Thai adoptees, people who were born in Thailand and then adopted abroad form a small, but important, portion of people looking to reclaim their Thai citizenship.
According to one source, there were around 1,000 international adoptions from Thailand between 1999 and 2015. Since 2015 it appears there were, on average, about 200 international adoptions per year from Thailand to the rest of the world.
As an adoptee, am I still a Thai citizen?
Put simply: YES!
From Thailand’s perspective, the fact you were adopted by foreign parents and raised abroad DOES NOT extinguish your Thai nationality. Thailand has no problems with dual citizenship for those who were born as Thai citizens. As such, all Thai adoptees abroad are still Thai citizens, but ones who at this point is without any up-to-date documentation.
Additionally, it does not matter whether there were official Thai citizen parents registered on your Thai birth certificate, or whether, as an orphan, the identity of your parents is unknown. In both cases, Thailand nationality law recognizes you officially as a Thai citizen.
If you are in this group, the process to reclaim your Thai documentation is pretty straight forward, though requires you to deal with a number of agencies along the way.
Thai citizenship basics
All Thai citizens are registered on what is called a house hegistration, or Tabien Baan (ทะเบียนบ้าน). All Thai’s are placed on one at birth. This is normally a family home address, but in the case of most adoptees, it will be on the tabien baan of their children’s home. All Thai citizens are given a 13-digit identification number at birth too. This follows them through life and appears on their Thai national ID card, which all Thai’s receive when they are 7 years old. It is essential for any citizen to have a valid ID card to undertake any government related transactions, including getting a Thai passport. So the first order of business for any international adoptee looking to revive their Thai citizenship is to get a new Thai ID card.
As a primer, I recommend anyone reading to have a look at “Reclaiming Thai Citizenship” which is designed for anyone born in Thailand looking to re-establish their Thai identification papers. For the most part, this article is aimed at Thai’s who have voluntarily moved abroad. However, reading it will help Thai adoptees understand how this process will ultimately work, and the steps needed to end up with a Thai ID card and Thai passport (with a little help from the related adoption agencies).
I’m a Thai adoptee – where do I start?
For a Thai adoptee who has lived abroad, the process is exactly the same as outlined in the “Reclaiming Thai Citizenship” article, but with one additional first step (which varies depending on your circumstances).
Contacting the children’s home
The best starting point is to contact the orphanage which dealt with your adoption. From our experience orphanages are meticulous record keepers and will have access to all your records from your time in Thailand. Most of them also have significant experience in helping people reclaim their Thai documentation.
They will also – 99% of the time – be the location of your house registration in Thailand, and having a house registration is essential before any Thai ID cards and passports can be issued. As such, in cases we have seen, staff from the orphanage will be able to accompany you to the district office and confirm your identity, to help you get your ID card re-issued, and cement your Thai citizenship documentation, making the process quite seamless.
What if I don’t know my children’s home?
Another couple of paths exist to kick off the retrieval of your Thai ID.
In some cases, your adoption agency will also have records of your original ID. Some like Holt International, will be your first point of call.
In other cases, for example when the children’s home has been closed, or the adoption agency no longer operates in Thailand, the Child Adoption Centre (which is part of the Department of Children and Youth at the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security) will be your first port of call. The Child Adoption Centre, being an official government department, will normally have all historical files of (legal) adoptions out of Thailand
Their address is:
255 Ratchawithi Road, Khet Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400 (google maps click here)
Tel: +66 2 306 88 55, +66 2 306 8834
e-mail: followupadoption (at) gmail.com and adoption (at) dcy.go.th
The first step is to email them. However please take care to have ensure that you have collected as many relevant documents as you can from your parents relating to your adoption. When you email them, they will normally ask for details from records in your possession so they can cross match these details with their records. These normally include as many of these you can provide:
- Thai Adoption Registration
- Adoptive parents’ passport
- The child’ passport
- The child’ birth certificate
- The child’s photo with (1×1 inch)
If they think they can assist, they will ask you to come to Thailand to meet them at a pre-arranged time. Wherever possible, the Child Adoption Center will cooperate with a Babies’ Home where the child used to be, but if not, they will normally assist you themselves in working to get fresh up to date copies of your Thai document from the district office, including your Thai ID card, which will officially state you are a Thai citizen.
FAQ’s
Question: Can I do my first Thai ID card overseas, at the Thai embassy in the country I live in?
It is important to understand that this process outlined above can’t be done overseas, via an embassy or consulate. While Thai ID cards can be renewed via an embassy or consulate abroad, the very first Thai ID must be issued in Thailand, so you must travel here for that. Once the Thai ID has been issued, it is a very easy matter for applying for a Thai passport (which can be done both in Thailand or abroad).
Question: I’ve since taken on the nationality the country where I grew up. Does Thailand allow for dual citizenship?
Thailand has a fairly relaxed attitude to dual citizenship, so it’s not an issue. And for those who are natural born Thai’s (of which all adoptees will be) the Thai constitution forbids the involuntary stripping of citizenship. For the ins and outs of this topic, please read our article “Thai citizenship, is it legal?”
Question: Do I have to worry about Thai Military service?
There is no simple answer to this. While it is required that all Thai males are required to do military service, those living overseas at the time of conscription (normally age 21) and without complete Thai documention (for example ID cards) aren’t in the system to be ‘called up’. Add to this, at age 30 all males automatically are exempted from military service. In the main, so long as you don’t come back to live in Thailand full time before your 30, it is unlikely you’ll need to worry about this issue. For an indepth look at the topic, please click on “Thai military service for dual citizens”
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