Story Of My Thai Citizenship Application

[JayLeno]

Yes but the registration for permanent residency / nationality is not at the same period than the 3 years working anniversary 

[Neeranam]

17 hours ago, JayLeno said:

Hi all,

 

I have a question and I was wondering if you could help me. 

I have been employed and working in Thailand since 2015. I lost my job to COVID-19 and was in Thailand on a COVID-19 extension until I found a new job in April 2021. Am I eligible to apply for residency or nationality?

 

Best

No idea about Residency, this thread is about Citizenship. If you are married to a Thai, you need 3 years of uninterrupted tax receipts, so you are not quite ready. 

 

[Arkady]

18 hours ago, JayLeno said:

Hi all,

 

I have a question and I was wondering if you could help me. 

I have been employed and working in Thailand since 2015. I lost my job to COVID-19 and was in Thailand on a COVID-19 extension until I found a new job in April 2021. Am I eligible to apply for residency or nationality?

 

Best

You need 3 full tax years (1 Jan to 31 Dec) to qualify for both citizenship (with a Thai spouse) and PR, assuming you make the other qualifications.  PR has a specific application time which is announced annually and usually runs till the year end but I think you can apply at the end of your third year and submit tax return in the New Year. Citizenship is open for application any time. So you can apply after submitting your tax return for the 3rd year.  So, if you keep working continuously you will make the the 3 year qualification end 2024. For more info on PR see the AN Camerata PR thread.

[JayLeno]

5 hours ago, Arkady said:

You need 3 full tax years (1 Jan to 31 Dec) to qualify for both citizenship (with a Thai spouse) and PR, assuming you make the other qualifications.  PR has a specific application time which is announced annually and usually runs till the year end but I think you can apply at the end of your third year and submit tax return in the New Year. Citizenship is open for application any time. So you can apply after submitting your tax return for the 3rd year.  So, if you keep working continuously you will make the the 3 year qualification end 2024. For more info on PR see the AN Camerata PR thread.

Thanks for the precise answer!

[DrJoy]

On 10/6/2023 at 6:34 PM, david143 said:

one of my friend documents just forwarded yesterday from SB to MOI.
Total 16 male Candidates and they applied in FEB 2023

Thanks David

[lomtalay]

19 hours ago, DrJoy said:

Thanks David

My papers have gone back to SB following my NIA interview and will be forwarded to MOI this month apparently...

[DrJoy]

1 hour ago, lomtalay said:

My papers have gone back to SB following my NIA interview and will be forwarded to MOI this month apparently...

Good Luck

[Mortis]

Hello everyone, I am looking at The Royal Gazette online archives and the very last time citizenship for male candidates were announced on 11 February 2021 and there were non after that, only female applicants were approved and published after that but for male applicants it stopped at 11 February 2021. Do you guys know if they are getting signed but not published in The Royal Gazette online anymore or it is real that since beginning of 2021 no male applicant got their citizenship yet? Thanks.

[david143]

11 minutes ago, Mortis said:

Hello everyone, I am looking at The Royal Gazette online archives and the very last time citizenship for male candidates were announced on 11 February 2021 and there were non after that, only female applicants were approved and published after that but for male applicants it stopped at 11 February 2021. Do you guys know if they are getting signed but not published in The Royal Gazette online anymore or it is real that since beginning of 2021 no male applicant got their citizenship yet? Thanks.

male mixed i remember wait checking for you

[david143]

4 minutes ago, david143 said:

male mixed i remember wait checking for you

https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/140D037N0000000000100.pdf
Last female
18 may  2023

https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/140D016N0000000000200.pdf
Female
23 FEB 2023

 

https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/17226650.pdf
Female
20-OCT-2022

MALE: Total 125 including Coach chay
https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/17226895.pdf
19 October 2022

 

[Dogmatix]

This picture is doing the rounds of Thai social media. I have no idea if it is genuine but it purports to be an ad to recruit people for a new DOPA swat team. DOPA raided a large pub in Patum Thani recently without any police, using armed Local Defense Volunteers instead.  If genuine, the pic  may represent a move to recruit a regular SWAT team that could enforce its powers over licensing to raid pubs, casinos, brothels and the like in the pursuit of the MoI's crackdown on influential figures and their criminal activities. 

 

Since DOPA is the department of the MoI responsible among many other things for citizenship and PR, it may be interesting for some of you to know about this potential new string to its bow. As far as the citizenship process is concerned, it is as well to know that big changes are afoot at DOPA and the MoI under the new BJP minister and deputy minister which may or may extend to the citizenship process.  Any inclination towards DOPA taking over responsibilities from the police would be consistent with the minister going ahead with the revised ministerial regulations on citizenship and getting DOPA to take over SB's role in initial processing of applications. However, reforms to the citizenship process may not be a priority to the minister right now, as he seems to have a lot on his plate.

