Becoming A Thai Citizen

[Belfastboy]

As my wife is about to become a British Citizen,...it got me wondering how a farang can become a Thai Citizen?

How long to do you have to be living in Thailand for?

Time length for farangs with thai spouses?

Surely this would solve the problem for buying land / property ......

any farangs out there with dual nationailty and Thai citizenship...??

[muldoon]

As my wife is about to become a British Citizen,...it got me wondering how a farang can become a Thai Citizen?

How long to do you have to be living in Thailand for?

Time length for farangs with thai spouses?

Surely this would solve the problem for buying land / property ......

any farangs out there with dual nationailty and Thai citizenship...??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

People call me a farang, although i am quarter thai(but look 100% farang), and I have citizenship.this is by "descent" though.I know of a few non-thais acquiring citizenship by "grant".

use the search feature.

[marquess]

Belfastboy, check this one out, covered this one before take a look: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=29423&hl=

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Use the search function there's some great advice there.

[Maestro]

As my wife is about to become a British Citizen,...it got me wondering how a farang can become a Thai Citizen?

How long to do you have to be living in Thailand for?

Time length for farangs with thai spouses?

In another thread I was given a link to the English translation of “Thailand’s Nationality Act B.E. 2508 as amended by Acts B.E. 2535 No. 2 and 3 (1992)” and I gladly pass it on to you for any useful information you may find in it.

Section 10 of that law appears to apply to an alien man married to a woman of Thai nationality.

I suspect there is a typing error in Section 11 and that it should read “…shall not apply…”, but you would have to get the original Thai version to verify this if it is important for your situation.

[Boo]

Maestro - do u know where the thai language version of this link is at all???

[samran]

Maestro - do u know where the thai language version of this link is at all???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Go here

Click on ส

and then scroll down to:

สัญชาติ พ.ศ. ๒๕๐๘ which is about 32 down from the top. Click on that and there should be the law with its subsqeunt ammendments and some other ministerial and deparmental announcemnts regarding this law....

[Boo]

cheers samran, is this something your missus is thinking about? I have been after info on this for ages & SBK has been trying to get the right departments for years.

[samran]

I’m not sure she has thought about it.

I think about it a lot though given there seems to be a huge disparity as to what the letter of the law says about dual nationality and what the actual practice is (and a lot of people on this board ask me about it).

But as the girl at the Thai embassy here in London told me the other day when I was getting a non-immigrant O for Mrs Samran: “there are lots of people these days with dual nationality. Simply, never tell anyone that you have it.”

[Nordlys]

“there are lots of people these days with dual nationality. Simply, never tell anyone that you have it.”

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think that is anything new. When I was a student at ISB (more than 20 years ago) just about every Thai students there had more than one citizenships (mostly US and Thai). Though, it's probably their other citizenship that got them admitted in the international school in the first place. My nieces have three nationalities. Swedish, Japanese and Thai (though they haven't applied for it yet but technically they are for having born to a Thai ID card holding mother). Though they will most probably will lose Japanese citizenship when they reach the age 21. I do have one friend btw, one of the grandsons of the founder of Poh Tek Tung foundation (Huajiaw university and hospital as well), who lost (or voluntarily renounced) his Chinese citizenship when he naturalized to Thailand.

[samran]

For mainland Chinese anyway, having more than one nationality is strictly illegal.

[fanta rood]

Is it allowed to still have dual nationality when you need to join the military either in your own country or in Thailand?

Ofcourse they don't know that I have 2 nationalities. But when I have to join the military when I'm 21 years old, I need to register myself in Thailand. Then they will ask where I've been spending my life all these 21 years. Or not? And I don't know if this happens alot, they can ask if you have a visa (or a EU-passport) to travel to EU-countries if you leave Thailand with a Thai passport? What will you answer then? And when I stayed in Thailand for 1,5 or 10 years and come back to the EU, if they ask why I was away for so long and why I don't have a visa? I can tell them I stayed in other countries in the EU, but maybe thats suspecious.

[Tornado]

I applied for my citizenship a little while ago. I am told I will know the outcome in November and if Im successful, it will be issued next November. It seems a long wait, but to own property in my own name , have no more visa runs and give myself a Thai name will be somboon bep.

[samran]

I applied for my citizenship a little while ago. I am told I will know the outcome in November and if Im successful, it will be issued next November. It seems a long wait, but to own property in my own name  , have no more visa runs  and give myself a Thai name will be somboon bep.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

do you already have PR Torny?

[sbk]

Where'd you apply Torny? in Phuket? did they know what they were doing or did you have to get help from Bangkok?

[Tornado]

samran = do you already have PR Torny?

I am not sure what that is?

sbk = Where'd you apply Torny? in Phuket? did they know what they were doing or did you have to get help from Bangkok?

I applied via my lawyer in Phuket, but he lodged the application via Bangkok.

[ajarnmark]

samran = do you already have PR Torny?

I am not sure what that is?

sbk = Where'd you apply Torny? in Phuket? did they know what they were doing or did you have to get help from Bangkok?

I applied via my lawyer in Phuket, but he lodged the application via Bangkok.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PR is Permanent Residence.... i think so

[samran]

I'd be thinking, as with most countries, that you'd get the PR first before you get the citizenship...

Maybe check it out with your lawyer.

[Abandon]

yes - pr = permanent residence. I too would like to know for sure if it is needed.

For the Brits out there, if you ever apply for citizenship to a country that requires you to have only one nationality, the Embassy can sort you out. They know exactly what to do, and will issue you with documents officially surrendering your citizenship, and re-issue it a couple of weeks later. It is in fact, quite a regular thing for them to do I believe, especially in those countries that require it.

