It's been super quiet lately. Is there any expectation that things will start to pick up again soon? It's been over 2 years since my MOI interview (not Bangkok) and still nothing. I could call I guess, but does calling actually help in any way? Will they bother to at least check your application still exists, in anyone's experience?

On 3/26/2026 at 8:41 PM, moochai87 said:

It's been super quiet lately. Is there any expectation that things will start to pick up again soon? It's been over 2 years since my MOI interview (not Bangkok) and still nothing. I could call I guess, but does calling actually help in any way? Will they bother to at least check your application still exists, in anyone's experience?

Call here and ask - 027917332, 027917331,027917329

On 3/26/2026 at 8:41 PM, moochai87 said:

It's been super quiet lately. Is there any expectation that things will start to pick up again soon? It's been over 2 years since my MOI interview (not Bangkok) and still nothing. I could call I guess, but does calling actually help in any way? Will they bother to at least check your application still exists, in anyone's experience?

Have you got the letter showing that your document already come to MOI bangkok office? I got MOI interview last year in the province, then I keep following my process, last 3 months, I come to meet the officer and be informed that my document need to add some more paper, so I quickly finish it and now I got the letter inform that my document in the MOI office in Bangkok waiting for the small committee to approval. If there is 2 years have passes, then you must check to see where is your document submit to

On 4/7/2026 at 3:56 PM, DrJoy said:

Call here and ask - 027917332, 027917331,027917329

So I called them. Only the second number seemed to work. They told me I need to wait longer basically (years not months).

The provincial police forwarded me the letter that he sent to the MOI a couple of years go so I know everything was completed.

On 4/8/2026 at 9:28 AM, Fancyfang said:

Have you got the letter showing that your document already come to MOI bangkok office? I got MOI interview last year in the province, then I keep following my process, last 3 months, I come to meet the officer and be informed that my document need to add some more paper, so I quickly finish it and now I got the letter inform that my document in the MOI office in Bangkok waiting for the small committee to approval. If there is 2 years have passes, then you must check to see where is your document submit to

Did you get a separate letter from Bangkok saying that they received the documents?

All I got is a letter 5 years ago in Chiang Mai that I was approved nothing has happened since:

As per your application for Thai citizenship, the working group, after interviewing, observing your conduct, and testing your Thai language proficiency as an applicant residing in a province other than Bangkok, in accordance with the Order of the Sub-committee for Screening Applications for Thai Citizenship, Applications for Thai Citizenship through Marriage, and Applications for Restoration of Thai Citizenship, Order No. 1/2557 dated August 27, 2014, convened on February 24, 2022, and resolved to approve your application. The Chiang Mai Provincial Police therefore informs you of this and will proceed with the relevant procedures.

Best regards

On 4/12/2026 at 11:53 PM, THAIJAMES said:

Did you get a separate letter from Bangkok saying that they received the documents?

All I got is a letter 5 years ago in Chiang Mai that I was approved nothing has happened since:

As per your application for Thai citizenship, the working group, after interviewing, observing your conduct, and testing your Thai language proficiency as an applicant residing in a province other than Bangkok, in accordance with the Order of the Sub-committee for Screening Applications for Thai Citizenship, Applications for Thai Citizenship through Marriage, and Applications for Restoration of Thai Citizenship, Order No. 1/2557 dated August 27, 2014, convened on February 24, 2022, and resolved to approve your application. The Chiang Mai Provincial Police therefore informs you of this and will proceed with the relevant procedures.

Best regards

Yes, I got a document show that me and 15 more people who name together in one document submit to MOI department, so I know now my name

Is on the process that is waiting for the small committee to approve. My husband call MOI department last week and they said that this year the MOI meeting may hold one per 2 months. They are working on the applicant of 2020.

37 minutes ago, Fancyfang said:

Yes, I got a document show that me and 15 more people who name together in one document submit to MOI department, so I know now my name

Is on the process that is waiting for the small committee to approve. My husband call MOI department last week and they said that this year the MOI meeting may hold one per 2 months. They are working on the applicant of 2020.

