Story Of My Thai Citizenship Application

[Tylor]

4 minutes ago, yankee99 said:

Congratulations! 

 

any chance you could provide some details of the interview process? 

 

Thanks 

 Thanks !

 

Well the interview process was pretty straight forward, they held the interviews at a Provincial district building in the suburbs, there were around 25 people or so in que, most of the cases were Thai husbands with Foreign wives or Thai wives with foreign husbands,  i was told that these cases are more simple and the interviews are much more easier, the ones that are through residence etc are a bit more difficult and sometimes require them to sing the national anthem etc, however don't quote me on this, just the information i got from the staff around there.

 

The interview was conducted by around 20 or so people , Police high ups, government officials etc, they asked me a series of around 15 questions or so, mostly related to my life in Thailand, work, family etc.. pretty straight forward process, took around 15 minutes.

 

Thats pretty much it, once i walked out they told me they would get back to me within 6 months or so but no further information was provided.

 

Cheers !

 

[GarryP]

36 minutes ago, Tylor said:

 Thanks !

 

Well the interview process was pretty straight forward, they held the interviews at a Provincial district building in the suburbs, there were around 25 people or so in que, most of the cases were Thai husbands with Foreign wives or Thai wives with foreign husbands,  i was told that these cases are more simple and the interviews are much more easier, the ones that are through residence etc are a bit more difficult and sometimes require them to sing the national anthem etc, however don't quote me on this, just the information i got from the staff around there.

 

The interview was conducted by around 20 or so people , Police high ups, government officials etc, they asked me a series of around 15 questions or so, mostly related to my life in Thailand, work, family etc.. pretty straight forward process, took around 15 minutes.

 

Thats pretty much it, once i walked out they told me they would get back to me within 6 months or so but no further information was provided.

 

Cheers !

 

If the interview went smoothly, it is just a matter of your name being announced in the Royal Gazette, going in to SB to make an oath and receive your citizenship papers. Thereafter an appointment at your district office to fill out some more forms and get your ID card. That timeline you were given sounds about right as things are a little bit faster now. I was interviewed by the MoI (for the second time - a long story) on 30 January 2015, citizenship was announced in the Royal Gazette on 28 January 2016, took the oath and picked up my papers from SB on 17 February 2016, and after faffing about got an appointment at the District Office on 2 March 2016 where I had my name entered in my son's House Registration book and got my Thai ID card.  So for me, just over a year between MoI interview and getting my ID card.   

[MrPatrickThai]

On 11/22/2018 at 9:14 PM, Arkady said:

To apply for citizenship, you are supposed to remain in employment throughout the process.  However, in practice you are unlikely to be asked for your work permit after you have made the oath of allegiance.

I wasn't asked at the MOI interview. I thought I could pretty much retire now! Better hang on just in case.

[Arkady]

36 minutes ago, MrPatrickThai said:

I wasn't asked at the MOI interview. I thought I could pretty much retire now! Better hang on just in case.

I wasn't asked for my docs at the interview but the lady who registered me said the committee sometimes asks to review an applicant's docs.  If that happens and you can't present a WP, you'd better have a good reason, e.g. it is being renewed, or your application will be in the bin.  They might ask you to present your WP later in such a case.  When you are asked for your docs for the oath of allegiance, it may be up to SB to verify every thing.  In that case, they might be willing to overlook a missing WP.  It is best to have one, if possible, rather than leave your application hanging by a thread.

[Neeranam]

5 hours ago, Arkady said:

I wasn't asked for my docs at the interview but the lady who registered me said the committee sometimes asks to review an applicant's docs.  If that happens and you can't present a WP, you'd better have a good reason, e.g. it is being renewed, or your application will be in the bin.  They might ask you to present your WP later in such a case.  When you are asked for your docs for the oath of allegiance, it may be up to SB to verify every thing.  In that case, they might be willing to overlook a missing WP.  It is best to have one, if possible, rather than leave your application hanging by a thread.

I expect changing jobs is no problem, as long as there is no long period of not working, even if there is a couple of weeks in order to get a new WP.

