Story Of My Thai Citizenship Application

[G_Money]

1 hour ago, DrJoy said:

This thread is not to make fun or joke around, this is to help future / in progress candidates.

It wasn’t a joke.

[Captain Flack]

Off topic troll post removed.

[lomtalay]

On 6/20/2024 at 6:12 PM, GarryP said:

Take your ID card and House Registration to the hospital which serves your area and register. Going forward, you will only need to present your ID card. If you are living in Bangkok, you can check the health center which serves your address (it may not necessarily be a "hospital"). For example, the health center serving Sukhumvit 101 was the Wat Thathong Health Center near Ekamai. Up country it is a bit easier as it is going to be pretty much always the nearest government hospital or health center (mine is about 500 meters from my home). 

 

You cannot just walk in to any gov't hospital for care unless it is an emergency such as an accident. If you have a serious issue that your health center can't help with, they will give you a referral to the nearest gov't center that can provide the required treatment. You should not just turn up at a government hospital of "your" choice for the treatment you want, unless you are willing to pay. You should obtain the necessary referral first.    

Do you happen to know how to find out which health center serves your area?

[BKKBike09]

On 6/20/2024 at 9:31 PM, qualtrough said:

You sound bitter, so I am not even sure why you would be hanging around this sub. But to answer your question, and assuming that a farang wants to live in Thailand, the benefits of being a citizen are almost uncountable:

 

1. No need to give up your other citizenship unless you are citizen of a relatively small number of countries who require that.

 

2. No more need to waste time or money on visas, keep a  large deposit of money in the bank, or purchase an expensive long term visa under one of the  several schemes.

 

3. No need for 90 day reporting.

 

4. Free to start and run a business, or do any job you want.

 

5. Free to own land and or a home without engaging in risky workarounds.

 

6. Qualify for various universal health care schemes.

 

7. Visa free entry to ASEAN countries.

 

8. No hassles opening up bank accounts, applying for 7/11 cards, etc. and etc.

 

9. Thai pricing at national parks, which can be up to 10 times cheaper than farang prices.

 

And much, much more. If that's doesn't seem worthwhile for you I don't know what more to say.

 

 

 

For anyone who wishes / intends to live AND work legally in Thailand for an extended period, citizenship makes that vastly easier than any of the other options currently available to foreigners. That said, if PR did away with the WP requirement, it would be a very attractive option. I had PR for quite a while before i decided to apply for citizenship.

 

However, your first point is the potential elephant in the room: "No need to give up your other citizenship unless you are citizen of a relatively small number of countries who require that."

 

Your country of birth may not require it, but it IS required by Thailand in the case of naturalised citizens. Just not enforced. The received wisdom is that it's all a cosy "nudge nudge, wink wink" set up where the Thai side know Person A will keep their original nationality but it is ignored. That has been the case for decades and may continue to be the case for decades. But any potential applicant for citizenship should be prepared to give up their birth nationality. 

 

[yankee99]

48 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

For anyone who wishes / intends to live AND work legally in Thailand for an extended period, citizenship makes that vastly easier than any of the other options currently available to foreigners. That said, if PR did away with the WP requirement, it would be a very attractive option. I had PR for quite a while before i decided to apply for citizenship.

 

However, your first point is the potential elephant in the room: "No need to give up your other citizenship unless you are citizen of a relatively small number of countries who require that."

 

Your country of birth may not require it, but it IS required by Thailand in the case of naturalised citizens. Just not enforced. The received wisdom is that it's all a cosy "nudge nudge, wink wink" set up where the Thai side know Person A will keep their original nationality but it is ignored. That has been the case for decades and may continue to be the case for decades. But any potential applicant for citizenship should be prepared to give up their birth nationality. 

 

Not required by thailand where is your source ?

[GarryP]

6 hours ago, lomtalay said:

Do you happen to know how to find out which health center serves your area?

The National Health Security Office website provides all the information you will need about this scheme and avenues to register. But you'll need to use the Thai language version as the English version is very limited in the information it provides. (https://www.nhso.go.th/home)

[lomtalay]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

The National Health Security Office website provides all the information you will need about this scheme and avenues to register. But you'll need to use the Thai language version as the English version is very limited in the information it provides. (https://www.nhso.go.th/home)

Thanks!

[BKKBike09]

21 hours ago, yankee99 said:

22 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

For anyone who wishes / intends to live AND work legally in Thailand for an extended period, citizenship makes that vastly easier than any of the other options currently available to foreigners. That said, if PR did away with the WP requirement, it would be a very attractive option. I had PR for quite a while before i decided to apply for citizenship.