Thank you that's very useful.

On 4/12/2026 at 11:53 PM, THAIJAMES said:

Did you get a separate letter from Bangkok saying that they received the documents?

All I got is a letter 5 years ago in Chiang Mai that I was approved nothing has happened since:

As per your application for Thai citizenship, the working group, after interviewing, observing your conduct, and testing your Thai language proficiency as an applicant residing in a province other than Bangkok, in accordance with the Order of the Sub-committee for Screening Applications for Thai Citizenship, Applications for Thai Citizenship through Marriage, and Applications for Restoration of Thai Citizenship, Order No. 1/2557 dated August 27, 2014, convened on February 24, 2022, and resolved to approve your application. The Chiang Mai Provincial Police therefore informs you of this and will proceed with the relevant procedures.

Best regards

On 4/12/2026 at 11:53 PM, THAIJAMES said:

Did you get a separate letter from Bangkok saying that they received the documents?

All I got is a letter 5 years ago in Chiang Mai that I was approved nothing has happened since:

As per your application for Thai citizenship, the working group, after interviewing, observing your conduct, and testing your Thai language proficiency as an applicant residing in a province other than Bangkok, in accordance with the Order of the Sub-committee for Screening Applications for Thai Citizenship, Applications for Thai Citizenship through Marriage, and Applications for Restoration of Thai Citizenship, Order No. 1/2557 dated August 27, 2014, convened on February 24, 2022, and resolved to approve your application. The Chiang Mai Provincial Police therefore informs you of this and will proceed with the relevant procedures.

Best regards

So for non Bangkok applicants, you have to wait for your oath. Provincial candidates are not called to Bangkok, the interview you and others had in Chiang Mai is the final for you. Next is oath but may be longer for you. Bangkok applicants before were getting Thai id card in under 3 years ( Uptil 2021)

On 4/15/2026 at 9:49 PM, DrJoy said:

So for non Bangkok applicants, you have to wait for your oath. Provincial candidates are not called to Bangkok, the interview you and others had in Chiang Mai is the final for you. Next is oath but may be longer for you. Bangkok applicants before were getting Thai id card in under 3 years ( Uptil 2021)

Yes, they said my document is waiting for the small Committee Approval then the big committee to sign again, the process may take more than 2 years till the oath.

On 12/22/2025 at 9:20 AM, FelixPeccatum said:

Last week, when I brought the final stack of documents to the new location, all documents were accepted, but I was asked to change my two witnesses. I had two witnesses that are well placed in companies and agencies, and my case officer said I should get regular people, that are more likely to be available at the interview. Sounds sensible enough, and maybe having less “political connection” to my witnesses might be good in this current climate.

That's good advice. Much better to have regular people who you can ask to show up without prior notice etc, and who don't mind sitting on hard plastic chairs. I used our office manager and a former employee.

It's a bit of a pain they've moved from Police HQ - that was extremely convenient, being on the BTS.

Good luck - sounds like everything has slowed down. I applied in 2018 (in Bangkok) and picked up ID card in early 2022.

On 4/23/2026 at 1:37 PM, BKKBike09 said:

That's good advice. Much better to have regular people who you can ask to show up without prior notice etc, and who don't mind sitting on hard plastic chairs. I used our office manager and a former employee.

It's a bit of a pain they've moved from Police HQ - that was extremely convenient, being on the BTS.

Good luck - sounds like everything has slowed down. I applied in 2018 (in Bangkok) and picked up ID card in early 2022.

2018 applicants were last lucky batch. Doors slam shut since last 2018 and people still waiting since then till now.

3 hours ago, sas_cars said:

2018 applicants were last lucky batch. Doors slam shut since last 2018 and people still waiting since then till now.

3 hours ago, sas_cars said:

2018 applicants were last lucky batch. Doors slam shut since last 2018 and people still waiting since then till now.

