Eligibility quiz
Were you born in Thailand?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Thai passport
Thai citizens can get an ordinary Thai e-passport.
The passport expires and must be renewed or replaced, but citizenship does not expire with it.
Live in Thailand for life
Thai citizens can enter and live in Thailand indefinitely and cannot be deported or refused entry.
They can choose where to live, although the law can place restrictions on that choice.
Study in Thailand
Thai citizens can study at public institutions under the relevant education laws and institutions’ rules.
Work in Thailand
Thai citizens can work in Thailand without the immigration permission or work permit required of foreigners. Rules for particular kinds of work still apply.
Travel without visas
An ordinary Thai passport allows visa-free visits to some countries. Each destination sets its own conditions.
Get help abroad
Thai embassies and consulates can help citizens in distress, including during serious illness, arrest, disasters or war.
Help depends on the circumstances and does not guarantee that every cost will be paid.
Vote in elections
Thai citizens can generally vote from age 18 if they meet household-registration rules; citizens abroad can register to vote.
Some people cannot vote, including monks, detained people and people deprived of voting rights or mental capacity.
Citizens who gained citizenship after birth generally must have held it for five years before voting.
Use public healthcare
Thai citizens with a 13-digit ID number can use the Universal Coverage Scheme from birth throughout life, unless covered by another state scheme.
It covers prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, emergency care and ambulance services.
Join voluntary insurance
Thai citizens who are self-employed or outside compulsory work insurance can join voluntary Social Security under its rules and by paying contributions.
Social Security can cover sickness, childbirth, disability, death, child support, old age and unemployment.
How to apply
Applying at a local officeApplying at a local office
Find your office
Find the office for the place where you or your child is registered. For a registration in Bangkok, use the Central Registration Bureau; elsewhere, use the district office for the registered locality.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Where do I apply for Thai nationality for a person born in Thailand without Thai nationality if registered in your city?”
Download the application form
Download the application form for Thai nationality for a person born in Thailand without Thai nationality, called the Form 7 bis paragraph two.
Download the formFill in the form
Fill in and sign the form for yourself or your child. If you apply for your child, state your relationship on the form.
Get help with the formSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the Thai nationality application form for a person born in Thailand without Thai nationality?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the office.
See required documentsHand in your application
Bring the completed form and your original documents and copies to the office in person, along with your child if you are applying for them. There is no application fee.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a Thai nationality application for a person born in Thailand without Thai nationality at the registration office in your city?”
Attend the interview
Take part in the office's interview and arrange for two credible witnesses to support your or your child's application. An applicant aged 18 or older must also provide fingerprints.
Find interview detailsSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens at the interview for a Thai nationality application for a person born in Thailand without Thai nationality?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the office to decide your or your child's application. Answer any questions and provide any further records the office requests.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does a Thai nationality application for a person born in Thailand without Thai nationality take?”
Wait for your registration
After approval, wait for the office to update your or your child's civil-registration record. Once it is updated, you can apply for a Thai passport for yourself or your child.
Find registration detailsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How is civil registration updated after approval of a Thai nationality application for a person born in Thailand without Thai nationality?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Parent's residence record *
Bring your parent's registration-history or civil-registration record showing their 13-digit identity number. Also bring evidence that they entered Thailand at least 15 years before you apply.
* Only if you apply as the child of a long-term immigrant or a member of a minority or ethnic group.
Parents' identity documents *
Bring two copies of each parent's identity card or another government document with their photo. Bring the documents available for your known parent or parents.
* Only if at least one of your parents is known.
Parents' absence certificate *
Bring the original certificate confirming that your parents are unknown or that they abandoned you as a child, and two copies. If you were abandoned, get certification from the relevant Ministry of Social Development and Human Security agency that you have lived in Thailand for at least 10 years.
* Only if your parents are unknown or abandoned you as a child.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Military service for men
Male Thai citizens must register for the reserve list in the year they turn 18 and report for a call-up notice at 21.
Those called up generally serve two years, though exceptions and shorter terms apply.
Registration duties can still matter when living abroad.
Citizenship can be lost
Approved renunciation or naturalising abroad can end citizenship; birth citizenship cannot be revoked.
Naturalised citizens risk loss for fraud, using a former nationality, security, public order or morals, over five years abroad without a Thai home, or a wartime nationality.
Some born in Thailand to a foreign parent risk loss over another nationality abroad; citizenship gained by a woman through marriage can also be revoked.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Thai Citizenship for Adoptees
English Facebook group for people interested in Thai citizenship
Join on FacebookThailand 🇹🇭
English Facebook group for people interested in Thai citizenship and local life
Join on Facebookr/Thai_Citizenship
English Reddit group for people interested in Thai citizenship and visas
Join on RedditConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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