qualtrough

Thank you!

I have a friend who is interested in applying for citizenship. Is the Bangkok application office still the Special Branch office in the police compound at the Rajprasong intersection? Or?

I see this point raised all the time and to me it is a non-issue. Thai is an ethnicity, so while non-Thais can become citizens it is silly to expect Thais to consider someone Thai if they are European/African, etc. This is akin to a white person in Kenya getting upset because Kenyans didn't regard him/her as belonging to one of the tribes that compose that country. Most of those same Kenyans would probably have no issue with that person being a citizen of Kenya, other than those who might object on colonial history grounds. I am quite content to be a farang with Thai citizenship, and I have yet to meet any Thai official or private citizen who has expressed any negative opinion, or acted in such a way. Most people who encounter me using my Thai ID card act like it is the most normal thing in the world, and those who comment express a combination of surprise/novelty/admiration. In fact, my biggest surprise is how much of a non-deal it is to most of the people I encounter who are aware of my new citizenship. Now, are there Thais who might have a problem with it? Undoubtedly. But you will find people like that in every country, including the USA. Who cares what they think?

I wish I had seen this thread much earlier than I did. Because I have a company, my annual visa/WP renewal was pretty complex and involved a ton of paperwork. I mean a stack 3-4 inches high. So I used the services of a woman who handled the process for a living. Several times I asked her about applying for citizenship and she always replied that it was extremely difficult, blah blah blah. In hindsight, I was stupid to ask her because she had a vested interested in keeping me as a customer. Doh! Long story short, I could have been a citizen 10 years ago rather than last year if I had only done my own research. The realization that you no longer have to visit immigration or the WP office is wonderful, along with all the other myriad benefits of being a citizen of the country you live in. I advise anyone considering or undergoing the process to take it one day at a time, be patient, and to keep your eye on the prize.

I stopped participating in r/Thailand on Reddit as part of my New Year resolution. Actually the entire site. But from time to time I check the Thai threads just to make sure I don't miss anything important. The other day when I visited, someone inquired about the Thai citizenship process, and as always, the amount of misinformation was staggering. I mean almost every other post contained incorrect information. And along with that you have the usual suspects wondering what benefit there is to acquiring citizenship or belittling it. Similar to what happened here when Mr. Brenn first posted. BTW, Mr. Brenn, thank you so much for your doing that. It has made a huge difference in my life here, and I suspect I am far from the only one.

Agree 100%. If it was like tests in the UK and other countries it would be tough, and not just because of any language issue. You really have to have a good knowledge of the country and its history and governance. If they wanted to cut down on the number of people qualifying all they would have to do is toughen up this test. Not suggesting that.

I took a 10 question multiple choice quiz. It could only be considered quite tough if the person taking it didn't have even a basic reading level. I think I missed two, and it wasn't a language issue. It was what are IMHO silly questions like "What time do government offices open and close?" I'm still not sure, and my family members are not in agreement about that either. If they wanted to crack down on applications they could institute a real citizenship test that would deal with things like history, politics, etc.

That seems a reasonable interpretation and the one I will go with. There has been no change in my US citizenship nor my residence. Thank you for your reply.

One more question if I may, and this one is directed to US citizens. I think it is relevant to the topic at hand, but if not mods can delete. I am collecting SS from the US and every year they send a form to verify that you are still alive, asking a few questions. One of them is, " Has there been a change in your citizenship or your country of residence that you have not yet reported to SSA". I am wondering why they need to know this, since it is allowed to collect SS as a non-citizen (if that is the case) and if you live overseas? Makes me wonder if at some point they might decide that those who change citizenship no longer qualify, and why they need to know this information. I have googled this many times, and the only hits I get are for people on SS who have become US citizens, not US citizens who have taken another citizenship. If anyone can advise about this your response will be greatly appreciated.

A few weeks back I posted a comment about how I never received any kind of documentation when I cancelled my visa after obtaining citizenship. I obtained it about a year and a half ago. I even asked them about it when I cancelled my visa and they told me not to worry. Nothing written in my passport either. Well lo and behold, I got a call from the wife on Saturday saying that a woman from immigration had called on Friday and was wondering why I hadn't renewed my visa! My wife explained that I had already obtained citizenship and she sent a copy of the document to the immigration office. Heard nothing since and hope that was a one off. But it shows that the concern is justified. I have a trip to Europe planned in a few months and I would hate to get up to the immigration desk at Swampy and run into this issue an hour or so before boarding time. I will certainly be bringing a copy of my citizenship document. They really should have a stamp that they put in your passport, and/or a letter/receipt showing cancellation was effected. Anyone else have this experience?

Had a pleasant surprise when visiting animal farm/petting zoo Alpaca Hil in Rachaburi. On visiting the girl at the front desk looked at my Thai ID and asked me if I was over 60. I said yes, and she gave me a VIP sticker and said entry was free. What surprised me is that this is a private enterprise. Saved me around 500 baht or more.

That story makes me a bit nervous. After I was granted citizenship I went down to my local immigration department to cancel my visa. They took care of that, but had no documentation to hand me. When I ask them about it they told me not to worry, I was removed from the system. I found/find it hard to believe that there is no documentation offered for such an important event. Did anyone else canceling their visa get any kind of paperwork attesting to that?

My experience has been the same. So far I have experienced either indifference, or smiles. I have yet to encounter anyone suggesting that I am not a Thai citizen, or that I should not be a Thai citizen. Prior to obtaining citizenship one of the most common questions I was asked by Thais I ran into in the ordinary course of events was "Have you applied to be a Thai citizen?" or "Have you changed your citizenship yet?" I am sure such folk exist, but they have either held their tongues around me or are rare enough that I have yet to encounter one. It would not bother me that much in any case, as those types exist everywhere. Hell, there are Vermonters that won't accept peoples as locals if their family has only lived there for 200 years. Having said that, this gun thing would set a worrisome precedent and I hope it is challenged and knocked back.

I said 'If push came to shove', meaning that if I was forced to make a choice. I have no home, no job, no friends, nothing in the US save my siblings. It would make no sense for me to sacrifice my Thai passport for the US. YMMV