Story Of My Thai Citizenship Application

[nkptai]

I am a Hong Kong woman married to a Thai man for 5+ years and we have a 1.5 year old son who holds multiple passports including a Thai passport. We currently work and live in a neighbouring country, but regularly return to Thailand 3-4 times a year to see my husband’s family in Isaan and plan to move to Thailand in the next two years. Given the long waiting times reported, I wanted to start early on the application process to become a Thai citizen. Having read through most of this excellent thread, I believe I do not yet qualify to apply for Thai citizenship, due to the following two requirements:

1. I am not yet on a tabien baan. Although I can get on my husband’s tabien baan, I would like to be on a tabien baan in Bangkok so that I can submit my Thai citizenship application in Bangkok for a smoother processing of my application. As we do not have any close friends or relatives in Bangkok, I plan to buy a condominium in Bangkok in my name so that I can properly have my name registered on a tabien baan without relying on friends, relatives, etc.

1. Husband’s salary/income is less than 20,000 baht per month. I understand that the minimum salary/income needs to be earned from sources in Thailand, and my husband does not have this as our main income source is outside Thailand and not subject to Thai tax. However, I am planning to rent out the above condominium and declare the rental income to the Thai tax authority, so that we can meet this minimum salary/income threshold and we can then obtain the necessary proof of income and tax paid and use the title as proof of ownership of the condominium / assets in Thailand.

My questions are as follows:

1. Does the minimum salary/income need to be earned by the husband alone or can it be combined with the husband/wife salary/income?
2. Is it correct that proof of salary/income can only be from Thailand sources?
3. While the condominium will be in my name, I plan to allow my husband to earn the rental income and declare it to the tax authority. Will this allow us to meet the minimum salary/income threshold?
4. Would proof of my assets outside Thailand be considered? Or just those assets that are held by my husband?

Thank you in advance for your replies to my questions and your insights are very welcome.

[nowretired]

As a "foreign" lady married to Thai there is no requirement for either of you to demonstrate income or capital.

You will need a visa/extension of stay based on your marriage.

Others with more knowledge than me will, I am sure answer your questions about citizenship.

[GarryP]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

[sas_cars]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

Can someone attach it's PDF file or a link ?

[GarryP]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

Can someone attach it's PDF file or a link ?

http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2558/D/077/22.PDF

[ubonjoe]

Two posts and a reply to one of them has been removed at the request of a member. If you know somebody who is on the list please do the congrats privately by PM.

[sas_cars]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

Can someone attach it's PDF file or a link ?

http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2558/D/077/22.PDF

Can someone also give the link to the archive of where I can go and see all these notifications by dates?

[GarryP]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

Can someone attach it's PDF file or a link ?

http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2558/D/077/22.PDF

Can someone also give the link to the archive of where I can go and see all these notifications by dates?

http://www.mratchakitcha.soc.go.th/

[Om85]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

I applyed almost two years ago and still nothing, I have checked the Royal Gazette many times and the last time there was a guy getting the citizenship was like 20 years ago, but lets cross fingers, I don't have PR I am applying directly cuz I am married to a Thai but have no big hopes, just testing the system

[GarryP]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

I applyed almost two years ago and still nothing, I have checked the Royal Gazette many times and the last time there was a guy getting the citizenship was like 20 years ago, but lets cross fingers, I don't have PR I am applying directly cuz I am married to a Thai but have no big hopes, just testing the system

Have you been interviewed by the screening committee yet? If so, it should not be much of a wait in the scheme of things. They are cleaning up the backlog so even if you have not been interviewed yet, if you qualify you should not have long to wait before being called. For most cases you had waits of between 3 to 7 years or more before being called. Now there is a much stricter timeline (see my post with the flow chart) so you should be coming up soon.

