
Arun Mai
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Posts posted by Arun Mai
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On 4/1/2025 at 6:25 PM, rimmae2 said:
It is not currently possible as of 5 days ago.
Following may be of interest.
Hi... Have you obtained a new non-quota immigrant visa since using the e-gates for exits? Did you have any problem with immigration officer on arrival, as you must have only stamps for entering the country but none for leaving, is that correct?
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On 1/8/2025 at 6:39 PM, DrJoy said:
This is Citizenship request status checker, try it out
Enter your PINK card number -
https://stat.bora.dopa.go.th/statusNTH/#/
Original application submitted in 2021 and awaiting main interview.
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I do not have the original Thai language text, so I am unable to oblige you in that regard. The cynic in me can't help but suspect that whatever it does say in Thai it is likely to be ambiguous leaving much to interpretation. I may be pleasantly surprised on this occasion, but I will reserve judgement.
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On 5/20/2024 at 7:28 AM, onthemoon said:
I am surprised, as I was told at the time that I have to hold PR for 5 years before applying for citizenship. Since they have accepted your application after less than a year, this must have been wrong. Thanks for info.
I was given the same information and also waited more than five years after obtaining PR. The extra time was due to covid, which delayed my application for citizenship.
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On 4/26/2024 at 8:37 PM, saakura said:
@Marcati Congratulations, and hope all goes well with the final process. I had my NIA interview and all documents were sent to MOI in 2020, so hopefully in 2rys time I will get lucky. I am planning to retire in 2026, so it is really worrying.
I don't plan on retiring just yet, but I agree that it is frustrating. Essentially I can't retire as long as this process is ongoing. My file was sent to the MOI in July 2022 and I am still waiting for THE interview. Still, I tend to put it out of my mind and every now and again I come back to check to see if there have been any developments. Happy for @Marcati. Congratulations.
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25 minutes ago, DrJoy said:
@Arun Mai Any update on your application ?
Nothing new, alas.
My application was submitted (paid the 5,000 baht fee) in October 2021. I had my NIA interview in March 2022 and my file was sent to MOI in July 2022. Since then nothing. I am prepared for the long-haul. As I have PR already it doesn't make a lot of difference to me at this point in time so I'll just wait. One day I expect to receive notification out of the blue, just as with PR.
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On 2/25/2023 at 12:19 PM, rsskga said:
Hello Arun Mai, please see above for where you referenced being asked for additional docs.
Thanks to all for relaying your experiences and helpful tips!
I have an appointment at the US Embassy March 7. I'll report back after as to what they will/won't sign.
rsska..... I think this post from Arkady resolves the mystery. I think you only submit what you have from the list. In my case I have a Thai driving licence whereas I don't have a pink ID card.
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12 hours ago, DrJoy said:
Documents are sent in a batch of 20 -30 people.
They are not sent one by one, so you both must be in the same batch.
Yes, I think that is very likely also.
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On 3/1/2023 at 1:16 PM, ecline said:
This is really discouraging ???? My docs went to the MOI 8 months ago. I had hoped I would get my interview this year, but I guess that ain't gonna happen. Does anyone know how many times per year they conduct interviews normally?
My docs went to MOI on 1st July 2022. Maybe we're on the same list?
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15 hours ago, rsskga said:
Hello Arun Mai, please see above for where you referenced being asked for additional docs.
Thanks to all for relaying your experiences and helpful tips!
I have an appointment at the US Embassy March 7. I'll report back after as to what they will/won't sign.
It seems the link doesn't work well. When I click it it takes me to the post shown in the image file. With respect to the driving licence, I don't recall the specifics, but what I can say is that it certainly wasn't one of the essential documents for my application.
Good luck at the Embassy with your documents.
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On 2/23/2023 at 3:52 AM, rsskga said:
Based on the prior cautionary posts regarding how missing/delayed documents can set approval back by months or years, I'm hoping to provide as many documents up front with my initial application as I can.
