Naturalisation and citizenship in Thailand

I am interested in the «residential permit», first. The procedure is also quite long. I already fulfil the requirements, but I will wait 1 or 2 year.

The information are here: http://www.immigration.go.th

I am married to a Thai national, have a child and plan to stay in Thailand «forever». So this  «residential permit» will help and avoid the yearly visa, 90 days reports etc.

Juehoe, good for you and you are getting permanent residence (pr)

Easy for you as you got a kid and Thai wife here.

Depending on your work permit and your employer, some don't need to report every 90 days. Work permit is renew every year and go to immigration once a year.

I first came her in 1973 for a year and a half.  (U.S. Air Force.)  I retired 9 years ago and moved here.  I am convinced that the Thai Government doesn't want us here but, once we have provided them with a significant amount of money, they will allow us to stay for a while longer.

I first visited a few times in 1975-76 while a university student.  In 1977 I moved here with no notion that I would still be here forty years later.  I have known several individuals who did pursue citizenship and I am sure they had their reasons, though, I never really entertained the idea of Thai citizenship for myself.  I didn't find visas all that difficult and changing citizenship just seemed too drastic a move in this ever-changing world.

I was twenty year in before it really sank in that I was probably never going to leave Thailand.  Passport, money and taxes are the only things linking me to my home country but I can live with that.

I think it is unwise, when moving to a new country, to limit your options by making decisions which limit your ability to change your mind down the road.  If you can't even deal with visas then you have little chance of making it all the way to citizenship and beyond.  I think it is best to let your relationship with Thailand ripen a bit before doing anything too drastic.

Hey...

Just have a look in those links.In my thought it's not easy job, If you married Thai people then would be easy. Or you should invest lots money into businesses.But rules are mostly same. 


https://www.justlanded.com/english/Thai … itizenshiphttp://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/tha … idency.php

Ta,
John

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“Money Number One”
https://www.google.co.th/search?q=money … 6ZkekUqjM:

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The Expat stories are for real, not fiction. A wise man learns from the experiences of others, but the fool has to learn everything, the hard way.  So, pay attention! Thank me later,

If you are already married to a Thai national, then you should also already know the realities. 

Have you considered asking the Thai Immigration officials about your naturalization desire?

Depending on which country you come from and whether your country accepts you having dual nationality.

But if your country doesn't allow you to have dual nationality, then you need to do all your calculations etc carefully.

For me, my passport is one of the most powerful in the world whereby I don't need a visa to enter the country. When I went to Europe, 90 days visa on arrival with no questions asked.

Neither do I need visa for Dubai or Bahrain. I get 30 days for Japan and 60 days for China. I do need visa for Australia but apply via internet and visa approved in 10 minutes. My visa waits for me at check in counter.

I don't need visa for USA and certain major airports there have special channel for me to avoid the long queue. All I need is fill up Pre flight form 24 hours before flight via internet.

Will I give up my passport for Thai nationality? 100% No as being Thai, I don't have benefits of being taken care off.

I get 12% interest per annum from my country retirement account. I get extra money when my country collects more VAT which means people spent. I get good medical service and coverage than Thailand. I get financial assistance if I need to buy an apartment.

I can understand and knows Indians from India as well as Chinese from China wanting to be Thai citizens likewise for Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians and Burmese.

Would I go for Thai PR, I may but subject to what conditions they set for me? I strongly believe in assets than liabilities. Solid cash as that is liquidity instead of credit.

Investment means I can dispose off fast if needed be and I gain or profit from my money invested and need to be better than what the bank pays in interest.

If not, then I park my money somewhere else where it gives me good returns.

Rejoice wrote:

Juehoe, good for you and you are getting permanent residence (pr)

Easy for you as you got a kid and Thai wife here.

Depending on your work permit and your employer, some don't need to report every 90 days. Work permit is renew every year and go to immigration once a year.

Any one on an yearly extension of any kind of visa (with or without work permit) must report to Thai Immigration every 90 days, it can be done in person or online, it does not depend on employer or type of work permit.
Having a Thai wife and child does not make it easy to get a PR, one must fulfill the other requirments too, though having a blood relation in Thailand is a PLUS.

ccarbaugh wrote:

I first came her in 1973 for a year and a half.  (U.S. Air Force.)  I retired 9 years ago and moved here.  I am convinced that the Thai Government doesn't want us here but, once we have provided them with a significant amount of money, they will allow us to stay for a while longer.