[Om85]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

I applyed almost two years ago and still nothing, I have checked the Royal Gazette many times and the last time there was a guy getting the citizenship was like 20 years ago, but lets cross fingers, I don't have PR I am applying directly cuz I am married to a Thai but have no big hopes, just testing the system

Have you been interviewed by the screening committee yet? If so, it should not be much of a wait in the scheme of things. They are cleaning up the backlog so even if you have not been interviewed yet, if you qualify you should not have long to wait before being called. For most cases you had waits of between 3 to 7 years or more before being called. Now there is a much stricter timeline (see my post with the flow chart) so you should be coming up soon.

I got my interview last year but after that every time they just tell me that my application is being considered, on the other side they send two officials to my neighborhood to check if I live there, who was my wife etc. but I am not very hopeful bcuz i've heard that only rich people are approve my salary is 56K so...

[samran]

They wouldn't have taken your application if you didn't have a chance...

Edited August 18, 2015 by samran

[sas_cars]

I just got PR recently (June 15). Just wanting to know whether I have to wait for full 5 years to apply for citizenship i.e. in June 2020, or do they count the current year also ? i.e. 15 16 17 18 19 ? Just looking to apply the citizenship the first day I am allowed to apply.

[THAIJAMES]

I just got PR recently (June 15). Just wanting to know whether I have to wait for full 5 years to apply for citizenship i.e. in June 2020, or do they count the current year also ? i.e. 15 16 17 18 19 ? Just looking to apply the citizenship the first day I am allowed to apply.

You are in the same boat as I am. The requirement is for the applicant to have had either the Residence Certificate, Red Book, or Tabien Ban (13) for at least 5 years.

The good thing is if you lose your PR because your forgot to get exit stamp, you can still apply for citizenship as you will have a blue Tabien Ban.

Edited August 18, 2015 by THAIJAMES

[sas_cars]

I just got PR recently (June 15). Just wanting to know whether I have to wait for full 5 years to apply for citizenship i.e. in June 2020, or do they count the current year also ? i.e. 15 16 17 18 19 ? Just looking to apply the citizenship the first day I am allowed to apply.

You are in the same boat as I am. The requirement is for the applicant to have had either the Residence Certificate, Red Book, or Tabien Ban (13) for at least 5 years.

The good thing is if you lose your PR because your forgot to get exit stamp, you can still apply for citizenship as you will have a blue Tabien Ban.

Yes, so just wanna know how they count the years, lol.

[NewlyMintedThai]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

I applyed almost two years ago and still nothing, I have checked the Royal Gazette many times and the last time there was a guy getting the citizenship was like 20 years ago, but lets cross fingers, I don't have PR I am applying directly cuz I am married to a Thai but have no big hopes, just testing the system

You are checking wrong, then. There have been hundreds (Including me).

[THAIJAMES]

I just got PR recently (June 15). Just wanting to know whether I have to wait for full 5 years to apply for citizenship i.e. in June 2020, or do they count the current year also ? i.e. 15 16 17 18 19 ? Just looking to apply the citizenship the first day I am allowed to apply.

You are in the same boat as I am. The requirement is for the applicant to have had either the Residence Certificate, Red Book, or Tabien Ban (13) for at least 5 years.

The good thing is if you lose your PR because your forgot to get exit stamp, you can still apply for citizenship as you will have a blue Tabien Ban.

Yes, so just wanna know how they count the years, lol.

It would be starting from June 15 so June 15, 2020 before you could apply

Edited August 18, 2015 by THAIJAMES

[sas_cars]

I just got PR recently (June 15). Just wanting to know whether I have to wait for full 5 years to apply for citizenship i.e. in June 2020, or do they count the current year also ? i.e. 15 16 17 18 19 ? Just looking to apply the citizenship the first day I am allowed to apply.

You are in the same boat as I am. The requirement is for the applicant to have had either the Residence Certificate, Red Book, or Tabien Ban (13) for at least 5 years.

The good thing is if you lose your PR because your forgot to get exit stamp, you can still apply for citizenship as you will have a blue Tabien Ban.

Yes, so just wanna know how they count the years, lol.

