Stumpy. You are quite wrong. There IS a birth certificate in Laos and everybody must have one if they later wish to get any other documentation without great difficulty. Even to get a nationality other than Lao, a birth cert is needed if the child is born in Laos. The child would normally take the father's nationality, unless 'father unknown' is entered. If birth is in a hospital, the hospital admin will be held responsible together with both parents (or mother) for registering a birth. Such registration must be witnessed by the local; authorities. Instructions on how to complete the form are available in Lao and Hmong on the internet. For home births in remote areas, the midwife is responsible for ensuring initial registration. If a birth is not registered at the time, it can be registered later. Simple inclusion in the Family Book is not evidence of nationality. If a Lao is born overseas or in Thailand (as many are), birth certificates are always given at the Thai hospital and registered at the Amphor. This certificate is accepted in Laos only as evidence of nationality. If the child is Lao there is no problem. But if a Lao certificate is obtained from a foreign one, the child takes the nationality of the father, whatever the father's nationality. The child of mixed birth is considered within Laos to have both nationalities and may have both passports, but only until age 18, when it must choose.
