onthemoon

No, never had to pay any, and I recommend not to pay them. They go straight to the agent's coffers.

This is what the agency can do: Get the list of documents required (it's in English), get all the documents together (they will need to get all from you and your company), hand it in. In other words, an agency can do exactly nothing, except tell you what documents you have to get (it's in the list) and charge THB 100,000. I can do that for you, if you want. ????

True, I am active in some foreign chambers, and we are getting nowhere. Each ministry we talk to say that this is an issue were many ministries need to agree, e.g. Min of Interior, Min of Labour, Min of Finance, to waive the requirement. I am not sure about the laws, but if a change a law is required, this means that parliament have to approve it too, which is a very lengthy process. There is no political will on the Thai government side to go through all this convincing work, because they don't see what the advantage for Thailand would be. They'd rather spend their time working on issues closer to their hearts or constituents - they can't lose our votes, and even if they lose the votes of our loved ones, we are just a very small minority.

Thank you for the history lesson, much appreciated. Yes, I remember that it was changed at some time, and PR holders did not need 4 employees at the time. I have a lot more employees in my company, so that doesn't really affect me. My point is that PR holders have been vetted a lot more than LTR visa applicants, so the fairness here is questioned. You are right, the LTR visa's purpose is to attract more foreign investors and we - the PR holders - are already here, so there is no political incentive to change anything to make it easier for us.

Labour Law says that foreigners intending to work in Thailand need a work permit. There is no government order or anything stating that PR holders are exempted. I had a discussion with someone from the Ministry of Industry who held an event touting the new Thailand Long Stay Visa, holders of which don't need a work permit (it explicitly says so in the regulation). I asked him why PR holders do need one, he couldn't answer that. So, you won't find any regulation that says PR holders must get a WP. You just find that that there is no regulation that says that PR holders do not need one. HTH

Oh, I see.

I stand corrected.

It has nothing to do with NIA but yes, you have to reserve a Thai name. Everybody does, married or not. You don't need to use it, though.

If you want to stay here forever, what are 3 years? ????

No, I wouldn't call them liars. They tell you what they believe is right, but the final date is not up to them. For example, sometimes there aren't any meetings/interviews for months, and that is out of their control. They invite the applicants to the interviews only one week in advance, because nothing is for sure any earlier.

I meant this tongue-in-cheek.

Since you are already Thai citizens, you can go into politics and actually change things! ???? Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Since you are applying for Thai citizenship, I would think you have lived here for a while. Hence, I am surprised about your reply. ????

Hm, and they thought getting angry and talking harsh will speed up the process?

Yes, apparently.

I waited 5 years to let my PR age in grace before applying for citizenship. ????

1.) Donations to temples count. Use the receipts. 2.) Also use the hospital receipt. Do not say that your donation to the hospital was for applying for citizenship. They want people who have a genuinely good heart, not people who have a selfish purpose when donating. HTH

He said I should expect to be interviewed within this year. They will call me 7 days in advance. If I am overseas at the scheduled time, I can reschedule, no problem. Note for those who are new: MOI received my docs in April 2020. I was told last year that I should expect to be interviewed early this year. I don't mind the waiting, I'm not going anywhere.

It was terribly hard for me, but everybody is different. I now sing them to myself every couple of days to keep them in memory, waiting for the big day.

I didn't think so. ???? These are multiple-choice questions, I remember one of them: What is the capital of Thailand? 1.) Chiang Mai 2.) Bangkok 3.) Ayutthaya

You have to sign from memory (I asked SB at the time when I had to test sing) I am not aware of any reading or writing tests. However, I read the questions to the Thai language test to them aloud by myself, and then answered them. I had the impression that they did not expect the applicant to be able to read at all. I think the test is only meant to be an oral test.

I am currently out of the country and plan to call them again when I am back in Thailand later this month.

You didn't mention that you give them your ID first. You said you wouldn't bring your ID. I never bring my passport, and they won't ask for it when they see the ID. Well, YMMV.

Why would you do that? I don't have the Thai ID yet, I still have the pink ID. When they ask for passport, I just give them the pink ID. Easy for everybody, no questions asked.

Have a copy of the naturalisation certificate signed HM the King on your phone and ask them to take it up with the signatory! ????