Uni for Thai born Brit

**William** · 10-07-2010, 05:04 AM

I should also add that the most bizarre case of dual citizenship I have come across is with the USA.

If you are a US citizen and marry an overseas citizen (say Thai) and your children hold dual citizenship (US and Thai), if the child does not reside in the USA for a period of 3 years (I think, could be longer), then any children that your child has [your grandchild] will not be entitled to US citizenship.

I know this is true because i could not apply for US citizenship based on the fact that my grand father (and Aunt for that matter) was a US citizen.

Not sure if this applies elsewhere, but had me thinking.

**superman** · 10-07-2010, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by William

Reinvented - do you pay UK stamp? This is the payment you need to make to be entitled to things such as UK Govt. pension. If so, then I don't think your child needs to do the three years in the UK as I think you will be considered as a UK resident for this purpose. If not, then I think what you posted (3 years) is correct.

You can voluntary pay National Insurance to cover you for contributions that you've missed over the years. 30 years now being the reqirement to obtain the maximum contributions required to obtain the full State Pension. But your State Pension is frozen/fixed at the time you become an expat, which is 183 days after you leave the UK. Even though you make voluntary contributions while an expat I don't thing it changes your status as a non resident. That's my take on the thing, and is in no way meant to say William is wrong. http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=658439 Go to the link on post #7, regarding the University question.
A question, while I'm on. If 183 days is the qualifying time it takes to be classified as an expat, what is the qualifying time required to revert back to being resident ?

**William** · 10-07-2010, 07:48 AM

not sure about the reverting back part. Think it has something to do with how long you are away. In my case, they said over 4 years meant doing 3 years back in the UK. But, I've had lots of people tell me lots of different things. And I understand that from a UK tax perspective, it's also different (wouldn't it be, when they want anything they can get their hands on!)

as for the resident / non-resident issue, I have to admit to being way out of my league on that and would certainly check anything I said

**Davis Knowlton** · 10-07-2010, 02:31 PM

^^^Total bullshit. Even though I know it is bullshit, I called a friend who works in the Consular Section of the US Embassy here. He confirmed your tale is completely fictitious. Might add that he said he is not questioning the fact that you were denied US citizenship for some reason, but the reason you claimed is simply inaccurate.

**Patrick** · 10-07-2010, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by William

Patrick,

Practically speaking you are correct. Legally you are incorrect. Thailand does not allow dual citizenship of its nationals. You can swear allegiance to only one Monarch in Thailand.

That said, as far as I am aware, there is only one check on this. In the Thai passport application it asks the question "are you a citizen of another country?" If you say "yes" chances are you will not get your Thai passport. If you ignore the question, like 99.99% of people do, then what you say holds true.

Love the get out clauses - "so far as I am aware" and "chances are" ...... both meaningless.

First of all there is no such "question" on the application form for a Thai Passport.

Secondly any Country should have a valid reason for not issuing Passport to one of its own Citizens, being a Citizen of another Country is irrelevant. Freedom of travel is enshrined in several International resolutions / conventions.

Thirdly Thailand certainly allows - or to be more exact, does not care about - Dual Citizenship; the relevant Thai legislation merely states that between the age of 20 and 21 a person holding both Thai and another Citizenship MAY choose to relinquish their Thai Citizenship; if the person does not make that decision in that time-frame they continue to hold both Citizenships - subject of course to the laws of their other Nation of Citizenship.

Patrick

Patrick

**Patrick** · 10-07-2010, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Lorenzo

^ have heard the same but no direct experience

I am British (with Thai PR Status) - my wife is Thai and we have been married for over 35 years, our Daughter is 27, born in Thailand.

My Wife and our Daughter have both Thai and British Citizenship - and hold both Passports.

Our daughter Graduated from LSE and now lives and works in London but visits us here 2 or 3 times a year, my wife goes to England - usually twice a year at least - to visit our Daughter.

Between them they must have completed over 70 return trips in the last 10 years.

Both use the method I explained in my earlier Post to leave / enter the two Countries and have never encountered a single question from Immigration - in UK or Thaiand.

I repeat, literally hundreds of Thais have Dual citizenship and it is a total non-issue as far as Thai Immigration is concerned.

Patrick

**Davis Knowlton** · 10-07-2010, 07:44 PM

^Same in the Philippines. My wife and kids have both Filipino and US citizenship. Total non-issue. Generally enter and exit the Philippines on that passport, and only use the US one if entering the US, or going someplace where they would need a visa if traveling on a Filipino passport. Been married 20 years; never been a problem even once.