Any one retiring in Thailand must provide the proof of available funds to support their applcation of stay.

Every country have laws, Thailand is no exception, I AM a PR here, been through all the process and on my way to be a citizen too, no one have to give up the original nationality while applying for a PR or Citizenship.

Quota for PR is 100 persons per nationality per year, open mid december till the end of year. ( 3 years of of non-imm visa extensions, 3 years of work permit, 3 years PGD 1 and PGD 90/91 are the BASIC requirment to be eligible )

Applications for citizenship can be submitted all year around, on the bases of PR you should complete 5 years after being registered in a blue house book, 3 years of work permit, 3 years of tax returns to be eligible, applying on the basis of married to a Thai wife: 3 years of visa extensions, 3 years of work permit, 3 years of tax returns will be the minimum requirment to begin with.

Note;
Many more documents are required to complete the application for both the PR and Citizenship contact Thai immigration and Thai police head office for detailed information.

skyaslimit wrote:

... no one have to give up the original nationality while applying for a PR or Citizenship.

This usually depends on the laws of the other country. Japan, for instance, requires that you abandon Japanese citizenship when switching to US citizenship.

Skyaslimit:
Any one on an yearly extension of any kind of visa (with or without work permit) must report to Thai Immigration every 90 days, it can be done in person or online, it does not depend on employer or type of work permit.
Having a Thai wife and child does not make it easy to get a PR, one must fulfill the other requirments too, though having a blood relation in Thailand is a PLUS.

Sorry to say you are wrong. BOI status corporations foreign staff does not report every 90 days. Multi corporation like banks vice president, senior vice president does not do so too.

Many people apply work permit etc via some Thai law firm or administration office pays between 15,000-30,000baht only.

But these corporations pay their lawyers between 150,000 - 250,000 baht and everything is easy.

Same as many Thais apply visa to USA or UK have to be at the embassy in person with all the bank statements, house ownership etc and go through interview.

But there are Thais who gets their visa via their lawyers which the fees are high that many could not afford to pay.

It's like many fly on budget airlines or the most is economy seats.

These people fly first class or business class. 1 business class return ticket to LA can but 4 returns economy seats tickets.

You need to find out which law firm that charge you by the hour just to meet you then you know where are the privileges are.

As to your comments on having Thai citizenship, one does not have to give up their Nationality. It all depends on the country they are from.

If you are a Singapore citizen, you can't have dual nationality and you are to give up Singapore citizenship. Singapore passport now can have 165 countries on visa free. What does Thai passport offer?

I feel very sorry for Thais who apply for visa to Europe, USA etc. It's like being naked for them to see. Need to show how much money in the bank account, any land title deeds etc

The reason is they want to stop the Thais from going into the country illegally to work as cheap labour.

This applies to many other countries too such as yours, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Bangladesh etc

I can understand why you go for Thai PR or Thai citizenship. Likewise for some other people too for they have their own reasons.

For me, I don't see any benefits being a Thai citizen. I get 6% interest per annum for my retirement fund. I get good medical benefits compare to Thailand. There are more benefits from my country than Thailand.

Having Thai PR need to be consider seriously but even without one is fine for me.

There are differences being retiree, employee and employer.

To each his own needs in short.

Rejoice wrote:

Skyaslimit:
Any one on an yearly extension of any kind of visa (with or without work permit) must report to Thai Immigration every 90 days, it can be done in person or online, it does not depend on employer or type of work permit.
Having a Thai wife and child does not make it easy to get a PR, one must fulfill the other requirments too, though having a blood relation in Thailand is a PLUS.

Sorry to say you are wrong. BOI status corporations foreign staff does not report every 90 days. Multi corporation like banks vice president, senior vice president does not do so too.

Many people apply work permit etc via some Thai law firm or administration office pays between 15,000-30,000baht only.

But these corporations pay their lawyers between 150,000 - 250,000 baht and everything is easy.

Same as many Thais apply visa to USA or UK have to be at the embassy in person with all the bank statements, house ownership etc and go through interview.

