Thinking about becoming a Thai citizen.

MalcolmB · June 3

Thinking last night about getting a Thai citizenship.

Benefits would be I could buy investment properties in my own name and would not need to deal with immigration which seems a bit of a hassle here to be honest. eg I needed to pay an agent to open a bank account last week and it took a lot of time. All that wouldn’t be necessary if I was a citizen.

i would buy pool villas to rent to tourists Airbnb because the returns are higher and get a maid to clean them which will be cheap in Thailand. Long term rentals don’t appeal, returns seem low.

I assume this would disqualify me getting free healthcare in the UK? but I am about to get some health insurance in Thailand anyway so will not need it. I have heard the hospitals here are much better here, more like a five star hotel with no waiting times?

How about my pension? Will I still get it? Won’t need it if I have investment properties but it would still be handy.
what other advantages and disadvantages are there?

I am learning Thai language and will marry a Thai lady within the next year and move upcountry.

I can’t see myself ever leaving Thailand to live anywhere else.

Any thoughts appreciated.

BritManToo · June 3

6 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

Any thoughts appreciated

It's an impossible dream for a retired foreign male I'm afraid.

You need to be employed in Thailand for 5 years.

Much easier if you were a foreign female, which only require them to be married to a local for 2 years.

tomazbodner · June 3

If you qualify for it, go ahead, but may need to give up UK passport eventually, if that ever gets enforced.

But did you check the requirements to apply? As @BritManToo says, you would need to be in certain age group, have high education, have a high paying salary from same company for 2-3 years paying taxes to prove it, have a decent level of Thai communication skills and history/cultural knowledge. They would also judge your contribution to Thai society and your appearance (I don't mean how you look but how "Thai-like" you behave).

There are many threads on it. Check them through and see if you're confident you can pass. If yes, go ahead. Ir should make your life a lot easier than being on temporary extensions.

MalcolmB · June 3

12 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

If you qualify for it, go ahead, but may need to give up UK passport eventually, if that ever gets enforced.

But did you check the requirements to apply? As @BritManToo says, you would need to be in certain age group, have high education, have a high paying salary from same company for 2-3 years paying taxes to prove it, have a decent level of Thai communication skills and history/cultural knowledge. They would also judge your contribution to Thai society and your appearance (I don't mean how you look but how "Thai-like" you behave).

There are many threads on it. Check them through and see if you're confident you can pass. If yes, go ahead. Ir should make your life a lot easier than being on temporary extensions.

Sounds difficult but not impossible.

Could take a while. I really wanted to do it before buying the villas.

Maybe I will use the thai company way and transfer them over to my own name from the company when I get my citizenship.

if anyway knows of an agent who can do it I would appreciate the contact.

Maybe they could speed the process up a bit. I don’t mind paying a bit extra to the right people.

tomazbodner · June 3

2 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

Sounds difficult but not impossible.

Could take a while. I really wanted to do it before buying the villas.

Maybe I will use the thai company way and transfer them over to my own name from the company when I get my citizenship.

if anyway knows of an agent who can do it I would appreciate the contact.

Maybe they could speed the process up a bit. I don’t mind paying a bit extra to the right people.

Usually it's just that - difficult but not impossible. As long as you're willing to commit time into it and doing it the right way for the right reasons.

SAFETY FIRST · June 3

51 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

I could buy investment properties in my own name

I've bought a dozen condos in my own name over the past decades, good returns.

51 minutes ago, MalcolmB said:

would buy pool villas to rent to tourists Airbnb

You would be breaking the law.

Brit wants to become Thai citizen to law break

I see you're a newbie here, you'll fit right in. 🤣

Edited June 3 by SAFETY FIRST

TheFishman1 · June 3

Yeah, good luck with your idea about buying a villa and renting out airborne and having to make cleanup they ever consider if they damage the property and how much do you think the rent is? It’s very cheap here. Do you think you’re gonna retire on your investments in Thailand, ha ha ha, lolTIT

bradiston · June 3

3 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Sounds difficult but not impossible.

Could take a while. I really wanted to do it before buying the villas.

Maybe I will use the thai company way and transfer them over to my own name from the company when I get my citizenship.

if anyway knows of an agent who can do it I would appreciate the contact.

Maybe they could speed the process up a bit. I don’t mind paying a bit extra to the right people.

If it was easy we'd all be doing it. For some it's a piece of cake because they ticked all the boxes well in advance. I don't know anyone who ticks any of the boxes.

scorecard · June 3

3 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Usually it's just that - difficult but not impossible. As long as you're willing to commit time into it and doing it the right way for the right reasons.

