KevT Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 I've been reading a ton of threads, sites, documents and so on about PR and citizenship. From what I've read, both are very difficult, however, some people were saying that citizenship—in some situations—is actually more attainable than PR. What are those situations and the particular parts that make it so citizenship is easier to obtain than PR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ubonjoe Posted June 19, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted June 19, 2017 Permanent residence is a prerequisite to apply for citizenship for most people. PR is not required if married to a Thai lady to apply for citizenship. If a person is married to a Thai and can qualify for PR they should apply for citizenship instead of PR. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryLH Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Also a big difference in the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 The difference being a lower cost for citizenship, is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryLH Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Yes, citizenship is a much lower cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehard71 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 in order to apply for thai citizenship you must have a permanent resident certificate <about 200K baht>and must have lived in thailand continuously for 5 years.then you can submit your application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yggdrasil Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 20 hours ago, ubonjoe said: Permanent residence is a prerequisite to apply for citizenship for most people. PR is not required if married to a Thai lady to apply for citizenship. If a person is married to a Thai and can qualify for PR they should apply for citizenship instead of PR. Thanks to Ubonjoe for constantly giving us good info and advice. I wonder if one must give up own citizenship if granted Thai citizenship? How long does the process take and when and where can one apply? Finally, what happens if you just cannot sing a single note....will it be enough to be able to recite the text of the Thai national hymn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 9 minutes ago, Yggdrasil said: I wonder if one must give up own citizenship if granted Thai citizenship? How long does the process take and when and where can one apply? Finally, what happens if you just cannot sing a single note....will it be enough to be able to recite the text of the Thai national hymn? The answers to your questions can be found in this long ongoing topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPatrickThai Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 PR 200k baht. Was 19k before Taksin. Waste of time, still need reentry permits and report regularly to police station. Citizenship(if married) - 5 k baht. Can buy land, vote, no visa. Not rocket science. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 10 minutes ago, MrPatrickThai said: PR 200k baht. Was 19k before Taksin. Waste of time, still need reentry permits and report regularly to police station. Citizenship(if married) - 5 k baht. Can buy land, vote, no visa. Not rocket science. Not really accurate on PR as has been discussed umpteen times before.For example the police report is just once every five years - I don't even turn up.Send my driver.On the whole these posts dismissive of PR are invariably by those who don't qualify anyway. Still if reports are true (and I have no reason to believe they're not) the citizenship route through marriage may be the best for some.Having said that I wonder whether wives background might be an issue in some cases - ie if not middle class/well educated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the guest Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Just wondering what are the main advantages of both, since foreigners in Thailand either way are still perceived as foreign ? I know several who have this status, but still get treated as if they just landed off the banana boat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPatrickThai Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 7 minutes ago, jayboy said: Not really accurate on PR as has been discussed umpteen times before.For example the police report is just once every five years - I don't even turn up.Send my driver.On the whole these posts dismissive of PR are invariably by those who don't qualify anyway. Still if reports are true (and I have no reason to believe they're not) the citizenship route through marriage may be the best for some.Having said that I wonder whether wives background might be an issue in some cases - ie if not middle class/well educated. I know it every 5 years, that is regularly. I qualify for PR and nearly applied before Taksin raised it from 19k to 190k. Total waste of money, unless you are not married to a Thai and plan to get citizenship. My friend got it easily back in the day as he was American first secretary and had friends in high places and thought it was great and thought he was Thai but really a waste of time for most people. For citizenship, the wife's background is of absolutely no concern. I know as I've applied for it and my wife was asked very few questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momofarang Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 21 hours ago, ubonjoe said: Permanent residence is a prerequisite to apply for citizenship for most people. PR is not required if married to a Thai lady to apply for citizenship. If a person is married to a Thai and can qualify for PR they should apply for citizenship instead of PR. Ubonjoe, could you confirm that retired spouses who have not worked in Thailand for the past 3 years will never be considered for neither PR nor citizenship as tax receipts and work permit will be required in every case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 1 minute ago, Momofarang said: Ubonjoe, could you confirm that retired spouses who have not worked in Thailand for the past 3 years will never be considered for neither PR nor citizenship as tax receipts and work permit will be required in every case? Yes I can confirm that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydebolle Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Some countries (i.e. Germany) allow only one citizenship. If you live in Thailand as a Thai citizen then some countries outrightly refuse having anything to do with you, if you are living in Thailand as a Thai (i.e. Switzerland). So, in short, choose well and consider twice, what you do as you can be only proud of one "home" country, right? Hence, I - for one - opted for a PR in 1988 and never regretted the decision - and never went a step further as the PR comes with all those amenities I was looking for. