What are the legal rights in Thailand for foreigners. During one of the last roadshows in Thailand there had been a number of issues which had been discussed about foreigners in Thailand. The two main issues have been covered below. The government had given some reasoning as to why certain provisions are in place and what foreigners are allowed to do with regards to obtaining Thai citizenship.
Legal Rights in Thailand for Foreigners
Permanent Residency
If you are looking at applying for permanent residency, then you would need to follow the requirements for this to occur. There is also the option of becoming a Thai national. Those who hold permanent residency get a blue Tabien Baan and those who are on an extended visa will get a yellow Tabien Baan. You need to have Thai permanent residency before you can become a Thai national.
Holders of Permanent residency can get a blue book (Tor Ror 14) and holders of temporary visas can get on the yellow book (Tor Ror 13) before they can apply for naturalization.
Those who wish to become Thai nationals will need to understand that there have been changes to the laws. You now lo longer need to be able to read or write the Thai language. The following was form the roadshow of the Minister of the Interior.
The requirements for naturalization were laid out, including the income requirements for both those married to Thais and those not married to Thais. The linguistics requirement has been reduced but the applicant must be able to sing the National and Royal anthems. Speaking and listening is mandatory but reading and writing is no longer required.
They had lower the standard by removing reading and writing in the Thai language. As you will note that this is open to anyone who has followed the requirements to become a Thai permanent resident. Speak to an immigration lawyer in Thailand for more details.
90 Day Reporting
There had been a number of complaints about the 90-day reporting as it has become costly for many residents. The question had been raised if they could have made the reporting dates longer or remove the requirement. The government response was that they need to keep these 90-day reporting. This as it allows the government to know where everyone is in the event of a problem. The question was raised by the Chinese Consul General
Chinese Consul General Zhu Weimin requested a change in the 90 day reporting procedure as well, citing the large numbers of Chinese students who attend Chiang Mai schools who cannot take time off from school to travel to Immigration to report. He suggested they open on the weekends for those who have jobs and classes.
You can obtain Thai residency after you have had more than 3 Thai marriage visa. This or Thai retirement visas in a row without a break. You can then move towards making the annual application for permanent residency. The government allocates the percentages by nationalities each year. Example 100 Indians and 100 Americans for the year. If you are from India and the allocation is full. Then you have to try again the following year even is no Americans applied for it.