Jump to content

Thai Citizenship


Recommended Posts

I've heard so many things about Thai citizenship, widely varying on what is required etc and how different situations have different requirements. Mine is:

I've been married to a Thai for 6 years.

We have a son with Thai (and British) nationality.

I speak, read and write Thai fluently.

I lived here full time from 2003-2006 went back to the UK, and just came back fairly recently to live here permanently

I want to get citizenship so that I don't need to worry about work permits and visas, can own land and can have my own company.

So where do I start? What are the steps involved? What's the time frame?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

this page here seems pretty good. But I've heard people say you have to be here 10 years, you have to be here 5 years, if you're married to a Thai you can do it in 3. Having children helps/doesn't make a difference. You have to pay taxes for 3 years/you have to have paid 40,000 in taxes and it doesn't matter over what time period and many many other bits that I've heard several different variations of.

I know that someone was saying they did it in this post but they seem to have been banned now, so I can't ask him any questions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it is worth, as you are married to a Thai it is no longer a prerequisite to have Permanent Residency. Some of the posters on TV set me straight on this and have kindly answered my questions from time to time. There are some very good threads which touch on this subject.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it is worth, as you are married to a Thai it is no longer a prerequisite to have Permanent Residency. Some of the posters on TV set me straight on this and have kindly answered my questions from time to time. There are some very good threads which touch on this subject.

Can you verify this please.I understood that it was certainly possible for a foreign woman married to a Thai man, but not a foreign man married to a Thai woman.Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried searching for the information earlier this morning but could not find it. However, it is certainly there somewhere. It is also in the version of the Nationality Act I have. I will post the link when I find it.

In time for the edit function. See this link to another thread.

Edited by GarryP
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried searching for the information earlier this morning but could not find it. However, it is certainly there somewhere. It is also in the version of the Nationality Act I have. I will post the link when I find it.

In time for the edit function. See this link to another thread.

Maybe you mean this Arkady entry?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried searching for the information earlier this morning but could not find it. However, it is certainly there somewhere. It is also in the version of the Nationality Act I have. I will post the link when I find it.

In time for the edit function. See this link to another thread.

Maybe you mean this Arkady entry?

Actually, I did not mean that thread. My response was to a specific question which I thought the nationality application thread directly addressed. A post from someone who had applied without PR. However, for overall total information on this subject, the thread you pointed out is second to none on TV. From time to time I come back to these subjects and sometimes have difficulty finding the specific information I am looking for. To prevent future hassles I have booked marked both now. :D

I understand you have a strong interest in this subject too. Any good news for you/your wife(?) yet?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried searching for the information earlier this morning but could not find it. However, it is certainly there somewhere. It is also in the version of the Nationality Act I have. I will post the link when I find it.

In time for the edit function. See this link to another thread.

Maybe you mean this Arkady entry?

Actually, I did not mean that thread. My response was to a specific question which I thought the nationality application thread directly addressed. A post from someone who had applied without PR. However, for overall total information on this subject, the thread you pointed out is second to none on TV. From time to time I come back to these subjects and sometimes have difficulty finding the specific information I am looking for. To prevent future hassles I have booked marked both now. :D

I understand you have a strong interest in this subject too. Any good news for you/your wife(?) yet?

No, only the letter we received back in April 2010 saying that my wife had the required points (applied early 2008)...and it is off to the black hole of the MOI for consideration. We had one interview in 2008 at KFC victory monument, just to ask about our intentions of applying. I think I said at the time, the application, though for my wife, was more about my bonafides and qualifications, and not hers.

We are in OZ for the moment...not sure when we will go back to Thailand to live, though work takes me there regularly, so if it comes up soon, lets see, we could possibly fly back for the formal interview, but given that they aren't even processing PR at the moment, I can't see that we will be getting any letters anytime soon.

Now that I've typed this, we'll probably get a letter tomorrow requiring my wife's presence ASAP!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the thing about having to earn a certain amount, which varies depending on where you're from - and isn't set in stone.

Where do i find how much they expect people to be earning?

When you left Thailand in 2006 many of us applied for the PR in 2006 and still waiting for the results so if it is not immidiate for you then you can start the earnings now and then apply in 2013 after paying all the required taxes and then wait 4-5 years for the announcments if your PR approved then again apply for the Thai citizenship and then wait for some more years.

May I ask how old are you?:guitar:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you left Thailand in 2006 many of us applied for the PR in 2006 and still waiting for the results so if it is not immidiate for you then you can start the earnings now and then apply in 2013 after paying all the required taxes and then wait 4-5 years for the announcments if your PR approved then again apply for the Thai citizenship and then wait for some more years.

May I ask how old are you?:guitar:

I'm 29 and planning on living here permanently. I've got a thai wife and son plus a lot of family retired here. So I'd like to be in a situation where I didn't have to worry about work permits, visas etc and can have my own business. I know it's going to be a long drawn out process which is why I may as well start setting things up as early as I can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried searching for the information earlier this morning but could not find it. However, it is certainly there somewhere. It is also in the version of the Nationality Act I have. I will post the link when I find it.

In time for the edit function. See this link to another thread.

Maybe you mean this Arkady entry?

Actually, I did not mean that thread. My response was to a specific question which I thought the nationality application thread directly addressed. A post from someone who had applied without PR. However, for overall total information on this subject, the thread you pointed out is second to none on TV. From time to time I come back to these subjects and sometimes have difficulty finding the specific information I am looking for. To prevent future hassles I have booked marked both now. :D

I understand you have a strong interest in this subject too. Any good news for you/your wife(?) yet?