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momofarang Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 (edited) On 2017-6-19 at 3:17 PM, ubonjoe said: Permanent residence is a prerequisite to apply for citizenship for most people. PR is not required if married to a Thai lady to apply for citizenship. If a person is married to a Thai and can qualify for PR they should apply for citizenship instead of PR. "Ubonjoe, could you confirm that retired spouses who have not worked in Thailand for the past 3 years will never be considered for neither PR nor citizenship as tax receipts and work permit will be required in every case?" 4 hours ago, ubonjoe said: Yes I can confirm that. Thanks, but... amazing Thailand. I'll keep my money and do all in can to help my daughters to get away from this dump and settle in Australia. Edited June 20, 2017 by Momofarang Missing quote makes it non-sensical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 9 hours ago, MrPatrickThai said: I know it every 5 years, that is regularly. I qualify for PR and nearly applied before Taksin raised it from 19k to 190k. Total waste of money, unless you are not married to a Thai and plan to get citizenship. My friend got it easily back in the day as he was American first secretary and had friends in high places and thought it was great and thought he was Thai but really a waste of time for most people. For citizenship, the wife's background is of absolutely no concern. I know as I've applied for it and my wife was asked very few questions. Five minutes every five years isn't really what most people call "regular".90 days reporting is "regular".In truth maintaining PR isn't onerous. You have a point on PR's limitations though it isn't worthless, notably its provision of an absolute right to stay and the peace of mind that confers. Believe me, whether for PR or citizenship, an "unsuitable" wife will be an issue - albeit one not publicly discussed on the Thai side.Experienced hands will know exactly what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPatrickThai Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 11 hours ago, jayboy said: Five minutes every five years isn't really what most people call "regular".90 days reporting is "regular".In truth maintaining PR isn't onerous. You have a point on PR's limitations though it isn't worthless, notably its provision of an absolute right to stay and the peace of mind that confers. Believe me, whether for PR or citizenship, an "unsuitable" wife will be an issue - albeit one not publicly discussed on the Thai side.Experienced hands will know exactly what I mean. Are you suggesting I'm not an experienced hand? I think you are totally wrong about the wife, I have experience in the application process of Citizenship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevT Posted June 21, 2017 Author Share Posted June 21, 2017 14 hours ago, jayboy said: Five minutes every five years isn't really what most people call "regular".90 days reporting is "regular".In truth maintaining PR isn't onerous. You have a point on PR's limitations though it isn't worthless, notably its provision of an absolute right to stay and the peace of mind that confers. Believe me, whether for PR or citizenship, an "unsuitable" wife will be an issue - albeit one not publicly discussed on the Thai side.Experienced hands will know exactly what I mean. I'm not an experienced hand (haha). What do you mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 On 21/06/2017 at 10:26 AM, MrPatrickThai said: Are you suggesting I'm not an experienced hand? I think you are totally wrong about the wife, I have experience in the application process of Citizenship. I have no idea since I don't know you or anything about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayboy Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 On 21/06/2017 at 1:10 PM, KevT said: I'm not an experienced hand (haha). What do you mean? In this instance an awareness that Thai bureaucrats tend to be socially conservative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMA_FARANG Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 (edited) Just my opinion, but I could never see the value in either Permanent R residence or Thai citizenship. I was born in the U.S, , but I have lived and worked in various countries around the world in my 70 years on this Earth. Now I am here in Thailand as a retiree, and for the time being that is all I want or need. Others may disagree, but that is my opinion. Edited June 22, 2017 by IMA_FARANG correct a typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 On 6/20/2017 at 0:32 PM, jayboy said: Not really accurate on PR as has been discussed umpteen times before.For example the police report is just once every five years - I don't even turn up.Send my driver.On the whole these posts dismissive of PR are invariably by those who don't qualify anyway. Still if reports are true (and I have no reason to believe they're not) the citizenship route through marriage may be the best for some.Having said that I wonder whether wives background might be an issue in some cases - ie if not middle class/well educated. I don't think the Thai spouse's background makes much difference really, particularly under the current regime that has got through the backlog and speeded up the process. A large part of the backlog left by the Yingluck and earlier governments comprised foreign women from neighbouring countries living in the provinces. Without being snobbish it would be realistic to assume that many were foreign labourers who had probably married Thai men of modest circumstances. The military government approved all that complied with the regulations. I think the same would be the case for a foreign male applying on the basis of marriage to a Thai wive from a modest background, as long as the applicant met all the requirements in the guidelines and regulations. A less educated or less astute wife might struggle more to deal with the bureaucrats though. In that case, if you don't have a secretary to help, it might be advisable to hire a lawyer or agent to do the leg work for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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