I wish to make a complaint! Who should I address it to? 😅

Anyone have advice for visiting the MOI office in person?

Context: I'm a foreign woman married to a Thai man. We applied in 2023 (Bangkok) and are currently waiting to be called for the MOI interview. My mother-in-law wants us to visit the MOI office to speak with a friend of a friend, in the hopes this will expedite things. We've hesitated, as my husband will need to take time off work to do this, and we are worried it will be a wild goose chase since we don't know what we hope to achieve by just showing up at the office. Plus, based on what I've read here, the timeline we're experiencing is typical. My MIL has become insistent that we follow through, however, so we intend to. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Our case officer at Special Branch also recently called my husband and suggested we try to cultivate a relationship with someone at MOI, so we're receiving this message from multiple angles. I've searched this thread for MOI, but haven't found much related to making an in-person status check visit.

---

Separate from my post above, so that others may find it, I want to share an updated/archived working link to the Thai Nationality of Foreign Women by Marriage document that used to be available on the Special Branch website.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230427142434/https://sbpolice.go.th/en/page/thainationalityofforeignwomenbymarriage_125.html

6 minutes ago, rsskga said:

Anyone have advice for visiting the MOI office in person?

Context: I'm a foreign woman married to a Thai man. We applied in 2023 (Bangkok) and are currently waiting to be called for the MOI interview. My mother-in-law wants us to visit the MOI office to speak with a friend of a friend, in the hopes this will expedite things. We've hesitated, as my husband will need to take time off work to do this, and we are worried it will be a wild goose chase since we don't know what we hope to achieve by just showing up at the office. Plus, based on what I've read here, the timeline we're experiencing is typical. My MIL has become insistent that we follow through, however, so we intend to. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Our case officer at Special Branch also recently called my husband and suggested we try to cultivate a relationship with someone at MOI, so we're receiving this message from multiple angles. I've searched this thread for MOI, but haven't found much related to making an in-person status check visit.

---

Separate from my post above, so that others may find it, I want to share an updated/archived working link to the Thai Nationality of Foreign Women by Marriage document that used to be available on the Special Branch website.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230427142434/https://sbpolice.go.th/en/page/thainationalityofforeignwomenbymarriage_125.html

I have read here in earlier postings that it is easier and faster for foreign women to obtain Thai nationality after marrying a Thai national. Speaking to some contacts at the MOI may at least shed some light on what is causing the inordinate delay. There are some of us who completed the MOI big committee interview in August 2024 and waiting nearly 2 years now to get the call for taking the oath.

This is so sad for all the hard-working, dedicated longstayers here, who have families, business, their life here. The process was never easy, wonder if it will ever becomes better again 😬

36 minutes ago, heiri007 said:

This is so sad for all the hard-working, dedicated longstayers here, who have families, business, their life here. The process was never easy, wonder if it will ever becomes better again 😬

Yes, very true. My process started about 18 years ago and now waiting since 2 years for the final step of oath taking.
4 years working and paying taxes to be eligible for PR application (3yrs is enough, but I played safe)
3 years for the PR to be finally granted
5 years on PR to be eligible for citizenship application
6 years since applying for citizenship and still waiting

24 minutes ago, saakura said:

Yes, very true. My process started about 18 years ago and now waiting since 2 years for the final step of oath taking.
4 years working and paying taxes to be eligible for PR application (3yrs is enough, but I played safe)
3 years for the PR to be finally granted
5 years on PR to be eligible for citizenship application
6 years since applying for citizenship and still waiting

I got in during the window under the Prayuth regime (pure luck on my part). Only thing I can be thankful to the coup for is Anupong tidying up the system, although it seems to have got much worse over the past 8 years or so. All you can do is wait and hope.

On 5/13/2026 at 10:39 AM, rsskga said:

Anyone have advice for visiting the MOI office in person?

