Becoming Thai

[lomuamart]

I know this'll sound strange, however:
My wife's just been watching Thai news and has told me that I can "become Thai" if I so desire. My name can be changed to her family's - this makes me Thai???? She says there were a number of legal experts discussing it and all that was necessary was a visit to HH police station and then one to some major station in BKK.
I can see that a name change could be feasible, but to expect the authorities to give me a Thai ID card that potentially allows me to work without a Work Permit, pay taxes, benefit from the 30 Baht health scheme and no longer have to get visas or extensions to them, seems unlikely to me, to say the least.
However, she's adamant that it can be done as I'm married to a Thai national. Even if it was possible, I'm not sure I'd want to potentially lose my British citizenship anyway.
I said this would seem a bit strange. Has anyone else heard of anything like this? I think the story had something to do with the Miss Thailand beauty queen becoming Thai, even though she's Canadian. Maybe that's the answer - go for a sex change?

[hogus]

Hmmm.... I never ever heard that taking the family name of a Thai-spouse qualifies to get the Thai-citizenship.
May be there is a misunderstanding, because many countries (TH, too?) allows new-married to choose, which family name they want to take - husband's name or maiden names....but, of course, that has nothing to do to get the Thai-citizenship.

If they haven't changed the law within the last 24 hours again ( )and I'm not totally wrong, you must stay not less than 3 years under the same non-imm-visa (annual extension) to qualify for a "permanent resident", and after further 5 years under this status you 're able to apply for a Thai-citizenship, perhaps.
The guidelines are very rough and I've really no idea, why someone would like to get the Thai-citizenship (i.e. visa-problems whenever you want to visit developed countries, no proper welfare-system etc.), especially if your home country would force you by law to give up your actual citizenship?

[buksida]

Agree with hogus, it is possible to change your family name to that of your spouses and you can then be put on their "tabien bahn" but you will get no more rights to anything than you currently have - you are and always will be an alien.

[gooze]

Just spoke to my lawyer who first quote was "em" followed by some scratching of his head and a further "em".

His take on this is that yes farrangs can hold Thai passports via a very long winded and exspensive application process. Up to three years waiting.

He also says that you must either be legally married to a Thai national or have held a work permit for three consecutive years to apply for this privledge.

One could ask the question even if you acheived this status what benefits would you gain from it?.

As the previous post said they may have moved the goalposts again recently although I have no knowledge of this.

[lomuamart]

That's pretty much how I thought it would be. The missus got things a bit mixed up.
As you've all said, why would most people want the citizenship anyway?

[sargeant]

what you would gain is the right to own land at a guess
as for getting on the tabien baan paper been on 3 seperate tabien baan papers and i aint married

[Winkie]

I hae a friend who has just gained his Thai Citisenship. He is married toa Thai, speaks very good Thai and has lived here for close to 40 years.

He said it was a very long winded process.

He retained his orignal Nationality as well.

So, if you can do it, the benefits are clear, as Sarge stated. Howver, dissadvantages are many, even if you can retain your original citizneship, you will lose the protection of your original nationality whilst in Thailand (i.e you cannot run to your Embassy for help in a crisis, they are not permitted to support you under Dual Citizenship Regulations)

[gooze]

Actually No. Even if you become a Thai passport holder you still cannot hold more than one rai of land in your own name as a Thai national who was born outside of the LOS and not to Thai parentage.

Now to take that further if Mrs G ever married me legally, she would have to revoke all but one rai of her land holdings or have a sworn declaration from me that I had no interest in the land.

By the way I am also told this law whilst it does exsist is very rarely used.

[sargeant]

as i understood it a thai woman even if married to a farang can own as much land as she can buy
Before 1998 she could not but as i understood it was part of the IMF loan conditions that the restrictions on thai women married to farangs was changed and was one of the conditions the government did not prevaricate bend twist or alter when they did it

[gooze]

Yes she can but only if the farrang husband makes a sworn declaration at the land office confirming that the land in its entirety is the personal property of his wife, hence even if divorced the farrang would have no grounds upon which to claim the land as his own.

We are regularly asked at the land office to advise our clients of the need to fill in this paperwork.

Yes I do work in the buissiness in answer to Sargents round about querstion.

[buksida]

Yes she can but only if the farrang husband makes a sworn declaration at the land office confirming that the land in its entirety is the personal property of his wife, hence even if divorced the farrang would have no grounds upon which to claim the land as his own.

This is correct, the "alien" must do this if he is purchasing land in her name.

IMO the whole citizenship thing is a waste of time and money, essentially there isn't a great deal of benefit, I have been eligible for a number of years but can't really see how its going to help me, I'll just become an "alien" with more paperwork.

[sargeant]

As i understand it if a man thai or farang marries a thai woman who has rafts and rais of land in the event of a divorce she keeps the land she had before the marriage thai or farang get nothing
Land purchased after marriage the thai male gets 50% a farang buggerall because land act section 4 a foreigner cannot own land

thanks for the admission gooze no problem with that but i ask the question why cant people in the property business be up front and make it completely apparrent why do they hide it it only makes them look more dodgy than they are

[malcolminthemiddle]

Actually No. Even if you become a Thai passport holder you still cannot hold more than one rai of land in your own name as a Thai national who was born outside of the LOS and not to Thai parentage.

Now to take that further if Mrs G ever married me legally, she would have to revoke all but one rai of her land holdings or have a sworn declaration from me that I had no interest in the land.

By the way I am also told this law whilst it does exsist is very rarely used.

Sorry, gotta disagree there.

I have a friend, born in Switzerland, lived in Thailand 40+ years, has Thai and Swiss passports with many Rai registered in his name.

Also, regarding land ownership by a Thai married to a foreigner, there is no mandatory retrospective declaration of marriage or mandatory revokation, unless someone knows better?

[sargeant]

Gooze i am worried for you i have been doing a ring around poll of 3 guys been here a fair while plus malc in th middle and all of us believe Mrs G can legally marry you and not have to give up one nano blade of grass let alone go down to 1 rai because it is in her name before the marriage date which is worrying because you say you are in the businesss and if we are correct and you are wrong

To be fair 2 of us believe that could have been a part of the law pre 1998
the other never heard of it

[buksida]

Also, regarding land ownership by a Thai married to a foreigner, there is no mandatory retrospective declaration of marriage or mandatory revokation, unless someone knows better?

This maybe the case for land owned before the marriage but if the farang wants to buy land in his wifes name he must sign a number of documents at the land office basically signing away all his legal rights to it and stating that the money used for the purchase wasn't his.

I know - I've done it