Citizenship of Thailand

Warm sea, tropical climate, unique architecture, no need to apply for a visa – all this attracts a huge number of foreigners to spend their holidays in Thailand. But not many people know that the authorities of this Asian country with a distinctive culture and centuries of old history offer promising immigration programs.

Benefits of Thai Citizenship

By becoming a citizen of Thailand, you can travel around countries and continents without any bureaucratic formalities, and get a high profit from investments in local business projects. The holder of the passport of the Asian state is entitled to vote in the elections to the authorities of the Kingdom. A resident has full access to public services and can count on the protection of the government, regardless of whether he/she permanently resides in Thailand or not.

Methods to obtain citizenship

The grounds for granting Thailand citizenship were regulated in the Thailand Nationality Act of 1913. Initially, it was drawn up subject to two principles – "blood law" and "soil law" (the latter was replaced by naturalization). Subsequent amendments to the regulation alternately tightened or softened the requirements for naturalization.

In present days, relocators who have continuously lived in the Kingdom for at least 3 years can apply for citizenship. If this condition is met, the foreigner receives the status of Permanent residency. But no more than 100 applicants per year can apply for permanent residence in this Asian country. Second stage of citizenship - compliance with the residence requirement for those who are in permanent residency status. Persons who have been issued permanent residency status in the Kingdom have the right to apply for citizenship after 5 years of stay in its territory.

Methods to obtain Thailand passport:

• by right of birth (by origin);
• by naturalization;
• by marriage.

By right of birth

A person born in a family in which one of the parents is a resident of the Thai Kingdom automatically becomes his/her subject. If the event was recorded in Thailand or outside of the Asian state does not affect the status. It is not taken into consideration if the father or mother of the child received a "Thai" passport – before or after the child's birth.

Naturalization

Naturalization is the most common way for relocators to obtain Thai citizenship. But not the fastest. The Kingdom authorities are ready to issue a national passport to a foreigner provided that he/she has been able to fully integrate into the local society, knows the culture, history and language of the host country, and strictly complies with its laws.

How long does naturalization take?

Obtaining citizenship takes from 8 to 10 years (3 years of permanent residence to issue a "Permanent residency", then another 5 years in the status of a permanent resident).

By marriage

If a foreigner marries a Thai resident, he/she is also entitled to apply for citizenship of the Asian country. But provided that the applicant has lived in marriage for a certain period of time (for men the period is 12 years, for women – 3 years, if there are children – 1 year). In addition, a foreigner planning to obtain Thai citizenship through marriage must confirm financial guarantees (his/her monthly income must be at least 40 thousand baht).

Is it possible to obtain resident status through investment

Legally, Thailand does not provide for the possibility of acquiring citizenship in exchange for investing in the national economy. Investors will have to comply with the general requirements for relocators, namely: first to apply for permanent residency, and then, having lived another 5 years, to apply for citizenship.

But for the above category of applicants, there is an option of issuing long-term visas of the categories "SMART", "LTR" and "Thailand Elite". With these visas people are allowed to enter the territory of the Asian country and leave it an unlimited number of times (without the obligation to notify the migration authority). Also, these visa formats provide holders with an extended set of privileges. But the participants of the "SMART", "LTR" and "Thailand Elite" programs do not have the right to apply for citizenship of the Asian country.

Pros of Thai citizenship

The holder of a Thai passport has the right to count on the following set of preferences:

• the possibility of visa-free visits to many countries of the world;
• the possibility of multiple entry and exit (+ no restrictions on the duration of stay);
• the opportunity to engage in entrepreneurial activities without any restrictions;
• the ability to freely acquire and own property assets (land, real estate, securities, etc.);
• opportunity to participate in political life;
• access to quality services in the field of medicine and education;
• access to the state support system. 

Dual Citizenship

The laws of the Thai state prohibit residents from having citizenship of another country. To get a Thai passport, a foreigners have to renounce his/her previous passport. But there are exceptions to the general rule. For example, if a child born from a Thai family is initially registered as a resident of another country, then the child has the right not to refuse a passport until he/she comes of age (but after reaching the age of legal capacity, the child is obliged to choose one of the nationalities).

A woman with a Thai passport, having married a foreigner, automatically loses the citizenship of the Asian country. But if she wishes, having notified the relevant authorities, she has the right to retain the status of a resident of her country. If a Thai woman still changed her citizenship, but subsequently the marriage with a foreign spouse was dissolved, she also has the right to regain the status of a Thailand resident.

Citizenship by Investment Program

Since there is no accelerated format for obtaining a Thai passport for foreign investors, this category of relocators is subject to standard requirements for obtaining citizenship.

This procedure includes the following steps:

1. Obtaining a non-immigration visa. 
2. Registration of permanent residency. 
3. Submission of the necessary documents to the Migration Service of the Kingdom (subject to a five-year stay in the status of a permanent resident).
4. Passing the interview.
5. Taking the state oath.
6. Obtaining an ID card and a naturalization certificate 

Initial stage

To cross the border of the Thai state, an investor must apply for a non-immigration visa (it can also be applied for by those who plan to work, study or do business in Thailand). For investors, an entry permit in the non-immigration format is issued under the condition to invest in securities of local companies in the amount of 10 million baht. The visa is issued for 1 year with the right of subsequent prolongation.

