Eligibility quiz
Was your mother or father a Thai citizen when you were born?
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 consulateApplying at a consulate
Find your consulate
If you were born outside Thailand and live abroad, find the Thai embassy or consulate responsible for where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Thai embassy or consulate handles Thai birth registration for someone living in your city?”
Get the application form
Get the Thai birth-registration form from your embassy or consulate.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get the Thai birth registration application form from the Thai consulate in your city?”
Fill in the form
Fill in and sign the birth-registration form as required by your consulate. If you are applying for your child, complete the form for your child.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I complete the Thai birth registration application form at the Thai consulate in your city?”
Book an appointment
If your consulate requires an appointment for birth registration, book one using its appointment system.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book an appointment for Thai birth registration at the Thai consulate in your city?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the consulate.
See required documentsApply to confirm paternity
If your Thai father and your mother were not married, the consulate may ask for a separate application to confirm that he is your father before it registers your birth. Complete the paternity application and provide the evidence the consulate asks for.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I apply to confirm Thai father paternity for Thai birth registration at the Thai consulate in your city?”
Hand in your application
Bring the completed form and required documents to the consulate. If you are applying for your child, bring your child as the consulate directs; the Thai parent may also need to attend.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a Thai birth registration application at the Thai consulate in your city?”
Wait for the decision
Wait while the consulate reviews the application and answer any questions or requests for more records.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after I submit a Thai birth registration application at the Thai consulate in your city?”
Get your birth certificate
Get your Thai birth certificate from the consulate once it is issued. You can then apply for a Thai passport and, if needed, ask a district or municipal office in Thailand to add you to a house-registration record.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get my Thai birth certificate after Thai birth registration at the Thai consulate in your city?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Provide your birth certificate or another official record of your birth. If you have records about your siblings that help show your family ties, provide those to the immigration office too.
Parent’s citizenship records
Provide evidence that your Thai parent was Thai when you were born. For a consular application, provide your Thai parent’s Thai passport and national ID card, as well as the other parent’s passport or ID if that parent is not Thai.
Marriage certificates *
Provide your parents’ marriage certificate. If their marriage ended in divorce, include the divorce record where it is relevant to your family record.
* Only if your parents married.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationProof of paternity *
Provide DNA results or another scientific or official record the office accepts as proof that your Thai father is your biological father. Ask the office what evidence it will accept.
* Only if your Thai father’s parentage has not been established and the office asks for proof.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationParent’s death certificates *
Provide the death certificate for the parent who has died. Ask the office receiving your application which originals or copies it accepts.
* Only if a parent has died and the record is relevant to your application.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationParent’s residence record *
Provide your Thai parent’s Thai house-registration record. Ask the office receiving your application which originals or copies it accepts.
* Only if you apply at a consulate or the immigration office asks for it.
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 group
English Facebook group for people interested in Thai citizenship and visas
Request to joinThai 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 FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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