And the time to fulfill the requirements to hold continuous work permits for about three to five years and prove that you have submitted, and paid, your Thai personal taxes for the same time period.

roo860 · June 3

There's a guy in Pattaya, he's a 'lifestyle guru', he's on YouTube, Dan About Thailand, but I'm sure you knew already that, 😉😉.

He'll put you on the straight and narrow.😊😊

Edited June 3 by roo860

OneMoreFarang · June 3

You can do much of what you want to do by opening a company, getting a work permit, etc.

This takes a couple of months and then you are ready for business.

Reading your post above it seems like you think it is easy to become a Thai citizen. Think again!

MalcolmB · June 3

4 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

You would be breaking the law.

What law would I be breaking?

MalcolmB · June 3

39 minutes ago, roo860 said:

There's a guy in Pattaya, he's a 'lifestyle guru', he's on YouTube, Dan About Thailand, but I'm sure you knew already that, 😉😉.

He'll put you on the straight and narrow.😊😊

Ok, I will check him out.
Thank you.

MalcolmB · June 3

54 minutes ago, scorecard said:

And the time to fulfill the requirements to hold continuous work permits for about three to five years and prove that you have submitted, and paid, your Thai personal taxes for the same time period.

I have enough money to fast track what is needed.

Sandboxer · June 3

555, dreamers are so cute

It's like me saying I've decided I want to be a billionaire astronaut because I think i easily qualify owning 2 shares of Virgin Galactic.

Edited June 3 by Sandboxer

Ben Zioner · June 3

5 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Thinking last night about getting a Thai citizenship.

Benefits would be I could buy investment properties in my own name and would not need to deal with immigration which seems a bit of a hassle here to be honest. eg I needed to pay an agent to open a bank account last week and it took a lot of time. All that wouldn’t be necessary if I was a citizen.

i would buy pool villas to rent to tourists Airbnb because the returns are higher and get a maid to clean them which will be cheap in Thailand. Long term rentals don’t appeal, returns seem low.

I assume this would disqualify me getting free healthcare in the UK? but I am about to get some health insurance in Thailand anyway so will not need it. I have heard the hospitals here are much better here, more like a five star hotel with no waiting times?

How about my pension? Will I still get it? Won’t need it if I have investment properties but it would still be handy.
what other advantages and disadvantages are there?

I am learning Thai language and will marry a Thai lady within the next year and move upcountry.

I can’t see myself ever leaving Thailand to live anywhere else.

Any thoughts appreciated.

If you are in your thirties of forties it maybe worth it. At 65 five with 10 to 15 years of life expectancy dealing with immigration will cost you less time and effort. Then LTR came ..

khunPer · June 3

5 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Thinking last night about getting a Thai citizenship.

Benefits would be I could buy investment properties in my own name and would not need to deal with immigration which seems a bit of a hassle here to be honest. eg I needed to pay an agent to open a bank account last week and it took a lot of time. All that wouldn’t be necessary if I was a citizen.

i would buy pool villas to rent to tourists Airbnb because the returns are higher and get a maid to clean them which will be cheap in Thailand. Long term rentals don’t appeal, returns seem low.

I assume this would disqualify me getting free healthcare in the UK? but I am about to get some health insurance in Thailand anyway so will not need it. I have heard the hospitals here are much better here, more like a five star hotel with no waiting times?

How about my pension? Will I still get it? Won’t need it if I have investment properties but it would still be handy.
what other advantages and disadvantages are there?

I am learning Thai language and will marry a Thai lady within the next year and move upcountry.

I can’t see myself ever leaving Thailand to live anywhere else.

Any thoughts appreciated.

It might not be that easy to apply for Thai citizenship; a Permanent Residence might help, but to my knowledge you need to have been working for some year and paid income tax. There are some excellent threads with advice in the forum.

Opening bank account is not a problem, if you have a long-stay visa, which you easily can obtain from your home country or a visa run to a nearby country, and an address i Thailand.

You can invest in property without being citizen, if you open a Thai company limited, for example together with your future wife, as you can only hold 49 percent shares of the registered capital. With the right set-up – which an experienced business lawyer can do for you – you can secure your ownership pretty well.

Investing in luxury end pool villas can be good business, especially if you use an agent to take care of rentals and service. If you do it yourself, it will require a lot of work, which you to my knowledge cannot do yourself without a proper work permit; i.e. you might need to employ or pay someone to do it for you. Airbnb rent needs to be for a month or longer, and when changing renter the villa(s) need to cleaned and serviced.

If becoming a Thai citizen you will be eligible for government health care, but you might still prefer a private hospital, so either a health-insurance or enough funds for self insurance is needed in both cases.