 

[Arkady]

On 11/24/2018 at 5:56 PM, Neeranam said:

I expect changing jobs is no problem, as long as there is no long period of not working, even if there is a couple of weeks in order to get a new WP.

 

Many people have changed jobs during the 3 year qualifying period or after that but before the interview but no one has ever come up with a definitive answer for what length of gap between work permits might be acceptable.  I had the experience of the head of the nationality section thumbing through my work periods to check there was no gap before my interview.  I had a gap of a couple of days which made my heart skip a beat but either she didn't notice that or thought it was acceptable. 

 

If you do change jobs it it is worth goading your new company to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible.  I nearly got mine to do it with no gap but, of course, they managed to screw up something even with me breathing down their necks.

[Kwarium]

On 11/23/2018 at 11:10 AM, Tylor said:

Hey Everyone, 

 

Its my first time on here and im glad i found this forum.

 

Im in the process of getting my Thai citizenship, my journey started last year in April, had been in Thailand almost 17 years, in my late 30's now, went to University here and also married a Thai citizen and have 2 Children as well. 

 

I applied and passed my interviews etc at SB and NIA last year in early May, my file was sent to MOI around Aug 2017 from what i was told, i got my MOI interview done last week and everything went smoothly.

 

Just wondering what to expect next, i was told that i will most likely get my citizenship between June to September next year 2019 starting from this point.

 

Any information would be helpful.

 

Thanks !!

 

Tylor  

Congrats, you are getting there!

 

My wait between MOI interview and oath at Special Branch was 8 months. Oddly, when O called to see if there was any news, they said to come in for the oath. No idea how long a delay there was by them not calling me. They asked for work permit at oath, but were happy with a copy. Glad I hadn’t quit my job!

 

Another 5.5 months wait until getting published in the Royal Gazette, which is the official point of naturalization.

 

Lastly, a few more weeks wait until getting the certificate at SB, Nov. 2018.

 

Because TIT, your timeline may vary drastically!

 

 

 

 

[Arkady]

6 hours ago, Kwarium said:

Congrats, you are getting there!

 

My wait between MOI interview and oath at Special Branch was 8 months. Oddly, when O called to see if there was any news, they said to come in for the oath. No idea how long a delay there was by them not calling me. They asked for work permit at oath, but were happy with a copy. Glad I hadn’t quit my job!

 

Another 5.5 months wait until getting published in the Royal Gazette, which is the official point of naturalization.

 

Lastly, a few more weeks wait until getting the certificate at SB, Nov. 2018.

 

Because TIT, your timeline may vary drastically!

 

 

Elections and a change of government are coming.  The Interior Minister sets the tone of the citizenship process.  The current minister, who has been in office since the 2014 coup, shook things up at the ministry, approved large backlogs of citizenship and PR applications and forced the bureaucrats to speed up the process, while eliminating (as far as one can tell) bribery.  Since the early 2000s under political governments both processes got stuck in logjams for years, got knocked back to SB for re-checking without good reason, and demands for bribes were not unheard of. 

 

Hopefully, things will not change quickly or radically after the elections but we will have to wait and see.

[sanchobkk]

Hi,

Just wanna add my 2 cents.

As i have been working for 10 years and eligible for all the matters, i wanted to apply for this citizenship.

Unforntunatly, things are gonna change for me next years, so i likely couldn't fill the requirement anymore.

I had the line ID of one officer at the SB branch.

I asked him on "date", meaning i d like to meet him outside his office to talk business.

He was the one telling me thr first time i went there that it will have a way to speed up the process.

So i wanted to figure that out and get an idea of how much money for how quicker could that be.

Meeting up at Central mega bangna for a cofee and start talking chill chill.

After turning around the pot, he told me a 6 figures digit could make the process faster, but only from his side, as (like you all know) they have to back amd forth with the MOI.

No garanty either of the application would be succesfull..

No many more details was given.

Well i just wanted to know wether it is possible or not.. Bit i didnt have any doubt about bribes still going on. Did you ?

[GabbaGabbaHey]

41 minutes ago, sanchobkk said:

Hi,

Just wanna add my 2 cents.

