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Will my Thai wife be able to re-enter Thailand on her Australian passport, or will she need a visa?

Jan 2, 2026

9 hours ago

Hi

Me and my￼ . Thai wife are returning to Thailand in March. The question I’m asking is my wife only has an Australian passport. Will she be allowed to re-enter Thailand and stay for good or will she need a visa￼

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The primary concern raised is whether the author's Thai wife, holding only an Australian passport, can re-enter Thailand without needing a visa. Comments confirm that entering on an Australian passport classifies her as an Australian citizen, requiring a visa for longer stays. To avoid complications, it's advisable for her to obtain a Thai passport before traveling or shortly after her arrival in Thailand. Many commenters suggest applying for a Thai passport and utilizing her Thai citizen status to stay in Thailand indefinitely. There are also options for her to apply for temporary visas or extensions while resolving her passport situation.

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Derek ********

If the problem is her thai passport has expired, she can still enter thailand with it ,if its lost order a new one

2 hours ago

Gerard **************

Interesting thing.

Is it that she is Thai with a birth certificate and local ID ? or whatever she'd be fine would be my guess.

She would not be stripped of Thai citizenship because she was in Australia for a while.

2 hours ago

Daniel *****

You are the nationality of the passport you enter any country with. Rules apply accordingly

3 hours ago

Nongnuch ********

I remember having read a report - however already many years ago - that one can use an expired Thai passport to enter Thailand. So I would suggest she books the flight and submits a TDAC and travels on her Australiand passport but shows both passports at Immigration when entering Thailand, and see what they say

4 hours ago

Keith *******

She will only get 90 days unless she gets a Thai passport while there.

4 hours ago

Nongnuch ********

@Keith ******

she can apply for a one-year extension if she has any document - like an expired Thai passport - that proves she was a Thai citizen before

4 hours ago

Keith *******

@Nongnuch *******

from memory the question was: can she stay permanently. My opinion though she can get an extension as you say, I think it would be better for her to go and get a Thai passport. My wife uses both Thai and Australian. That way she has no problems in either country.

3 hours ago

Nongnuch ********

@Keith ******

The extension is only used to buy her some time to get a new Thai passport. While she is on the extension, she can apply for a new passport, then do a border run and re-enter on the Thai passport (or resolve the problem on Immigration because they are able to cancel her extension and permit to stay, avoiding a theoretical overstay)

3 hours ago

Keith *******

@Nongnuch *******

my wife and daughter had to renew their passports the last we were there. It only took them two days. The second was to go back and collect the new passports. This was in Bangkok. I don't know how long this ladies passport has been expired but it might be worthwhile for to check before she flies over. I don't know what it costs for a one year extension but renewing her passport as soon as she gets there might less hassle. Anyway from what your saying this lady has options.

2 hours ago

Reply to

Keith *******

Ian **********

She can travel with her Australian passport, but enter Thailand with an expired Thai passport. My wife and son have done this travelling from the UK

4 hours ago

Sal *****

IMHO what is a bit illogical is if she were to arrive in Thailand on an international flight I believe she can't present/use her Thai ID card (assuming she had one) at immigration for them to consider her for entry (ie. they require a passport) yet if she were to enter overland at a border crossing I believe they would accept the Thai ID card. I remember once back when the airlines required you to provide them a valid passport number, expiry date etc. when booking the flight (from overseas to Thailand) my Thai wife used her non-Thai passport and then upon arrival showed immigration her Thai passport and this caused a bit of an issue - immigration told her not to do that again.

4 hours ago

Yo***

I dont know what means here Thai wife. Your wife has only Australian passport, so she is Australian. She is just ethnically Thai. She is not thai citizen for now, but she can obtain her Thai citizenship if she can prove she is a Thai. But officially she is Australian. There are millions of indians and Chinese in many countries. They are ethnically Chinese or Indians, but they are not Indian or Chinese citizen. Maybe, american, Malaysian, Indoneisan, Candadian, Australian etc.. They are fully foreigners when they go to Indian or china. Obtaining indian or chinese citizenship is different question.

4 hours ago

Stephen ********

As far as I am aware, she can enter visa exempt on her Australian passport, but will be treated as a tourist. She can then get her Thai passport sorted when here, but will need to leave the country again on her Australian passport and re enter on her new Thai passport.

