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Registration of Birth in Thailand
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Find out how to register the birth of a newborn baby…
A birth in Thailand is legally recognised under Thai Law only if it has been registered at the District Office. Birth registration must take place within 30 days of the birth. In Bangkok the name for the District Office is "Khet", but in the rest of Thailand it is known as "Amphur", sometimes spelt "Amphoe".
Birth registration can be completed at any District Office nationwide. The telephone numbers for all the district offices in Thailand
can be found in the English version of the Yellow
Pages.
At the local District Office the birth
certificate is issued after the paperwork is completed. The paperwork and birth
certificate are in Thai and it's unlikely that anyone will speak English but a
translator is allowed to help. It is not possible to book an appointment to
complete the procedure and there can be a queue. The birth can be registered by
the mother and father or by the mother alone.
On completion of the birth registration a copy
of the Birth Certificate is given to the parents. The Birth Certificate will be
printed in Thai and a translation may be required to register the child with
the embassy of the parents’ native country.
The
child's name
There are some restrictions for Thai names,
for example, a child may not be given the same name as any of the royal family
who all have very special and unique names.
Registering
the birth at the embassy
If one of the parents is not a Thai national
it is advisable to report the birth to their Embassy who will issue a Consular
Report of Birth Abroad or a Birth Certificate.
Some or all of the following are needed to
register a newborn with the Embassy. Check with the Embassy for exact details:
- The birth
certificate, translated into English
- A passport-sized
photograph
- The parents' passports
- A copy of the parents'
marriage certificate, if applicable
- Divorce Certificate,
if applicable
- A fee payable to the Embassy
The process usually takes one to three weeks
depending on the Embassy.
- Registering a child with
the US Embassy
- Registering a child with
the British Embassy
Citizenship
Children of foreign citizens do not acquire Thai nationality if they are born in Thailand. Children that have one Thai parent are automatically granted Thai citizenship.