onthemoon

Next time, when you check in, show both passports to the airline staff. "This is my passport for leaving, and this is my passport for entering Thailand". I think they can tell the system somehow, as many passengers have dual nationality.

I also asked and was told that we have to register at CW to use the autogates.

Wonderful, thanks! I don't think we'll have a way to find out when the "big meeting" will take place but at least we know that it will. Things are definitely moving forward.

Does anybody know whether an interview meeting at MOI took place at the end of September? I understand they wait for at least two of the "small" meetings before arranging for a "big" meeting.

Thanks for the pointer. I found the 2008 amendment on the UNHCR website, will keep looking for the 1965 version.

I have a book, never had a digital WP. I'm old-fashioned enough to prefer the book. 😉

It would be great to read it, as I have seen that the practice of government officials is often their interpretation and not what the law actually says. I hope I won't need to insist (I still have a few years until retirement), but I would like to know what the legal situation is.

Oh, I see. Thanks for sharing your experience.

To find that out is why I am trying to find the original wording in Thai, not a summary in English.

I have no doubt about that, I'd be interested to see the original, so I can check whether this applies at time of application or through the whole process until citizenship is granted.

They asked for the WP, but we don't know what would happen if you say you have retired in the meantime. After all, the process is taking very long. Is there a regulation stating that you have to have a WP during the whole process, including oath and finally picking up the result? Or until when? I would hope the regulation - when scrutinised - should say that you have to have one at time of application.

Thanks! I found the Royal Anthem more challenging because I don't understand most of the words. The lyrics of the National Anthem are therefore much easier to remember.

I had practiced a lot, as I am not a good singer. They accepted it. Maybe they just appreciated the effort? 😉

Yes on both counts.

Thanks!

Since most people I saw were couples, I thought that most applications were based on marriage. Thinking about it, the Thai wife might have accompanied her foreign husband for support, and he might have applied based on business. Who knows. Anyway, I was told by the staff that they would interview the applicants based on marriage first, and that's why I had to wait until afternoon. This shows that there were indeed applicants based on marriage.

Correct, and I was in that batch. Phew, my waiting finally paid off in the sense that I am one step further. Most candidates I spoke to had applied in 2019, some even earlier. This meeting was number 1/2567 and rumour has it that there will be monthly meetings again from now on. While the staff would neither confirm nor deny this, this meeting shows that things are moving again. Interesting: They asked for my work permit and took a copy of the page with the personal details and the latest extension. I had brought all my books even though the invitation only asked for the passport and the alien book. They also asked for the latest tax declaration (ภ.ง.ด. 91) which I did not bring. They asked to send it by email and had prepared an email address for that. I wasn't the only one, I guess everyone who had applied on basis of business was asked or these.

Wow, that's quite some financial commitment! Congratulations.

Donations to charity (with official receipt) are indeed required, and it was THB 5,000 when I applied. However, a donation of 1 million Baht to the lawyer's coffers is anybody's own decision.

I 100% agree with what is said on this website. I keep telling people that if they want to hire someone, they should hire me: I will charge only THB 100,000 to read the list of required documents to them and later check whether they are complete! 😂

Wow! Seems to be a good business for these agencies and lawyers. No, you don't need them. But I am now considering to change my line of business... 😂

I was looking for the actual visa regulations but could not find them. If someone could post the relevant text here in Thai, I'll look at the wording. All I found were some newspaper articles stating that a foreigner married to a Thai person in a same-sex marriage can get a marriage visa under the same conditions an opposite-sex foreigner can. Example: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2813329/senate-passes-same-sex-marriage-law The wording also just refers to "spouse" in all English-language websites I could find. I could not find any evidence that there is a difference whether the foreigner is a man or a woman in straight couples. As I said, I hope someone can find the actual Thai wording.

"The Marriage Equality Act makes important amendments to language in Thailand’s Civil and Commercial Code concerning spouses, in particular by changing “men and women” and “husband and wife” to “individuals” and “marriage partners.”" https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/18/victory-same-sex-marriage-thailand#:~:text=Thailand's Senate voted 130-4,to recognize same-sex relationships. "The bill will change the stated official legal status and marriage composition, from “husband and wife” and “a man and a woman” to “married couple” and “two individuals,” giving LGBTQ+ couples the same rights that heterosexual couples share under the TCCC. It will also allow marriages consisting of same-sex partners from the age of 18 and above and grant them the rights to inheritance, tax allowance, and child adoption." https://www.siam-legal.com/thailand-law/thailand-introduces-same-sex-marriage-bill/ As I said, they just changed the wording from "man and woman" to "individuals". I mentioned earlier they changed it to "two people". I haven't read the original text yet, but the meaning is the same. My point is that they did not make a "gay marriage law", they just changed the wording in the existing law as to what a married couple is. There is no difference between a straight and a gay couple anymore. While visas are not mentioned in these articles, one would have to look into the immigration law and I would bet it says "spouse", and not "man" or "woman". I hope this helps.

I would think the law is about marriage equality. I believe they changed some wording in the existing law, like from "a marriage is between a man and a woman" to "a marriage is between two people" or something like that. It's not a special "gay marriage law", I'd hope. Therefore, yes, it should qualify for a marriage visa, otherwise it would not be about equality. In fact, it would be rather strange.

Provided your country allows you to have dual nationality, Thailand requires that you declare intent to renounce your current citizenship when you apply for Thai citizenship once you become a Thai citizen. Some people argue that "intent" does not mean that you actually have to give it up once you become a Thai citizen. There is no deadline how long after becoming a Thai citizen you have before you need to give up your original nationality and in practice, the Thai government does not follow up on this. Thai law also says that your new Thai citizenship can be revoked if you use your previous passport/nationality. Some people argue that this only means that you cannot use your previous citizenship in Thailand anymore (which is fair), but you can keep it and are free to use it in other countries, because Thailand has no jurisdiction there. Many people have reported that they left Thailand on their Thai passport without visa for the destination country, and Thai immigration does not ask questions. Since the legal wording is beautifully unclear, many people do keep their original nationality and use it overseas, for example when travelling to their own country if a Thai citizen would need a visa. It is common practice. You cannot use your original passport in Thailand, though. In Thailand, you are only Thai. So, you have to update all your bank accounts, for example.