**William** · 11-07-2010, 07:06 AM

OK Patrick, happy to accept you know best.

Could you kindly explain to me the point of Section 17, Chapter 2 of The Thai Nationality Act BE 2535 -if having dual nationality is not an issue?

**dirtydog** · 11-07-2010, 07:22 AM

^You mean this bit about renouncing their Thai nationality

Chapter 2. Loss of Thai Nationality.
Section 13. A woman of Thai nationality who marries an alien and may acquire the nationality of her husband according to the nationality law of her husband, shall, if she desires to renounce Thai nationality, make a declaration of her intention before the competent official according to the form and in the manner prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations.
Section 14. A person of Thai nationality, who was born of an alien father and has acquired the nationality of his father according to the law on nationality of his father, or a person who acquires Thai nationality under Section 12 paragraph 2 is required, if he desires to retain his other nationality, to make a declaration of his intention to renounce his Thai nationality within one year after his attaining the age of twenty years, according to such form and in the manner as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations.

**dirtydog** · 11-07-2010, 08:14 AM

Thai Nationality Act in English

**reinvented** · 11-07-2010, 10:39 PM

cheers william
some good points

**William** · 13-07-2010, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^^^Total bullshit. Even though I know it is bullshit, I called a friend who works in the Consular Section of the US Embassy here. He confirmed your tale is completely fictitious. Might add that he said he is not questioning the fact that you were denied US citizenship for some reason, but the reason you claimed is simply inaccurate.

I'm no expert on US law, and I don't use wiki as a source normally, but as you will see, there are certain resident requirements for children born of US nationals who wish to acquire US citizenship. It does, however, depend on when you were born United States nationality law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**madjbs** · 14-07-2010, 04:59 PM

The rules do say you are meant to have lived in the UK for a certain amount of time to qualify but in practice I know people who have lived overseas their entire life and still qualified. It depends on the uni, some will overlook or not ask any questions while others will.

**samran** · 27-08-2010, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by William

OK Patrick, happy to accept you know best.

Could you kindly explain to me the point of Section 17, Chapter 2 of The Thai Nationality Act BE 2535 -if having dual nationality is not an issue?

William, if you read the law for those who take their spouses nationality, you will see the section includes language to the effect of 'if they so desire' in respect to renoucing Thai nationality. There is no rule which says they must renounce it.

Similarly, the law for for children born with dual nationality (ie myself) is that between 20 and 21 you have the option of renouncing Thai nationality - if you so wish. There is no penalty for not doing so.

As for your comments on the passport application form asking you questions about having foreign nationalities....absolute CRAP. Having filled out one many times (including my two daughters who are white as the irish and who have blond hair and blue eyes) there is simply no such question.

**Bobcock** · 27-08-2010, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Lorenzo

the international schools are a joke also but the brit system is also crap

Out of interest how many kids do (did) you have in international School here?

**Patrick** · 27-08-2010, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by Bobcock

Originally Posted by Lorenzo

the international schools are a joke also but the brit system is also crap

Out of interest how many kids do (did) you have in international School here?

The question was not addressed to me I know, but since I have some experience perhaps I may reply?

Our daughter attended ISB here in Bangkok from the age of 6 until she Graduated at 18, having taken the International Baccalaureate exams and passed at a high Grade.

Although qualifications gained via ISB were not enough for her to be admitted to Oxbridge Universities in the UK - very few overseas qualifications are apparently - she was easily accepted into the London School of Economics, gained an Honours Degree there and immediately on Graduation was offered a position at KPMG in London (one of the "Big 4" Accounting firms) - and 3 years later qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

Now at the age of 27 she has a Senior position with a large UK Company in London - earning over GBP 70,000.- a year.

Yes, by and large the local Thai school systems sadly fails its pupils, however it is nonsense to categorise the International Schools here in the same way - well, some of them anyway, there are lots of make-believe "Affiliates" of UK and other Institutes here of course.

At the end of the day it comes down to your choice of School / System ... and perhaps more importantly, the individual - as do so many other things in life.

Patrick

**Bobcock** · 27-08-2010, 04:31 PM

I have two kids in international school here myself and very happy as are many of the parents i know.

Just wondered what experiences Lorenzo was basing his rather sweeping statement on.

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