 

 

[Misty]

10 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

This picture is doing the rounds of Thai social media. I have no idea if it is genuine but it purports to be an ad to recruit people for a new DOPA swat team. DOPA raided a large pub in Patum Thani recently without any police, using armed Local Defense Volunteers instead.  If genuine, the pic  may represent a move to recruit a regular SWAT team that could enforce its powers over licensing to raid pubs, casinos, brothels and the like in the pursuit of the MoI's crackdown on influential figures and their criminal activities. 

 

Since DOPA is the department of the MoI responsible among many other things for citizenship and PR, it may be interesting for some of you to know about this potential new string to its bow. As far as the citizenship process is concerned, it is as well to know that big changes are afoot at DOPA and the MoI under the new BJP minister and deputy minister which may or may extend to the citizenship process.  Any inclination towards DOPA taking over responsibilities from the police would be consistent with the minister going ahead with the revised ministerial regulations on citizenship and getting DOPA to take over SB's role in initial processing of applications. However, reforms to the citizenship process may not be a priority to the minister right now, as he seems to have a lot on his plate.

 

 

 

If this ad is real, it's absolutely chilling. Whether or not Thai citizenship and PR applications are affected.  What Thai social media is it circulating on?

[Dogmatix]

6 hours ago, Misty said:

 

If this ad is real, it's absolutely chilling. Whether or not Thai citizenship and PR applications are affected.  What Thai social media is it circulating on?

I have only seen it on LINE and originally thought it might be a joke. But now I think it could be genuine because I can now confirm that the DOPA Swat team really exists. There is a picture of one of them during a raid on a pub in Chiang Rai in July under the caretaker government with apparently no police present. It would not be surprising, if DOPA had decided to expand its Swat team to go after influential figures under the new Interior management. Involving local police would probably tip them off. 

 

Anyway, as I said, only indirectly relevant to citizenship, as it seems consistent with the current Interior ministry's interest in overhauling things and taking over things previously done by police. 

[Arkady]

This has been posted before but probably not everyone has seen it. There was a detailed proposal under the first Thaksin government to merge the MOI departments that handle citizenship and PR together with the two SB citizenship departments (one for naturalisation and one for wives of Thai citizens) and the PR desk at CW that handles applications. As you would expect, it was resisted by the police tooth and nail and one of the arguments apparently fielded was that police couldn't bear to give up their police ranks (and parachute wings and medal ribbons too I guess) and become ordinary civil servants. So it got shot down or whoever was pushing it ran our of time in office.

 

As you know, the the 1967 ministerial regulations pursuant to the 1965 Nationality Act were revised last year, following a cabinet resolution in January 2022, and included a plan to kick SB out of the process completely and take it all in house at the MOI. For reasons that have not been disclosed the new ministerial regulations were not issued before the Prayut government that commissioned them left office - possibly due to the impracticality of setting MOI facilities for application in each province, as called for in the draft regulations.

 

It is a rough guess that, if the current minister and team ever get around to looking at this issue, they will probably want to go ahead and put the entire citizenship process under the MOI to have total control over it. The problem of provincial applications can be easily solved by having an office in Bangkok or Lamlukka handle applications nationwide in the same way as CW handles nationwide applications for PR.  There is huge inefficiency in the current system, e.g. why does SB need two citizenship departments when both of them are under worked?  Also there is the problem of lack of communication between SB and the MOI which looks down on the police and often leaves them guessing.

 

Personally I hope for future applicants that the current government doesn't get around to looking at the citizenship issue and doesn't make any changes to the process. Intuition tells me that any changes would be for worse.  Nearly in 2008 that allowed males with Thai wives to apply without PR. However, that was forced on an extremely reluctant MOI establishment by lawmakers intent on eliminating gender discrimination in the law (they succeeded only partially.)  My advice to anyone already qualified is not to procrastinate, as whatever happens to the regulations and SB's involvement, it is only likely to get harder.

 

[Marcati]

Enough of this depressing news.  Let me provide some surprisingly good news.

 

After more than 1 year HRM has approved 62 applications that have been sitting at the Palace.  Almost all were Chinese, but there were also a few Indians and roughly 7 Westerners.

 

I was sworn in on Monday so now just need to wait for the RG announcement, but as it's under a new government, SB could not give me an estimate on when it will be published.

 

So close now........  :-)

[onthemoon]

1 hour ago, Marcati said:

Enough of this depressing news.  Let me provide some surprisingly good news.

