Hi, just found this forum and its about time, I have been married to my thai husband for 14 years, living in thailand most of that time. Am beginning to be annoyed by the annual visa application, especially the new price!

Found this article prepared by the WHO:

Thailand's Nationality Act of 1965 was based on the traditional concept that recognized the man as the head of the family. This concept has made Thai women who marry aliens second-class citizens. They possess lesser constitutional protection than men, as well as presenting the land ownership difficulties discussed above. A Thai woman married to an alien does not have the right to automatically confer Thai nationality on her alien spouse. In order to become a Thai national, the husband must go through the whole complex process of naturalization and abandon his original nationality. In contrast, alien women married to Thai men can simply apply to the Ministry of Interior to obtain Thai nationality. No specific qualifications are required and they need not abandon their original nationality (104; 12-12).

Also something similar on the Phuket gazette issues and answers forum. Anyone know if this is true?? heres the link for the article: citizenship

heres the link for the Phuket Gazette articlephuket gazette

Hi sbk, Glad you found us at last! 14 years, wow, thats a long while, it would be good if you could at a future date post some experiences, thoughts & general feelings about being a foreign woman in Thailand for some of the newer girls on the forum. Just an idea, I for one, after 5 years, are always on the look out for new thoughts from long term residents.

With regard to the residency issue for farang wives, this is a bit of a gray area, a friend of mine told me the other day that her girlfriend, married to a thai & living here for over 20 years who has 4 thai children, still is refused residency every year! Others have told me that they have obtained residency after 3-4 years & proving that they can speak the language & understood about thai history etc. I think that they have now brought the law in line for both farang wives & husbands in that you must both meet the requirements after 3 years of continual non imm visas & that the process should now be the same for men & women. Any others got more info on this pls?

Boo

SBK welcome to the forum. The Courts are looking at the very same issue right now. Keep the fingers crossed. The property issues for the Thai spouse married to a non Thai have been overcome. Gender equality is being addressed in Muang Thai.

Actually, I wasn't looking at residency at all but at acquiring a thai passport instead. a canadian friend  of mine got residency but mainly I think because her thai husband had a cousin working in immigration. I guess if you know someone it is not so hard, but as we don't know anybody and the new 95,000 baht fee for residency is ridiculous i was looking at the citizenship idea instead. I'd get my husband to call the police in bangkok (from the phuket gazette article) but he doesn't like to talk to official people on the phone! He usually makes me do it! so, if anyone hears anything about citizenship I would love to know, thanks!  as for future posts, plan on seeing me again as I am fond of my opinions!

You've been here a long time. I have little experience in the citizenship area, but I suspect you'd walk it in. I do think that your spouse should try to overcome his inabilty to talk to officialdom. I think that his input is essential. Good luck.

thanks dr patpong! i guess its an island thing, there has always been little govt involvement here so most people here are reluctant to deal with officials. most people here don't bother to register their marriages at the amphur because, as far as everyone else is concerned, they are married so what does the govt have to do with it?? fair enough, considering as recently as my husbands birth (35 years ago) it was necessary to take a small fishing boat over to samui to register births. we didn't even get phones here until about 10 years ago! so, i do try to give him a little   leeway!

Give it a go yourself. Under the new rules, citizenship beats residency, particularly in your situation. The Phuket Gazette advice is the way to go. Chok dee na      

just as an fyi, easymoney and I have been discussing this in the visas forum, he got thai citizenship and got to keep his US passport too, as it seems the rules are easier for women i will give it a go. i have to go to immigration tomorrow to check on the progress of my 1 year visa (takes a while here, they send it to bangkok) so will ask the immigration guy what he knows. hopefully, he knows something!

SBK look forward to hearing the outcome!

Your input was a pleasure to read it is like a breath of fresh air to listen to positive question and answer type conversation.

Whoa ladies this comment is not a put down, just an observation on how some threads on some forums tend to represent the inputer.

SBK and others (M & F) looking forward to participating in further interesting threads!!

