Integrity Legal

In recent months, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, has been in the news as he evades requests for extradition from the Kingdom of Thailand. The website Thaivisa.com is reporting the following:

“Thaksin’s name in passports issued by Nicaragua, Uganda and Montenegro has been changed to “Takki Shinegra,” he said. The Thai government has revoked Thaksin’s diplomatic passport issued during his premiership. He was believed to have an ordinary Thai passport. Some African countries have issued him a special passport to facilitate his travels and his visit to the countries. [Vice Foreign Minister] Panich said Thaksin’s new name may cause problem for Thailand’s attempt to bring him back to face two-year jail term on charge of corruption.” [sic]

The change of Mr. Thaksin’s name is a major obstacle for those who wish to make him return to Thailand. Thaivisa.com further quotes Mr. Panich:

“Problems can happen when we ask foreign countries to extradite him. We name him in our request as Thaksin Shinawatra but when those countries check his presence, they would not find him because he used different name.” [sic]

The issue of dual nationality and different names is not exclusively the problem of Thai authorities. Many people around the world have dual nationality and in many cases, they have different names depending upon their country of Citizenship. This can create a great deal of consternation for Immigration officials.

Dual nationality is not, in and of itself, a problem for those wishing to obtain US or Thai Immigration benefits. However, it can raise many issues with regard to the identity of the individual seeking the immigration benefit. For example, if an individual is born in Hong Kong under one name, but later takes Australian nationality under another name, then that individual’s birth certificate will not likely match his or her Australian passport. This can lead to problems with Immigration authorities as two names can cause confusion and lead to increased scrutiny.

When petitioning for Immigration benefits in any country, it is often required that the applicant divulge any aliases that they may have. For those applying for a Thailand visa or an American visa this is often required and failure to note an alias could result in relatively serious sanctions.

Many countries allow their citizens to have aliases noted in their passport. For United States Citizens, this is definitely a possibility, but requires approval of  an application to have a different name noted in a US passport. For those resident in Thailand, it is possible to have an alias noted in a US passport, but one must submit an application to the Consular Officer at the American Citizen Services section of the US Embassy in Bangkok or the US Consulate in Chiang Mai. US Embassies and Consulates elsewhere can perform this service as well. Thai Consulates and Embassies could also note aliases in one’s Thai passport, but one must check with the Consulate beforehand as not all posts are able to complete this task.

Tags: American Embassy Bangkok, American Embassy Thailand, American Passport, Thailand Visa, US Consulate Chiang Mai, us embassy bangkok, us embassy thailand, us passport, US Visa
Posted in General Legal Information, Legal Opinion, Miscellaneous, Thailand Embassy, Thailand Visa, US Consulate Chiang Mai, us embassy bangkok, US Embassy Thailand, US Visa and Immigration, US Visa Thailand | No Comments »

The authors have noticed an upsurge of those asking about how to go about replacing a lost passport while traveling in the Kingdom of Thailand. This post is a brief overview of what needs to be done when one loses their United States Passport in Thailand.

In order to receive a new passport one must go to the American Citizen Services (ACS) section of the United States Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. This office is located near the Consular Section of the US Embassy, in fact the two rooms are adjoining once one is inside the compound. It is wise to first make an ACS appointment by going to the US Embassy website here

In many cases, people do not plan to lose their travel documents so making an appointment may not be feasible. The United States Embassy website provides the following suggestion:

“When traveling, please remember to carry a photocopy of your passport separately from your passport. In the event of loss or theft, the copy will help facilitate issuance of an emergency passport.”

For those thinking of traveling, keep the above quote in mind as it can save a great deal of time at the Embassy.

At one time, the American Citizen Services Section in Bangkok, Thailand was considered to be one of the worst for customer service when compared against its counterparts in the region. However, over the past 5 years, this office has done a great deal to improve customer service and efficiency. It is now a very customer-friendly office that provides fast effective service.  If an online appointment is set in advance then one could expect to be in and out in relatively short order, depending upon the service sought.