Context: I'm a foreign woman married to a Thai man. We applied in 2023 (Bangkok) and are currently waiting to be called for the MOI interview. My mother-in-law wants us to visit the MOI office to speak with a friend of a friend, in the hopes this will expedite things. We've hesitated, as my husband will need to take time off work to do this, and we are worried it will be a wild goose chase since we don't know what we hope to achieve by just showing up at the office. Plus, based on what I've read here, the timeline we're experiencing is typical. My MIL has become insistent that we follow through, however, so we intend to. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Our case officer at Special Branch also recently called my husband and suggested we try to cultivate a relationship with someone at MOI, so we're receiving this message from multiple angles. I've searched this thread for MOI, but haven't found much related to making an in-person status check visit.

---

Separate from my post above, so that others may find it, I want to share an updated/archived working link to the Thai Nationality of Foreign Women by Marriage document that used to be available on the Special Branch website.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230427142434/https://sbpolice.go.th/en/page/thainationalityofforeignwomenbymarriage_125.html

There is also a legal distinction worth noting: when men naturalize, it is formally called the "naturalization process," whereas foreign women married to Thai men are treated as adopting their husband's nationality — a legally distinct and somewhat separate process.

Did some numbers.

ประกาศกระทรวงมหาดไทย เรื่อง พระราชทานพระบรมราชานุญาตให้แปลงสัญชาติเป็นไทย

According to the Royal Gazette, the last published naturalization list was in April 2024 – which is the legal basis for the oath ceremony.

173 people granted citizenship in 2020, 191 in 2021, 175 in 2022, 211 in 2024. None in 2023?

That is roughly 2.5 new citizens per one million of the population.

Says Claude:

Thailand is naturalizing foreigners at a rate that is likely 100 to 500 times lower than most Western nations. For a Western male specifically, you're looking at what is statistically one of the most restrictive citizenship pipelines of any country on Earth that formally allows naturalization at all.

Edited June 11Jun 11 by heiri007

On 5/13/2026 at 10:39 AM, rsskga said:

Anyone have advice for visiting the MOI office in person?

Context: I'm a foreign woman married to a Thai man. We applied in 2023 (Bangkok) and are currently waiting to be called for the MOI interview. My mother-in-law wants us to visit the MOI office to speak with a friend of a friend, in the hopes this will expedite things. We've hesitated, as my husband will need to take time off work to do this, and we are worried it will be a wild goose chase since we don't know what we hope to achieve by just showing up at the office. Plus, based on what I've read here, the timeline we're experiencing is typical. My MIL has become insistent that we follow through, however, so we intend to. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Our case officer at Special Branch also recently called my husband and suggested we try to cultivate a relationship with someone at MOI, so we're receiving this message from multiple angles. I've searched this thread for MOI, but haven't found much related to making an in-person status check visit.

---

Separate from my post above, so that others may find it, I want to share an updated/archived working link to the Thai Nationality of Foreign Women by Marriage document that used to be available on the Special Branch website.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230427142434/https://sbpolice.go.th/en/page/thainationalityofforeignwomenbymarriage_125.html

There is nothing to lose by going to the MOI, particularly, if your MIL can put you in touch with someone there. I have one friend who was told that he should have been interviewed by the time he went but his application had inexplicably been overlooked. He was put on the list soon afterwards. In my own case I went to the MOI twice before my interview. The first time was 3.5 years after my application because I had been informed that I had reached the top of the wait list for the interview but the MOI had reviewed the file and found that SB had made a mistake in my application by referencing a wrong section of the Nationality Act in the covering letter which meant I could not be interviewed. I went there and met the head of the nationality section who agreed it was not my fault and allowed my file to go back to SB for correction instead of just rejecting me. So I lost 6 months and had to submit some updated documents and a new salary letter. Later I was called to the MOI again because they had found another mistake made by SB. This one was easier to remedy by bringing along a document that SB had failed to submit, even though I had given it to them. In that case the head of the nationality section called my mobile herself and I met her again at the MOI. By the time of the interview I had built a decent rapport with her. She sat next to me at the interview and asked most of the questions in a very pleasant way.

