# Thai Mother = Thai Passport? Kinda...



## IzzyBella (Mar 11, 2013)

I'm having an absolute night mare of a time trying to get my Thai citizenship. Here's a summary:

(1) I have a British father and a Thai mother.
(2) I was born outside of Thailand (in the UK)
(3) My birth was legitimated (married when I was 2, divorced by 8)
(4) However I am no longer in contact with either parent



Due to Thai Embassy in London's strict guidelines, I have to take my mother with me to the Embassy. Problems:
(1) My mother is in Thailand somewhere - I have no idea where and have no way of contacting her (not that I would want to)
(2) I haven't spoken to her since I was 14 (so, 10 years ago) and asking for a favour after the last thing I said to her is probably not going to go down well
(3) I am under the impression she may have gotten herself in trouble (not surprised) and is now in Thai prison (and people wonder if I miss having a mother)



I'm talking to a Thai-English law firm about it but they seem no help.



Has anyone got any idea how I can achieve claiming my Thai citizenship without my mother's (or father's, for that matter) presence?


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## dhream (Jan 30, 2012)

I can offer little but anecdotal help with this.

My Thai g/f watched Aussie TV on cable with me the other night. She understands English well enough to take an interest in dialects (accents). She was asking about various asian, and african persons on the program, and could not understand that they were 'Australians' as surely as whatever else they were able to identify as ethnically.

Thais even look down on the Burmese, and here in the North, they are ethnically the same people!

Therein lies the origins and depth of your challenge. Good Luck!

If your Mum is not in jail, and if you could locate her, and make up with her, then your best bet is doing it all from the Thai end, but you'll need to set aside months of your life to live in BKK, and also wrestle with an interim visa, as there is no 'humanitarian' visa for anyone in your situation AFAIK. 
If she is a convict, then forget it. Nobody is going to want to know. It's wrong in terms of how the west would deal with it, but that's just how it is here...

There may be a chance through pure DNA 'ancestry' testing, but I imagine that will drag through the courts here forever, and may even make headlines here! 
However, guess who will be paying the many millions of Baht for that circus? Not HM (Thai) Govt!


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## dhream (Jan 30, 2012)

Another thought.
Do you speak Thai? If not, you will have a hell of a time convincing every Tom Dick and Nong here that your passport is genuine every time you reach out to Government.
And this is the most important consideration, can Thais hold dual citizenship? (I don't know!)
But, think very hard before you surrender any passport ever on the basis of gaining another. Any country that demands that level of allegiance, ought be regarded with deep suspicion by any individual who values global freedom of association. If you are female and hold only a Thai passport, and want to jet about the world, be prepared for long drawn out visa battles, and being treated as a potential 'working girl' at every border checkpoint..


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