It would be starting from June 15 so June 15, 2020 before you could apply

I read somewhere on the forum that here in Thailand, they are counting calendar years instead of exact years, so on the basis of that, one should be able to apply on January 2019 ( 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 ) . Maybe some informative soul can shed light on it, Arkaday? Samran?

[THAIJAMES]

I specifically went to the Interior Ministry office in Chiang Mai to find out if I could apply for citizenship sooner than 5 years after getting PR. (to see if PR was only a requirement but you didn't not have to wait the full 5 years)

The head of the office took out the rule book and we went through all the rules together.

In the case of applicants not having ties to Thailand (unmarried) one of the requirements was that they needed to have held PR or Red Book or Tabien baan (13) for at least 5 years.

So I think that if you applied on Jan 2019, you would risk your application being rejected for not having one of the documents for at least 5 years.

Having said that, Arkaday advised that you have nothing to lose by applying early, you can only be rejected and apply again. (it might actually increase your chances the second time)

Its possible that by the time they get to your application, the 5 years will have passed and they won't say anything.

On the other hand you may end up waiting only to be rejected after wasting many years waiting.

Personally, knowing how strict for details Thai Bureaucracy can be, I will wait. (unless there is a change of circumstances)

Your circumstances may be different and it might be easier in BKK.

[samran]

I just got PR recently (June 15). Just wanting to know whether I have to wait for full 5 years to apply for citizenship i.e. in June 2020, or do they count the current year also ? i.e. 15 16 17 18 19 ? Just looking to apply the citizenship the first day I am allowed to apply.

You are in the same boat as I am. The requirement is for the applicant to have had either the Residence Certificate, Red Book, or Tabien Ban (13) for at least 5 years.

The good thing is if you lose your PR because your forgot to get exit stamp, you can still apply for citizenship as you will have a blue Tabien Ban.

Yes, so just wanna know how they count the years, lol.

It would be starting from June 15 so June 15, 2020 before you could apply

I read somewhere on the forum that here in Thailand, they are counting calendar years instead of exact years, so on the basis of that, one should be able to apply on January 2019 ( 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 ) . Maybe some informative soul can shed light on it, Arkaday? Samran?

We are pushing into legal terms here which I may not be using properly but does the Thai text say ปีบริบูรณ์ ? I know it is usually used in reference to age but if it is there it may mean the shorter version. So someone is 40 ปีบริบูรณ์ on the 1st of January even though they may not actually turn 40 until 31 December of the same year.

Another one is 5 ปีปฏิทิน which is used in LTF investments and denotes no difference in the date bought if in the same year. So in this case you are holding the asset for 5 years even if it is only from 31 dec 2010 to 1 jan 2014. Five calendar years have been counted but only 3 years and 2 days have passed - but it counts for 5 years under tax law at least.

Hope I haven't been too confusing!!

Edited August 18, 2015 by samran

[sas_cars]

Yes, this was one I was actually referring, but well, it depends on SB how they interpret the 5 year calendar. I will try on 1st Jan 2019 , hope it won't hurt. lol

[NewlyMintedThai]

I was told five full years, to the day, when I applied in 2007.

[Siamfan]

I hope the moderators allow this post even though it is in Thai language. It is certainly applicable to this subject. The below is the flow chart of the process for a general/ordinary person under Section 10 of the Nationality Act. The whole process seems rather confusing. I wonder where everyone is in the whole chain.

การขอแปลงสัญชาติเป็นไทย ของบุคคลต่างด้าวทั่วไปตามมาตรา ๑๐ แห่ง พ.ร.บ.สัญชาติ พ.ศ.๒๕๐๘

Hi!

Did anybody get this translated yet? I am interested what exactly are the timelines...

One more question-

I received my PR in 2012, also want to apply for naturalisation as soon as possible... as its based on Thai Children, is there a way to make it before the 5 years?

( unfortunately ( fortunately? ;-) I am divorced already, but with sole custody of my kids... and not planning to remarry...)