For those who lose their passport, they have the option of either applying for a new passport or applying for an emergency passport. Under limited circumstances, the Embassy will expeditiously issue Emergency Passports that have a very short validity period.

In order to obtain a new passport one will need to provide proof of citizenship such as a Naturalization Certificate, Certificate of Citizenship, a Birth Certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Drivers License. Again, due to the likely unavailability of these documents it is always wise to have a copy of the previous passport.

Once the new travel document is issued, one needs to have their Thai Immigration entry stamps replicated in the new passport. Therefore, a trip to Thai Immigration will be necessary. For those with a long term Thai visa, the visa will need to be duplicated in the new passport.

For those in Northern Thailand, the American Citizen Services Unit at the United States Consulate-General in Chiang Mai also could assist with passport issuance. See their website here.

Tags: ACS, American Citizen Services, American Embassy Bangkok, American Embassy Thailand, Lost Passport, Thai Visa, us embassy bangkok, us embassy thailand, us passport
Posted in General Legal Information, Miscellaneous, Thailand Visa, US Consulate Chiang Mai, us embassy bangkok, US Embassy Thailand | 3 Comments »

Early Passports

The History of passports and visas is rather fascinating particularly from the standpoint of current immigration policy. Although many people believe that passports were originally intended for shipping purposes, in fact, their original intent seems to have been for inland travel as the etymology of the word “passport,” is derived from the word “porte,” which was the gate to a Medieval walled city-state (this is also the reason behind the use of the phrase, “sublime porte,” when speaking of the old Ottoman Empire because Ambassadors to the court were met at the gates of the City).

Passports were originally designed as letters of safe conduct provided by sovereigns to be used by subjects in far off provinces or foreign lands to prove that they were subjects of their home Kingdom. King Henry the 5th of England is widely credited as having invented the precursor of the modern passport. This document was used by his subjects to prove their nationality in foreign countries.

Early Modern Passports

During the French Revolution and subsequent emigration by many of the upper classes, the use of passports denoted permission by the government for the bearer to leave the country and thus would not cause the bearer political problems upon return to France. This was the situation in which Charles Maurice Talleyrand de Perigord was placed during the Terror that overtook France after the revolution. Were it not for his obtainment of a Passport and subsequent quasi-exile, Talleyrand may very possibly never have returned to France, or at least not have returned to a place in government. Many French Emigres who failed to obtain a passport either died or were never able to return to France. Such was the importance of the passport at this time.

Modern Passports

After WWI Passports became more widely used as identification documents. Passports began being made in booklet form shortly before the first World War, but as they were not in wide usage, few people had them.  It was around the turn of the 20th century that passports began to have photographs of the bearer in them. Throughout the 20th century passports evolved into the documents we know today through the integration of watermarks, holograms, and biometric information chips.  Today passports are used not only for immigration purposes, but for identification and banking purposes as well.

Current Passport Categories

There are a few types of passports:

Ordinary Tourist Passports (The type held by the vast majority of passport holders)

Diplomatic Passports (used by visiting diplomats, contrary to popular belief, they do not confer diplomatic immunity, only the host nation can confer diplomatic immunity)

Official Passports (held by those on official business from a foreign government, but not for diplomatic activity)

Dual Passports

Many countries allow for dual nationality and therefore permit (either explicitly or tacitly) a citizen retaining a passport of a foreign nation. Other countries will not allow dual nationality and the obtainment of a foreign passport could result in the automatic revocation of said country’s passport.

The United States currently allows American citizens to have dual nationality.

For Information About US Immigration Law please see:

US Visa Thailand

American Visa Thailand

K1 Visa Thailand

Note: None of the above information should be taken as legal advice.

Tags: history of passports, immigration, passport, travel document, us passport
Posted in General Legal Information, Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »