been taking lessons in ad hominem from your buddy i see.Business as usual for your average Brit royalist then, really.
been taking lessons in ad hominem from your buddy i see.Business as usual for your average Brit royalist then, really.
For anyone interested in gaining Thai citizenship this a a great thread. Thanks guys.
Last edited by Norton; 10-05-2018 at 01:13 PM.
It's a serious question other than having to get a visa every year what are the benefits? If want to travel on a Thai passport outside of SE Asia you need a visa. OK own land in your own name and drive a tuktuk but as to owning land numerous ways round that one so what you have to go through to obtain citizenship seems not worth it to me but as always each to their own. Oops missed the main benefit as in can change your name to Somchai.
Irrespective of the outcome, the Thai will never recognise you as anything but a farang. They're parochial to an almost psychopathic degree and to give up their ingrained prejudice would be as traumatic to them as if they were told gravity would lessen and they'd go spinning off into space. The Thai are the most neurotic and insecure people on the planet which accounts for their absurd fear of foreigners whose innate superiority they secretly acknowledge but will never embrace. If you want an insight into just how phobic their ratlike devotion to their neuroses can be, check out their inherent disdain for Indians who have been here for up to two hundred plus years, are fluent in Thai, own businesses etc but who are still universally considered to be culturally inferior and are regarded as mere "khek".
The only benefits of Thai citizenship are that one will no longer be burdened with immigration bureaucracy and you can own land and operate a business in your own right without impediment. As Tax says, if one has a decent wingman the latter two are already available so that merely leaves a negative benefit.
Paying the local rate for everything, on proof of ID card of course, is a bonus but of little value if you avoid the tourist bits and eschew trips to national parks.
^ surely you'd be called to one side trying to use a Thai passport as a 6 foot, blue eyed, honkey?
Firstly, this thread is about getting Thai citizenship - if you don't want it, or can't fine. Wow, I hope you don't mix with Thais if this is what you really think of them!
Even if the only benefit for Citizenship was, "that one will no longer be burdened with immigration bureaucracy", which is isn't, that is enough for me. After 10/15/20/25 years these compulsory visits to immigration are stressful and tiresome, for me anyway. When I am old, I might not have enough pension to qualify for a visa anyway.
For 5,000 baht and a bit more for some documents to be legalized it's well worth it and not nearly as hard as some here seem to think it is.
A couple of trips to Special Branch Police, one interview with NIA and one with MOI, wait a year or two and another trip to Special branch to do the oath.
I agree, many Thai will always consider you a farang, but isn't that the same in most countries? I know in Scotland, most Asians are not considered "REAL" Scots.
If you are planning on staying in Thailand for a long time, the benefits are HUGE! For starters:
- Investing in property/land
- Passport to ASEAN countries, being able to work freely.
- You are a dual national, being able to travel freely with either passport. Also, having two different identities can be very beneficial, but I won't go into them here.
- You can do any job you like.
- A sense of security, peace of mind, knowing you will never be refused a visa for any reason.
Here's a question to you, and any other person who COULD get it but doesn't want it - WHY?
Had UK citizenship since 2011 or 2012, why because becoming a British citizen unlike Thai is actually desirable, no visas for travelling to most countries in the world, right to live and work in the UK, access to the NHS, state pension etc. These benefits and many more are not available to the Thai hence British citizenship.
I think it's great that you're getting Thai citizenship, Chalky. Well done.
But ... in case you didn't know ....
The type of jobs that can be worked freely in other ASEAN countries is limited. I can't remember exactly how many off hand but it's something like a dozen different professions, not just any job.
How do you manage to travel with two different names on your passports?
Surely you can't leave as Somchai Pornthip and re-enter as John Smith? Actually that should be the other way round..
I'd probably be willing to swap my UK passport for a Thai one as itd mostly benefit me. But I'd never pass the language exams because I'm an idiot.
I'd like to see what morning looks like
Don't wanna drink pint after pint
I wanna wake up without feeling sick
But I can't cuz I'm a drug-abusing alcoholic
You must leave as Mr. pornthip and return as Mr.pornthip. Depending on what country you are going to, you use Mr. pornthip's passport or Mr Smith's.
The Thai language exam is only 15 points out of the possible 100. Some have got citizenship with hardly any knowledge of the language.
I know several foreigners who got thai nationality and they can hardly string 4 thai words together in a coherent sentence. The MOST you can score is 15 points and that's if you sing that mind numbing 32 second ditty that comes on at 8 & 6. Sheesh if you can say "Sweat Cock" for สวัสดีครับ they give you 5 points.
Most people who qualify don't need ANY points in the thai language area to get them over the threshold of minimum points.
bobo746 you just seem to not the the sharpest tool in the shed, (don't worry though because you're definitely a tool).
I'm a bit confused with a couple of things here. Did several of the people you know go the Permanent Residency route?
Going the other route(marriage), one doesn't have to sing the national anthem. If they did go the PR route, there is a Thai test. Actually there is a multiple choice test for the marriage route as well.
I've met quite a few who have applied(and some got) citizenship and for most of them, the Thai language part took them over the 50 point mark.
Barty, kmart, and anyone else in the process - how is it going with you?
I'm still waiting for the final interview with the MoI, been about 4 months now, since they said they forwarded my application from the Special Branch.
.Thai citizenship is the same, right to live and work, access to free health service, pension etc
Is that the 500 baht per month pension given to thai citizens over 60?
I forgot about that, might come in handy, pay for my gardener, who comes every other month. Free heath service could save a fortune, especially when old.
I'll get a Thai pension anyway, as I have paid 20 years into the Social Security system. Incidentally, just paid back 10 years to the UK govt., as they accept voluntary class 2 contributions, which saved me a fortune. A few years ago I inquired and would have had to pay 6000 pounds instead of 1500, I recently paid.
Hi Chalky. Still in limbo with the Brit Embassy "letter to renounce" citizenship thing. They (BE) say they have discontinued Statutory Declarations of this nature until after meetings with the Home Office. In the meantime Thai Special Branch are trying to work something out around this, but no news so far.. Will update when I hear something from either party.
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