I was born in Thailand to US parents am I a citizen by birth?

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IceCube

The fact that you were borne to US parents making you eligible for being US citizen, same as the fact that you were borne in Thailand making you are eligible for being a Thai citizen.
You have a Thai certificate meaning that you can claim Thai citizenship, but the fact that you have not (meaning that at the age of 17 you will need to register for Thai identification card; which is a proof of your Thai citizenship, making your Thai citizenship is unclaimed; in other word, you are not Thai anymore).
Still, at any time, you can go to the district office providing them with your Thai birth certificate and claim your Thai citizenship.
There's a catch! At the age of 20, you need to serve in the Thai arm forces for two years. Failure to do that may result in jail sentence.
Yet, again, in Thai nationality law, a chid borne to either one of the Thai parent (father or mother), or a child borne on Thai soil (including Thai flag carrier) is also entitled to be given a Thai citizenship.
Dual citizenship isn't allowed in Thailand, so once a child reach maturity age (that is 20 years old), he or she must give up any other nationality he or she is holding and provide proof of that (a letter from foreign embassy indicating the person has given up other nationality) otherwise he or she will lose Thai nationality within six months after becoming 20 years of age.

karen i

YOU are an American. I think it's interesting, however that your birth cert is in Thai!

I think you can apply for Thai rights...maybe. But I cannot believe how many people answered that you are NOT an American citizen. Such ignorance. You are not Thai...you are American.

That ss office worker is also an idiot.

Sara

you have citizen rights. its called a dual citizenship. us and thailand.
so you can stay get job just like any other citizen

take me drunk i'm home

Here is the long and short of it:

Thailand does not have the same law that the US has regarding citizenship for anyone born on its soil. To that end, you are not a Thai citizen by birth.

The US law (currently and in 1974), says that if you are born to US citizen parents wile they are residing abroad you are ELIGIBLE for US citizenship. The process of becoming a US citizen for someone like you is VERY simple (it requires a notorized translation of your birth certificate from Thai to English, and a couple forms you can download from the department of state website.

My guess is you are traveling on a US passport, and your US citizenship has already been established.

You have no claim for Thai citizenship, and you would be required to have a valid visa for the length of your stay in Thailand.

Thailand does NOT have dual citizenship allowances for non-Thais.

The ONLY Thais that are afforded dual citizenship are children who have one Thai parent and one parent who is a foreign national. The child has until his/her 21st birthday to decide if they want to be a Thai or non-Thai citizen. Also, Thai women who marry non-Thai men retain their citizenship if they move to a foreign country and gain citizenship there. Thai men are not afforded the same privileges.

hope it helps

EDIT: A child who is born abroad to parents of US citizenship:
A Consular Report of Birth can be prepared only at an American consular office overseas while the child is under the age of 18. Usually, in order to establish the childâ€™s citizenship under the appropriate provisions of U.S. law, the following documents must be submitted:

(1) an official record of the childâ€™s foreign birth;
(2) evidence of the parent(s)â€™ U.S. citizenship (e.g., a certified birth certificate, current U.S.
passport, or Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship);
(3) evidence of the parentsâ€™ marriage, if applicable; and
(4) affidavits of parent(s)â€™ residence and physical presence in the United States.

In certain cases, it may be necessary to submit additional documents, including affidavits of paternity and support, divorce decrees from prior marriages, or medical reports of blood compatibility. All evidentiary documents should be certified as true copies of the originals by the registrar of the office wherein each document was issued.

Me thinks it is not all that difficult to understand. Your parents are US Citizens, but unless your parents register your birth your citizenship is not granted. The process is EASY, and the ACS folks are the easiest in the world to work with. However, one is NOT a citizen until the paperwork has been filed, $65 has been paid, and the application for citizenship has been accepted.

Edit II: Have to smile and agree with Karen about the worker at the SSO. Hopefully the economic downturn has weeded some of the incompetent workers out of government agencies.

Crybaby Bob

What are the rules for people born between December 23, 1952 and November 13, 1986?
children born abroad to two US citizen parents were US citizens at birth, as long as one of the parents resided in the US at some point before the birth of the child.

When one parent was a US citizen and the other a foreign national, the US citizen parent must have resided in the US for a total of 10 years prior to the birth of the child, with five of the years after the age of 14. An exception for people serving in the military was created by considering time spent outside the US on military duty as time spent in the US.

While there were initially rules regarding what the child must do to retain citizenship, amendments since 1952 have eliminated these requirements.

Children born out of wedlock to a US citizen mother were US citizens if the mother was resident in the US for a period of one year prior to the birth of the child. Children born out of wedlock to a US citizen father acquired US citizenship only if legitimated before turning 21.

Khun Bob

If your under 21 you can hold both Thai and US Citizenship. you can apply for a thai passport, but then again your also be eligible for the Thai Military draft. So if you enter Thailand on your US passport you can not. If you enter Thailand on a Thai passport then yes you can stay here. But you are bordering on the line of creating many problems for yourself. There are ways you can stay here longer then having to claim Thai citizenship. Decide after you been here for a while.

Chris F

if you are born there you have citizenship there and if you have an american citizenship then you have duel citizenship

LEHI

no, but you can apply for joint citizenship.

TurboProp

You would be considered a naturalized citizen when your parents are citizens born in the U.S.

Gerald J

You have no rights to Thai citizenship if both your parents were US citizens at the time of your birth. Unlike the US where you are allowed to apply for citizenship if you were born in the US, Thailand like most countries does not allow the child of alien parents citizenship. Only if one or both of your parents are Thai would you have any rights to citizenship in Thailand by birth. Your tourist visa is valid only until the date on the stamp on your passport, and you will most likely be treated like any other US citizen as far as visa validity. My daughter was born in Thailand and for now has dual US/Thai citizenship, but her mother is a Thai citizen, she must renounce citizenship of either the US or Thailand on her 20th birthday. You possibly could become a naturalized citizen of Thailand, but that will takes years to establish.
http://www.multiplecitizenship.com/wscl/ws_THAILAND.html

darrius heyward-beast

nope ur not a US citizen

bob the builder

not a us cit unless born on us soil. military bases, embassies, etc.. i think militart basses....

amelia

Since your parents are legal U.S. citizens, so are you. My friend was born in Thailand to U.S. parents, too! You aren't her, are you? ;-)

Charlie

The only way to know for sure if you are a Thai citizen, is to contact the nearest Thai embassy or consulate and talk to them about it. Everything else is just a guess. See site below for contact info for the embassy and consulates in the U.S.

ssggirl

no your are a US citizen the same thing happened 2 my cousin and she is a US citizen

jackbondnj

If you've registered as a citizen of America then you're not a citizen of Thailand.

If you're living in the US and are registered as a resident of Thailand, then you're just an illegal immigrant. But at least you can spend more time in Thailand.

Ben

By US standards, you are an American citizen if:

1) you are born to US parents (in any place)

2) you are born in the US

So yes, you are an American citizen.

San Francisco Beast

No, regardless of where your parents hold citizenship, if you were born in a different country, you are therein a citizen of that country (Thailand) and not of the other country (US). However celebrity figures have been known to have been exempt from such things and hold dual-citizenships

Jeanna

you were born in Thailand so no u not a US citizen...you should become a US citizen b4 u travel...much more convenient....no problem

Keven T

Google it.

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