But there are Thais who gets their visa via their lawyers which the fees are high that many could not afford to pay.

It's like many fly on budget airlines or the most is economy seats.

These people fly first class or business class. 1 business class return ticket to LA can but 4 returns economy seats tickets.

You need to find out which law firm that charge you by the hour just to meet you then you know where are the privileges are.

As to your comments on having Thai citizenship, one does not have to give up their Nationality. It all depends on the country they are from.

If you are a Singapore citizen, you can't have dual nationality and you are to give up Singapore citizenship. Singapore passport now can have 165 countries on visa free. What does Thai passport offer?

I feel very sorry for Thais who apply for visa to Europe, USA etc. It's like being naked for them to see. Need to show how much money in the bank account, any land title deeds etc

The reason is they want to stop the Thais from going into the country illegally to work as cheap labour.

This applies to many other countries too such as yours, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Bangladesh etc

I can understand why you go for Thai PR or Thai citizenship. Likewise for some other people too for they have their own reasons.

For me, I don't see any benefits being a Thai citizen. I get 6% interest per annum for my retirement fund. I get good medical benefits compare to Thailand. There are more benefits from my country than Thailand.

Having Thai PR need to be consider seriously but even without one is fine for me.

There are differences being retiree, employee and employer.

To each his own needs in short.

This Thread is about Naturalization and Citizenship in Thailand, Not about if you are a Thai what privileges your nationality or Passport provides.

As I have experience working with a BOI company I do understand privileges and benefits of these companies very well, true that lawyers will do the trick for you but your PASSPORT MUST go through the 90 day reporting procedure, whether in person, online or through the lawyer.

Your comments about my nationality and why I go through Thai PR are based on your own understanding or illusion not mine, I AM a dual national, my other nationality is one of the most POWERFUL one can have in these times, plus I have a THAI PR and as I am not a retiree I will go through all the way to get THAI citizen ship too.

With your posts I understand that your country provides you all the benefits but you are a retiree here in Thailand, are you?

Being a retiree automatically disqualifies you to pursue for PR or Citizenship, being a retiree you have to provide the proof of funds available to you on yearly bases, regardless of your nationality you have to do your yearly visa extensions to keep your " retiree status" and report Thai Immigration every 90 days by yourself, online OR through a lawyer.

Some people come over to live in Thailand as an expat knowing that this will be their home until they die.

Obtaining Thai citizenship is a complicated procedure that takes between 3-5 years to fulfill the process. The upside of Thai citizenship is that it would allow you to buy property, own your own business and apply for any kind of job (many not available to foreigners living in Thailand).

You can apply for Thai citizenship if you meet the following criteria; if you are working in Thailand or are married with a Thai spouse and/or have a child born in Thailand.

In all cases you will also have to fulfill the following conditions to apply for Thai citizenship:

1. You must have lived in Thailand continuously, for at least five years before you could apply.
2. Be a permanent resident. This in itself it quite a lengthy process in itself with some pretty considerable costs to accomplish.
3. Be 18 years old or older and have reached legal age in your country of origin.
4. Be a well behaved person and have a good background (criminal record; political background; involvement with illegal drugs will be checked).
5. You must be able to speak, listen and understand the Thai language.
6. You must be able to sing the National Anthem, Sanserm Phra Baramee, and pass an interview that will be conducted in Thai by government officers.

Something to note. Not all citizens of all countries can have dual citizenship. But citizens of US, UK, Canada, Australia and France can have dual citizenship in most cases (e.g. Thai citizenship and their original nationality).

Once your initial application for Thai citizenship has been approved, there will be a long period of waiting before you will hear back. Then you will be asked to appear at the Interior Ministry of Thailand for a Thai language test. If you pass the test you will then be asked to return to the Thai Ministry and sing the Thai National Anthem and the KingŽs song, Phra Baramee. After these are fulfilled you will be interviewed and Thai officials will visit your house to ascertain whether your personal details you submitted on your application form are indeed true.

Among other requirements, it will be expected of you to swear an oath. You will appear at your local police station dressed appropriately holding a candle, flowers and incense and you will swear allegiance to the King and to the country of Thailand. And even after all this you will then have to wait for a confirmation by the Ministry of the Interior that your Thai citizenship has been awarded which has been know to take years.