 

After more than 1 year HRM has approved 62 applications that have been sitting at the Palace.  Almost all were Chinese, but there were also a few Indians and roughly 7 Westerners.

 

I was sworn in on Monday so now just need to wait for the RG announcement, but as it's under a new government, SB could not give me an estimate on when it will be published.

 

So close now........  🙂

 

Congratulations and that for the update!

[DrJoy]

1 hour ago, Marcati said:

Enough of this depressing news.  Let me provide some surprisingly good news.

 

After more than 1 year HRM has approved 62 applications that have been sitting at the Palace.  Almost all were Chinese, but there were also a few Indians and roughly 7 Westerners.

 

I was sworn in on Monday so now just need to wait for the RG announcement, but as it's under a new government, SB could not give me an estimate on when it will be published.

 

So close now........  🙂

Good news indeed.

 

Thanks for the update

 

Could you explain in detail about your oath ceremony? Just curious to know if any changes from the past !

[Marcati]

5 minutes ago, DrJoy said:

Good news indeed.

 

Thanks for the update

 

Could you explain in detail about your oath ceremony? Just curious to know if any changes from the past !

Sure. It was a bit anti-climactic TBH, lol.

 

Went into the SB office, signed two documents, had to bring 6 2x2.5 inch photos with blue background, 1 signed copy of my passport, visa, WP and house reg book. I then went into the small Supervisor's office in the back, they gave me a small Buddha offering tray, had me recite my oath, took a couple of photos for their records and sent me on my way. Took all of 5 min 😂

[DrJoy]

1 hour ago, Marcati said:

Sure. It was a bit anti-climactic TBH, lol.

 

Went into the SB office, signed two documents, had to bring 6 2x2.5 inch photos with blue background, 1 signed copy of my passport, visa, WP and house reg book. I then went into the small Supervisor's office in the back, they gave me a small Buddha offering tray, had me recite my oath, took a couple of photos for their records and sent me on my way. Took all of 5 min 😂

Thanks.

 

I was never asked for WP after NIA interview.  Did they request or you offered a copy yourself?

[Marcati]

1 minute ago, DrJoy said:

Thanks.

 

I was never asked for WP after NIA interview.  Did they request or you offered a copy yourself?

They requested all the above as mentioned

[DrJoy]

@Arun Mai  Any update on your application ?

[Arun Mai]

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.

[DrJoy]

4 hours ago, Arun Mai said:

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.

You have to keep your WP alive , thats more important.

PR/Non PR hardly makes difference in regards to time frame.

 

Good Luck.

[Mortis]

Anyone know anywhere else a forum where similar to this topic going on about getting Thai Citizenship news updated? It seems like here is getting no updates and site barely loads. Thanks.

[lomtalay]

5 hours ago, Mortis said:

Anyone know anywhere else a forum where similar to this topic going on about getting Thai Citizenship news updated? It seems like here is getting no updates and site barely loads. Thanks.

There's a Thai Citizenship Group on Facebook

[Marcati]

5 minutes ago, lomtalay said:

There's a Thai Citizenship Group on Facebook

That's because there isn't much movement at the moment on anyone's applications, the queue at MOI for the final interviews is extremely long, and the Palace has only sent one batch of approved applications for Oaths to the SB in more than 1 year

[Arkady]

It seems that being a Thai citizen makes you more likely to get on the radar of Thai call centre gangs operating from Cambodia or other locations.  I was targeted by one a few days ago. It was the fake police scam claiming to be investigating money laundering and drug smuggling. They had my full name and ID card number in addition to my mobile number and claimed I had made a transaction with a named Thai person on a specific date in October and asked me to jot down a case number.  I hung up at that point, having decided it was a scam, as the guy kept ignoring my insistence that he give me his name, rank and department, so I could check the fixed line number and call him back. They kept on calling for a few hours and more sporadically over the next couple of days using 06 mobile numbers which I didn't answer and immediately blocked them. I did pick up one more time when they used a different prefix and it was a different voice but obviously the same gang. I didn't speak and immediately blocked the number.

 

My personal data could have come from an employee selling lists of personal data from any number of sources, including banks, credit card companies or any government office that has personal data plus phone number.  Be warned. They make themselves sound quite scary  and the background noise of the call centre could easily pass for a cop shop.

[david143]

https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/7680.pdf

New MIX Royal Gazette

[DrJoy]

1 hour ago, david143 said:

https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/7680.pdf

New MIX Royal Gazette

Thanks David

[david143]

https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/140D097N0000000000100.pdf

today female RG
17 females