The Process Of Getting Dual Citizenship For Your Child - Part 2

In my previous post, I shared about how to get the Thai Birth Certificate for you child. You can refer to the post here.

Today I will share about how to get the Thai Birth Certificate converted to an English version in order to use it for applying Singapore Citizenship.

After getting the Thai Birth Cert, you have to make your way to The Govenment Complex Commemorating His Majesty The King Chaengwattana located at Chaeng Wattana Road. The location map can be found here.

Once here, look for the magazine store located on Level 1, next to 7-Eleven. Here, they can provide services to translate your Thai version of Birth Cert to an English version. If I don't remember wrongly, it should be less than 200 Bt. You can of course do it at other places but I like the convenience to be able to do everything needed at 1 place.

It will usually take them about 2 hours to complete the translation. So I would recommend that you be there in the morning about 9am so that you can complete the translation before noon.

After getting the translation, proceed to Level 2. This is where they will do a Certify True Copy of your translated English Birth Cert. You would need to make a copy of the Thai Birth Cert and submit together with the translated copy for them to certify the document. Get a form from the booth, fill it up (Can do it in English) and get a queue number.

The cost of certifying the documents should be about 800 Bt and you will have to come back to collect the next day. But if you are in a hurry or don't want to make a 2nd trip, you can pay double the amount and have the Birth Cert certified on the same day. But I think you will have to submit the request before noon in order to get it on the same day.

Once your number is called, proceed to the counter and submit the form and the documents together with the payment and take a seat.

You might be called into the interview room where the officer will ask you questions about yourself and why you need to make a translation of the birth cert.

You can just reply him your reasons and he will usually ask you to wait outside. Nothing much about this.

Wait for your number to be called again and collect the receipt from the counter. Depending on whether you choose the normal or express mode, collect your certified true copy Birth Cert at the appropriate time.

From here, you are already half way in bringing your child back to Singapore and getting his/her citizenship. In the next post, I will continue to share on how to apply for the Thai passport and Singapore Citizenship.

Ruk Mai Yom Bplian Bplaeng (รักไม่ยอมเปลี่ยนแปลง) - Tik Shiro

I would like to share with you a Thai song that I like very much. Ruk Mai Yom Bplian Bplaeng by Tik Shiro. I find this song to be very meaningful and very touching.

I have provided the English translation to the best of my knowledge so if anyone have a better translation, let me know and I will be glad to update.

Master this song and sing it in-front of a Thai audience and you are sure to get all the Oohs and Ahs from them.

I am thinking of making this translation section a regular on my blog and will add more in future so stay tuned. If you have any songs that you would like to have them translated, let me know and I will try my best though I cannot promise that I can successfully translate it.

I have also embedded the MTV. Enjoy.

Tik Shiro

รักไม่ยอมเปลี่ยนแปลง
Ruk Mai Yom Bplian Bplaeng


ฟ้ายังมีหม่น ฝนยังมีวันแล้ง
faa yang mee mon fon yang mee wan laeng
The sky still have sorrows, the rain still have drought days


สลากยังมีกินแบ่ง แต่หากจะแบ่งใจนี้ไม่มีทาง
sa-laak yang mee gin baeng dtae haak ja baeng jai nee mai mee taang
A lottery ticket still has to be shared, but there's no way this heart can be shared


น้ำมันยังมีหมด รถจึงมีวันล้าง
naam man yang mee mot rot jeung mee wan laang
Oil can be used up, cars then have its day to be washed


แต่หากจะให้ล้างใจ หมดจนลืมเธอไปไม่มีทาง
dtae haak ja hai laang jai mot jon leum ter bpai mai mee taang
But if I let my heart be washed, there's no way that I can completely forget you


เฝ้านึกถึงเหตุการณ์ ตอนที่รักกัน มันยังอินในหัวใจ
fao neuk teung het gaan dton tee rak gan man yang in nai hua jai
Watching and thinking of the events when we are in love, it is still in my heart