So would all this be worth it? Well you wouldn't have to worry about visas anymore! But for a foreigner married to a Thai and in their latter years, it just seems like very little upside for the difficulty and costs to obtain it. So for me, I'll pass and enjoy my retirement on a renewable yearly visa extension based on retirement.

For more information on Thai Residency and more details about living in Thailand visit RetireCheap.Asia

Thanks, JC!

i  dont want thai ctizenship-  i easily qualify for a retirement visa....but what bugs me-is having to re-apply every 12 mths,the 90 day reports and having to leave 800baht siting idle in thai bank account---can i obtain anelite visa???   i have boughtwell over 10m baht into thailand for purchase of condos--not bought new off developer...any positive advise appreciated

Everything is available for a price:
http://www.businessinsider.com/you-can- … K&IR=T

skyaslimit wrote:

Every country have laws, Thailand is no exception, I AM a PR here, been through all the process and on my way to be a citizen too, no one have to give up the original nationality while applying for a PR or Citizenship.

Quota for PR is 100 persons per nationality per year, open mid december till the end of year. ( 3 years of of non-imm visa extensions, 3 years of work permit, 3 years PGD 1 and PGD 90/91 are the BASIC requirment to be eligible )

Applications for citizenship can be submitted all year around, on the bases of PR you should complete 5 years after being registered in a blue house book, 3 years of work permit, 3 years of tax returns to be eligible, applying on the basis of married to a Thai wife: 3 years of visa extensions, 3 years of work permit, 3 years of tax returns will be the minimum requirment to begin with.

Note;
Many more documents are required to complete the application for both the PR and Citizenship contact Thai immigration and Thai police head office for detailed information.

Hello,
I would like to ask you about PR, I want to apply, but immigration office in Chiang Mai told me that they only open for people married to thai that all other reasons for getting it are special one and not availabe in Chiang Mai, what should i do?

StevanDr wrote:

skyaslimit wrote:

Every country have laws, Thailand is no exception, I AM a PR here, been through all the process and on my way to be a citizen too, no one have to give up the original nationality while applying for a PR or Citizenship.

Quota for PR is 100 persons per nationality per year, open mid december till the end of year. ( 3 years of of non-imm visa extensions, 3 years of work permit, 3 years PGD 1 and PGD 90/91 are the BASIC requirment to be eligible )

Applications for citizenship can be submitted all year around, on the bases of PR you should complete 5 years after being registered in a blue house book, 3 years of work permit, 3 years of tax returns to be eligible, applying on the basis of married to a Thai wife: 3 years of visa extensions, 3 years of work permit, 3 years of tax returns will be the minimum requirment to begin with.

Note;
Many more documents are required to complete the application for both the PR and Citizenship contact Thai immigration and Thai police head office for detailed information.

Hello,
I would like to ask you about PR, I want to apply, but immigration office in Chiang Mai told me that they only open for people married to thai that all other reasons for getting it are special one and not availabe in Chiang Mai, what should i do?

There are two COMMON ways to apply for a Thai PR , under current law you are eligible if you have a non-immigrant "O" OR "B" visa with 3 years of extensions, work permit plus tax returns. "O" stands for ordinary visa for being a legal spouse, parent or child of a Thai citizen, while "B" is the bussiness catagory, requirments are almost same (visit thai immigration website to download forms and details), although the fees are different after the approval.
Your Chiangmai immigration is certainly wrong, if you fulfill the requirments, you can apply under bussiness catagory for sure.

. There are two COMMON ways to apply for a Thai PR , under current law you are eligible if you have a non-immigrant "O" OR "B" visa with 3 years of extensions, work permit plus tax returns. "O" stands for ordinary visa for being a legal spouse, parent or child of a Thai citizen, while "B" is the bussiness catagory, requirments are almost same (visit thai immigration website to download forms and details), although the fees are different after the approval.
Your Chiangmai immigration is certainly wrong, if you fulfill the requirments, you can apply under bussiness catagory for sure.
[/u]
I think you dont understand my question and you are maybe shocked.
in chiang mai, I can apply only if I am married to Thai, I am aware of other conditions, which I have right, however, immigration officer explicitly told me, that in Chiang Mai they only open application based on MARRIAGE  no other reason can apply, she gave me example of uni professors with phd, business owner with foreign spouse, company registered with BOI, non of them are able to obtain since immigration office in Chiang Mai, dont open application for PR for that reasons. It is strange and shocking to me since I have all conditions, what should I DO? I am not married to thai,

Hi everybody,

Please note that some off topic posts have been removed from this thread.

