US citizenship vrs. land ownership in Thailand

[slowlyman 118]

Had dinner with a few Thai couples the other night. One couple is coming up on the time for Citizenship. The group consensus was that it would be a bad idea for her to become a USC because she owns a substantial amount of Rai in Thailand. If she became a USC, she would have to give up the land.

Any experiences with this?

[Karee 4,190]

Had dinner with a few Thai couples the other night. One couple is coming up on the time for Citizenship. The group consensus was that it would be a bad idea for her to become a USC because she owns a substantial amount of Rai in Thailand. If she became a USC, she would have to give up the land.

Any experiences with this?

This land thing seems to change on a regular basis. There's been talk on and off, for at least the last 10 years that I'm aware of, about if a Thai marries a foreigner that the Thai will have to prove that the money used to buy the land didn't come from the foreign spouse. That seems to change every 6 months. There was even talk a couple years ago about them taking the land if they could prove that the foreigner's money was used to purchase it, but I haven't heard anything about that proposal recently. It was just some politician trying to stir up nationalism.

As far as your friend, just because she becomes U.S. citizen doesn't meant a thing as it stands now. She's still Thai. It's perfectly fine to have dual U.S./Thai citizenship at this point in time and it will not affect any existing land ownership.

That said, the rules change like the wind there.

[Karee 4,190]

ETA: Dig around on Thaivisa.com and see what the latest is.

[slowlyman 118]

I brought up dual citizenship, but the group seemed to think becoming a USC would disqualify her from ownership. Like you say things change all the time. Interesting choice they need to make though.

Out of curiosity what are the advantages of becoming a USC that might make a person consider risking her land? I assume her current status is permanent resident non USC? Can that status be maintained indefinitely?

[Karee 4,190]

I brought up dual citizenship, but the group seemed to think becoming a USC would disqualify her from ownership. Like you say things change all the time. Interesting choice they need to make though.

Out of curiosity what are the advantages of becoming a USC that might make a person consider risking her land? I assume her current status is permanent resident non USC? Can that status be maintained indefinitely?

If I was them, I wouldn't worry about becoming a USC. How would the Thai govt. even know? Just enter and leave Thailand on the Thai passport, and there's really no way for them to know if someone becomes a USC.

Personally I think the biggest benefit of becoming a USC is the passport. There's the social security thing as well. As far as remaining a permanent resident, that's no problem at all. Many people live their whole life renewing 10 year green cards with no issues.

India is a country, where becoming a USC can be bad news. You have to file some kind of paperwork after you become a U.S. citizen, and then you're considered OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) They restrict you from buying farmland and some other stuff. I think you lose the right to vote there as well.

[Karee 4,190]

I brought up dual citizenship, but the group seemed to think becoming a USC would disqualify her from ownership. Like you say things change all the time. Interesting choice they need to make though.

Out of curiosity what are the advantages of becoming a USC that might make a person consider risking her land? I assume her current status is permanent resident non USC? Can that status be maintained indefinitely?

If I was them, I wouldn't worry about becoming a USC. How would the Thai govt. even know? Just enter and leave Thailand on the Thai passport, and there's really no way for them to know if someone becomes a USC.

Personally I think the biggest benefit of becoming a USC is the passport. There's the social security thing as well. As far as remaining a permanent resident, that's no problem at all. Many people live their whole life renewing 10 year green cards with no issues.

India is a country, where becoming a USC can be bad news. You have to file some kind of paperwork after you become a U.S. citizen, and then you're considered OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) They restrict you from buying farmland and some other stuff. I think you lose the right to vote there as well.

Oops. Double post. Not sure how that happened

[Ning 619]

I brought up dual citizenship, but the group seemed to think becoming a USC would disqualify her from ownership. Like you say things change all the time. Interesting choice they need to make though.

Out of curiosity what are the advantages of becoming a USC that might make a person consider risking her land? I assume her current status is permanent resident non USC? Can that status be maintained indefinitely?

The biggest advantage is freedom. I own land there and if I had to give it up to be a U S citizen I would. In Thailand we are free to a certain point but its nothing like being a USC. But as Karee says this concept changes every twenty minutes seemingly.

There are ways to own the land even if we are USCs but those methods take a certain Thai twist just as many other things that go on there.