Within the framework of additional applications, relatives of the investor (spouses and children) have the right to apply for non-immigration. This visa format does not allow the leave from the Thai kingdom (otherwise the document will be canceled). Also, the visa holder is obliged to confirm his/her place of residence at the migration service every 3 months.

Permanent residency

After 3 years of permanent residence in the Asian state, the investor can apply for the status of Рermanent residency. Based on the quota, the applicant may not be eligible for the program and then have to apply for the next year. As a matter of priority, permanent residency permits are issued to investors who have invested 10 million baht in the national economy, to heads of large corporations and high-income specialists.

To obtain permanent resident status, an investor must meet the following requirements:

• permanent residence under non-immigration status for at least 3 years;
• investment amount – at least 10 million baht;
• knowledge of the Thai language;
• absence of a criminal past;
• financial guarantees. 

Advantage

After applying for the permanent residency, the applicant does not need to regularly register with the migration department and spend time prolonging visas.

The Thai authorities do not create additional bureaucratic barriers for those applying for resident status. All documents are reviewed within the framework of one department.

Recent reforms of the citizenship program

In 2024, the Kingdom authorities initiated the possibility of obtaining citizenship based on DNA data confirming the Thai origin. So far, the program is aimed at the indigenous people of Thailand, who are forced to live in the Malaysian region of Kota Bukhta. With the help of DNA testing, officials plan to simplify the process of obtaining primary documents.

This is important

The Kingdom's authorities have tightened requirements for applicants for a Thai passport. The test of knowledge of the national language for relocators has become mandatory. The fee for citizenship registration has also increased. In particular, the application price increased from 5,000 to 10,000 baht (for adults) and from 2,500 to 5,000 baht (for children).

Another innovation is as it follows: representatives of the migration authority have the right to extend the application consideration period twice (up to 30 days).

Application process

After 5 years of residence in the status of permanent residency, the relocator has the right to apply to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to acquire the citizenship of the Asian country. The procedure is of declarative nature.

But before submitting documents to the state agency, they must be legalized (certify the authenticity of certificates and bank statements, translate them into Thai).

It is recommended to request the necessary list of documents in advance from the migration department.

Collecting documents and submission of the application

In practice, the procedure for obtaining citizenship takes place in several stages:

• preparation (request for a list of documents, their collection and subsequent legalization);
• submission of documents (if additional certificates and extracts are requested, this stage may be prolonged for 2-3 weeks);
• passing the first interview at the police department (the applicant informs the officer of his/her story and gives the reasons for which he/she decided to obtain a Thai passport);
• interview with a representative of the National Intelligence (can take place online, at the interview the candidate is asked about the reasons for obtaining citizenship, sources of income and the amount of financial security);
• additional and final interview (the applicant must be ready to answer new questions that may arise from the Thai authorities, the final interview often takes place at the Central Registration Office, whose employees make the final decision on the candidate);
• taking the oath (in a special police unit);
• obtaining the ID card.

The application is submitted to the Special Unit of the Royal Police at the place of residence (in the capital of Thailand, you should contact the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs).

An applicant for a Thai passport fills out a questionnaire of the established form, which is issued when applying.

Document Listing

A certain list of documents must be attached to the application, namely:

• "Alien Book" (an analogue of a document proving the identity of a relocator with permanent residence);
• a certificate that proves the fact that the applicant resides at the place of registration (issued by the Immigration Service);
• a statement of monthly income or a bank statement with a deposit of at least 80,000 baht;
• certificate of absence of tax arrears;
• a certificate authenticating the fact of employment (issued by the regional employment center);
• police clearance certificate;
• marriage certificate (for spouses);
• birth certificate of children (if any);
• diplomas confirming the fact of education;
• passports of Thai citizens who are ready to vouch for the reliability of the applicant.

The list of documents may vary, depending on the grounds for granting citizenship.

Examination and decision

The term of consideration of the application can vary from 1 year to 3 years. The decision on the candidate is made by the authorities on the basis of the points received by the candidate. The points are awarded for knowledge of the national language and culture, local traditions and customs. The total period of residence in the country and the age of the applicant are also taken into account. In practice, the relocator is assigned from 3 to 5 interviews with representatives of different departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

To make a positive decision on the application, the candidate must score a minimum of 50 points out of a hundred possible.

Cons of citizenship for investors

The main disadvantages of the procedure for obtaining Thai citizenship for investors are as follows:

• inability to obtain a passport of the Asian country in a short time;
• high investment threshold in the national economy;
• the need to renew the Thai passport, since it has a limited validity period of 10 years.

Please note

In order to live permanently in the "Thai" state, investors do not need to solve the issue of citizenship. To do this, it is enough to apply for long-term visas of the categories "LTR", "SMART" or "Thailand Elite", which have a different set of preferences.