Thai Citizenship
Being a Thai national can have certain benefits. Obviously you get to stay in Thailand for as long as you want without any worries for visa renewal and visa runs, and you also get to save on your visa application fees and all the hassle involved in the visa application process. But the biggest gains for being a Thai citizen are that you get to have free education, extremely low cost medical, work rights, house and land ownership rights and business ownership rights. This can be especially important and beneficial for people who wants to do business and settle down in Thailand.
Unlike Australia where a foreigner can own 100% of a business’ share, Thailand has a rule where foreigner can only own 49% of a Thai company. Foreigners are also not allowed to own any house or land in Thailand, only condo. More reasons to consider becoming a Thai citizen.
There are 4 main ways we recommend to obtain Thai citizenship. Applicants will need to be aware however, that there are very limited number of spots available for foreigners to become a Thai citizen through business stream. Thai government only looks at Thai citizenship request on a case by case manner. Generally speaking, only approximately 100 applicants will be accepted per country per year.
1) Invest and participate in the Board of Investment (BOI) with the Thai government. Investment amount varies depending on the type of projects, but generally are upwards of 20,000,000 THB.
2) Thai citizenship through business stream. Applicants will demonstrate that they have operated a corporation in Thailand for a set amount of years, and that they have contributed to the Thai government in varies ways, i.e. business tax, personal tax, generated employment opportunities for locals, etc.
3) Through marriage to a Thai national. This option is relatively straight forward. If you are married to a Thai national, you are eligible to be a Thai citizen.
4) Family migration. All direct family members, i.e. parents, children and grand children are eligible to be a Thai citizen.
The time required to obtain Thai citizenship through option 1 & 3 fluctuate. Option 2 as mentioned above, was only allowed for a very limited application every year. Typical waiting time can varies from 3.5 years to 5 years.
What’s next?
If you are interested in becoming a Thai citizen, get in touch with us today.
Thai Immigration Service Ltd.
Ph: 1300 988 520
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