Thai birth certificate for a child born abroad: how to apply

A Thai birth certificate (สูติบัตร, suu-ti-bat) is step 1 on the paper path to Thai ID and a Thai passport. For a child born abroad, a Thai embassy or consulate issues it. This page goes deep on that one step. The full path is in our guide Should I get my Thai passport?.

Who can register a birth at a Thai embassy?

A child with at least one Thai parent. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says: “A child who was born to either or both Thai parents is qualified for Thai citizenship.” The Ministry’s page covers children born outside Thailand too.

Thai mother. The Ministry says that for a child born to a Thai mother abroad, “the mother will have to notify the Thai embassy and/or consulate-general” so that a birth certificate can be issued. London puts it simply: “Under Thai law, a child gets his/her Thai citizenship after the Thai mother.”

Married parents. Most embassies ask for the marriage certificate. Canberra says any case with a Thai father and a non-Thai mother needs “a process concerning scientific proof of biological parenthood”, married or not, and asks you to contact them first.

Thai father, not married to a non-Thai mother. The Ministry lists three routes: the parents marry later, the father files a “Legitimate Child Registration”, or a court order recognises the child as his. London says the child “will get Thai citizenship only after the father has registered the child as his.”

Not eligible. Washington DC says: “Adopted children are not eligible to obtain a Thai birth certificate under any circumstances.”

Which post? Usually the one covering the place of birth. Stockholm only registers children born in Sweden or Latvia, London children born in the UK or Ireland. Washington DC “can only register births or deaths that occur within its jurisdiction”, and Chicago says the same for its area. The US has several Thai posts, each serving specific states.

What documents do you need?

They differ between embassies, so treat this as the usual shape, not a checklist. Most posts ask for:

• the embassy’s own forms (a birth certificate form, sometimes more)
• your local birth certificate, in some places legalised (see below)
• a recent photo of the child (Stockholm 5 × 5 cm, London and Washington DC 2 × 2 inch, Sydney 3.5 × 4.5 cm)
• the Thai parent’s passport, Thai ID card and house registration (ทะเบียนบ้าน, tha-bian baan)
• the other parent’s passport or ID
• the marriage certificate, if the parents are married
• the Thai birth certificate of any older sibling already registered (Stockholm and Canberra)

If the parents aren’t married, expect extra forms. London wants a request form from the father, signed in front of a consular officer, if the child will use his surname, plus a memo from the mother. Stockholm asks for a paternity confirmation from the Swedish authorities and two extra forms. Canberra wants a marital status form from each parent and a consent form for the father’s surname. Washington DC wants a mother’s statement when the father is foreign or the parents aren’t married.

Stockholm is unusual: it asks for a Swedish personbevis in English for the child and each parent, plus the hospital birth record (FV1 and FV2). Registration there is free, but a copy of an existing Thai birth certificate costs SEK 180, paid by Swish.

Do you need to legalise or translate anything?

Sometimes. This is where embassies differ most.

• Canberra: the Australian birth certificate (and marriage certificate) must be authenticated by DFAT. “Please note that the Embassy does not accept apostille.” By post, send a DFAT-authenticated copy certified by a Justice of the Peace.
• Sydney: the Australian birth certificate authenticated by DFAT, original and copy.
• Washington DC: the US birth certificate certified by the Secretary of State of the issuing state, then authenticated by the US Department of State.
• Chicago: the state birth certificate “must be authenticated by the Secretary of State before submission.” Forms are filled in Thai.
• Berlin: the German birth certificate certified by the German authority, with a Thai translation by a German court-sworn translator.
• London: the page asks for a photocopy of the full UK or Irish birth certificate. For births before 1 March 1992, the full birth certificate must first be certified by the FCO Legalisation Office (Ireland: the Department of Foreign Affairs).
• Stockholm: the page doesn’t mention legalisation; the personbevis is requested in English.

How the embassies compare

We couldn’t find a birth registration page on the Ottawa embassy’s site or for the New York and Los Angeles consulates. If you live there, contact the post directly. In Germany, the Thai consulates in Frankfurt and Munich have their own procedures, linked from the Berlin page.

What will the child’s Thai name be?

The name follows the name on the local birth certificate. Washington DC says the first and last names “must exactly match the name on the U.S. birth certificate and must comply with Thai law”, and the surname must be the legal surname of the father or mother. Stockholm says the child uses either the father’s or the mother’s surname, not both combined, and that the surname should match in the Thai and Swedish records. Sydney asks that the Thai spelling reflect how the English name is pronounced, and to email them if you’re unsure of a spelling. If you want the father’s surname and the parents aren’t married, London, Stockholm, Canberra and Sydney ask for a consent, request or surname form.

Can an adult register their own birth?

Yes, at some posts. Canberra says: “In case that the children are above 15 years old, they can apply for their birth certificates themselves.” Berlin also lists the person concerned as an applicant once they have turned 15. Washington DC says that if the applicant is over 20, both the person reporting the birth and the applicant come in person for an interview, and anyone over 15 shows an original photo ID.

London has a separate process for births before 1 March 1992, with a certified original birth certificate, both parents attending and a £10 fee. Chicago links an interview form for anyone who needs “a retroactive birth certificate for a child born before 1992 to acquire Thai nationality”, under “Section 10 of the Nationality Act, Amendment No. 2.” Pre-1992 cases follow different rules, so contact your embassy before sending anything. If you’re an adult and never got registered, a short email to your embassy that explains your situation is a good first step.

What happens after the birth certificate?

Each next step is covered in the passport guide, so here it is in one line each:

• House registration: the child’s name goes into a Thai household record, which gives a 13-digit ID number. Chicago describes a Thai national born abroad adding their name “to the temporary household register to obtain a 13-digit ID number.” Canberra says that after the certificate is issued, “the child’s name will be registered in Central House Registration.”
• Thai ID card: Stockholm, Canberra and Washington DC say the first card (บัตรประชาชน, bat pra-chaa-chon) is issued only in Thailand. Canberra: “The first ID card must be issued in Thailand only.”
• Passport: applied for in person at an embassy or consulate.

Two more things to know. A Thai birth certificate can matter for Thai men’s military registration: Oslo writes that “Any Thai male with several citizenships, holding Thai birth certificate is obliged by law to undergo conscription.” If this applies to your son, ask your embassy. Our guide to Thai military service for luk khrueng men has the details. Whether your child can keep their other citizenship depends on the law of both countries; see Thai dual citizenship. For travel before the passport arrives, read which passport to use when entering Thailand.

To find which Thai embassy or consulate handles your area, see Thai embassies and consulates for families.

What we couldn’t confirm

We only publish what an official page says. These had no official answer we could find:

• A deadline. None of the embassy pages we read sets a time limit for registering a birth abroad.
• Fees in the US and Sydney. Washington DC and Chicago list no embassy fee, and Sydney doesn’t mention one. Postage and local authentication cost extra.
• Ottawa, New York and Los Angeles. We found no birth registration page for these posts.
• Processing times for London, Canberra, Sydney and Berlin.
• The exact steps for an unmarried Thai father at each embassy, including when a DNA test is needed.

We re-check this guide at least every 90 days. Thai terms are explained in the glossary.

Thai words on this page are a draft until a native speaker has reviewed them.