First time registry in a household for an adult interview

[Rookie1]

Hello,  Does anyone here have an experience with the interview for the household registry?  I'm an adult male in my late 30s and both my parents are dual citizens one of which is thailand (one parent deceased).  We've already visited the government office and have our documents in order.  They're scheduling an interview that they say will take 3 hours (or the whole process takes 3 hours).

 

How hard is this interview? What kind of questions should I expect at this interview?  What is there to ask for 3 hours?

[Peterw42]

16 hours ago, Rookie1 said:

Hello,  Does anyone here have an experience with the interview for the household registry?  I'm an adult male in my late 30s and both my parents are dual citizens one of which is thailand (one parent deceased).  We've already visited the government office and have our documents in order.  They're scheduling an interview that they say will take 3 hours (or the whole process takes 3 hours).

 

How hard is this interview? What kind of questions should I expect at this interview?  What is there to ask for 3 hours?

Its not clear what you are trying to do. Get a Thai ID card, go in a blue book ?

Either way, there is no pass or fail interview, just lots of paperwork. 3 hours is probably just to cover the thai bureaucracy, if there is a queue etc.

[Rookie1]

I'm trying to go in a blue book.  I believe you can't get an ID unless you're already in a blue book.  Everyone I've talked to said you can get your ID the same day you're added to a blue book but you have to get in the blue book first

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, Rookie1 said:

I'm trying to go in a blue book.  I believe you can't get an ID unless you're already in a blue book.  Everyone I've talked to said you can get your ID the same day you're added to a blue book but you have to get in the blue book first

Yes, to my knowledge you need to be registered in a house book to get a Thai ID-card.

 

The interview is probably needed if you have not been registered in a house book before and lived abroad; just like when a foreigner applies for being registered in a yellow house book.

[scorecard]

5 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Yes, to my knowledge you need to be registered in a house book to get a Thai ID-card.

 

The interview is probably needed if you have not been registered in a house book before and lived abroad; just like when a foreigner applies for being registered in a yellow house book.

 

Given your initial post I'm wondering why you haven't proceeded with Thai citizenship?

[Rookie1]

I believe that is the end goal.  Once I have an ID I'd essentially be thai enough to get a thai passport right?  That's what my relatives are saying. 

 

But no one has any idea what they'll interview about.  Is this going to be like a civics exam? do i need to know history or some other subject?  How should I prepare?

[Sheryl]

If it is anything like the "interview" I had for my yellow house book they just ask you questions about yourself.

 

Parent's name. Where born. Dates you lived abroad etc.

 

Definitely not a test as such.

[khunPer]

15 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

If it is anything like the "interview" I had for my yellow house book they just ask you questions about yourself.

 

Parent's name. Where born. Dates you lived abroad etc.

 

Definitely not a test as such.

I was also asked about religion and why I wanted to live/stay in Thailand. It seems to vary a lot between the provinces, others have posted that they more-or-less got their Yellow House Book with only an approved translation of their passport.

[donx]

I don't have information specifically on what to expect as an adult. However, I will say that the process to get Thai ID cards for my daughters who were minors at the time took a whole day. That was in Phatthalung. In addition to getting them entered into their grandparents' house book, they required interviews with others in the community that could vouch for them being children of my wife. They kept asking for photo copies of everything, so we kept having to go to a local print shop multiple times during the process.

 

The official processing the applications created handwritten reports that were passed on to a secretary who entered those reports into a computer. Once the girls had the Thai IDs, they were able to get Thai passports in Hat Yai which only took about an hour to process. Of course we had to drive to Hat Yai and back from Phatthalung, so the total time was about half a day.

 

I hope you don't have to go through the same agonizing process that we did. By the way, I'm interested in finding out how your application goes because we didn't obtain a Thai ID for our son because my wife didn't want him to register for the military draft. We intend to get his Thai ID after he's in his 30's.

[Rookie1]

thanks everyone.  sounds like its a more personal interview than anything i could "study" for.  I'll focus on how to talk about myself politely and such.

[Rookie1]

On 1/25/2024 at 11:54 PM, donx said:

By the way, I'm interested in finding out how your application goes because we didn't obtain a Thai ID for our son because my wife didn't want him to register for the military draft. We intend to get his Thai ID after he's in his 30's.

 

Keep your eye on current events.  I heard they might do away with conscription in 70.  Having your daughters already registered is probably helpful.  There was form where they ask about the family and I feel having my sister there to present her ID made the clerks more confident.

 

So I got it.  I seemed to have lucked out as they skipped the interview.  Possibly because one of the seniors in the office had worked late the day before and was going to come in late to make up for it.  So that division of the office seemed a bit understaffed.  Probably would have been a 20min interview as we were told before hand that they only did this for 1 person a day by appointment because it takes 3 hours.  So they schedule you first thing as soon as the office opens and we left with ID in hand 20mins before the 3hr mark.

 

I can offer some observation/advice from my limited experience and speaking with friends and relatives about it...

 

From relatives that were born, raised, and work in thailand this was a formality.  This is my right in their opinion.  One cousin even taught me how to politely ask (incase) "what official reason are you denying me? Both my parents are thai as am I.  All the documents you asked for are here.  What more do you need"

 

The main thing the government is concerned with here is that the person looking to be registered is the person they claim to be.  The fear is illegal immigrant trying to steal a thai's identity.  And that is especially a concern with thai's (like myself) who aren't in thailand much.  As long as the clerk believes that you're you there shouldn't be much hurdles or grueling interrogation.

 

With that said you should definitely respect the process.  Both parents should be there.  You should have all original documents.  If your thai children were born abroad you should have taken the local birth certificate to your consulate/embassy and gotten a thai birth certificate.  I know of someone that was denied twice before being confirmed and from the story I think it was because she only appeared with her witness and no parents.