Of course, we've covered everything on the published list for wives applying through their Thai husbands. In addition, I'm planning on providing:
- my American divorce decree, with a related Embassy notarized affidavit and translation
- an Embassy notarized affidavit of my intent to renounce US citizenship upon receipt of Thai
I'm wondering about providing the following since I've seen others here indicate they were eventually asked for them (all Embassy notarized and translated):
- birth certificate
- driver's license (Arun Mai reports being asked for this here - I only have an American license)
- Thai work permit (once issued by the company we're planning to create)
- Thai company registration docs (once we've created the company)
- certificate of residence (I don't currently have)
- alien book (I don't currently have)
In regards to the intent to renounce US citizenship, is there any risk in completing this affidavit so early in the process?
General thoughts on providing any/all of these documents?
You say 'driver's license (Arun Mai reports being asked for this here - I only have an American license)'. I must confess, I don't recall remarking about being required to present my driving licence, which isn't to say that I didn't or that I wasn't. Unfortunately the link doesn't pinpoint the post to which you are referring. If you can pinpoint the post, I'd be happy to comment.
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On 10/14/2022 at 10:49 AM, 2009 said:
Aside from that, it is so easy to qualify for the retirement visa in Thailand. It seems like a no-brainer for me to do that indefinitely when I retire.
But will that always be the case? During covid, restrictions were imposed on retirees such that many effectively couldn't leave Thailand without jeopardising their rights in Thailand principally because many were unable to obtain health insurance coverage of sufficient value.
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On 7/14/2022 at 5:58 PM, qualtrough said:
Just curious. Has anyone here who obtained their Thai citizenship run into a government or private organization that failed to recognize your new citizenship? So far things have been smooth for me. Knock on wood.
I have read with interest the various comments made by naturalised Thais of the injustices they have faced notwithstanding their changed legal status as Thai nationals. My application is still winding its way through the system and it is unlikely to reach a conclusions for at least a year or more. I have been a permanent resident for over 6 years.
One of the frustrations of being a permanent resident is that the status seems to be viewed more as a favour than an entitlement; one is accorded no special rights as a permanent resident other than the 'right of abode'. Owning land is still restricted as is the right to work, etc., etc. More to the point, Thais in general have been led to expect that all foreigners in Thailand need to have some sort of a visa. During the pandemic when the country was essentially closed to international travel, I did not renew my Non-Quota Immigrant Visa, of course - why would I, unless I wanted to travel? One time when I checked into a hotel in the south the staff took a long time to search every blank page of my previously unused passport looking for a visa, to no avail needless to say.
The major benefit that comes of being a permanent resident is that it deprives the immigration department of discretionary powers as to whether or not to renew your visa annually, as far as I can see. It is also preparatory for applying for citizenship unless one is married to a Thai.
I think when one is going to contemplate the injustices that naturalised Thais face living in Thailand it is important to also consider the manifold benefits that come of being granted Thai nationality. It may, therefore, be of value for me to recount one of my most recent frustrations as a Thai PR. I have been looking at interest rates on bank deposits. Most commercial banks in Thailand have 'high' interest accounts to attract and retain customers. As far as I can see, almost all banks have some such offering. Siam Commerical Bank's offering is available to foreigners also, although the high interest rate is only available on the first one million baht. I have enquired of about three or four other banks that similarly offer higher interest rate accounts. They all restrict such accounts only to Thais and upon enquiry they explicitly exclude PRs too, although not naturalised Thais.
We can all probably think of occasions when 'foreigners' have been discriminated against in the various countries of our formative years and it would be naive to imagine that discrimination doesn't show up everywhere in some form. It is a very human condition after all. So, in summary, it seems to me that the benefits of naturalising as Thai far out way any 'minor' frustrations that may come along with it.
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15 hours ago, Neeranam said:
You don't need to translate it, it is from the Embassy but written in Thai.
Actually, my renounciation letter dated 2-Nov-21 issued by the British Embassy was written in English. The SB case officer asked us to provide a Thai translation, which we prepared internally (at our office), which was perfectly acceptable to SB - no special treatment with notaries or anything else. The same is true of the certified true copy of my passport.
