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Thai National becoming U.S. Citizen


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Hi to everyone......I hope someone has some information that can help me. My friend's Thai wife lives here in the U.S. as a resident alien. Has for about 6 years. She now wants to become a U.S citizen. Here is where I am a bit unclear, the front of our passports say that you can lose citizenship of the U.S. if you take an oath from another country. For this reason, and I may be wrong, I am thinking she will lose her citizenship in Thailand. She says that she will still keep her citizenship and as far as Thailand is concerned, she will be a dual citizen. I made a call to the Immigration people and they said they would only recognize her U.S. citizenship. Anyway, does anyone know for a fact if Thailand still would recognize her as a citizen? Thanks for your help.

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You are going to get a bunch of conflicting answers here - some based on "theory" of how things work, and some based on practical reality.

 

I have spent some time with a retired senior Thai diplomat and his wife. His last post before retirement was as Thailand's ambassador to China. He previously served as Thai ambassador to Kuwait, North Korea, Mexico/Carribbean, and several other countries that I now forget. He told me that over an entire career, he had never heard of a Thai citizen losing Thai citizenship. However - he had personally signed off on thousands of applications for new Thai passports, sometimes for Thais who had left Thailand 40-50 years earlier - and who had left the country without clearing Thai immigration (or without ever having even had a previous passport). There was a procedure they used to track down someone's national ID number - that is the only thing needed to reestablish citizenship identity.

 

He also indicated that many Thais travel on multiple passports, and that Thai embassies overseas are accustomed to issuing Thai entry visas to Thais who will visit Thailand using a non-Thai passport - but that such Thais must follow all the same rules as non-Thais, while they are traveling as such.

 

My acquaintence is presently a retired diplomat who recently served as an Associate Judge of the Intellectual Property Court of Thailand - until being hospilatlized for bypass surgery.

 

Let's see what the rest of the rabble comes up with! (By the way, my son, born in Bangkok, is a Thai citizen as far as Thailand knows, but he is also a US citizen - with a US passport).

 

"Let the good times roll!"

Stone Soup

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As Stone Soup says it is not a problem. She can only lose her Thai citizenship by asking to lose it (or government action at the highest level). Even the US passport line you cite says "may" not "will". There are thousands of American citizens who are also Thai citizens and it becomes more common all the time.

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No problem. Another "by the way" - in case you were not aware - the present King of Thailand was born in Massachussetts, USA - which means that for at least the foreseeable future, Thailand is unlikely to deal heavy-handedly with citizenship issues related to dual US/Thai citizenship.

 

"Let the good times roll!"

Stone Soup

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Hi;

 

My wife did this, went through the process and became a US citizen. Dual citizenship US/Thai IS permitted, but not encouraged. They will take her green card when sworn in, not her Thai passport. For sure, my wife has both now.

BTW, if she wants to get an american passport, one easy way to do it - Don't apply for the passport in the states, it is a expensive and lengthy process - she can come to Thailand and bring her certificate to the American services sectuion of the consulate in Bkk - they will issue her a US passport next day, no expedite fees or anything. Also, by getting the dual passports she will no longer be subject to the 6 month "drop dead" date on her green card.

Voice of Experience (2knight1)

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Knight,

 

"she can come to Thailand and bring her certificate to the American services sectuion of the consulate in Bkk - they will issue her a US passport next day, no expedite fees or anything. "

 

I don't think so, not any more. Maybe she can apply overseas, but all passports come from the US these days due to a design change. It will be some time before a passport applied for overseas can be delivered and given to the applicant.

 

Regards, JEff

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  • 4 weeks later...

"I made a call to the Immigration people and they said they would only recognize her U.S. citizenship."

 

They are saying what they are supposed to say, but it is not up to the U.S. It's up to the other country (in this instance Thailand) as to whether their citizens/subjects lose citizenship by taking the U.S. oath of allegiance. The Thai ex became a U.S. citizen, but was able to get a new Thai passport. Anyone traveling with both has to remember which one to present at which time. At Don Muang, show the U.S. passport to the airline to demonstrate you can get into the U.S., but show the Thai passport to immigration.

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  • 8 years later...

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