Story Of My Thai Citizenship Application

[sinthavee]

Dear Qualtrough brother,

 Sorry for replying late to your last query.

Our batch HMK approval completion was informed to me by one of my friends who was also in the same batch(21st Sep 2020). However, I was waiting to get an official confirmation. Today, I called Lamlukka office & I was informed that the Royal approval has already come & SB will call for Oath(could be in a month). But due to current situation of COVID, there could be some delay & so, she wasn’t sure when it might happen exactly.

[qualtrough]

  On 7/1/2021 at 2:43 AM, Neeranam said:

As far as I know, it is usually immediate. 

I called SB and they said he hadn't signed, then a couple of days later they called back saying he had and I was called for Oath. 

 

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Thank you, oh anonymous one ????.

[qualtrough]

  On 7/1/2021 at 5:07 AM, sinthavee said:

Dear Qualtrough brother,

 Sorry for replying late to your last query.

Our batch HMK approval completion was informed to me by one of my friends who was also in the same batch(21st Sep 2020). However, I was waiting to get an official confirmation. Today, I called Lamlukka office & I was informed that the Royal approval has already come & SB will call for Oath(could be in a month). But due to current situation of COVID, there could be some delay & so, she wasn’t sure when it might happen exactly.

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Wow, that should be good news. I hope I am included in those names. 

 

Update: My wife just got off the phone with them. They said that my name had been forwarded to the King for approval, butr they had not received anything back yet. Should I be worried?

[sinthavee]

  On 7/1/2021 at 8:28 AM, qualtrough said:

Wow, that should be good news. I hope I am included in those names. 

 

Update: My wife just got off the phone with them. They said that my name had been forwarded to the King for approval, butr they had not received anything back yet. Should I be worried?

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With whom did your wife check? Lamlukka office or at SB?

There is no reason to worry. All those who had their interviews in Sep last year & did not receive any information, means their applications are under processing. In case of any issue or rejection, they would have given the feedback very quickly in a week or two, from the interview date.

[qualtrough]

  On 7/1/2021 at 9:03 AM, sinthavee said:

With whom did your wife check? Lamlukka office or at SB?

There is no reason to worry. All those who had their interviews in Sep last year & did not receive any information, means their applications are under processing. In case of any issue or rejection, they would have given the feedback very quickly in a week or two, from the interview date.

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  On 7/1/2021 at 9:03 AM, sinthavee said:

With whom did your wife check? Lamlukka office or at SB?

There is no reason to worry. All those who had their interviews in Sep last year & did not receive any information, means their applications are under processing. In case of any issue or rejection, they would have given the feedback very quickly in a week or two, from the interview date.

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She called the MOI Lumlukkla office using the number that someone placed here about 5 pages ago.

 

A few months after our Sept interview my wife spoke with someone's wife who said her friend at the MOI said that 108 people passed and 3 failed. She also forwarded a list of names and my name was on it.

 

Then a few weeks ago my SB officer said my name was awaiting HMK's signature.

 

Now just a short while ago when my wife called they said the names from Sept had been passed on to HMK for signatures, but they had not received them back yet and had no information about whether they were signed or not.

 

Could there be a misunderstanding somewhere, or confusion amond the MOI staff? I am wondering why you would be told they were signed and my wife would be told that they had no word on status yet?

 

I am sorry for being a nervous Nelly. I know all I can do is relax and hope. I am just trying to clear up where things stand at the moment.

[BKKBike09]

  On 7/1/2021 at 9:03 AM, sinthavee said:

With whom did your wife check? Lamlukka office or at SB?

There is no reason to worry. All those who had their interviews in Sep last year & did not receive any information, means their applications are under processing. In case of any issue or rejection, they would have given the feedback very quickly in a week or two, from the interview date.

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  On 7/1/2021 at 9:14 AM, qualtrough said:

 

She called the MOI Lumlukkla office using the number that someone placed here about 5 pages ago.

 

A few months after our Sept interview my wife spoke with someone's wife who said her friend at the MOI said that 108 people passed and 3 failed. She also forwarded a list of names and my name was on it.

 

Then a few weeks ago my SB officer said my name was awaiting HMK's signature.

 

Now just a short while ago when my wife called they said the names from Sept had been passed on to HMK for signatures, but they had not received them back yet and had no information about whether they were signed or not.

 

Could there be a misunderstanding somewhere, or confusion amond the MOI staff? I am wondering why you would be told they were signed and my wife would be told that they had no word on status yet?

 

I am sorry for being a nervous Nelly. I know all I can do is relax and hope. I am just trying to clear up where things stand at the moment.

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FWIW I also did MOI interview in Sep 2020 (I think on 5th IIRC). I asked my SB contact just now if there was any news. Initially he said no news but when I said there's news going around that people interviewed in Sept 2020 have had their papers signed by HMK he said he was aware of this but to date hasn't seen any paperwork to confirm it.

