lomtalay

That's a relief! Thanks for clarifying, Garry.

Dear All I have a question about what kind of Thai government medical benefits I might be eligible for if I am granted citizenship. I have just turned 65 and I'm working at an international school on an expat contract - I have never made any social security payments (and I gather that it is much too late to start payments now). Thank you!

Yes, thanks for the update, Drjoy. It is reassuring to know that the cogs haven't ground to a complete halt.

Many thanks to all the posters who have added their own thoughts and experiences. I will contact the labour department to clarify my specific situation.

This is very helpful - especially the suggestion to visit the labour dept. Thank you!

Could anyone please advise if I will be eligible for severance pay when I retire in my mid-late 60s (I'm 64 now)? I'm a Brit working at an international school (fully qualified teacher, yearly expat contract, this is my 7th consecutive year) in Bangkok. If I am legally eligible, what recourse do I have if the school refuses to pay (I've heard of cases where the employee has had to contact the Labour Dept/take the case to the labour court)? Thanks!

If I were you, I'd contact the Thai Citizenship group on FB. They'll supply all the info you need.

That's interesting, thank you. As always, Thai bureaucracy moves in mysterious ways...

Yes, good point. I hadn't thought of that. The more information we get from emerging successful candidates from now on, the more we might learn.

Yes, I realise this. My point is that before Marcati mentioned that he needed to produce his WP at the oath ceremony, the majority of people had confirmed (as you yourself mentioned) that they didn't need to show their WP at the DOPA interview or after. If showing a WP at the oath ceremony is now the standard official requirement, this significantly alters the amount of time that I need to maintain my WP, regardless of when my files were submitted to the MOI. Before Marcati's post about the oath ceremony, I made a post here asking other people when they last had to show their WP and at least one guy replied that it was early on and he was nervous when he had his MOI interview as he no longer had a WP (he got away with it, fortunately). Therefore, I'm very keen to find out when other successful candidates were required to show their WPs in order to get a better understanding of whether Marcati's situation was an exception or the new rule. If any posters gain citizenship this year or next, I'd be really interested to know as it drastically changes the timeline.

I applied on the basis of marriage. SB interview April 2023, NIA interview August 2023, SB sent the documents to DOPA October 2023.

Yes, I remember reading (with horror, given my circumstances) earlier on that someone (didn't realise it was Marcati) was asked for their WP at the oath ceremony. I'd be really interested in hearing if any others who've recently gone through the process had to produce a WP in the later stages.

Congratulations! Can I please ask when was the last time in the process that you needed to show your work permit? I'm hoping to retire in a couple of years... Thanks!

Thanks!

Do you happen to know how to find out which health center serves your area?

There's a Thai Citizenship Group on Facebook

My papers have gone back to SB following my NIA interview and will be forwarded to MOI this month apparently...

It certainly does. Very helpful, as always!

Thanks for this information. If I retire before my MOI interview, does it significantly affect my chances of gaining citizenship? What about after the MOI interview but before the documents are issued? It's going to be close to the wire for me...

Hmmm...doesn't seem fair that these are in circulation/being given "to practice". During my interview/test I was just asked to choose 1, 2 or 3 - I chose 1 (exactly the same as above) and scored 9/10 (to my surprise - thought I'd get more wrong).