If you applied in 2023, you are not behind current waiting times, as they are now interviewing people who applied in 2019 and 2021. However, if it is not too much of a sacrifice of time and money, it is usually worth the effort to go to the MOI, as long as you can meet someone there. One friend had the misfortune to rock up there when they were doing interviews and they said they were too busy to talk to him.

Edited July 5Jul 5 by Arkady

Implications of the 2025 Marriage Equality Act on the Nationality Act

 

We are now at an interesting juncture in the history of Thai nationality law due to the fact that the 2025 Marriage Equality Act prescribes a review of all existing legislation to eliminate all gender-specific terms and replace them with gender-neutral language, granting same-sex couples full equal rights. The MOI has had to conduct a review of the Nationality Act in this respect and recently called for public comments.  No proposed drafts have been disclosed as yet by the MOI or politicians.  The amendments will likely require an act of parliament involving three readings in the lower chamber. In all amendments to the Nationality Act the legal section of the MOI plays an important role in making recommendations and historically has placed a high priority on national security concerns in considering proposed amendments to the Act.

 

Since we are in the AI age, I decided to ask AI to do a round-up of the various options available for amending the Act to remove gender bias. The results are as follows. As AI itself points out, it can make mistakes. Also it tends to base some nuances inferences on the way the question is framed and information provided by the questioner. Nevertheless it raises some very valid points.

 

The Imminent Legislative Collision

The Marriage Equality Act uses gender-neutral language, replacing terms like "husband" and "wife" with "spouse" across the Civil and Commercial Code. By law, government agencies were mandated to align their auxiliary regulations. The Nationality Act of 1965 remains a major battleground. Parliamentary committees and legal advocates have already submitted petitions to amend Section 9 to eliminate gender bias. 

This leaves the Interior Ministry’s bureaucratic guardians of "national security" backed entirely into a corner, facing three possible paths:

Path 1: The Spousal Exclusion (The "Foreign Husband" Rule for All Same-Sex Spouses)

If the Ministry of Interior gets its way, they will attempt to draft an amendment or a ministerial regulation that restricts Section 9 strictly to the biological reality of cisgender foreign women married to cisgender Thai men based on historical precedent. 

·         The Argument: They will claim that foreign men (in male-male marriages) or foreign women married to Thai women do not fit the "assimilation and family unity" doctrine originally intended to protect Thai households. 

·         Why it will fail: The Constitutional Court and LGBT activism have massive momentum. The Marriage Equality Act states that a spouse is a spouse. Trying to argue that a foreign woman married to a Thai woman is a "national security threat," while a foreign woman married to a Thai man is not, will be virtually impossible to defend in court or parliament. It would be a glaring, indefensible violation of the equal protection clauses. [

Path 2: Universal Spousal Inclusion (Opening Section 9 to Everyone)

This is the path human rights advocates are pushing for: changing the text of Section 9 from "An alien woman who marries a person of Thai nationality..." to "An alien spouse who marries a person of Thai nationality...". 

·         The Bureaucratic Nightmare: For the security apparatus, this is a doomsday scenario. If Section 9 opens to all spouses, thousands of foreign husbands (both heterosexual and same-sex) would instantly gain access to a fast-track to citizenship that completely bypasses the 5-year PR requirement, the strict employment/tax thresholds, and the high-level Thai language test. The Ministry views this as opening the floodgates to sham marriages used purely to gain passports and land-ownership rights. 

Path 3: The Nuclear Option (Abolishing Section 9 Entirely)

 The easiest way for the Ministry of Interior to eliminate gender bias, avoid a constitutional crisis, and completely secure national security is to repeal Section 9 entirely. 

·         How it would work: Parliament would abolish the special marriage track. Moving forward, all foreign spouses—regardless of gender or sexual orientation—would be funneled into a newly modified Section 10 naturalization framework. They would likely create a standardized "Spousal Naturalization" category under Section 10 that requires a basic work history, a standardized language test, and a uniform processing timeline, erasing the anachronistic distinction between husbands and wives. 