Having a non-immigrant visa you can stay with annual extensions based on either marriage to a Thai – which makes you eligible for a work permit – or as retiree, where work will not be allowed, but you can still own shares and be CEO on board member level in a company limited. If you wish to invest seriously in Thailand, there are other visas available, one of them also makes you eligible to own 1 rai of land.

I'm not British, so I don't know about UK health care, but fin my European home country we loose our health care when settling abroad. We can keep dual nationality and keep both government and private retirement pensions. Brits' government pension will however be frozen at the level upon when settling abroad.

As it seems like you have enough fund for investments – attractive pool villas in tourists areas are not cheap – then in my view and experience, it's important to consider if investment inside Thailand is better than offshore investments.

simon43 · June 3

Even if you meet all of the criteria to become a Thai citizen, you will probably die of old age between the date of your application and the date at which you are finally approved for citizenship - the wait (as some will attest), is years and years and ...

Paris333 · June 3

I wish you a good start in your new life as a Thai citizen but make sure to clarify your feelings because Thai women have no morals when it comes to marriage............

Taking Thai citizenship its not so hard but its not so easy because in both cases interviewers in order to examine your Thai language skills are asking you "easy questions" as well as making humor in order you will be comfortable and proud of your personal choice. You are well come to live with us is the motto for those legals foreign citizens who want to obtain Thai citizenship.

Close your eyes and ears for disappointed commets from....."locals" and sit down to read and speak Thai language because in Greece there are many Greeks who learn to speak basic ......Chinese in one year but the main problem for them is to......write Chineses.......it needs up to three years of study because its not in latin alphabet.

Ιf you are mute or deaf I suppose it will be easier to obtain any.....citizenship .......

How to apply for Thai Citizenship | Siam Legal

Edited June 3 by Paris333

MalcolmB · June 3

2 hours ago, khunPer said:

It might not be that easy to apply for Thai citizenship; a Permanent Residence might help, but to my knowledge you need to have been working for some year and paid income tax. There are some excellent threads with advice in the forum.

Opening bank account is not a problem, if you have a long-stay visa, which you easily can obtain from your home country or a visa run to a nearby country, and an address i Thailand.

You can invest in property without being citizen, if you open a Thai company limited, for example together with your future wife, as you can only hold 49 percent shares of the registered capital. With the right set-up – which an experienced business lawyer can do for you – you can secure your ownership pretty well.

Investing in luxury end pool villas can be good business, especially if you use an agent to take care of rentals and service. If you do it yourself, it will require a lot of work, which you to my knowledge cannot do yourself without a proper work permit; i.e. you might need to employ or pay someone to do it for you. Airbnb rent needs to be for a month or longer, and when changing renter the villa(s) need to cleaned and serviced.

If becoming a Thai citizen you will be eligible for government health care, but you might still prefer a private hospital, so either a health-insurance or enough funds for self insurance is needed in both cases.

Having a non-immigrant visa you can stay with annual extensions based on either marriage to a Thai – which makes you eligible for a work permit – or as retiree, where work will not be allowed, but you can still own shares and be CEO on board member level in a company limited. If you wish to invest seriously in Thailand, there are other visas available, one of them also makes you eligible to own 1 rai of land.

I'm not British, so I don't know about UK health care, but fin my European home country we loose our health care when settling abroad. We can keep dual nationality and keep both government and private retirement pensions. Brits' government pension will however be frozen at the level upon when settling abroad.

As it seems like you have enough fund for investments – attractive pool villas in tourists areas are not cheap – then in my view and experience, it's important to consider if investment inside Thailand is better than offshore investments.

Thanks for your time writing that.

MalcolmB · June 3

20 minutes ago, Paris333 said:

Thanks.

so really simple and cheap.

Benefits are very good and I can not see any disadvantages that would affect me.

It has given me more motivation to learn thai quickly.

Less to prove to if I am married so I will apply after the big day.

SAFETY FIRST · June 3

3 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

What law would I be breaking?

Google is your friend.

You have a long journey ahead of you, I like your optimism.

Be prepared for disappointment.

Here's some reading material for you.

Edited June 3 by SAFETY FIRST

Acharn · June 3

I've known two guys who naturalized to Thai citizenship. Both had started companies that employed Thais and made a fair amount of money. This was some years ago, so things may have changed.

stoner · June 3

i love how naive and innocent you are. don't ever change fella.

scorecard · June 3

10 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

I have enough money to fast track what is needed.

You think you can buy your way around the 3 to 5 years of continuous Thai work permits and evidence of paying the personal taxes?