4 hours ago

John *******

@Stephen *******

exactly what we did

3 hours ago

Reply to

John *******

Dca *****

She needs to get a new/renewed Thai Passport

Perhaps see if she can get one now from the Thai Embassy in Canberra (which has consular jurisdiction over Queensland)

Otherwise, just use her Australian Passport to get into Thailand in order to sort out:

1.) be currently listed in a Blue Thai Household Book (Blue Tabien Baan)

2.) from the Blue Tabien Baan, get a new/current Thai ID Card

3.) with a current Thai ID Card, then get new Thai Passport

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4 hours ago

Mick *****

She will not have any issue entering Thailand on her Australian Passport as an Australian Citizen. She can then sort things out when she gets here. It is possible, albeit unlikely, she could have an issue boarding the plane from Australia. As she is travelling on an Australian passport and as she has no long term visa the airline may ask for proof of onward travel - it does not happen all the time but it can happen. Theoretically coming to Thailand as a tourist you should have either a return ticket or onward travel. A million people will jump, on this and tell you it's never been a problem for them but sometimes it does happen so it is something I would be prepared for.

5 hours ago

Penny ******

My wife is a Thai Citizen but also has a USA passport, she is a dual citizen like your wife. When we travel we use her USA passport…. But when we come to Thailand we travel on her Thai passport…. It is much easier!

But if she arrived at the port of entry with only her USA passport she would only be able to stay for 60 days or have a proper visa for her stay … the entry point is not there to figure out my wife’s status they allow entry based on the documents presented.

Once in Thailand she can get a new passport or she can get a new passport at the embassy in your home country.

5 hours ago

RelaxingL*********

Another option is to apply for an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) at the Thai embassy in Australia

5 hours ago

RelaxingL*********

I'm in a somewhat similar situation and I'm also not sure what I'm doing, but I'm leaning towards entering on my NZ passport and just acting like I'm a tourist even though I'm going there to live 😂 got to fill out the TDAC though that's the only annoying thing as a return date is needed. Thais on foreign passports don't need charged overstaying fees, from my understanding.

5 hours ago

John **********

If she enters on her Australian passport and doesn't have a Thai ID card there is a specific extension of stay she can apply for until she can sort herself out. See number 23 on this list

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5 hours ago

Steve *********

What happened to her original Thai passport?

5 hours ago

Richard ******

You will need to start with a Thai ID card first then apply for the passport. Once you have an ID the passport is much easier. ID required.

6 hours ago

Michael ********

Does she have an expired Thai passport and an ID card. She can still enter on that.

6 hours ago

Glen ********

How did she get to Australia without a Thai passport?

6 hours ago

Jordan *****

@Glen *******

could be expired, or lost…

5 hours ago

Reply to

Jordan *****

Stuart **********

Very easy and not expensive to get a Thai passport if she has all the paperwork.My wife had to renew hers 4 days,and a first time passport for our 4 yr old Thai grandson 2 days.Applied for at the temporary passport office in Khoen Khean

6 hours ago

Kevin *******

No problem

6 hours ago

Baz *********

If she only has an Australian passport then she is subject to the same entry rules as any other Australian..

I suggest that when she goes to Thailand that she immediately applies for a Thai Passport and hopefully that can be issued before her 60 days visa exemption entry expires..

Then she would need to attend an immigration office and have her visa exemption on the Australian passport canceled so she isn't recorded as an overstay and then she could stay in Thailand indefinitely

7 hours ago

Wayne ********

@Baz ********

I guess there is one other option in your scenario. If she’s running out of time she can also apply for the 30 day extension.

6 hours ago

Brandon ************

@Wayne *******

she can apply for a 1-year extension based on being a Thai citizenship, as long as she can prove it.

6 hours ago

Reply to

Brandon ************

Lennart **********

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Read this

7 hours ago

John *******

She’ll have to rustle up a decent crab omelette at immigration or else she’s straight back to Australia.

7 hours ago

Ian *********

@John ******

no they’ve changed it to pad kapow gai 😂

6 hours ago

Reply to

Ian *********

Phil ******

Need a thai.passport

7 hours ago

Mary ********

Worse case scenerio, is if they treat her as an Aussie tourist - she has 60 days on a visitor exemption to update her thai passport within Thailand - do a quick border bounce and return on the thai passport. It'd be far cheaper to border bounce over to Vietnam (you'd need a reentry of course) than to travel from Brissie to Sydney.

7 hours ago

Jordan *****

@Mary *******

She cannot be treated as a tourist, this is a legal impossibility all over the planet, just the same way as an American who entered Mexico legally and later returned to the US by crossing the desert can’t be considered an illegal alien and subjected to deportation. These laws are universal

She probably has Thai ID and other documents to prove that she is a citizen.

The only question is whether the authorities will give her a hard time when returning home

5 hours ago

Mary ********

@Jordan ****

While I realise that - it is the worst case scenerio for the op. In other words - while it is highly unlikely - even if it did happen she would have a less costly exercise fixing it here than there.