The Structural Irony

Section 9 is a relic of the era when a woman’s nationality was entirely dependent on her husband. When Thailand stopped stripping Thai women of their citizenship for marrying foreigners, they left Section 9 intact as a patriarchal reward for foreign women "joining the Thai tribe," while punishing foreign men for "encroaching" on it. 

Today’s bureaucrats are likely blind to this historical context, viewing Section 9 purely as an immigration control valve. Because expanding it to all spouses is a bridge too far for the security apparatus, the complete abolition of Section 9 in favor of a unified, stricter spousal naturalization framework under Section 10 is the most legally tidy and probable outcome.

If they do decide to go with the "nuclear option" and abolish Section 9 entirely, will they  grandfather in the foreign wives who are currently trapped in the years-long application backlog, or will they force everyone to transition over to the stricter adult naturalization requirements, thereby jettisoning the majority of the backlog of foreign wives waiting for approval to adopt their husbands’ Thai nationality under Section 9, since most would probably not make the work permit and salary requirements to apply under Section 10? Surely this would create a bit of a backlash?  So it would be advisable to grandfather in Section 9 applications made before the effective date of the amendment. But Thai bureaucrats and legislators are not always known for making intuitive decisions.

Since we are possibly on the eve of ground breaking amendments to the Nationality Act, I thought it might be worth taking a look back at previous amendments to the current 1965 Nationality Act that have had significant impacts.

 

1971  Revolutionary Decree 337.  Cancelled automatic jus soli.  Those born within the Kingdom were no longer automatically Thai regardless of alien parents’ immigration status. Currently, as a result of this decree, both alien parents need to have PR for their Thai born children to get Thai citizenship automatically. A complication of the decree was that, since jus sanguis was only patrilineal, children born in the Kingdom to Thai mothers and foreign fathers, who didn’t have PR were designated as non-Thai in their birth certificates and could only take their father’s nationality and, failing that, were stateless. Unusually for Thai law, the revolutionary Decree was retroactive, stripping nationality from thousands of Thais and rendering most of them stateless.  There was a provision to allow those stripped of nationality to appeal for reinstatement to the minister at his discretion and discretion was granted in many cases, including to children of expats.  Unfortunately many of those affected didn’t know about this or had no idea how to go about it and remained stateless with serious implications for their descendants.  Later amendments allowed those born in the Kingdom prior to the Revolutionary Decree and thus designated as Thai on their birth certificates to reclaim Thai nationality, including those fortunate to have another nationality. .

 

1992 Amendments.  Righted some of wrongs of the 1971 Revolutionary Decree.  Nationality now passes through Thai mothers as well as fathers.  Children born to a Thai and a foreign parent now have the option to renounce Thai nationality in the year following their 20^th birthday but there is no obligation to do so, if they wish to retain their foreign nationality. This ostensibly legalizes dual nationality for half Thai children, whereas in other instances, the legality remains somewhat ambiguous, neither specifically permitted or prohibited. Some half Thais do take the option to renounce Thai nationality but this is usually only in cases where they live in a foreign country that does not allow dual nationality and requires evidence of renunciation of their other nationality. Consequently this type of renunciation is rather rare. The initial 1992 amendment allowed the ministry to automatically revoke Thai nationality from half Thais, if they didn't show proof of renunciation of their other nationality before their 21st birthdays. However, this unpleasant provision was thankfully repealed in a new amendment three weeks later.

 

2008 Amendments.  These included a highly significant provision to allow foreign husbands of Thai women to apply for citizenship without having PR first and without the need for knowledge of the Thai language. 

 

2012 Amendments.  These are significant for stateless minorities born in Thailand after 1971.  Previously there were many piece meal cabinet resolutions covering various minority groups separately.  The 2012 amendments coalesced many of these provisions and brought them formally into the Act making things a bit easier for the stateless unfortunates to obtain Thai citizenship.  However, local district offices still often decide make things difficult for them. 