As i have been working for 10 years and eligible for all the matters, i wanted to apply for this citizenship.

Unforntunatly, things are gonna change for me next years, so i likely couldn't fill the requirement anymore.

I had the line ID of one officer at the SB branch.

I asked him on "date", meaning i d like to meet him outside his office to talk business.

He was the one telling me thr first time i went there that it will have a way to speed up the process.

So i wanted to figure that out and get an idea of how much money for how quicker could that be.

Meeting up at Central mega bangna for a cofee and start talking chill chill.

After turning around the pot, he told me a 6 figures digit could make the process faster, but only from his side, as (like you all know) they have to back amd forth with the MOI.

No garanty either of the application would be succesfull..

No many more details was given.

Well i just wanted to know wether it is possible or not.. Bit i didnt have any doubt about bribes still going on. Did you ?

I can also say that since last year when I applied, except for the standard application fees nobody from SB or from any other entity I have met has asked me any money or mentioned about anything like this.
 

[Arkady]

4 hours ago, sanchobkk said:

Hi,

Just wanna add my 2 cents.

As i have been working for 10 years and eligible for all the matters, i wanted to apply for this citizenship.

Unforntunatly, things are gonna change for me next years, so i likely couldn't fill the requirement anymore.

I had the line ID of one officer at the SB branch.

I asked him on "date", meaning i d like to meet him outside his office to talk business.

He was the one telling me thr first time i went there that it will have a way to speed up the process.

So i wanted to figure that out and get an idea of how much money for how quicker could that be.

Meeting up at Central mega bangna for a cofee and start talking chill chill.

After turning around the pot, he told me a 6 figures digit could make the process faster, but only from his side, as (like you all know) they have to back amd forth with the MOI.

No garanty either of the application would be succesfull..

No many more details was given.

Well i just wanted to know wether it is possible or not.. Bit i didnt have any doubt about bribes still going on. Did you ?

Anyway there is not an awful lot SB can do for you, since they have no decision making power and their job is just to put the applications together and put them in the post to the MoI. SB seems to be processing things at an even rate and anyway they have limited latitude to speed things up or slow them down. Definitely, if you will not remain qualified next year, there would be nothing that could be done for you, probably not even if you were good mates with the current interior minister, who probably only has a few months to go. If your account is correct, you were the one who solicited the meeting knowing what was likely to happen, if you threw temptation in front of a cop, but also knowing you would have no chance to apply anyway which makes the story a bit strange.

[GabbaGabbaHey]

What's the process to contact MOI, do they have a naturalization section and do they provide information to applicants over the phone? For instance just knowing that my application has no mistake or blocking step in it would already be valuable.

Edited November 27, 2018 by GabbaGabbaHey

[Arkady]

2 hours ago, GabbaGabbaHey said:

What's the process to contact MOI, do they have a naturalization section and do they provide information to applicants over the phone? For instance just knowing that my application has no mistake or blocking step in it would already be valuable.

 

Basically that is the case but the reality is that there are people there answering the phone all day to callers enquiring about how to get nationality for stateless minority people.  They don't advertise this service to those have another nationality and can apply through SB because that is what S,B is there for in their view.  The stateless ones have the misfortune to apply to district offices who are usually clueless about the process and just want bribes.

 

Having said that they do answer the phone and they can be persuaded to check the status of your application, although when I did it I was never fully convinced that they had not simply put down the phone for a few minutes, gone back to Facebook or LINE and then just said that the application was proceeding normally with no information available about the likely date of my interview etc.  If you are been waiting for interview or for the minister's signature for an abnormally long period of time, it is worth making the pilgrimage to Lamlukka to visit them.  They are far more likely to make an effort and give you a realistic idea of where you stand, if you are in front of them. 

 

In the current environment where things have been proceeding relatively smoothly for most applicants, relative to the past, I don't think there is any need to call or visit Lamlukka, unless you have fallen behind the average time horizon being posted here.  If you do need to go, take all your documents and whatever details you have about the date your file was forwarded from SB.  Expect to be kept waiting for an hour or so with a lot of noisy stateless kids and their parents.   This is a good opportunity to reflect on how the other half live, growing up speaking Thai as a first language and to all intents and purposes culturally Thai but discriminated against and denied education, healthcare, employment and travel until they can get that all important blue card, which for most of us is just icing on the cake.  It must be enough to make them want to get stranded in a flooded cave!

