

[andye]

I am currently here in Chiang Mai.
And guess wot............
They have yet again refused entry to my friends son on his Thai Passport!

My friend is currently down at immigration here at Chiang Mai Airport trying yet again to sort this out.

I do so hope that this is nothing to do with John's posting on Dual Nationality.

Strange times.

[noel]

I've been using a British Passport for more than 10 years to enter/exit Thailand. When I got my Thai passport about 5 years ago from the Thai Embassy in London, when I first entered Thailand in Bangkok questions were asked but have had no trouble since. I have a stamp in mine that says "Issued by the Thai Embassy London". I suspect this may help?
I also suspect that the further away from Bangkok you go the less familiar the officials are with Thai law. I have experience of this too. If you were to enter Thailand via Bangkok and have corresponding visa stamps in the passport that would help immigration officials in CNX to have more confidence in allowing you to enter.
Good Luck.

[Merseymike]

I don't know the significance, but when our son first entered Thailand on his UK-applied-for Thai passport, the IO wrote "Thai dtang chaht" (foreign Thai?) in the document (the current PM is a "Thai dtang chaht", having been born in Newcastle, and I'll bet my bottom dollar that he's got a British passport stashed away just in case the SHTF).

Anyway, the endorsement in the passport does not appear to have adversely affected the lad's national status one way or t'other.

[andye]

A little more information has come to light.

The boy overstayed his original visa, for which a fine was paid for ( a little strange as he is only 10).

His mum omited to get an exit permit for him last time for re entry on his years visa............hence he now has a 90 day visa.

His new visa runs out in August, and his mum has been told that she must get the exit permit for this when she leaves.
This along with the exit stamp in his Brit passport.

More importantly that she must also get the exit stamp in his Thai passport as well.
This hopefuly will have closed the books on paperwork issues (a trip to Vietnam looms).
She should hopefully be able to return using his Thai passport only.

Needless to say the fuctionary's are not exactly helpful, in a matter that they could quite easily resolve.
But that would affect their income would it not.

[samran]

thai immigration officers are like accountants. There must be debits and credits.

As such for a Thai national born in Thailand, they expect to seen an exit stamp where they can re-stamp you in when you return.

The exception seems to be when that passport has been issued overseas. My sister had her Thai passport re-issued to her in London last Novermber (after not having used one in 20 years) and then re-entered in Thailand on it...no problems.

Two things I suggest. Just depart Thaialdn next time on the Thai passport, and be sure to re-enter into on it.

The other thing, if your friends are a bit gutsy and stick up for themselves, is simply to depart Brit passport, and re-enter in on the Thai VIA BANGKOK.

The immigration officers there know their stuff, and if the faff about, you ask to speak to a senior officer. As a Thai national, by rights, they should be able to enter on a Thai passport. Send it to the big man in Bangkok, and insist, insist, insist until they let him in on the Thai passport.

Trust me it works, have done it myself, for myself.

[db1]

Originally posted by noel:
I've been using a British Passport for more than 10 years to enter/exit Thailand. When I got my Thai passport about 5 years ago from the Thai Embassy in London,

Hi Noel, it would be very interesting to me and maybe some more of the members on T-UK how you managed to get a Thai Passport?

[-Keith-]

Hi Noel, it would be very interesting to me and maybe some more of the members on T-UK how you managed to get a Thai Passport? Confused

He's Thai ?

[db1]

[andye]

update.........they go to Vietnam next week.so we'll see what happens?
Remember it takes more muscles to frown, than it does to smile........in Thai's it could just be jaundis.