Five days to Thai citizenship: New policy brings hope to stateless people in limbo

The Thai government has launched a new fast-track policy to grant legal status, residency or citizenship to stateless people or migrants within just five working days, in a landmark move aimed at ending decades of uncertainty.

District offices nationwide began processing applications on Tuesday (July 1) in line with a policy formulated by a previous administration and officially announced on June 30.

Issued by the Srettha Thavisin-led government, the policy mandates that decisions on Thai residency, nationality or legal status must take no more than a week – a big reduction from the previous wait time of six months to a year.

According to official figures, more than 480,000 individuals – including stateless and displaced people, ethnic minorities and foreign migrants – stand to benefit from the fast-tracked process.

“Some applicants have been waiting for this right for several decades,” said Wandee Maneemongkolkan, coordinator of APASS Thailand. “The government’s move to expedite this process has brought immense joy.”

APASS, or the Association to Promote Access to Health and Social Support, is an NGO supporting stateless Karen communities in Kanchanaburi’s Sangkhla Buri district. It is now helping them screen and submit documents under the new application system.

“Their quality of life will improve greatly once they can live here legally,” Wandee said.

Cutting through the red tape

The new policy covers individuals verified in government surveys conducted between 1984 and 2011, including displaced persons, ethnic minorities and children born in Thailand to stateless parents.

The five-day completion timeframe marks a drastic shift from the previous timelines – 180 days for citizenship applications and 270 days for migrant residency.

To qualify, applicants must have lived in Thailand continuously for at least 15 years, have no criminal background, and have their identity verified.

File photo: Stateless people in Sangkla ฺBuri district, Kanchanaburi apply for Thai citizenship.

However, rights advocates warn that not all applicants will be processed within five days. Many may face delays due to documentation errors and confusion over birth records or incomplete registration of births, especially rural migrant workers who are unfamiliar with official procedures.

“Many migrant parents don’t know the difference between a birth certificate and a post-natal care booklet,” said Wandee. “If their child’s birth has not been formally registered, they must return to the hospital and get a record of their birth for registration before seeking citizenship.”

La-aw Kukaewkasem of the Legal Status Network Foundation, which helps screen applications, estimates that only around half of those seeking citizenship possess all the required documents.

However, she pointed out that gaining legal status in Thailand has long-term benefits in terms of healthcare, education and other state services.

“Once stateless parents are granted Thai nationality, their children will be Thai from birth. That alone is transformative,” she said.

Stories of hope

For many, the new policy offers fresh hope after years – or even generations – of waiting to be officially recognised as members of Thai society .

Sriprai Jai-ngarm, a 35-year-old woman from the Tai Yai ethnic group, said gaining legal status will free her to travel and work anywhere in the country without having to seek special permissions from local authorities.

“I’m over the moon,” she said. “For the first time, I can travel without restrictions.”

Fon Weizheu, an advocate for Thailand’s Akha ethnic minority, welcomed the new and simplified procedure. “We want to contribute to Thailand as full citizens. Previously, the system was just too complicated and time-consuming.”

Natcha, a 26-year-old Karen woman born at Mae Sot Hospital in Tak province, recounted how her stateless status shattered her dreams of studying medicine, dentistry and pharmacology while also severely restricting her freedom of movement.

She eventually opted to study law in Phayao but was only allowed to leave the province once a year.

“I chose law because I want to help others in the same position as me,” she said.

Natcha became a Thai national about two months ago and is now eligible to sit for the barrister’s exam as she works towards fulfilling her ambition of becoming a human-rights lawyer.

Elsewhere, Dang Naisam and his wife, members of the Lawa ethnic group who have been waiting for decades for Thai citizenship, were recently informed that their applications should be finalised within a month.

Bottlenecks and missed opportunities

Thailand’s human rights record has long been tarnished by the legal limbo afflicting stateless persons and illegal migrants in their tens of thousands. To address this, the Cabinet approved in principle new criteria for granting legal status and citizenship on October 29, 2024.

Official surveys - conducted between 2005 and 2011 - recorded that 215,000 displaced and stateless people could claim Thai citizenship – on top of 120,000 verified during surveys done between 1984 and 1999. The figure has grown over the years due to births and ongoing border migration.

Human rights lawyer Surapong Kongchantuk, president of the Cross Cultural Foundation, says the government could have granted Thai nationality to over 825,000 people between 1992 and 2023, but approved fewer than half that number, with just 324,000 applications granted.

He blamed the shortfall on corruption and bureaucratic red tape. “Many applications have been halted by demands for ‘tea money’,” he said.

The five-day policy may finally cut through the backlog, but officials have been quick to stress that this new initiative does not apply to everybody. The National Security Council, for example, has rejected any suggestion that this policy covers economic migrants or war refugees.

“This change in status does not grant them any new [application] rights,” Surapong said. “These people have always had these rights on paper. The difference now is that they’re finally being implemented.”

However, life without legal status or Thai nationality can be very difficult, as most migrants or stateless persons have limited access to education or jobs and cannot travel freely or own Thai assets.

Step towards inclusion

APASS coordinator Wandee said she and her colleagues have been busy explaining details of the five-day application process to stateless persons and migrants who have been waiting for recognition their entire lives.

While rights groups have welcomed the new policy, they are urging authorities to ensure transparency, fairness and efficiency among district officials responsible for its implementation.

As for those eligible, the policy offers something more than just a change in legal status – it will deliver the long-awaited promise of dignity, equality and belonging.