No, only the letter we received back in April 2010 saying that my wife had the required points (applied early 2008)...and it is off to the black hole of the MOI for consideration. We had one interview in 2008 at KFC victory monument, just to ask about our intentions of applying. I think I said at the time, the application, though for my wife, was more about my bonafides and qualifications, and not hers.

We are in OZ for the moment...not sure when we will go back to Thailand to live, though work takes me there regularly, so if it comes up soon, lets see, we could possibly fly back for the formal interview, but given that they aren't even processing PR at the moment, I can't see that we will be getting any letters anytime soon.

Now that I've typed this, we'll probably get a letter tomorrow requiring my wife's presence ASAP!

Samran, the Interior Ministry told me last week they are interviewing citizenship applicants monthly. They visit your home and office before the interview. I don't know if this applies to women applying to adopt their husband's Thai citizenship.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it is worth, as you are married to a Thai it is no longer a prerequisite to have Permanent Residency. Some of the posters on TV set me straight on this and have kindly answered my questions from time to time. There are some very good threads which touch on this subject.

Can you verify this please.I understood that it was certainly possible for a foreign woman married to a Thai man, but not a foreign man married to a Thai woman.Thanks

The 2008 Nationality Act waived the need to have 5 years' residency in the Kingdom for foreign males with Thai wives, along with the requirement to have knowledge of the Thai language, in order to redress the balance compared to the requirements for foreign females with Thai husbands. The Interior Ministry's interpretation of the waivers is that PR is no longer required, nor are these applicants required to sing the Royal and National anthems, although they still need to be able to communicate reasonably well in spoken Thai and be able to write their names in Thai. In order to qualify for the waiver, you need to have been legally married to a Thai citizen for 3 years (only 1 year, if you have a child together). You also need to be legally working in Thailand on a salary of at least B40,000 a month and have 3 full calendar years' of salary tax receipts. You need to show receipts of contributions to registered Thai charities demonstrating regular donations over time. You also need to be on a tabien baan.

I would advise going along to the very nice people at Special Branch with all your relevant documents and asking their advice. Their advice is free and they know what they are talking about, unlike the lawyers and brokers who advertise Thai citizenship services.

Edited by Arkady
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Samran, the Interior Ministry told me last week they are interviewing citizenship applicants monthly. They visit your home and office before the interview. I don't know if this applies to women applying to adopt their husband's Thai citizenship.

Thanks for the heads up. Lets see then how it pans out. I know after we submitted the application we had to go to the local cop shop for another interview, after which the police station apparently verified again our offical abode.

If the MOI visit independently, they will be mightly disappointed. My offical tabieen baan is out Fashion Island way, and is a (ahem) very modest town house (that is being polite) belonging to my now deseased uncle - the tabieen baan most of the offshore Thai's have been using in my family. I left my job about 1 month after my wifes application in 2008 for a job in investment banking (which I am no longer at either due to the Australian move!). They can't even visit us at our mid-Sukumhvit rented apartment, given we don't live there any more.

Bugger.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought one of the pre-requisites was that you are located in Thailand. I would also have thought that with your move to Australia, your wife would have disqualified herself. I think Thailand is different to many other countries where citizenship applications are not dependant upon residing in-country.

Edited by GarryP
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought one of the pre-requisites was that you are located in Thailand. I would also have thought that with your move to Australia, your wife would have disqualified herself. I think Thailand is different to many other countries where citizenship applications are not dependant upon residing in-country.

Another female member of the board, Chatlet (sp?), applied for Thai nationality via having a Thai husband was originally asked to come for the final interview while she was living overseas. At the time she couldn't and I understand she deferred the final interview. Upon returning to Thailand I believe she made clear that she was available for interview and subsequently was granted Thai nationality.

There are extentuating circumstances for us being outside of Thailand. Should we get the 'call up' we will draft a letter, but until then, we will just wait and see - especially given the MOI is a black hole and we might return to Thailand before they even miss us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it is worth, as you are married to a Thai it is no longer a prerequisite to have Permanent Residency. Some of the posters on TV set me straight on this and have kindly answered my questions from time to time. There are some very good threads which touch on this subject.

Can you verify this please.I understood that it was certainly possible for a foreign woman married to a Thai man, but not a foreign man married to a Thai woman.Thanks

The 2008 Nationality Act waived the need to have 5 years' residency in the Kingdom for foreign males with Thai wives, along with the requirement to have knowledge of the Thai language, in order to redress the balance compared to the requirements for foreign females with Thai husbands. The Interior Ministry's interpretation of the waivers is that PR is no longer required, nor are these applicants required to sing the Royal and National anthems, although they still need to be able to communicate reasonably well in spoken Thai and be able to write their names in Thai. In order to qualify for the waiver, you need to have been legally married to a Thai citizen for 3 years (only 1 year, if you have a child together). You also need to be legally working in Thailand on a salary of at least B40,000 a month and have 3 full calendar years' of salary tax receipts. You need to show receipts of contributions to registered Thai charities demonstrating regular donations over time. You also need to be on a tabien baan.

I would advise going along to the very nice people at Special Branch with all your relevant documents and asking their advice. Their advice is free and they know what they are talking about, unlike the lawyers and brokers who advertise Thai citizenship services.

Thanks Arkady.A very helpful and clear response to my question.

Interesting to note the formalised requirement for charitable activity.As you know on the PR side this is a desirable rather than essential matter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.








×
×
  • Create New...
""