 

2026 or later.   Amendments to implement the provisions of the Marriage Equality Act eliminating gender biases. Watch this space!

Edited July 5Jul 5 by Arkady

On 4/12/2026 at 11:53 PM, THAIJAMES said:

Did you get a separate letter from Bangkok saying that they received the documents?

All I got is a letter 5 years ago in Chiang Mai that I was approved nothing has happened since:

As per your application for Thai citizenship, the working group, after interviewing, observing your conduct, and testing your Thai language proficiency as an applicant residing in a province other than Bangkok, in accordance with the Order of the Sub-committee for Screening Applications for Thai Citizenship, Applications for Thai Citizenship through Marriage, and Applications for Restoration of Thai Citizenship, Order No. 1/2557 dated August 27, 2014, convened on February 24, 2022, and resolved to approve your application. The Chiang Mai Provincial Police therefore informs you of this and will proceed with the relevant procedures.

Best regards

Didn't you also have a rather long wait for PR or I am remembering someone else?

@Arkady You mentioned that "we are possibly on the eve of ground breaking amendments to the Nationality Act". Could this be the reason for such extraordinary delay for those waiting to take the MOI interview of the nationality oath? I had my MOI interview in August 2024!

14 minutes ago, saakura said:

@Arkady You mentioned that "we are possibly on the eve of ground breaking amendments to the Nationality Act". Could this be the reason for such extraordinary delay for those waiting to take the MOI interview of the nationality oath? I had my MOI interview in August 2024!

I very much doubt the work going on to comply with the Marriage Equality Act is a factor in the extreme delays now experience by applicants waiting for MOI interviews, oath ceremonies and publication in the RG. There is indeed a question mark about how the amendments will treat those who have already applied but it could go in different directions, i.e. the bar might be raised for some groups of applicants but it might also be lowered. I somewhat doubt that those who have already applied and had their files forwarded to the MOI already will be made to comply with stricter requirements, if any are applicable to their category. Retroactive law changes can apply in Thailand and the 1971 Revolutionary Decree mentioned in my post above is one hideous example of this but that was a military government that didn't have to deal with a parliament or LGBT and women's activist groups. It was reacting to what it perceived as a massive national security threat caused by wars in Indochina that resulted in thousands of foreign refugees in camps giving birth to children on Thai soil which made them all automatically Thai citizens entitled to free education etc. One retroactive measure was applied to existing applicants some years ago. That was the requirement introduced in new ministerial application guidelines in 2009 to make applicants get the embassy certified affidavit of intent to renounce existing nationality, which was clearly in reaction to the 2008 amendment allowing foreign males with Thai wives to skip PR in the hope of stemming the flow somewhat. This requirement was applied reactively about a year ofter it was published to all applicants who had not yet done the MOI interview. However, the ministerial guidelines are not law like the Act or even the 1967 ministerial regulations and can be changed and applied at the whim of the MOI without any parliamentary or public scrutiny.

I think the delays are more the weeds growing back over the path cut out of the jungle by Anuphong in his 8 years as IM. He was an old school military top down chain of command man who resented the slothful culture, mni fiefdoms and corruption he found at the MOI. He ordered a clean up of the citizenship and PR processes and no one at the MOI dared oppose him after a few iron rice bowls got smashed and they realized he meant business. But he started to lose this focus a bit towards the end of his term after he became part of a coalition including the usual suspects in politics when the Prayut government was no longer solely a military government that could do whatever it wanted without caring about the vested interests of politicians. The momentum of weeds growing back over the path apparently gathered force after the full return to civilian leadership in 2023. Unfortunately it now seems to be even worse than in earlier periods of civilian rule since 2001. The rot set in when Thaksin first became PM in 2001 when whole batches of citizenship applications were knocked back to SB for rechecking of qualifications extending their wait time by 3 years and an entire annual batch of PR applications was rejected out of hand with insulting public comments like they are all worthless candidates and many were even criminals - although no action was taken against any deemed to be criminals. Since then citizenship and PR wait times have gradually expanded apart from the two periods of military government when things were speeded up, not because the military loves foreigners but because they detest slothful and corrupt bureaucrats. Prior to the first Thaksin government citizenship routinely took about 3 years and PR no more than 1 year and I believe this was the case for many years prior to 2001.

