How to get Thai Citizenship?

It is a common perception amongst expats in Thailand that getting Thai Citizenship is next to impossible.

Although it comes with some paperwork, getting Thai citizenship is more about patience.

Applying for Thai Citizenship is possible at various provinces of Thailand, moreover each province has varying rules and criteria.

Since my personal experience applying for the Thai Citizenship was in Bangkok, the following will post cover mostly the requirements and process in Bangkok.

Benefits of Thai Citizenship

There are numerous benefits of being a Thai citizen. It comes with various perks in addition to avoiding the huge administrative task of maintaining your stay in the Kingdom. Some of the benefits of obtaining Thai Citizenship are;

Peace of mind – you do not have to worry about leaving the country for unseen circumstances
You do not need a Work Permit to work
You do not have to go through the hassle of renewing your visa or extension of stays
You do not need to do 90 days reporting
You can purchase property in your own name
You can become a majority shareholder in a Thai company
Access to banking products such as business loans and mortgages
Maintain dual citizenship (Unless your original country doesn’t permit dual citizenship)

In addition to this, living in Thailand is a great idea. A country with beautiful nature, international culture and very welcoming people in addition to amazing food and great housing options are pros of residing in this country.

Eligibility to become a Thai citizen

There are a few common pathways to becoming a Thai citizen and the eligibility requirements depends on the pathway that is best suited for your needs.

Born to a Thai National
Permanent Residents
Married to a Thai Citizen

Becoming a Thai Citizen as an individual born to a Thai National is fairlt straight forward.

However, being eligible to apply to become a Thai Citizen as a Permanent Resident or married to a Thai Citizen has a few extra requirements –

Minimum age of 18 years old at the time of application
Three years of uninterrupted visa and extensions of stay at the time of application
Three years of uninterrupted work permit from a Thai employer at the time of application
Annual donation of at least THB 5,000 to a registered charity
Yellow Book (Tabien Baan) and Pink ID
Minimum income of THB 40,000 (Married to a Thai Citizen) or THB 80,000 (Permanent Residents)
Proof of Tax Payment of the above monthly income for the last 3 years
You should not have any criminal background
If Married to a Thai, then you need to be married at least 3 years (if without children), or married for at least 1 year (if you have children)
For those applying as Permanent Residents – You should have resided in Thailand as a Permanent Resident for at least 5 years before applying. Your residence over these years should be on the same type of visa that you have at the time of application.
For those applying as Permanent Residents – Sing the Thai National Anthem and Royal Anthem
For those applying as Permanent Residents – You should be able to read, write and speak the Thai language
Score at least 50 out of a total of 100 points on the Points Based System Preliminary Test and Interview.
The points are calculated on the basis of age, education, security of profession, Thai language ability, general knowledge about Thailand, personality, appearance and the length of civil registration.

1. Born to a Thai National

The most common and straightforward method of acquiring Thai Citizenship is if either both the parents or one of the parent of the individual at the time of application or birth is a Thai Citizen, then they’re automatically granted a citizenship.

This is the case for any newborns that are either born in Thailand or outside the kingdom. As long as the parent who is the Thai National is alive, have national ID or a proof of citizenship, the individual under the parent can acquire a Thai Citizenship.

Usually for newborns, it is registered and done at the Hospital where the kid is born – the nurses and the administrative staff ask the parents for their identification documents and get the newborn registered in the system.

For those born outside of the kingdom, it is best to contact the Thai Embassy in the country of birth and present necessary documents such as a copy of the birth certificate that mentions the Thai parent, and also a copy of the Thai parent’s national identification card.

2. Permanent Residents

Another widely popular route for Non-Thais to acquire citizenship is through the Permanent Resident Route.

First and foremost, for those not married to a Thai or those who do not have a direct blood relationship to Thailand, this is the only pathway to a Thai Citizenship.

Following the eligibility requirements –

Minimum age of 18 years old at the time of application
Three years of uninterrupted visa and extensions of stay at the time of application
Three years of uninterrupted work permit from a Thai employer at the time of application
Monthly income of THB 80,000
Proof of average tax payment on the monthly income of THB 80,000 for the past 3 years
You should not have any criminal background
Ability to Sing the Thai National Anthem and Royal Anthem
Read, write and speak the Thai language
Score at least 50 out of a total of 100 points on the Points Based System Preliminary Test and Interview
The points are calculated on the basis of age, education, security of profession, Thai language ability, general knowledge about Thailand, personality, appearance and the length of civil registration

3. Married to a Thai Citizen

If you are Married to a Thai Citizen, and are eligible to apply for Thai Citizenship, you can skip the process of becoming a PR, and instead directly apply to be come a citizen.