Section 10. An alien who possesses the following qualifications may apply for naturalisation as a Thai:

(1)      becoming sui juris in accordance with Thai law and the law under which he has nationality;

what is a sui juris ??

Edited September 20, 2005 by Pandit

[MikeRay]

Shouldn´t it be possible to get adopted by a Thai person to get citizenship?That´s a way some people get their title of nobility here in Europe.

What a business idea ; find some poor farmers in Issaan offer them some money to adopt a farang.Adoption broker!A website with prospective parents looking for a 45 year old , bald beerdrinking son.

[Johpa]

Not that I get around much in such circles, but over the past 25 years I have only met a single Farang who obtained Thai citizenship. So good luck one and all.

[Abandon]

Shouldn´t it be possible to get adopted by a Thai person to get citizenship?That´s a way some people get their title of nobility here in Europe.

What a business idea ; find some poor farmers in Issaan offer them some money to adopt a farang.Adoption broker!A website with prospective parents looking for a 45 year old , bald beerdrinking son.

[sbk]

samran = do you already have PR Torny?

I am not sure what that is?

sbk = Where'd you apply Torny? in Phuket? did they know what they were doing or did you have to get help from Bangkok?

I applied via my lawyer in Phuket, but he lodged the application via Bangkok.

That is really interesting, we were told, quite specifically, by the Special Branch (who processes such applications) that I must apply in the province I am living in, at the special branch there. Hence my difficulties in obtaining it, since they don't even know it is their job. One of our customers suggested having special branch mail me everything I need to make the application, taking it in, give them the phone number from Bangkok and having them get the advice to do it that way. Also, the special branch guy from BKK told my husband that it is better to apply yourself than through a lawyer. I would be very interested in how things turn out for you Torny, please keep us posted!

[sbk]

I'd be thinking, as with most countries, that you'd get the PR first before you get the citizenship...

Maybe check it out with your lawyer.

Yes, I am pretty sure a man must have PR for 5 years before he can apply for citizenship. Ridiculous really, since PR costs 95,000 baht!!!

Main Entry: sui ju·ris

Pronunciation: "sü-"I-'jur-&s, "sü-E-'yur-

Function: adjective

Etymology: Latin, of one's own right

: having full legal rights or capacity 

[Nordlys]

and give myself a Thai name will be somboon bep.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does one have to adopt a Thai name when acquring Thai citizenship? I see many Chinese people modify their names when becoming Thai citizen... eg. men adding "sak" to the end of their original name to make it sound like Thai name.

[Abandon]

and give myself a Thai name will be somboon bep.

Does one have to adopt a Thai name when acquring Thai citizenship? I see many Chinese people modify their names when becoming Thai citizen... eg. men adding "sak" to the end of their original name to make it sound like Thai name.

yes - I heard that that used to be the case.

[Neeranam]

Yes, I am pretty sure a man must have PR for 5 years before he can apply for citizenship. Ridiculous really, since PR costs 95,000 baht!!!

That is what I believe.

I wish I had applied when it was only 9,000, only a couple of years ago.

I also think that the applicant must pass the P6 Thai language exam, the same one that 12 year old Thai kids do, and there are some other tests. I would be ok with the Thai language one but might fail the ability to sleep at any time of the day test. The lazy shuffling of the flip-flops in the shopping Mall at tortoise speed would come with practice, and I'm sure I could keep a 5 baht coin in my ear for the required time.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Yes, I am pretty sure a man must have PR for 5 years before he can apply for citizenship. Ridiculous really, since PR costs 95,000 baht!!!

That is what I believe.

I wish I had applied when it was only 9,000, only a couple of years ago.

I also think that the applicant must pass the P6 Thai language exam, the same one that 12 year old Thai kids do, and there are some other tests. I would be ok with the Thai language one but might fail the ability to sleep at any time of the day test. The lazy shuffling of the flip-flops in the shopping Mall at tortoise speed would come with practice, and I'm sure I could keep a 5 baht coin in my ear for the required time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Richard Hall]

No, you do NOT need to have PR first and hold it for a minimum of 5 years.

Basically, there are two ways to apply for Thai citizenshih:

1. Obtain a PR first and after possessing it for a minimum of 5 years apply for citizenship. The application will solely be based on being a long time resident of Thailand.

2. Staying for a minimum of 5 years in Thailand consecutively means single enty non-immigrant visa with annual extensions of staying permit in the Kingdom. Apply for citizenship on base of humanitarian reasons and/or being beneficial for the country, her culture and her people.

Personally, I am targeting to file an application (in the very moment when I am REALLY ready for this in absolute accordance to the list of requirements) under 2.

Applying for a PR is quite an extensive process in terms of time to get it approved and also money. Therefore, when you have actually citizenship in mind as your final goal why inventing the wheel twice (once PR and then a comparable grueling re-invention when going for citizenship).

Prepare youself carefully and be at least mentally 75% Thai already when making the hit. You know that you start getting there when the Thais you are encountering every day stop seeing the farang in you but occasionally need to be reminded in a way such as "hold it, don't forget I am a foreigner" and you get a puzzled look in surprise as a response. Speak, write and read Thai, feel Thai, breathe Thai, be Thai and THEN just put the cherry on the cake in the final stage.

Rather than employing a lawyer doing the job for you do it yourself. An important step because this will get you appreciation by the decision makers right from the beginning.

Just how I see it to get the odds for being successful actually to your side.

Heaps of lucks.

Richard

[Neeranam]

Too much hassle for me, one trip a year to the immigration is not a problem.

I don't want to be Thai. I don't want to be able to own land as a Thai. I am Scottish and I want to own land as a Scot, like toxin does in London as a Thai.

I did go to my friends toilet the other day and freaked out when he only had toilet paper, yuk, maybe turning Thai a bit.