Hey, I'm curious -- my wife is a Thai citizen and I'm from the States, but we've been living in Canada for several years, and by the time we go back (hopefully in 2 years), I'll be a Canadian citizen as well. I'm afraid that the temptation to avoid immigration nonsense (I'm not old enough for a retirement visa) will be intolerable -- to stay in as long as possible on one passport, and then leave and re-enter on the other. However, it also seems like something that could get me in trouble, through the parts of applications where you have to declare when you have been in Thailand.

Or would it make more sense to just keep using the same passport as always, and save the other for an unexpected hiccup? Thoughts?

you can't enter on one than exit on the other as you will have no entry stamp on the second one
no real advantage having 2 passports nearly the same

I concur with Noosard ( and this should have been made clear in another recent thread )
having two passports can cause big problems if you go changing from one to the other in mid stream..Customs officers look for the stamp you got coming out of a country, just as much as they look for the visa you have for entering a country..dont go thinking you can just swap passports in midair and all will be honky dory..or you can enter with one and leave on the other because within 24hrs of your arrival in Thailand the hotel you are staying in must inform the police, and if you reside there then you yourself must tell them you are back in town.....correct me if I am wrong please

should be ' cant '

My son leaves Thailand on his Thai passport, enters Aus on his Aus passport, departs Aus on his Aus passport and re-enters Thailand on his Thai passport, you can.

The way i read this is, hes thinking of having 2 foreign passports and alternating them with Visas to max his stay

Sakhonnick wrote: by Sakhonnick » December 9, 2013, 2:49 pm

The way i read this is, hes thinking of having 2 foreign passports and alternating them with Visas to max his stay

That would be a stupid move, easier on the head to do it correctly, marriage visa maybe?

My understanding is that while Canada allows dual citizenship, the USA doesn't. I was also told that Canada doesn't recognize forced "renouncement's" of Canadian citizenship by countries not permitting dual citizenship. So you may have to be very discrete with US authorities if you intend to continue holding a Cnd and US passport.

If you arrive in Thailand on one of your two passports, you have to leave on it as your arrival stamp is in it and Thailand has exit control (unlike Canada and USA) allowing them to collect "overstay" fines. I just can't see how second passport really helps you in Thailand unless you are trying to string together "visa on arrivals" on alternate passports.

If you want the least hassle and don't mind travelling to Laos every 90 days, when not just apply for a Non-Immigrant O visa in Canada or USA (which the Thai Embassy in Vancouver calls a "Thai wife visa") which is valid for one year, but can practically be extended to 15 months if you make your last entry near the expiry day of the 1 year visa. It does mean you have to return back to Canada/USA every 15 months to get a new "O" visa.

Mudshark wrote:My understanding is that while Canada allows dual citizenship, the USA doesn't. I was also told that Canada doesn't recognize forced "renouncement's" of Canadian citizenship by countries not permitting dual citizenship. So you may have to be very discrete with US authorities if you intend to continue holding a Cnd and US passport.

Not exactly...

a person who is automatically granted another citizenship does not risk losing U.S. citizenship. However, a person who acquires a foreign citizenship by applying for it may lose U.S. citizenship. In order to lose U.S. citizenship, the law requires that the person must apply for the foreign citizenship voluntarily, by free choice, and with the intention to give up U.S. citizenship.

To the OP,

I agree with Maaka, I think you may leave yourself open to scrutiny.

If Nick hold a Cnd PR card, as most landed immigrants do, he can apply for Canadian citizenship after residing 3 years in a 4 year period in the country and pass the other requirements (Cnd knowledge test, English/French language proficiency test etc).

So, it is a voluntary application. The only automatic grant of citizenship I am aware of is (1) you were born in the country, or (2) you were born overseas but at least one of your parents was a Cnd citizen.

I would be careful if I were him about flashing two passports to US authorities.

Many foreigners living in Canada simply keep renewing their PR cards, rather than apply for citizenship. However then you don't get a Cnd passport.

The simpler of these was correct -- just using two passports to maximize my stay. I know that one can't go in on one and leave on another. And yes, the person who said that a straight marriage visa would be a lot easier is probably correct too . . . I've just had so much nonsense in the past from Thai immigration that I was daydreaming about it; and you never know what they'll come up with in the future.

But as for the U.S. and Canada, there's no problem -- as long as you use the passport of each country to enter and leave it. Sure, it's probably best not to make a point of flashing them at the border, but it really isn't as much of an issue as it is for Thais with foreign passports.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.