Interesting.

Jimjim1 · June 3

19 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Could take a while. I really wanted to do it before buying the villas.

Maybe I will use the thai company way and transfer them over to my own name from the company when I get my citizenship.

You really are completely naive, you are leading yourself like a lamb to the slaughter, if it was an easy thing to do most of us would have done it long ago if for no other reason than to put a stop to this stupid unfair 90 day reporting and annual renewal.

I would suggest that you slow right down and start to look around you, read and listen to the people who have a strong understanding of Thai culture and ordinary Thai ways, yes there are many in here who will fill your head with bulls- - - t but there are other honest people in here who will tell you like it is and you need to find and listen to them especially about marriage and all of the other pitfalls of moving to this country.

I have read many of your post regarding your intentions and all I hear are alarm bells sounding extremely loud.

&ou appear to think you can just move in and everything will be honky dory but it is not and a case in point is if something goes wrong you will always be to blame because you are the farang even when you did not cause it, even citizenship ( if you can get it )will not protect you.

Treat ultra carefully because a great big fall awaits the unwary, and ( your words ) The Thai Company way is by and large totally illegal

scorecard · June 4

2 hours ago, Jimjim1 said:

You really are completely naive, you are leading yourself like a lamb to the slaughter, if it was an easy thing to do most of us would have done it long ago if for no other reason than to put a stop to this stupid unfair 90 day reporting and annual renewal.

I would suggest that you slow right down and start to look around you, read and listen to the people who have a strong understanding of Thai culture and ordinary Thai ways, yes there are many in here who will fill your head with bulls- - - t but there are other honest people in here who will tell you like it is and you need to find and listen to them especially about marriage and all of the other pitfalls of moving to this country.

I have read many of your post regarding your intentions and all I hear are alarm bells sounding extremely loud.

&ou appear to think you can just move in and everything will be honky dory but it is not and a case in point is if something goes wrong you will always be to blame because you are the farang even when you did not cause it, even citizenship ( if you can get it )will not protect you.

Treat ultra carefully because a great big fall awaits the unwary, and ( your words ) The Thai Company way is by and large totally illegal

Bottom line - this thread is fake, a wind up, a joke, ignore it.

MalcolmB · June 4

4 hours ago, Jimjim1 said:

The Thai Company way is by and large totally illegal

That is interesting.

i have met quite a few people over the past two weeks who are doing it, some of who have been doing it for 20+ years without a problem.

i fully intend to set it up legally through lawyers. Some people tell me I need four thai shareholders, some tell me only two, and some say only one.

I have Thais who I can use, my girlfriend and her family members.

The lawyers set it up in a way that I still control it everything. Thousands of people do it every year.

it seems a lot of people living here long term are very successful and others are scared to do anything.

i am still relatively young, have money to invest and I am not going to put in a bank getting low interest.

https://www.siam-legal.com/Business-in-Thailand/thailand-limited-company.php

MalcolmB · June 4

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

Bottom line - this thread is fake, a wind up, a joke, ignore it.

Bottom line here is most people on this forum are helpful.

we are all in this together, one day I will become a long termer and can either be

1. someone who helps other newcomers, blend into thai society, respecting their ways and manners no becoming good friends with the lovely Thai people

2. Be a whiney bitch giving fake information out on forums because I have nothing better to do. Telling people you can not learn Thai, you can not buy a house, you can not buy a business, you can not become a citizen etc etc on and on

i think I will go with 1.

And a big thank you to all the other 1.s out there.

ChaiyaTH · June 4

Oh great, someone just landed in Thailand with the pink glasses on aside from being apparently high on some very good stuff, to think he can now plan becoming a Thai citizen 555. Some first class ignorance here by the poster, he will learn anyway, soon.

This has nothing do with your options 1 and 2 but everything to do with you being wrong, naive, clearly a pink glass wearing newbie. At best you might secure Permanent Residency, but even this means Fk all, you might as well just have a sustainable running company with a work permit in that case.

Perhaps if you are like 20-25 now, you might get a Thai nationality, if you really never give up, when you are 55 years old, LOL. PR means nothing much, it is in a way the same as a Elite visa is anyway. To get a visa here, and be here long-term, never has been the issue to start with.

Last but not least, if you have any of these plans, moving upcountry is even more stupid. You would need to be in Bangkok, that is your only chance, by spending a lot of money, over many years, to make the right contacts and get any movement to your plans. I'm talking 100-200K monthly on networking.

You want something that is for rich people, you better be rich. And being rich is not even enough, just the start.

Edited June 4 by ChaiyaTH

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