An individual's citizenship plays a huge role on his identity as a person. It also says a lot about his "legal identity", his rights and privileges afforded to him as a citizen of a particular country.

But, a significant debate can ensue especially if a Thai child was born outside of Thailand like for example, Canada. Questions about his citizenship would arise whether he is or is not eligible for Thai citizenship.

Nonetheless, Thailand recognizes dual citizenship but the fact still remains, Thai citizenship is not acquired automatically.

The Thai Citizenship Rules

Under the Kingdom’s citizenship rules, a child can obtain Thai citizenship if/thru:

1. The child is born to Thai parent/s.
2. The child is born to a Thai mother in another country. The mother should inform the Thai Embassy or Consulate of the birth and request for a Thai birth certificate to be issued to the child.
3. The child is born to a Thai father but the father has not affixed his signature on the child birth certificate would still be eligible if:
   • The child's parents eventually got married.
   • The father applied for Legitimate Child Registration.
   • A court has issued an order regarding the child’s legitimacy status.

To better understand Thai citizenship and the issues that surrounds it, the parents of the child must visit the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate for firsthand information on this matter. They just have to disclose key information to the embassy personnel.