5 hours ago

Reply to

Mary ********

Tony ******

She has zero to worry about she has a birth certificate and the Australian passport has her place of birth on it

7 hours ago

Allan **************

@Tony *****

.Yes if she's a thai citizen she can live here no problem as long as she gets a thai ID card the problem will come if she ever wants to leave Thailand as she's in the country as an Australian citizen.

5 hours ago

Tony ******

@Allan *************

all my kids born in Thailand travel and leave freely on Australian passport

4 hours ago

Reply to

Tony ******

Damien ********

WTF !

If your wife is Thai she can get her Thai passport…she must have had one to get here !! 🙄

And in case you don’t know..

Thai citizens CAN STAY IN THAILAND FOR EVER …wow !

Read this again SLOWLY and try to comprehend this !!!!

Because your not to sharp are you !!!

Hans *********

too?

Mark *********

you're?

Hans *********

yeah, I'm a little slow today nice catch , haha, all in one sentence , happy new year

2 hours ago

Reply to

Hans *********

Michael *******

@Damien *******

7 hours ago

Hans *********

@Michael ******

don't ya love it when people call others not too sharp and can't figure out too or to.

3 hours ago

Reply to

Hans *********

Phillip ******

My Thai wife and I.....

Young ********

Dick

Christer *****

Australian, mate

Reply to

Christer *****

Uğur ****************

Does she has a thai id like driving license at all? Or go Thailand get the passport or id card wick ever the quickest and cheapest then do a border run exit as a Australian and enter as a Thai

8 hours ago

Steve ***********

She should have a Thai citizen card

8 hours ago

Chris ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Steve **********

yes she does

3 hours ago

Reply to

Chris ********

Steve *******

Get her a Thai passport from a Thai Embassy/Consulate in Australia

9 hours ago

Chris ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Steve ******

they used to have a Thai consulate in Brisbane, but closed it for anyone up north North Queensland. We have to travel to Sydney. It’s it’s bullshit. It’s a bit like Thai Airways, not flying out of Brisbane any more ever since the Covid. They only think that Australia is Sydney.

9 hours ago

Dca *****

@Chris *******

Jetstar (an Australian airline) has been flying from Brisbane to Bangkok for over a year now!

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6 hours ago

J **************

@Chris *******

watching Australians here I thought it was a colony for alcoholics!

8 hours ago

Steve *******

@Chris *******

Not my problem, complain to someone else

8 hours ago

Reply to

Steve *******

Chris ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

For her to get a Thai Visa, we’ve got a travel over 3000 kg to Sydney Thai embassy which is gonna cost us over $2000. Can’t she just enter in Australian passport renew her Thai passport in Thailand she does have dual citizenship.

9 hours ago

Wayne *********

@Chris *******

you dont travel at all for a visa its all done online nowadays

3 hours ago

Dca *****

@Chris *******

Don't bother going to Sydney

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6 hours ago

SunnyChe*********

@Chris *******

why would she need to travel? Everything is done online.

8 hours ago

Brandon ************

@Chris *******

visas are done online. There is no traveling.

If you're talking about a Thai passport, then that's something you need to take up with the Thai embassy.

8 hours ago

BraveGo*******

@Chris *******

yes she can enter Thailnd on 60 day visa exemption and apply for her Tgai passport from inside Thailand that's f I ne

8 hours ago

RelaxingL*********

BraveGoose7291 then she needs to complete a TDAC

5 hours ago

Reply to

RelaxingL*********

BraveGo*******

She need to organize to get her thai Passport otherwise she will be treated as an Australian with a Australian passport and she'll need a visa like all other Australians

9 hours ago

Chris ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

BraveGoose7291

9 hours ago

Reply to

Chris ********

Brandon ************

If she enters with an Australian passport, then she's Australian to the Thai government and will have to deal with visas, extensions, and other immigration matters. Why would she even consider this? Get her a Thai passport and then she doesn't have to worry about anything.

9 hours ago

Jordan *****

@Brandon ***********

How is that legally possible? A Thai citizen can’t be fined, arrested for overstay. All I can imagine is that she will be given a hard time by immigration authorities for not having used her Thai passport, but the idea that a Thai citizen can be treated as a foreigner in their own country is ridiculous whichever way you look at it

5 hours ago

Bob **********

@Jordan ****

she doesn’t have a Thai passport and she will be treated the same as an Australian citizen

2 hours ago

Peter **********

Jordan Ptz

It’s Thailand mate normal rules and common sense don’t exist when it comes to immigration

2 hours ago

Brenton ******

She would have to be born in Thailand to be a Thai citizen. If she was born in Australia and travels on an Australian passport she gets the visa exempt on arrival. Just because a person is culturally Thai doesn't automatically make them a citizen. There may be provisions in immigration laws to deal with this though, like family that are Thai citizens. But you would need to apply for citizenship as an Australian. Of course this would be different if she was born in Thailand then became an Australian citizen. Either way she can only travel on an Australian passport as an Australian citizen right now until she sorts out any Thai citizenship or passport.