[Arkady]

I don't have the address or phone number for the citizenship department at Lamlukka and when I had dealings with them there were still at the ministry's HQ near the Royal Palace.  However, here are their coordinates within the MoI bureaucracy:

 

กลุ่มชนกลุ่มน้อยและสัญชาติ

ส่วนประสานราชการ

สำนักกิจการความมั่นคงภายใน

 

It is a part of the Internal Security Department at DOPA.  If you google that lot you will get into the Internal Security website and will find some phone numbers in the contact section which will lead you to the Section for Minorities and Citizenship.

[MrPatrickThai]

14 hours ago, Arkady said:

Anyway there is not an awful lot SB can do for you, since they have no decision making power and their job is just to put the applications together and put them in the post to the MoI. SB seems to be processing things at an even rate and anyway they have limited latitude to speed things up or slow them down. Definitely, if you will not remain qualified next year, there would be nothing that could be done for you, probably not even if you were good mates with the current interior minister, who probably only has a few months to go. If your account is correct, you were the one who solicited the meeting knowing what was likely to happen, if you threw temptation in front of a cop, but also knowing you would have no chance to apply anyway which makes the story a bit strange.

Indeed, I also heard a 6 figure number a few years back when making inquiries but would it really be worth saving a couple of months. There are also many law firms who are willing to take gullible(or rich) people's money.

[Rugon]

On 11/26/2018 at 12:16 PM, Arkady said:

 

Elections and a change of government are coming.  The Interior Minister sets the tone of the citizenship process.  The current minister, who has been in office since the 2014 coup, shook things up at the ministry, approved large backlogs of citizenship and PR applications and forced the bureaucrats to speed up the process, while eliminating (as far as one can tell) bribery.  Since the early 2000s under political governments both processes got stuck in logjams for years, got knocked back to SB for re-checking without good reason, and demands for bribes were not unheard of. 

 

Hopefully, things will not change quickly or radically after the elections but we will have to wait and see.

I believe and hope, as just started the process, that Prayut will continue as PM. Do you think that Gen Anupong will continue as Interior Minister, I guess he must be about 70?

[Rugon]

On 11/22/2018 at 5:54 PM, MrPatrickThai said:

They like to give the worst case scenario, for some reason. Good luck!

What do you, or anyone else, think that the best case scenario is?

[GabbaGabbaHey]

6 hours ago, Rugon said:

What do you, or anyone else, think that the best case scenario is?

It's when you get processed at the bottom of the current total time interval which seems 24-48 months (data comes from several recent applicants who posted in this forum). Beside this, 36 months can be seen as a kind of average standard speed in the past years - again, this comes from few people who have reported their timeline recently.
 

[Arkady]

 

I believe and hope, as just started the process, that Prayut will continue as PM. Do you think that Gen Anupong will continue as Interior Minister, I guess he must be about 70?

Yes, Anuphong must in his late 60s because he retired as army chief in 2010. Personally I doubt he will serve another term as IM, even if Prayut gets reappointed as PM.  In such a case, Prayut is likely to be at the head of a coalition of parties that will all want that powerful ministry which would probably make it hard for Prayut to give it to one of his non-partisan trusties. But we will have to wait and see.

[Rugon]

On 12/3/2018 at 7:05 PM, Arkady said:

Yes, Anuphong must in his late 60s because he retired as army chief in 2010. Personally I doubt he will serve another term as IM, even if Prayut gets reappointed as PM.  In such a case, Prayut is likely to be at the head of a coalition of parties that will all want that powerful ministry which would probably make it hard for Prayut to give it to one of his non-partisan trusties. But we will have to wait and see.

In your obvious extensive experience, do you think that the return of a 'normal' government will put the waiting time of gaining citizenship back to 7 years or so?