Edited August 20, 2015 by Siamfan

[THAIJAMES]

4. They should have been permanently resident in the Kingdom of Thailand for not less than 5 years counted from the date they received their Certificate of Residence, Alien Registration Book or House Registration Certificate (Thor Ror 14) that proves incontrovertibly that they have been permanently resident in Thailand for not less than 5 years.

Edited August 20, 2015 by THAIJAMES

[ubonjoe]

According to the guidelines you do not need PR if you are the parent of a Thai. You only need 3 years on extensions.

"3.2 Applicants with direct personal ties with Thailand, such as those married to a Thai citizen, those with children who are Thai citizens, or those who graduated from an institute of tertiary education in Thailand should have an income of not less than 40,000 baht a month supported by a letter of confirmation of monthly salary/income and must show evidence that they have paid tax for not less than 3 years; or they should they should have paid personal income tax of more than 50,000 baht per year for the 3 tax years prior to their application for naturalization"

[Arkady]

According to the guidelines you do not need PR if you are the parent of a Thai. You only need 3 years on extensions.

"3.2 Applicants with direct personal ties with Thailand, such as those married to a Thai citizen, those with children who are Thai citizens, or those who graduated from an institute of tertiary education in Thailand should have an income of not less than 40,000 baht a month supported by a letter of confirmation of monthly salary/income and must show evidence that they have paid tax for not less than 3 years; or they should they should have paid personal income tax of more than 50,000 baht per year for the 3 tax years prior to their application for naturalization"

Joe, the guidelines are confusing here .Guideline 3.2 sets the salary level for those with Thai children or graduates of Thai universities at 40,000 a month which is the same as for those who have a Thai wife but it doesn't give exemption for the need to have PR, which is set out in Guideline 5. So guideline 3.2 is only useful for father's of Thai citizens who are not currently married to the mothers of their children or any other Thai woman but have PR. Guideline 3.2 seems odd at face value but may only be really applicable to minorities born in Thailand who can get PR under different rules.

Essentially these guidelines are intended to be read as if they were ministerial regulations that are supplemental to the Nationality Act. Thus the Act in Section 10.4 requires 5 years' residence in the Kingdom but, since 2008, exemption from this requirement is provided in Section 11.4 only for husbands of Thai women.

As mentioned earlier, the '5 years' residence' is not defined in the Nationality Act but the Guidelines imply that only PR meets the definition of 'residence'. In the past, this made sense, as PR was relatively easy to obtain and the application took a maximum of one year to process. Some people have got nationality after applying less than 5 years after getting PR, which is legally possible because the Act doesn't specifically mention PR as a requirement. However, this interpretation depends on the minister, or more particularly the senior bureaucrats at the ministry. I would suspect that they are all terrified of being accused of corruption under this government, if anyone gets through with qualifications less than the guidelines but I would definitely ask, if I were in this position.

If they are currently insisting on 5 years' with PR that will be 5 full calendar years. As with everything else to do with citizenship, you should check with Special Branch in Room 24 National Police HQ to find out what the current interpretation is. Only Special Branch and the Interior Ministry's nationality section are likely to know. Provincial offices of the Interior Ministry or other government offices are unlikely to have a clue on current practice. All they can do is read the Nationality Act and the Guidelines and come out with their own interpretation which may or may not be correct.

[Arkady]

I am a Hong Kong woman married to a Thai man for 5+ years and we have a 1.5 year old son who holds multiple passports including a Thai passport. We currently work and live in a neighbouring country, but regularly return to Thailand 3-4 times a year to see my husband’s family in Isaan and plan to move to Thailand in the next two years. Given the long waiting times reported, I wanted to start early on the application process to become a Thai citizen. Having read through most of this excellent thread, I believe I do not yet qualify to apply for Thai citizenship, due to the following two requirements:

1. I am not yet on a tabien baan. Although I can get on my husband’s tabien baan, I would like to be on a tabien baan in Bangkok so that I can submit my Thai citizenship application in Bangkok for a smoother processing of my application. As we do not have any close friends or relatives in Bangkok, I plan to buy a condominium in Bangkok in my name so that I can properly have my name registered on a tabien baan without relying on friends, relatives, etc.