Thanks,

Priscilla
Expat.com team 

According to Lawyers I have spoken to, it is pretty much statistically impossible to get citizenship here, as a foreigner. Also, permanent residency. It seems they only have about 100 slots per year, and extremely difficult to even qualify, even with a Thai Wife and child. If anyone knows different, please inform.

Josephanoble wrote:

According to Lawyers I have spoken to, it is pretty much statistically impossible to get citizenship here, as a foreigner. Also, permanent residency. It seems they only have about 100 slots per year, and extremely difficult to even qualify, even with a Thai Wife and child. If anyone knows different, please inform.

hard in koh samui, maybe,
In Chiang Mai if you married it is easy, but other,,, option no have, why?
change adress for CMX and apply there if you married, if you on other option, I am waiting other user to finally update us

It is not exactly easy to get Thai citizenship, even in Chiang Mai.  Just because they let you apply, it doesn't mean you will get it.  It seems a little pointless waiting around for someone on here to finally post an update when the only opinions which matter are those of the immigration officials.

Go talk with immigration or hire a lawyer to talk with them, because you will get nowhere telling them some stranger on expat.com told you they are wrong and they should give you what you want.  The question in Thailand is always, “What do I have to do?” not “Why do I have to do that?”  The why question is simply a way to be argumentative and confrontational, which will get you nowhere.

Thailand's law, foreign woman that marry a Thai man can have Thai citizenship. Thereafter buy land and house like any Thai citizen. If divorce, she still a Thai citizen.

But a foreign man than marry a Thai woman, it's near to impossible to have Thai citizenship. To have long term visa are subject to many rules as immigration would like to know the foreign man source of income as well as the Thai woman. If she's earning more than 40,000 baht per month then 1 door is pass.

Bottom line in Thailand is do you pay tax and how much money do you have. For retirement visa, you need to show proof of your monthly pension amount or deposit 800,000 baht into the bank account.

Getting a Thai PR is not easy too even you are married to a Thai woman and have a child with her. Immigration still looks at your monthly income.

All is about money as the Thais made t-shirt with the words, "No money, No honey!"

Thailand welcomes every nationality around the world but do they bend for you? Answer is clear if you can analyze the work permit, business regulations and news articles.

The choice is yours! Thailand your primary home or secondary home or stop over home etc

villagefarang wrote:

It is not exactly easy to get Thai citizenship, even in Chiang Mai.  Just because they let you apply, it doesn't mean you will get it.  It seems a little pointless waiting around for someone on here to finally post an update when the only opinions which matter are those of the immigration officials.

Go talk with immigration or hire a lawyer to talk with them, because you will get nowhere telling them some stranger on expat.com told you they are wrong and they should give you what you want.  The question in Thailand is always, “What do I have to do?” not “Why do I have to do that?”  The why question is simply a way to be argumentative and confrontational, which will get you nowhere.

I think you are not familliar with procedure of getting citizenship, dont spread misinformation, you need to apply in BKK,
However, I am more interested in residence permit, bcs if I have that I dont need to pay taxes back in my coutry and I have man benefits here,
however, Chiang Mai immigration do only for people that are married for thai, other ppl from my coutry who live in BKK, got RP with no problem! and they are not MARRIED to thais,
that is why I dont understand what should happend in Chiang Mai, and why such arbitrary decision

#Josephanoble
“According to Lawyers I have spoken to, it is pretty much statistically impossible to get citizenship here, as a foreigner. Also, permanent residency.”

#StevanDR
“hard in koh samui, maybe, In Chiang Mai if you married it is easy,”  You were not specific as to what you were responding to.