4 hours ago

Ron ******

@Jordan ****

Several years ago when visa exempt was 30 days we had a Thai friend in NZ with dual citizenship who had a senior moment and stamped in on her NZ passport. Stayed over the 30 days and got fined for overstay on the way out.

5 hours ago

Jordan *****

@Ron *****

the story would have been different if your friend would have later left the country with their Thai passport

This is a subtle legal issue, but some people are treating it with ignorance, like claiming someone ceases to be Thai and enjoy the rights, and be exempted from the duties of Thai citizens just because they have irregularly returned to the country, this is a legal aberration, unheard of.

The bottom line is, that a Thai person, who has the documents to prove citizenship, whether expired, or not, once inside Thailand, regardless of whether they crossed the jungle, fell from the moon, or returned by a different passport, cannot be subject to the laws regulating the stay of foreigners in Thailand

5 hours ago

Sammi ******

@Jordan ****

apparently not--see the comment above yours. The authorities apparently ignored her new Thai passport and asked for the woman's NZ passport and fined her! My wife is in exactly the same position atm, and think we will just get a her an extension on her Oz passport.

4 hours ago

Wayne *********

@Sammi *****

Thats probably because your expected to depart on the passport you arrived on.

My wife departs for Australia on thai passport, arrives in Australia on UK passport. Departs Australia on UK passport arrives in Thailand on thai passport.

3 hours ago

Sammi ******

@Wayne ********

exactly. My wife usually does the same, but she forgot her Thai passport this time.

3 hours ago

Wayne *********

@Sammi *****

Could you not get it sent over to Her ?

3 hours ago

Jordan *****

@Sammi *****

I understand, but nonetheless, the fact that they managed to get a Thai passport inside Thailand was proof that the government still treated them as Thai citizens, and while inside the country they could purchase property and work just like other Thai citizens if they wanted to.

They probably have laws in place that penalize such cases were re entry was irregular, this I do not doubt.

4 hours ago

Sammi ******

@Jordan ****

quite so. The Thai ID card I'm sure would be sufficient to safely live the rest of your life in Thailand, but it's when you go to leave that the problem will arise. To be fair, the Thai border authorities can't have people willy nilly using different nationality passports for comg and going in the same country.

3 hours ago

Brenton ******

@Jordan ****

probably because it was an immigration issue and not a citizenship issue. If you told the Thai immigration you are entering as an Australian citizen then you have to leave as an Australian citizen. It's unusual as I've known Kiwis who have dual citizenship in Australia to leave on their Aussie passport and return on a NZ one. I do know if you are a kiwi with an Aussie passport living in Aussie immigration don't like if you use your NZ passport to leave Australia. It must all come up on their computer telling them you are an Australian yet you are showing a NZ passport. It's not illegal though. Obviously Thailand has its own laws.

3 hours ago

Jordan *****

@Ron *****

this still does not mean she can get arrested and deported.

5 hours ago

Reply to

Jordan *****

Brandon ************

@Jordan ****

she's not Thai. She's Australian if she doesn't enter with a Thai passport.

5 hours ago

Duncan *********

@Brandon ***********

not correct. She is a dual citizen. Her birth nationality is Thai. She has not given that up by obtaining an Australian passport.

2 hours ago

Jordan *****

@Brandon ***********

is she has documents to prove she is Thai. she is Thai. Her Thai nationality does not vanish after the passport expires, just like US citizenship does not end with the passport expiration date.

She might get questioned at the border, but once inside the country, there is proof in her having expired Thai documents, birth certificates and probably a record in the birth registry of the town she was born in where they registered her as a Thai citizen, and Thai citizens cannot be exiled from their country.

I won’t believe it’s otherwise unless someone can provide casework, but I don’t doubt that she might be fined for having irregularly returned to the country, like in the case of Thai citizens who leave legally and later return to Thailand by crossing the jungle without proper formalities

5 hours ago

Allan **************

@Jordan ****

.Had a friend come to thailand entered on her NZ passport renewed her Thai passport over here then went to go back to NZ after 4 months showed her new Thai passport to leave and they asked for her NZ passport and fined her for overstay.

5 hours ago

Brandon ************

@Jordan ****

doesn't really matter what you believe.

5 hours ago

Reply to

Brandon ************

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