1. Husband’s salary/income is less than 20,000 baht per month. I understand that the minimum salary/income needs to be earned from sources in Thailand, and my husband does not have this as our main income source is outside Thailand and not subject to Thai tax. However, I am planning to rent out the above condominium and declare the rental income to the Thai tax authority, so that we can meet this minimum salary/income threshold and we can then obtain the necessary proof of income and tax paid and use the title as proof of ownership of the condominium / assets in Thailand.

My questions are as follows:

1. Does the minimum salary/income need to be earned by the husband alone or can it be combined with the husband/wife salary/income?
2. Is it correct that proof of salary/income can only be from Thailand sources?
3. While the condominium will be in my name, I plan to allow my husband to earn the rental income and declare it to the tax authority. Will this allow us to meet the minimum salary/income threshold?
4. Would proof of my assets outside Thailand be considered? Or just those assets that are held by my husband?

Thank you in advance for your replies to my questions and your insights are very welcome.

Good idea to get yourself on a tabien baan in Bangkok. I have never heard of anyone in Isaan being successful except for the long list of wives approved at the end of 2014 under special circumstances (i.e. the new military government).

Yes, they will only consider income from within Thailand. They do not expect foreign wives of Thai men applying under Section 9 to have any assets or income and they will only look at your husband's assets and income. Your income will not be taken into account. I think they only require one year's tax receipts and that the minimum is B15,000 a month, rather than B20,000. The income can be from a business he operates as a sole proprietor of a business in his own name and doesn't have to be from a limited company. However, they will require some evidence of this income, although I can't say what. I would guess that, in addition to the tax receipts, they would look for registration of the business with the revenue department, if it is not a company, and maybe evidence of contracts. You should be aware that different rules apply to taxation of rental income compared to other types of income. In addition, I suspect that passive income, such as rental income, interest or dividends might not qualify. They might require evidence that your husband is earning steady income from a job or operating a business that generates active income. I say this because I know the rules for companies require operating income which excludes rental, interest and dividend income which is classified as 'other income' not 'operating income'. This may or may not be the same in this case. If they accept rental income, I don't know, if it would matter that the condo was in your name, not your husband's. You might be able to appoint your husband as manager of your property and let him have the income, if they don't accept rental income, although that might result in the rent being taxed twice.

You need to be able to get access to your mail sent to your registered address, as they will sometimes send you notices to attend meetings at short notice by registered mail. The National Intelligence Agency might also send people to check to see, if you are really living there. Although I haven't heard of this happening in the last few years, it used to be commonplace and could easily happen again, if they have the travel budget. (they seem rather strapped for cash).

Your case is quite special and it is impossible to give you stock answers. I would strongly urge you to visit the Special Branch office at Police National HQ in Bangkok near Siam Square. The office for wives with Thai husbands is separate from Room 24 that handles other naturalisations but is just upstairs from there. They will be very helpful, since they actually like people to apply and get citizenship. That's all they do all day.

[Arkady]

The names of 78 women who have gained Thai citizenship were announced in the Royal Gazette (Notification of the Interior Ministry) dated 6 August 2558 (2015) on page 22. All applicants are indicated as being married to Thai men. From a quick review most were from the region, China, India and Taiwan, but there was also an American, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, German.

I do hope this is very good news for one of the posters on this thread. You know who you are and have been waiting for a long time.

Unfortunately, no men were in the list. Oh well, continue the wait.