Peeun :cool:

thanks! anyway, just to let you know the trip to immigration this morning was fruitless! I got there too early for the bigwigs and only got the grumpy guy behind the counter whose chair broke when he leaned back. So, he wasn't feeling helpful or informative. Phuket Gazette's issues & answers column is looking into it for me, and also, if we go to the mainland later this month then we will ask at the provincial police hq. hopefully they will know! will let you know if I hear anything more.

Hi mijan24, we're a friendly bunch in here - no need to fear a put down  

sbk - good luck with everything, hope it all works out - keep us posted  

sbk, maybe when you come to Samui for the hairdressers you could try asking at the Samui District office in Nathon, they could be marginally better than your local! Also the immigration here also has a very helpful guy who I think is the lawyer there (?) he may be able to point you in the right direction.

boo, which one is that? i know most of the ones who've been there awhile, but there are some newer ones --guess they started this year. hopefully it isn't the grumpy guy with the white hair that sits at the counter!

Hi sbk, no that guy with the white hair is a bastard, read my post in visa trip to penang on the visa section, he was the one with the magnifting glass. urgh.

No this guy is about early 40's, quite tall for thai, slim with glasses, he floats around the front of the office, not behind the counter, asking people what they want. Really nice, friendly & polite. Worth asking him, when i was there a few weeks ago there was a farang couple who had boated into samui & they hadn't got the right permissions or something, he was ages sorting out the problem for them & even though they were getting arsy with him he just stayed clam & polite the whole time (I think in the end they had to go back to where they had come from & get the relevant exit stamps first, they got the strop on but at least he didn't get them arrested for breaking the law!)

curly hair?? if that is the one his name is Nok, he's the one who always does my one year visa. been there for years and years. can't believe he is still nice after dealing with all the pain in the bum farangs! I was actually going to ask him but when i got there he was talking to someone else and then after Mr. Grumpy finished stamping my passport he was gone! we may head out to Surat on monday, if we do, I will go to the police stn there and ask. will keep you posted!

found this doing a google search, from the Thai Immigration website:

In case of applying for Thai citizenship through Thai husband

        1.   Same document as in general case

       2.    Certified letter from special branch division or the concerned provincial  

               police station

       3.    A photocopy of husband's house registration

       4.    A photocopy of husband's indntification card

       5.    Interrogation report

       6.    Application must be made in person

 

and from the Thai visa website:

To acquire Thai nationality

Aliens who wish to apply for Thai nationality under the Nationality Act B.E. 2508 (A.D. 1965) a person does NOT need to be 40 years or have spent 10 years in Thailand.

They must be of the age of majority, be of good character, be gainfully employed, have continuously lived in Thailand for not less than FIVE years and have knowledge of the Thai language. (Section 10) It's an advantage to be married to a Thai citizen and having children born in Thailand or having studied in a local university/college as an undergraduate. The applicant must complete an application form and submit various required documents to the Criminal Investigation Division Group I, Subdivision 3, Police Department, Rama I Road, Bangkok.  

The official fee is Baht 5,000. The processing takes 2 to 3 years.  

In the case of a minor child sponsored by a mother or father having Thai nationality, there must be evidence of both sponsorship and the child's birth. Likewise, a wife seeking Thai citizenship based on her husband's Thai nationality must submit evidence of the husband's nationality, the marriage, and a formal request for Thai citizenship.

So, as soon as we are off to Surat Thani (probably not tomorrow due to heavy rains causing some flooding in Surat and plus my husband wants to get his boat fixed and they can't dry the  fiberglass if it's pouring down rain apparently) I will verify all this. Hope they don't require me to be literate in Thai. Although I can speak it quite well (should be able to, after all this time) I am, sadly, an illiterate. I studied Chinese for 3 years and it fried those brain cells that are needed to learn another alphabet. If it is required, perhaps the test won't be until the processing is finished, or, otherwise I am sure we can find some way around the problem!!

A real win here dear sbk. This site was able to point you in a direction that will, ultimately, solve so many of your problems. I am not certain, but I think you will henceforth be ok pending a decision...ie. they'll give you an extension pending the outcome. I hope it works out...thank Khun Paw for his help  

Keep us informed

Can't help it but laugh reading the guy breaking his chair. What a day