อยากบอกตัวเองลืมเขาสักทีแล้วมีใหม่
yaak bok dtua eng leum kao sak tee laew mee mai
Want to tell myself to forget her for once and have someone new


แต่ทำไมใจมันไม่ตามใจ วนเวียนไปแต่รักเธอ
dtae tam-mai jai man mai dtaam jai won-wian bpai dtae rak ter
But why my heart it does not follow my mind, going in circle but I still love you


เปลี่ยนตัวเองใหม่เป็นคนละคน
bplian dtua eng mai bpen kon la kon
Changing myself to be a different person


แต่เปลี่ยนยังไงทำไมรักยังอยู่เหมือนเดิม
dtae bplian yang ngai tam-mai rak yang yoo meuan derm
But however I change why is my love still the same as before


โอ้ว....โอ....โอ รักไม่ยอมเปลี่ยนแปลง
Oh . . . .Oh . . . .Oh rak mai yom bplian bplaeng
Oh... Oh... Oh... My love is not willing to change


สียังมีเปลี่ยน เขียนยังมีวันลบ
see yang mee bplian kian yang mee wan lop
Colors still have changes, what's written still have its days to be erased


ละครยังมีวันจบ แต่หากจะจบใจนี้ไม่มีทาง
la-kon yang mee wan jop dtae haak ja jop jai nee mai mee taang
A drama still have a day to end, but there's no way if you want to stop this heart.


ร้านยังมีวันปิด คิดยังมีหยุดคิด
raan yang mee wan bpit kit yang mee yoot kit
Shops still have days it will close, thinking still have days that will stop


แต่หากจะให้คิดปิด ปิดไม่ให้คิดถึงไม่มีทาง
dtae haak ja hai kit bpit bpit mai hai kit teung mai mee taang
But if I will let my mind stop thinking, there's no way I can stop missing you


เฝ้านึกถึงเหตุการณ์ ตอนที่รักกัน มันยังอินในหัวใจ
fao neuk teung het gaan dton tee rak gan man yang in nai hua jai
Watching and thinking of the events when we are in love, it is still in my heart


อยากบอกตัวเองลืมเขาสักทีแล้วมีใหม่
yaak bok dtua eng leum kao sak tee laew mee mai
Want to tell myself to forget her for once and have someone new


แต่ทำไมใจมันไม่ตามใจ วนเวียนไปแต่รักเธอ
dtae tam-mai jai man mai dtaam jai won-wian bpai dtae rak ter
But why my heart it does not follow my mind, going in circle but I still love you


เปลี่ยนตัวเองใหม่เป็นคนละคน
bplian dtua eng mai bpen kon la kon
Changing myself to be a different person


แต่เปลี่ยนยังไงทำไมรักยังอยู่เหมือนเดิม
dtae bplian yang ngai tam-mai rak yang yoo meuan derm
But however I change why is my love still the same as before


โอ้ว....โอ....โอ รักไม่ยอมเปลี่ยนแปลง
Oh . . . .Oh . . . .Oh rak mai yom bplian bplaeng
Oh... Oh... Oh... My love is not willing to change


รักเธออยู่อย่างนี้ อยู่อย่างนี้ ได้ยินไหม
rak ter yoo yaang nee yoo yaang nee dai-yin mai
Loving you like this, like this, can you hear


ว่ารักเธอมากแค่ไหน ได้ยินไหม เข้าใจไหม
waa rak ter maak kae nai dai-yin mai kao jai mai
That how much I love you, can you hear, do you understand


รักไม่ยอมเปลี่ยนแปลง
rak mai yom bplian bplaeng
My love is not willing to change

The Process Of Getting Dual Citizenship For Your Child - Part 1

In my previous post, I was sharing about things to consider for a Singapore/Thai couple choosing to deliver their child in Thailand instead of Singapore. Today I would like to share about the child registration process in Thailand, how to bring your child back to Singapore and then how to finally register as a Singapore citizen to officially have a dual citizenship till 21 years old.