I applyed almost two years ago and still nothing, I have checked the Royal Gazette many times and the last time there was a guy getting the citizenship was like 20 years ago, but lets cross fingers, I don't have PR I am applying directly cuz I am married to a Thai but have no big hopes, just testing the system

Have you been interviewed by the screening committee yet? If so, it should not be much of a wait in the scheme of things. They are cleaning up the backlog so even if you have not been interviewed yet, if you qualify you should not have long to wait before being called. For most cases you had waits of between 3 to 7 years or more before being called. Now there is a much stricter timeline (see my post with the flow chart) so you should be coming up soon.

I got my interview last year but after that every time they just tell me that my application is being considered, on the other side they send two officials to my neighborhood to check if I live there, who was my wife etc. but I am not very hopeful bcuz i've heard that only rich people are approve my salary is 56K so...

My understanding from discussions with Special Branch officers who handle citizen applications over the 5 years of my own application is that the approach is highly legalistic. It takes a long time but the main thrust is ensuring that applications conform with the Nationality Act and ministerial regulations. The main concern is letting through some one who wasn't qualified and being accused of corruption as a result. However, in recent years they have also had to worry about being sued in the Administrative Court for rejecting applications from people who were qualified and this has happened. As is the case with PR applications, you will hear many stories from self-proclaimed experts who say that it is important to appear very wealthy, to have paid a large amount of Thai tax, to have Thai children or to be totally bilingual in Thai. The fact of the matter is that, while they may be impressed by all of these things and there is or has been a fast track for those with high level connections, they will get around to processing everyone who meets the qualifications. So even applicants married to Thais and earning the minimum of 40k a month will, as long as all their documentation is in order. It will probably take them the same time as people owning their own businesses and earning hundreds of thousands a month, if they are not on the fast track.

I am not clear from your post whether you were interviewed at the Interior Ministry last year or by Special Branch and the National Intelligence Agency. The queue for interviews at the MOI was around 3-5 years the last time I heard of it which was in 2014. After being interviewed at the MOI, it has taken 1-3 more years in recent times. However, the current Interior Minister ordered them to speed up the process as far as possible. He has done his bit by approving applications that reached his desk promptly.

I would urge anyone not to be put off from applying because their income is at the lower end of the scale. It is a long and tedious process but, if you really want it and feel fairly confident that you can stay working with a work permit for the duration of the process, which is a requirement, go ahead.

[GarryP]

Arkady is right about checking with the right people. I had convinced myself that I did not qualify and had decided to give up even before I started. But one of the posters on here actually thought I would meet the minimum qualifications and told me to get on down to Special Branch to check. With nothing to lose, I did as suggested and found that I did indeed qualify. If it weren't for that poster, who is still active on here, I would never have submitted my application. I will be forever grateful to him for giving me hope and getting me off my backside. It is all a matter of waiting now.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that you never know until you ask the actual people who will be dealing with your application. It takes less than half a day of your time to check whether or not you qualify. That amount of time is nothing in the scheme of things. If you are not sure, ask. Don't be the eternal pessimist or procrastinator.

[thedemon]

Arkady is right about checking with the right people. I had convinced myself that I did not qualify and had decided to give up even before I started. But one of the posters on here actually thought I would meet the minimum qualifications and told me to get on down to Special Branch to check. With nothing to lose, I did as suggested and found that I did indeed qualify. If it weren't for that poster, who is still active on here, I would never have submitted my application. I will be forever grateful to him for giving me hope and getting me off my backside. It is all a matter of waiting now.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that you never know until you ask the actual people who will be dealing with your application. It takes less than half a day of your time to check whether or not you qualify. That amount of time is nothing in the scheme of things. If you are not sure, ask. Don't be the eternal pessimist or procrastinator.

"Don't be the eternal pessimist or procrastinator"

Down to earth, very good advice!

This stuff never gets easier than it is now. I could have qualified for PR at least 10 years earlier than when I eventually got around to applying. By that time it was 2006 and I had to wait 6 years to get it. Had I got off my arse in 2005 or any of the nine years before that I could have had citizenship by now.

As long as you're not from one of the few countries that doesn't allow dual nationality it's no-brainer, especially so if married to a Thai.