 

However, your first point is the potential elephant in the room: "No need to give up your other citizenship unless you are citizen of a relatively small number of countries who require that."

 

Your country of birth may not require it, but it IS required by Thailand in the case of naturalised citizens. Just not enforced. The received wisdom is that it's all a cosy "nudge nudge, wink wink" set up where the Thai side know Person A will keep their original nationality but it is ignored. That has been the case for decades and may continue to be the case for decades. But any potential applicant for citizenship should be prepared to give up their birth nationality. 

 

Not required by thailand where is your source ?

 

The Nationality Act 1965 (and 2008 amendment)

 

"Section 19. The Minister shall have the power to revoke Thai nationality of a person who acquires Thai nationality by naturalization, if it appears that:

(1) the naturalization is effected by concealment of facts or making false statement of essential facts;

(2) there is evidence indicating that the naturalized person still uses his or her former nationality ..."

 

Applicants are required to submit a statement of intent to renounce former nationality once Thai nationality is received and Special Branch tell applicants on several occasions that former nationality has to be given up. It may all be just for show but anyone who naturalizes absolutely does not want to be found using their "former nationality". Which is why e-gates are preferable to a passport check by a Thai I/O. "Flying direct to the US? But no visa in your Thai passport? Explain." 

 

 

 

 

 

[khongaeng]

11 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

The Nationality Act 1965 (and 2008 amendment)

 

"Section 19. The Minister shall have the power to revoke Thai nationality of a person who acquires Thai nationality by naturalization, if it appears that:

(1) the naturalization is effected by concealment of facts or making false statement of essential facts;

(2) there is evidence indicating that the naturalized person still uses his or her former nationality ..."

 

Applicants are required to submit a statement of intent to renounce former nationality once Thai nationality is received and Special Branch tell applicants on several occasions that former nationality has to be given up. It may all be just for show but anyone who naturalizes absolutely does not want to be found using their "former nationality". Which is why e-gates are preferable to a passport check by a Thai I/O. "Flying direct to the US? But no visa in your Thai passport? Explain." 

 

 

 

 

 

This is absolutely true.  

 

However as a data point for those who are concerned, I have flown in and out of Thailand 30 times in the past 4 years.  I have only 2 stamps from another country in my passport.  I have multiple pages full of stamps out and in through Thai immigration because I always go through the manual stamping lines, in the BOI/Monk/Special Assistance area (they don't have auto machines in this area).  While coming into the country is just as fast to go through the Automated line as it is to go through the manual Thai stamping line, I have actually had a question on both of the 2 occasions when I went through the automated lines on the way out and when I came in through the manual stamping lines, they couldn't find the exit stamp.   They simply asked "did you go through the auto lanes on the way out" to which I replied "yes."  On the 60+ times I have been face to face with a Thai immigration official, they have never questioned me about why I don't have a stamp from another country or a visa from another country in my Thai passport.  

 

I hope that this never changes, otherwise I will have to go through the slow security lines to get to the automated immigration lines on the way out, and then use only the automated immigration lines coming in as you suggested.

[BKKBike09]

2 hours ago, khongaeng said:

This is absolutely true.  

 

However as a data point for those who are concerned, I have flown in and out of Thailand 30 times in the past 4 years.  I have only 2 stamps from another country in my passport.  I have multiple pages full of stamps out and in through Thai immigration because I always go through the manual stamping lines, in the BOI/Monk/Special Assistance area (they don't have auto machines in this area).  While coming into the country is just as fast to go through the Automated line as it is to go through the manual Thai stamping line, I have actually had a question on both of the 2 occasions when I went through the automated lines on the way out and when I came in through the manual stamping lines, they couldn't find the exit stamp.   They simply asked "did you go through the auto lanes on the way out" to which I replied "yes."  On the 60+ times I have been face to face with a Thai immigration official, they have never questioned me about why I don't have a stamp from another country or a visa from another country in my Thai passport.  

 

I hope that this never changes, otherwise I will have to go through the slow security lines to get to the automated immigration lines on the way out, and then use only the automated immigration lines coming in as you suggested.

 

Many thanks for the helpful insight. I've made a fair number of trips over the past 3 years and have (mostly) used the auto-channels. Coming back from the US a year or so back, via Taipei, the gates were out of action inbound. The I/O actually asked me if I had another passport so I simply said "Thai passport is good enough for me" or something like that. No further questions. 

 

I suspect things will never change but you never know ... what you don't want is to meet the Thai I/O who is having a bad day, possibly because some random foreigner has been rude to him/her