Edited July 6Jul 6 by Arkady

On 7/6/2026 at 1:24 PM, Arkady said:

I very much doubt the work going on to comply with the Marriage Equality Act is a factor in the extreme delays now experience by applicants waiting for MOI interviews, oath ceremonies and publication in the RG. There is indeed a question mark about how the amendments will treat those who have already applied but it could go in different directions, i.e. the bar might be raised for some groups of applicants but it might also be lowered. I somewhat doubt that those who have already applied and had their files forwarded to the MOI already will be made to comply with stricter requirements, if any are applicable to their category. Retroactive law changes can apply in Thailand and the 1971 Revolutionary Decree mentioned in my post above is one hideous example of this but that was a military government that didn't have to deal with a parliament or LGBT and women's activist groups. It was reacting to what it perceived as a massive national security threat caused by wars in Indochina that resulted in thousands of foreign refugees in camps giving birth to children on Thai soil which made them all automatically Thai citizens entitled to free education etc. One retroactive measure was applied to existing applicants some years ago. That was the requirement introduced in new ministerial application guidelines in 2009 to make applicants get the embassy certified affidavit of intent to renounce existing nationality, which was clearly in reaction to the 2008 amendment allowing foreign males with Thai wives to skip PR in the hope of stemming the flow somewhat. This requirement was applied reactively about a year ofter it was published to all applicants who had not yet done the MOI interview. However, the ministerial guidelines are not law like the Act or even the 1967 ministerial regulations and can be changed and applied at the whim of the MOI without any parliamentary or public scrutiny.

I think the delays are more the weeds growing back over the path cut out of the jungle by Anuphong in his 8 years as IM. He was an old school military top down chain of command man who resented the slothful culture, mni fiefdoms and corruption he found at the MOI. He ordered a clean up of the citizenship and PR processes and no one at the MOI dared oppose him after a few iron rice bowls got smashed and they realized he meant business. But he started to lose this focus a bit towards the end of his term after he became part of a coalition including the usual suspects in politics when the Prayut government was no longer solely a military government that could do whatever it wanted without caring about the vested interests of politicians. The momentum of weeds growing back over the path apparently gathered force after the full return to civilian leadership in 2023. Unfortunately it now seems to be even worse than in earlier periods of civilian rule since 2001. The rot set in when Thaksin first became PM in 2001 when whole batches of citizenship applications were knocked back to SB for rechecking of qualifications extending their wait time by 3 years and an entire annual batch of PR applications was rejected out of hand with insulting public comments like they are all worthless candidates and many were even criminals - although no action was taken against any deemed to be criminals. Since then citizenship and PR wait times have gradually expanded apart from the two periods of military government when things were speeded up, not because the military loves foreigners but because they detest slothful and corrupt bureaucrats. Prior to the first Thaksin government citizenship routinely took about 3 years and PR no more than 1 year and I believe this was the case for many years prior to 2001.

Well said.

On another note, Thailand has some of the most archaic and yet some of the most progressive laws, just to mention environment protection. Many of those modern laws are simply ignored.

Making getting Thai citizenship easier would require a huge change of the protectionist, deeply nationalist Thai mindset.

Not gonna happen.

On 7/6/2026 at 12:07 AM, Arkady said:

Didn't you also have a rather long wait for PR or I am remembering someone else?

Yes 8 years!

14 minutes ago, THAIJAMES said:

Yes 8 years!

My Thai wife received her Australian citizenship in just a few years.