Eligibility quiz
Are you legally married to a Thai citizen?
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 outside BangkokApplying outside Bangkok
Find your district office
Find the district office for the place where you live in Thailand.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which district office serves your city for Thai citizenship by marriage applications?”
Get the application form
Obtain the Thai citizenship by marriage application form, Kor Chor 1.
Find the formSearches DuckDuckGo for “Where can I get form Kor Chor 1 for Thai citizenship by marriage?”
Fill in the form
Fill in and sign the Kor Chor 1 application form.
Find form instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in form Kor Chor 1 for Thai citizenship by marriage?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the district office.
See required documentsHand in your application
Bring your completed form and the requested originals and copies to your district office, and provide fingerprints and photographs as directed. Arrange for four witnesses who know you and your husband live together, and ask the office how to pay the applicable fee.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a Thai citizenship by marriage application at the district office in your city?”
Attend your interview
Go with your Thai husband to the interview with the provincial working group when you are asked to attend.
Find interview informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens at the provincial interview for Thai citizenship by marriage?”
Wait for the decision
Respond to any requests for more information while your application is considered. If it is approved, your Thai citizenship takes effect when the decision is published in the Royal Gazette; you can then apply for a Thai passport.
Find decision informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How can I find out about the decision and Royal Gazette publication for my Thai citizenship by marriage application?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Marriage certificate
Provide the certificate or registration record for your marriage to your Thai husband. If you married abroad, your consulate may ask for the certificate issued by a Thai embassy or consulate, with certification that it is correct where applicable.
Birth certificates *
Provide your child's birth certificate if you rely on the shorter marriage requirement. If your consulate asks for it and it is available, provide a copy of your Thai husband's birth certificate or birth-registration record.
* Only if you rely on having a child together for the shorter marriage requirement, or your consulate asks for your husband's birth record and it is available.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationHusband's citizenship records *
Provide a copy of your Thai husband's national ID card or government employee ID card. Include a copy of his Thai passport if it is available.
* Only if your consulate asks for them.
Husband's residence record *
Provide your Thai husband's family register and Thai house-registration record. Bring the originals and copies as your consulate directs.
* Only if your consulate asks for it.
Husband's parents' records *
Provide identity cards and house-registration records for your Thai husband's parents, or other records that can be used to trace them. Ask your office which copies it needs.
* Only if you apply in Thailand.
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
Thailand 🇹🇭
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 RedditVisit Chiang Mai
English Facebook group for people living in Thailand interested in Thai local life
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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