Thai Citizen Vs National

[lorilei.lee]

I recently had correspondence with someone who seemed to think there was a difference between Thai citizen vs national. This was in a possible employment context. I thought they were the same thing, but he seemed to think that location of birth was important, and that being a Thai national was necessary (for working), rather than just a citizen. Could someone shine some light on this please? Thanks! If it makes any difference, I'm not currently residing in Thailand and have not been for quite a while.

[sabaijai]

I recently had correspondence with someone who seemed to think there was a difference between Thai citizen vs national.  This was in a possible employment context.  I thought they were the same thing, but he seemed to think that location of birth was important, and that being a Thai national was necessary (for working), rather than just a citizen.  Could someone shine some light on this please?  Thanks!  If it makes any difference, I'm not currently residing in Thailand and have not been for quite a while.

Depending on the context, "Thai national" could mean either Thai citizen or someone who is ethnically Thai, i.e., speaks Thai as a native speaker. The issue is confused by the fact that most Thais confuse ethnicity with nationality. If you're not a native speaker of Thai or don't have what's generally agreed to be 'Thai' facial features, you may not be considered 'Thai' even if you hold a Thai passport, as many Chinese, Indian and farang immigrants know only too well.

In an employment ad, I think you can assume that 'Thai national' means a Thai-speaking Thai citizen, but the only way to find out for sure is to contact the employer and ask.

[samran]

with regards to an employment contract, I guess the important question is do you need a work permit or not?

[Seen all,learnt nothing]

Unlawful advice removed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry?

Unhelpful? Maybe.

Cynical. Yes.

Insulting. NO

Crude. NO.

Possibly ridicules you. MAYBE

Unlawful? NO. Definitely NO.

Before you knock me off the forum have the courtesy to provide the evidence for your assertion OR APOLOGISE.

I challenge you to publish my post and explain it's illegality. If you make it clear the post does not represent your view it is legitimate comment under Thai law.

As the Doc has removed the post there is no way you, dear reader, will have the opportunity to decide.

[Maestro]

I recently had correspondence with someone who seemed to think there was a difference between Thai citizen vs national.  This was in a possible employment context.  I thought they were the same thing, but he seemed to think that location of birth was important, and that being a Thai national was necessary (for working), rather than just a citizen.  Could someone shine some light on this please?

No difference in my opinion.

This English translation of Thailand’s Nationality Act does not even use the words “citizen” or “citizenship”.

At any rate, if you talk about Thailand, it is the Thai words or terms that would matter, not the English words.

For the original Thai version of the Nationality Act, you should be able to find a link here.

When it comes to employment in Thailand, i.e. the possibility for an alien – a person who is not of Thai nationality – to apply for a work permit it is a question of visa status.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Unlawful advice removed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry?

Unhelpful? Maybe.

Cynical. Yes.

Insulting. NO

Crude. NO.

Possibly ridicules you. MAYBE

Unlawful? NO. Definitely NO.

Before you knock me off the forum have the courtesy to provide the evidence for your assertion OR APOLOGISE.

I challenge you to publish my post and explain it's illegality. If you make it clear the post does not represent your view it is legitimate comment under Thai law.

As the Doc has removed the post there is no way you, dear reader, will have the opportunity to decide.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You told the poster to post his passport to the UK from Malaysia for a Thai visa. That is illegal. You also suggested that he post it there by ordinary mail to save money which in my opinion is fraught with danger. Trust me on this, you WILL NOT post illegal information again.

[lorilei.lee]

Thanks for the responses! Hmm, I guess what the person, a farang, probably meant was wether or not I'm ethnically Thai & speak Thai (probably why he asked if I was born in Thailand), as sabaijai said. In most cases that's what I'd think too, except that the job ad specifically asked for good english skills, so it was unclear to me that the Thai skills were what was important in our discussion.

Anyhow, just to make sure for furture use, as long as I'm a Thai citizen, I don't need to worry about work permits and such right? I've read some of the threads about enter/exiting Thailand on a Thai pp, so as long as I do that I should be fine right? I also have a citizen ID and am on my mom's tabien bahn.

Thanks!