The following are the eligibility requirements –

Minimum age of 18 years old at the time of application
Three years of uninterrupted visa and extensions of stay at the time of application
Three years of uninterrupted work permit from a Thai employer at the time of application
Minimum income of THB 40,000 (Married to a Thai Citizen)
Proof of Tax Payment of the above monthly income for the last 3 years
You should not have any criminal background
If Married to a Thai, then you need to be married at least 3 years (if without children), or married for at least 1 year (if you have children)
Marriage certificate
Birth certificate of child
Exempt from Singing the Thai National Anthem and Royal Anthem, however, these are used to give you a score on the preliminary test.
Basic level of reading, writing and speaking the Thai language
Score at least 50 out of a total of 100 points on the Points Based System Preliminary Test and Interview.
The points are calculated on the basis of age, education, security of profession, Thai language ability, general knowledge about Thailand, personality, appearance and the length of civil registration.

Since I am married to a Thai with a Thai child, my partner and I decided that we’d apply through this criteria because it skips PR and also much friendlier on the bank account.

Documents required to become a Thai citizen

The first and foremost thing to do is to actually visit the Special Police Branch in the heart of Bangkok next to the Police General Hospital.

Since there’s technically no parking there, if you’re driving, you should part at Siamkitti Building

The first few visits are informal visits where you’ll be assigned a Special Police Brand Officer who will help understand your Citizenship application case, your background, eligibility and provide you a list of documents that will relatively look similar to below –

Copies of your passport
Copies of your Alien Book
Copies of your Residence Certificate
Copies of the House Registration
Copies of your Work Permit(s)
Copies of Bank Statement
Copies of Letter of Employment
Pictures of yourself, your spouse (if applicable)
Documentation showing proof of having Personal Income Tax for past three years
Document showing proof of employment along with company documents
Marriage and/or birth certificates if you are married/have children
Copies of the identity documents of two Thai citizens who can guarantee for you
Any additional documents required as per requirement.

Most importantly, please make sure you have a digital copy of all the documents above because different agencies will ask for them multiple times at different phases of the application.

The case officer handling your application will be the primary point of contact and then you’ll be provided their contact information to keep them updated or ask them questions regarding all the documents needed.

Please keep in mind, it is going to be a process of checking, double checking and triple checking all the documents for successful application submission.

How to apply for Thai citizenship?

The application process in general starts with your first few visits to the Special Police Branch.

Once you work on collecting all documents, prepping them and making sure all the documents are in the packet a formal application date is set by your case officer.

Formal Application starts at the Special Division, Special Police Brand of the Police Headquarters in Bangkok
You should visit the Police Headquarters when you decide you would like to apply for Thai Citizenship. This will be an unofficial/informal meeting where you just drop at the Special Branch to learn about applying. This is when you will be provided with a complete checklist of all the documents you are required to submit
After that, you need to gather all the required documents and submit them.
If everything is not in order, you may be asked to submit additional documents
After all your documents are submitted and everything is in order, your Thai Citizenship application will be lodged
There is a test and a formal interview process
Also need to bring along two Thai Witnesses
You will then have to pay the processing fees (THB 5,000) and provide your fingerprints
The case officer will give you three envelopes to verify information from the Embassy and District
Another interview will be scheduled with National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to verify all the information provided
After NIA, there will be an interview with Ministry of Interior (MOI)

Application Timeline

Applying for a Thai Citizenship is a test of patience. The question is not “IF” but more of a “When”.

Following is my timeline –

2019, 2020, 2021 – Work on all required documents, mostly work documents
December 9, 2022 – Special Branch Application Submission, 1st Interview and Fingerprint. Paid THB 5,000
May 1, 2023 – Call from NIA to add contact in Line and send documents according to their checklist
May 2, 2023 – Compile and send all documents to NIA through line and email
May 9, 2023 – NIA Called to schedule NIA interview on May 15, 2023
May 15, 2023 – NIA Interview – lasted around 45 minutes
November 2023 – Documents Handed over to MOI by Special Police Branch
TBA – MOI Interview (Typically 2-3 years)
TBA – Oath Ceremony (Few weeks/months after MOI Interview)

As you can see it is a relatively long process. Collecting relevant document is going to be the most time consuming, and after the initial interviews, it is again a waiting game for the MOI meeting.