Thai passport at Thai Immigration for dual national!

[brucelaidlaw]

My Thai friend just returned to Thailand on a 3 month ticket to visit a relative who is very ill. He used his Australian passport to exit Australia, but when he showed his Thai passport at Immigration in Bangkok, they would not allow him to use it "as it had not been earlier used to exit Thailand".

He had to accept a 30 day tourist visa in his Australian passport, with the resulting difficulties when it expires.

Is this normal? Why is a Thai citizen not allowed to remain in Thailand as long as he likes? This seems very puzzling and inconvenient.

 

[Undercover Brother]

From my limited exposure to people with dual passports, they should always need to enter/exit or vice versa on the same passport for each country.

Happy to be corrected.

 

[spudwa]

From my limited exposure to people with dual passports, they should always need to enter/exit or vice versa on the same passport for each country.

Happy to be corrected.

I have been using my OZ and UK passports interchangeably for years with no bother apart from a UK trip early this year. I used my UK passport to exit with the intention of using my OZ to get into OZ. In the lounge I was called an told I couldn't get on the plane as my UK passport didn't have a visa. Luckily waving my OZ passport fixed it quickly. It makes me think all the filling out of immigration forms is rather a waste of time as they obviously have ALL the info available electronically

Paul

 

[serfty]

I guess it would have been easier if your Thai friend has used their Thai passport when they left Thailand.

On the other hand, why did he show Thai immigration his Oz passport?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

My Thai friend just returned to Thailand on a 3 month ticket to visit a relative who is very ill. He used his Australian passport to exit Australia, but when he showed his Thai passport at Immigration in Bangkok, they would not allow him to use it "as it had not been earlier used to exit Thailand".

He had to accept a 30 day tourist visa in his Australian passport, with the resulting difficulties when it expires.

Is this normal? Why is a Thai citizen not allowed to remain in Thailand as long as he likes? This seems very puzzling and inconvenient.

Where was the Thai Passport issued - Australia or Thailand?

If it was issued in Thailand & he departed Thailand previously on his Australian Passport, they might have had issues with that, however if the passport was issued in Australia then he would be using it the first time he possibly could on arrival into BKK so that would be a question only the Thai authorities could answer. Might we worth ringing the Thai Consul in Australia to clarify.

From my limited exposure to people with dual passports, they should always need to enter/exit or vice versa on the same passport for each country.

Absolutely. You don't want to have issues with looking like you arrived on a particular date (subsequently departed on your other passport) then tried to arrive again when it appears you never left.

I have been using my OZ and UK passports interchangeably for years with no bother apart from a UK trip early this year. I used my UK passport to exit with the intention of using my OZ to get into OZ. In the lounge I was called an told I couldn't get on the plane as my UK passport didn't have a visa. Luckily waving my OZ passport fixed it quickly. It makes me think all the filling out of immigration forms is rather a waste of time as they obviously have ALL the info available electronically.

Whatever passport you hand over at checkin will convey electronically to Australian Immigration authorities that's the passport you intend to enter the country with not what you intend to depart the UK on. A lot of people turn up at checkin waving both passports which IMHO just confuses the issue. When clearing outwards customs in the UK hand over your British Passport. People often think whatever passport you hand over at checkin has to be the same as what your leaving the country on which isn't the case.

If a dual citizen of Australia & the USA - at checkin hand over the USA passports. When checking in, if the system cannot locate a valid ESTA on file & will ask the checkin agent if they're holding another document which has to be entered in the computer as a secondary document. This can be something like USA or Canadian Passport, a hard visa (ie sticker) in the Australian Passport, US Resident card, Military ID etc. If not ESTA or one of the above secondary documents the carrier will deny them uplift.

 

[brucelaidlaw]

I guess it would have been easier if your Thai friend has used their Thai passport when they left Thailand.

On the other hand, why did he show Thai immigration his Oz passport?

He only produced it when they said he couldn't enter on his Thai passport.

He's a Thai citizen, for heaven's sake. Makes me mad!:evil:

 

[ozbeachbabe]

He only produced it when they said he couldn't enter on his Thai passport.

He's a Thai citizen, for heaven's sake. Makes me mad!:evil:

I think Serfty was referring to when your friend last departed Thailand. If he last departed Thailand on his Australian passport it would look suss to Thai authorities that he was trying to enter the country seemingly before he left.

Ask your friend what passport he used the last time he departed Thailand.

 

[brucelaidlaw]

Last time he went to Thailand, for a short visit, he wanted to use his Australian passport, and, as it was only three weeks, there was no problem with the free 30 day visa on arrival. Now, of course, wanting to stay several months, that's a nuisance.

If he just overstays his Australian visa, and presents his Thai passport on leaving, how would that work?

 

[serfty]

It may cause some issues but in reality Thai immigration really should not be able to prevent a Thai citizen with a Thai passport from entering Thailand.

Maybe using the Oz PP was easier for the officer.

Aside from that, what's with the "tourist visa"? I assume no money changed hands ... no none of this makes sense to me, but I am not in Thailand.