Right after the child is born, you will have to get a Birth Document from the hospital certifying that the child is born at the hospital, who the parents are and details regarding the new born. You will have to fill up a form with the parent's detail and give it to the hospital before they can process this birth document. Form is in Thai but you can still write in English. 

If I don't remember wrongly, you will also have to give them a copy of you and your wife's IC and marriage certificate. For me, I had my passport and marriage cert translated to Thai and got them certified at the Immigration Department so it is easy for the hospital to verify my documents. 

It should take about 1 - 2 days to get the Birth Document from the hospital. If you are rushing for time, talk to the nurses nicely and they usually can help to give it to you the next day.

With the Birth Document and the Household Registration Book (a little blue book which documents all the residents of a particular house, think it is call Samut Baan), you will have to go to the district office (Am-per) to register the birth and get the Birth Certificate. If you do not have the House Booklet at that point of time, you can still get the Birth Certificate but will have to resister the child to a house within a month of the child's birth. You will have to check with your wife which is the correct district office to go based on the place of resident.

It should take about an hour or less, including waiting time, to get the Birth Certificate. With this, You child is officially a Thai Citizen and you are also 1 step closer in bringing your child to Singapore and getting his Singapore Citizenship.

I would recommend anyone doing this to get all necessary documents ready so as not to waste time running in and out of the hospital to get copies of the necessary documents.

In the next blog, I will continue to share the next part of this process of how to get the Thailand Birth Certificate translated to English for registration of Singapore Citizenship.

Giving Birth In Singapore or Thailand?

I think the question of where to give birth to you child, whether Singapore or Thailand, will be on the mind of parents-to-be who are of a Singaporean Father/Thai Mother couple. 

And I am pretty sure the husband will want to let the child be born here and the wife in her home country.

I would like to offer my thoughts and share my experiences.

1) Standard of Care

In this area, I would say that both countries have a high standard of medical care. Facilities and equipment, at least for child birth, is adequate whether you are looking at Government or Private Hospital

2) Cost

In terms of cost, I would say that Thailand would definitely be much cheaper. My wife gave birth in a Government Hospital and the delivery bill came to about 12,000 Baht (if I don't remember wrongly) for cesarean birth. And because my wife had a Bat Tong (a medical card with subsidies for Thai), the cost for the delivery is free and I only had to pay room and board (because I upgraded to a 1-bedder room) and some medication and the bill for a 3 days stay came to about 5,000 Baht.

In Singapore, I am not sure about the cost but I checked around and it will cost at least $1,000 upwards for a normal birth.

3) Language

Unless your wife have a strong English background and can speak the language well, chances are that it will be a chicken and duck talk situation between the doctor/nurses and her. I feel that as we are not the one giving birth, it is important that she can communicate with the doctors and nurses during the delivery just in case she needs to express some difficulties but the doctors do not understand.

4) Citizenship

This is the part I like the most. I choose to let my 2 kids be born in Thailand and they are holding dual citizenship until the age of 21. They have 2 passports and have no trouble staying in either country for as long as they want.

They also enjoy the benefits of being both a Thai (they also got a Bat Tong each as their mother had 1) and a Singaporean (I am entitled to all payouts of the Baby Bonus Scheme ).

It is fairly easy to apply for the Singapore citizenship for them but that is something I will share in another post.

Conclusion

Overall, if a Singapore Father/Thai Mother couple were to ask me where should they deliver their child, I will advice them to do it in Thailand. Even if we do not need to consider the cost, I think that there are other advantages in delivering the child in Thailand.

And Thai people have very different views/practices on postpartum care (they do not and cannot stand not washing their hair for 1 month). They would prefer to be taken care of the Thai way and this is something that only their parents can offer.