Thai Nationality

[asiasurfer]

Hi All,

I found the following message on thaivisa's information about acquiring Thai nationality (http://www.thaivisa.com/301.0.html):

Question :

Can the non-Thai spouse of a Thai citizen apply for Thai nationality?

Answer :

Eventhough the spouse of a Thai national is a citizen of a foreign country, he/she can apply for the Thai nationality to the Embassy of Thailand.

All relevant documents attached to the application must be certified by designated authorities.

Documents issued by the Government of a foreign country is to be examined and certified by designated authorities.

If the document is in a foreign language besides English, it must be translated into Thai, then examined and certified by the designated authorities.

If any of the attached document is a copy, it must be certified as true copy by the designated authorities.

Can somebody tell me what this means?? Does this mean that any foreigner married to a Thai citizen can now suddenly obtain Thai nationality as well? Or do I get that wrong?? I always thought you have to live and work in Thailand for at least five years... (Maybe something new though?)

Cheers

[garro]

Maybe Thailand has decided that it does not have enough citizens and wants to open up its doors to all those willing to go through the difficult process of marrying a Thai. Seems unlikely though.

[Soutpeel]

...Does this mean that any foreigner married to a Thai citizen can now suddenly obtain Thai nationality as well? ...

It says you can apply, it doesnt say you will get....wouldn't hold your breath on this one...

[Mario2008]

Forget it. Like Soutpeel says, you can apply. But you sure won't get it based on marriage to a Thai national.

Read the Thai nationailty act:

http://burmalibrary.org/docs3/THAILAND'...onality_Act.htm

[ubonjoe]

A woman married to a Thai male citizen can get Thai nationality with hardly any problem.

Of course the ohter way around you have to get PR first and have it for at least two years (for a totoal of 5) before you can even apply.

Not very fair is it.

[astral]

That link given by Mario does not seem to work.

Here is an alternative.

http://chiangmai2.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/l...0705659203.html

[Maestro]

This is the correct link to the Nationality Act on burmalibrary.org:

http://burmalibrary.org/docs3/THAILAND%27s...onality_Act.htm

It is, incidentally, also the link in post #3 of the pinned topic “Useful Immigration Information & Visa Descriptions, Laws, addresses, download forms, Etc”

--

Maestro

[Arkady]

This might apply to a woman married to a Thai national as they are not obliged to have a viable occupation and show three years' worth of Thai tax receipts, unlike male applicants, but the Ministry of the Interior regulations make no mention of applications to Thai embassies abroad. They make it clear that applicants in Bangkok must apply to the Special Branch at the national police HQ and that applicants in the provinces must apply to their local provincial Special Branch HQ. I think the above was taken from a Thai embassy website abroad - maybe some one in the MFA wanting to appear helpful and super liberal without knowing the law. It is difficult enough even for foreign women married to Thai men living in Thailand to get Thai nationality, which is granted at the discretion of the Minister of the Interior. Certainly no hope of them getting it while living abroad. Why would they want it anyway?