 

 

[sinthavee]

  On 7/1/2021 at 9:18 AM, BKKBike09 said:

 

 

FWIW I also did MOI interview in Sep 2020 (I think on 5th IIRC). I asked my SB contact just now if there was any news. Initially he said no news but when I said there's news going around that people interviewed in Sept 2020 have had their papers signed by HMK he said he was aware of this but to date hasn't seen any paperwork to confirm it.

 

 

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Probably they are still awaiting the formal papers to come to them. I think we might get call for Oath within this month.

Qualtrough brother, we just need to wait. In between (May be once in 2 weeks) we can check with our SB officer on any updates. If any of us get further information, we can share here for the benefit of other members from the Sep 2020 batch.

[qualtrough]

  On 7/1/2021 at 9:28 AM, sinthavee said:

Probably they are still awaiting the formal papers to come to them. I think we might get call for Oath within this month.

Qualtrough brother, we just need to wait. In between (May be once in 2 weeks) we can check with our SB officer on any updates. If any of us get further information, we can share here for the benefit of other members from the Sep 2020 batch.

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Thanks. If I have any update I will let everyone know.

[qualtrough]

  On 7/1/2021 at 9:28 AM, sinthavee said:

Probably they are still awaiting the formal papers to come to them. I think we might get call for Oath within this month.

Qualtrough brother, we just need to wait. In between (May be once in 2 weeks) we can check with our SB officer on any updates. If any of us get further information, we can share here for the benefit of other members from the Sep 2020 batch.

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  On 7/1/2021 at 9:18 AM, BKKBike09 said:

 

 

FWIW I also did MOI interview in Sep 2020 (I think on 5th IIRC). I asked my SB contact just now if there was any news. Initially he said no news but when I said there's news going around that people interviewed in Sept 2020 have had their papers signed by HMK he said he was aware of this but to date hasn't seen any paperwork to confirm it.

 

 

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Thanks for sharing. That's basically the info I got from my SB a few weeks back. Hope it's true.

[Neeranam]

  On 7/1/2021 at 9:14 AM, qualtrough said:

Could there be a misunderstanding somewhere, or confusion amond the MOI staff? I am wondering why you would be told they were signed and my wife would be told that they had no word on status yet?

 

I am sorry for being a nervous Nelly. I know all I can do is relax and hope. I am just trying to clear up where things stand at the moment.

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I expect it is just because of Covid, jai yen yen, as they say. 

 

You'll be fine, and perfectly normal to worry at this stage. I was a nervous wreck, with one thing or another - losing my job, for example. 

[heiri007]

  On 7/1/2021 at 9:14 AM, qualtrough said:

A few months after our Sept interview my wife spoke with someone's wife who said her friend at the MOI said that 108 people passed and 3 failed. She also forwarded a list of names and my name was on it.

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Interesting, quite a high failure rate of 3%++

[qualtrough]

  On 7/1/2021 at 12:24 PM, heiri007 said:

Interesting, quite a high failure rate of 3%++

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That actually seems quite low to me.  

[david143]

so anyone got a call for oath.

[qualtrough]

  On 7/7/2021 at 12:19 AM, david143 said:

so anyone got a call for oath.

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Sept MOI interview. Nothing yet. SB case officer wrote two weeks ago to say it was waiting for signature by HMK.

[FarangFB]

For those who got it approved at least the first half of the stages - how much do they investigate/care about your activities? 

 

I have a WP from a Pattaya bar, although everything else in my life is quite clean (wife, kids, clean record, charity, no alcohol or drug issues) I'm probably not the most desirable type of person to be accepted if the government is always trying to "clean" the image of Pattaya. Should I still try?

[yankee99]

  On 7/12/2021 at 4:11 AM, FarangFB said:

For those who got it approved at least the first half of the stages - how much do they investigate/care about your activities? 

 

I have a WP from a Pattaya bar, although everything else in my life is quite clean (wife, kids, clean record, charity, no alcohol or drug issues) I'm probably not the most desirable type of person to be accepted if the government is always trying to "clean" the image of Pattaya. Should I still try?

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Is your wp still current?  I really dont have a good answer but id assume your wp doesnt say pattaya bar manager or does it?

[FarangFB]

  On 7/12/2021 at 4:21 AM, yankee99 said:

Is your wp still current?  I really dont have a good answer but id assume your wp doesnt say pattaya bar manager or does it?

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Yes current (although the bar has been closed since Mar/2020), just got it renewed until Jul/22. The WP doesn't say it's a bar, and it writes me as a marketing manager. 

[Neeranam]

  On 7/12/2021 at 5:26 AM, FarangFB said:

Yes current (although the bar has been closed since Mar/2020), just got it renewed until Jul/22. The WP doesn't say it's a bar, and it writes me as a marketing manager. 

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I think there is a good chance that they will check your place if work to make sure what you say is the truth. 

[onthemoon]

  On 7/12/2021 at 6:57 AM, Neeranam said:

I think there is a good chance that they will check your place if work to make sure what you say is the truth. 