Not sure how I am spreading misinformation when I basically said it is not easy, anywhere.  Calling something arbitrary and demanding to know why really serves no point.  Often foreigners simply refuse to take “no” for an answer so a plausible excuse is tacked on as justification in hopes of sending them on their way and getting on with more important tasks.

I understand your reasons for wanting what you want, but that doesn't mean Thailand is required to give it to you.  Their country their rules.  Why not ask your home county why they don't make it easier for you?

No I was referring to your false information that citizenship is obtained in Chiang Mai, which is far from truth, sorry for not clarifying it.
I have problem with PR, it is easy to get it if you married to thai, if you are women married to thai you dont need to show any evidence of income! Lol,
it is not my question
my question was how to menage not following law of CMX,
and should I move in BKK?

What if you are retired, don't work therefore don't have a work permit? Is it still a requirement to have a work permit, work and pay taxes in that scenario?

strbl2 wrote:

What if you are retired, don't work therefore don't have a work permit? Is it still a requirement to have a work permit, work and pay taxes in that scenario?

I don't understand the meaning of your question? You are not required to have a work permit, work and pay taxes if you are retired because you are retired. If you want to work then you are required to have a work permit. Please rephrase your question. Kindly...

Zeus.wmo my question is for Skyaslimit who said quote". There are two COMMON ways to apply for a Thai PR , under current law you are eligible if you have a non-immigrant "O" OR "B" visa with 3 years of extensions, work permit plus tax returns. " unquote.

strbl2 wrote:

Zeus.wmo my question is for Skyaslimit who said quote". There are two COMMON ways to apply for a Thai PR , under current law you are eligible if you have a non-immigrant "O" OR "B" visa with 3 years of extensions, work permit plus tax returns. " unquote.

I'm not sure if Skyaslimit was aware you were asking him a question. But, to answer your question, now that I know what you're asking, a non-immigrant O visa is the (retirement visa) that retired people get, so YES, you can apply for PR if you have been on a retirement visa and meet all the requirements. You may want to read more online, it's easy to look up, I just posted some of the requirements below.

Thai Permanent Residency
A lot of people want to stay permanently in Thailand as it is one of the most sought-after destinations in South East Asia offering a low yet convenient standard of living.
Obtaining status as a Permanent Resident (PR) in Thailand has many advantages. It allows you to live permanently in Thailand, with no requirement to apply for an extension of stay. You can also have your name on a house registration document, and you will be able to buy a condominium without making a bank transfer from abroad. Getting a work permit is also made easier once you have PR status.
The annual quota for granting permanent residency in Thailand is a maximum of 100 persons per country. The application period for Thai PR usually from October to the end of December of every year.
In order to apply to become a Thai Permanent Resident, you must meet the following criteria:
You must have had a Thai non-immigrant visa for at least three years prior to the submission of your application. Holders of multiple NON-Immigrant visas can not apply. You must have 3 consecutive yearly extensions in order to qualify.
You must be a holder of a non-immigrant visa at the time of submitting your application.
You must be able to meet one of these categories to apply for PR status in Thailand:
Investment category (minimum 3 – 10 Mil. Baht investment in Thailand)
Working/ Business category
Support a family or Humanity Reasons category: In this category, you must have a relationship with a Thai citizen or an alien who already posses a residence permit as a husband or wife; father or mother; or a guardian of a Thai child under 20 years of age.
Expert / academic category
Other categories as determined by Thai Immigration

Also, be prepared to pay immigration fees of 100k to 200k THB for permanent residency. That's why I decided it's not worth it to me. Will keep doing 1,900 THB per year extension-of-stay.

murraynz wrote:

i  dont want thai ctizenship-  i easily qualify for a retirement visa....but what bugs me-is having to re-apply every 12 mths,the 90 day reports and having to leave 800baht siting idle in thai bank account---can i obtain anelite visa???   i have boughtwell over 10m baht into thailand for purchase of condos--not bought new off developer...any positive advise appreciated

Just so you know, you don't have to keep 800k in bank account all year. You can start drawing down during the year to use & live on after your renewal, then 3 mths before you go to renew again you need to put balance back up to 800k.

Hi there,

here is a really good site which shows all the ins and outs of becoming a Thai citizen. Hope you find it useful.

http://www.thaicitizenship.com/