[BertM]

Cannot believe the OP was started in May 2007 and is still going with 286 pages of comments... This thread should be terminated... this person may no longer be alive...

 

Edited December 11, 2018 by BertM

[Rugon]

12 minutes ago, BertM said:

Cannot believe the OP was started in May 2007 and is still going with 286 pages of comments... This thread should be terminated... this person may no longer be alive...

 

It's a great, informative thread. Why not ignore it if it's not relevant to you?

[Arkady]

49 minutes ago, BertM said:

Cannot believe the OP was started in May 2007 and is still going with 286 pages of comments... This thread should be terminated... this person may no longer be alive...

 

The OP is still alive and kicking and the thread is the leading resource in English for people interested in the topic of naturalisation as a Thai citizen.  If this doesn't include you, you are free to avoid it.

[BertM]

25 minutes ago, Arkady said:

The OP is still alive and kicking and the thread is the leading resource in English for people interested in the topic of naturalisation as a Thai citizen.  If this doesn't include you, you are free to avoid it.

Thanks... I will avoid it...

[samran]

So my wife follows a secret FB group of foreign women married to Thais which acts as a bit of a help group for getting citizenship. 

 

Apparently in the past few days there was a new announcement in the RG of new Thai citizens, but I suspect, like my wife’s list, there will be all women applicants 

[CanadianGirl2]

5 hours ago, samran said:

So my wife follows a secret FB group of foreign women married to Thais which acts as a bit of a help group for getting citizenship. 

 

Apparently in the past few days there was a new announcement in the RG of new Thai citizens, but I suspect, like my wife’s list, there will be all women applicants 

 

It's a closed group, not secret, so anybody can search for us on Facebook and request to join.

 

The announcement in the Gazette on December 6th was only for Section 9 applicants, so yes, all 53 are foreign women. 

 

By Country of Origin: Laos - 15; Cambodia - 7; China - 7; Taiwan - 6; Myanmar - 5; India - 4; Vietnam - 3; Stateless - 2; Australia - 1; Philippines - 1; Singapore - 1; United States - 1

 

By Province: Bangkok - 45; Sa Kaeo - 5; Nonthaburi - 1; Phitsanulok - 1; Prachinburi - 1
 

[MrPatrickThai]

On 12/11/2018 at 10:12 AM, BertM said:

Cannot believe the OP was started in May 2007 and is still going with 286 pages of comments... This thread should be terminated... this person may no longer be alive...

 

He might also be in his 30s. Strange thing to say.

[qualtrough]

On 12/11/2018 at 10:25 AM, Rugon said:

It's a great, informative thread. Why not ignore it if it's not relevant to you?

Look at the beginning of this thread, which I am sure you are familiar with. OP explains the process and immediately there were a bunch of dumb-ass comments belittling citizenship and explaining what a waste of time it was. That's the reason I pretty much stopped visiting TV some time ago except for useful stuff like this. Toxic.

[sanchobkk]

On 12/12/2018 at 2:44 AM, CanadianGirl2 said:

 

 

By Province: Bangkok - 45; Sa Kaeo - 5; Nonthaburi - 1; Phitsanulok - 1; Prachinburi - 1
 

So there are some provincial people who could manage to do it from there..

I thought (i've been told by bth thai visa member and police officer that I met) that we could be able to do it only in bkk.

I heard in other province they wouldn't have to qualified people in order to make it properly.

I'm curious to know how does it take, same time as from bkk ?

[GabbaGabbaHey]

14 hours ago, sanchobkk said:

So there are some provincial people who could manage to do it from there..

I thought (i've been told by bth thai visa member and police officer that I met) that we could be able to do it only in bkk.

I heard in other province they wouldn't have to qualified people in order to make it properly.

I'm curious to know how does it take, same time as from bkk ?

As mentioned above, this announcement was only for foreign women having Thai husband, and they have a much easier route in the way no occupation nor income is required by the applicant - which must explain. As for male applicants, everyone has read in this forum advice given to rather register on a tabian baan in Bangkok and drive the application through SB (with perhaps the exception of Phuket and a couple of other cities).