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I would think that as long as everything is legal (and it seems to be), he should not worry. There is no regulation stating that some work permits will be accepted and others won't. Just my 2 cents.

[yankee99]

  On 7/12/2021 at 5:26 AM, FarangFB said:

Yes current (although the bar has been closed since Mar/2020), just got it renewed until Jul/22. The WP doesn't say it's a bar, and it writes me as a marketing manager. 

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They will definitely ask about your job although i wouldn't lie you could be a little vague when talking about it. 

[yankee99]

  On 7/12/2021 at 6:57 AM, Neeranam said:

I think there is a good chance that they will check your place if work to make sure what you say is the truth. 

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They (sb) talked about visiting my workplace (my wifes company) but nobody ever came to visit. 

 

It would be interesting if they came to visit a applicant in a soi 6 bar ????

[Neeranam]

  On 7/12/2021 at 7:26 AM, onthemoon said:

I would think that as long as everything is legal (and it seems to be), he should not worry. There is no regulation stating that some work permits will be accepted and others won't. Just my 2 cents.

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He said that the bar had closed, so that could be an issue, not because of his job tittle.

[themike1080]

Hi, been following this thread for a while. 

 

Just curious if anyone here got citizenship after 3 years (min. requirement) of work permit/continuous non-B?

[ubonjoe]

  On 7/12/2021 at 11:51 AM, themike1080 said:

Just curious if anyone here got citizenship after 3 years (min. requirement) of work permit/continuous non-B?

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Unless married to a Thai you would have to have permanent residency for 6 years to apply for citizenship.

[themike1080]

  On 7/12/2021 at 11:54 AM, ubonjoe said:

Unless married to a Thai you would have to have permanent residency for 6 years to apply for citizenship.

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Thanks ubonjoe - I am aware. Apologize for not making myself clear - I asked on the basis of applying via Thai marriage. I was curious if anyone only met the minimum 3 years with the continuous work permit, or do you actually need to be working longer than that?

[ubonjoe]

  On 7/12/2021 at 11:59 AM, themike1080 said:

Thanks ubonjoe - I am aware. Apologize for not making myself clear - I asked on the basis of applying via Thai marriage. I was curious if anyone only met the minimum 3 years with the continuous work permit, or do you actually need to be working longer than that?

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People have gotten approval with the minimum requirements when they applied,

[EricTh]

  On 7/12/2021 at 11:54 AM, ubonjoe said:

Unless married to a Thai you would have to have permanent residency for 6 years to apply for citizenship.

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What about those who do not have work permit ? Is there any chance?

[ubonjoe]

  On 7/12/2021 at 12:22 PM, EricTh said:

 

What about those who do not have work permit ? Is there any chance?

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No chance at all.

[Arkady]

  On 7/12/2021 at 4:11 AM, FarangFB said:

For those who got it approved at least the first half of the stages - how much do they investigate/care about your activities? 

 

I have a WP from a Pattaya bar, although everything else in my life is quite clean (wife, kids, clean record, charity, no alcohol or drug issues) I'm probably not the most desirable type of person to be accepted if the government is always trying to "clean" the image of Pattaya. Should I still try?

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One thing to avoid is being a shareholder in the company. You have to submit the shareholders' list with the company documents and, if your name is on it with only one share, you will have to also submit the company's notarised tax records which will not be very impressive, if the bar is closed.  Having no profit is also likely to be a problem in renewing work permits, unless you are able to put some income through the company.

 

Definitely there will be many questions about your company and the nature of your own job from SB, the NIA and at the MoI interview and your wife could also be quizzed as owner and director of the business.  Be warned that the NIA often interview married couples separately these days to check that their stories match and that they are a genuine married couple.  The NIA occasionally visits homes and/or offices unannounced to check all is as stated on the application form.  Again they are usually looking for evidence that a married couple is really living together and may ask neighbours questions or quizz any staff they encounter.  Home and/or office visits occur in a minority of cases but they do happen and home visits seem a lot more common than office visits.  Of course, if they see something that strikes them as odd in the company details, it might tempt them to visit.  Obviously something like a tour company or a restaurant business would be more kosher and they like to hear about what you are contributing to Thai society and the economy.  I remember seizing the opportunity to use a speech I had prepared about training young Thai professionals in the MoI interview, which might, of course, take on the wrong connotations in the context of a Pattaya bar business.

[Neeranam]

  On 7/12/2021 at 11:59 AM, themike1080 said:

Thanks ubonjoe - I am aware. Apologize for not making myself clear - I asked on the basis of applying via Thai marriage. I was curious if anyone only met the minimum 3 years with the continuous work permit, or do you actually need to be working longer than that?

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The most important thing is the tax receipts for 3 years, which you will obviously need a WP. I had to wait a few years until my job gave me an increase to 40k baht/month. I then applied with only 3 years of tax receipts and had no problems.