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3 hours ago, moochai87 said:
I am being asked to take a letter addressed to the Ambassador of the UK, in order for him to confirm that I truly exist and that this is my passport. I have a feeling that if I show up to the embassy with it, they will just look at me and ask me to leave ???? . They of course have a 'validate a copy of passport' service which I can request (I actually thought I already did that, but I have handed over so many documents already I honestly can't remember). Once I get this, and then translate it to Thai, do you think this should be enough? Or do I somehow need to get the embassy to reply directly to the police that issues the letter?
Do bother trying to deliver the letters to the British Embassy, they're not interested in them. Just apply for: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand#supporting-letter-for-thai-nationality-application
And also apply for a certified true copy of your passport from the embassy too.
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Just a quick update. I had my NIA interview this morning, so it's still fresh in memory. The lady intervieing me was charming, as Thais are culturally predisosed towards being in my experience. Nothing difficult about the interview. The standard sort of questions about family, work, interests, why I would like to become Thai, how long I've been here, what brought me here originally. She also asked me about my views on covid, how many vaccinations I have received and whether I had side-effects. She was also interested in whether I indended to change my name if I am granted citizenship. She was curious, on a personal note she said, to know the rules and whether or not it is obligorty to change one's name upon successfully being granted Thai nationality. I informed her that it is no longer obligatory to do so. All the sort of questions one might expect perhaps. The interview lasted about 45 minutes and was conducted exclusively in Thai and on a LineApp video call. I installed the Line App on my computer so I could sit comfortably during the interview. The lady conducting it informed me that after this my file goes back to the SB.
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22 hours ago, THAIJAMES said:
Are you sure the lady wasn't from the national intelligence agency? if so it was probably normal for her to request all the documents again as they may be working from home.
She is indeed at the NIA. So I am now just awaiting the interview appointment. Presumably there is a second interview at MOI much later in the process, is that so?
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26 minutes ago, THAIJAMES said:
Are you sure the lady wasn't from the national intelligence agency? if so it was probably normal for her to request all the documents again as they may be working from home.
That's a good question, thank you for asking it. No, I am not sure that she isn't from the NIA. I shall ask my PA to call her in a day or two to check that the documents already submitted are all in order and to ask her which office she's from.
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17 minutes ago, yankee99 said:
I think the main milestones are
1. application and SB interview
2. passing NIA interview
3. documents forwarded to the moi
after those its really just waiting
????
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23 minutes ago, khongaeng said:
It sounds like the process has changed a bit since I went through this part of the process 5 years ago. At that time interviewing with NIA was within 3 months after SB interview and fingerprinting. The NIA interview was only 30 minutes, and that was after a very detailed inspection of all of our vital documents. The NIA officer even found some errors that the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs made with our documents. I thought that was funny, and fortunately, the officer just moved on without making a big deal.
The big wait will be after you finish your NIA interview. After NIA your application gets sent all around Bangkok for every department in the kingdom to affix their rubber stamp before it is finally forwarded onto MOI. You will not receive any automatic status updates from the time your NIA interview is finished until your MOI interview is scheduled. Many have reported that their SB officer did the decent thing and told them when their application was finally forwarded to MOI. In my case this was 5 or 6 months after my NIA interview that my documents were finally sent to the long queue at MOI (I had to ask my officer when it was finally sent). Right before my documents were sent to MOI, I did get a call back from my SB officer that I needed to bring some additional documents that the officer rejected the year prior saying that they weren't needed. I found out later that this mistake from my office ended up costing 8 months of processing time on my application. This is a lesson from the experience, that I think everyone here will echo, you just have to be patient with the process and give them whatever documents they ask for... at least in my case, they never asked for anything more than documents, and I never got the feeling that that would be required from my application to ultimately be successfully processed. There is no firm timeline but it seems that all applications within the past 7 years are completed between 2 years and 4 years after you apply. If you are famous, then you can possibly get everything finished within 1 year.
Thank you for your input too. Alas, I'm not famous, hopefully not infamous either, but certainly not famous, so I guess I'll just have to wait.
I think my NIA interview should be more or less within 3 months of submitting the remaining outstanding documents which was some weeks after my interview and finger printing (which was done twice). Thanks for the insights regarding the delays between the NIA interview and the file going to the MOI.
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11 hours ago, Marcati said:
Yes, you need to complete an interview with the NIA before they send your documents to the MOI for the final interview.
Ours lasted 1.5 hours, but that could be because I speak Thai fairly well and we had an in-depth conversation about all aspects of life in Thailand. The people were very pleasant to deal with.
Thanks for your input.
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Thank you for your input yankee99. Yes, I shall certainly provide her with the documents she's requesting, to do otherwise would be churlish, but I just thought it was a bit odd when I've already provided almost all documents already. I was curious to know how common my experience was. My original contact is still at SB. We called him to check that it was appropriate to be dealing with this new individual who contacted me out of the blue, although I was expecting to hear something around about now as it's been 3 months since I submitted the last document requested at the outset. Is the process of sending documents to the NIA a milestone along the way to approval?
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Is this a common experience?
I submitted my application to SB on the basis of PR and paid the fee towards the end of last year. I submitted the remaining documents requested (name reservation +++) in December last year. I was contacted by a new officer on Saturday, a lady with whom I had not previously been in communication, requesting more documents ahead of fixing an interview (with whom I don't know). She said the interview would last no more than 1 hour by video call. Anyhow, the list of documents she is requesting is broadly the same ones that I already submitted at the point of making my original application (there were one or two additional documents asked for - drivers licence and birth certificate). I pointed out to her that I had already submitted all of these documents last year to SB. She said the document had been sent to the National Intelligence Agency. At first I didn't really understand what she was asking for. It seems she wants me to submit copies of more or less the same set of documents that I already submitted to SB which may either be submitted by Line app, email, or post. Upon receipt of the said documents she would then arrange for my interview.
Is this common? Has this happened to other applicants?
Thank for the input in advance.
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18 hours ago, Badger18 said:
I guess this has been asked before - I did try searching but no dice. In the real world do people actually go ahead and renounce their original citizenship, and if so what happens about travel? I mean could the British embassy refuse you a visa if you wanted to visit for a couple of weeks, would you be unable to rush back if you needed to go to a funeral, etc?
I'm in no position to answer that question. What is clear is that part of the process of applying for naturalisation in Thailand is to express an intention to renounce one's existing nationality upon successfully obtaining Thai nationality. I'm not sure what that means for people with, say, two different nationalities, for example. I do know of Americans who have renounced their American citizenship when they have had second or even third nationalities, although that was primarily because of the onerous American tax system.
Ultimately, nationality is a legal status conditional on the laws of any given sovereign state. In my opinion, for very many people their nationality forms an integral part of their identity, wheras in reality nationality is nothing more than a social construct. Personally, I gave up BEING British long ago, although that doesn't alter my legal status as British.
As for visas, I understand that it was at least once possible to have one's Thai passport endorsed to indicate that the bearer had the right of abode in the UK so that no visa was required to enter the UK on such a Thais passport. Whether or not that is still possible, I have no idea.
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Camerata's Guide To The Permanent Residence Process
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted
For the sake of clarity, I am not making any assertions. I'm attempting to better understand @rimmae2 experience.
As I understand it @rimmae2 has been using the e.gates at Suwannabumi for exiting Thailand without any pre-registration (I may be wrong on this). As I understand it, he has not been using e.gates on arrival. Therefore, presumably, he only has stamps coming into the country but none for leaving. I was also curious whether he had since renewed his non-quota immigrant visa, as that is when it would be subject to most scrutinisation. Presumably, if he has done this several times the immigration upon entry must have noticed he only has entry stamps and they have not said anything about it.
As I say, I'm attempting to better understand @rimmae2 experience.