What Your Embassy Can Do for You?
Embassies are created to maintain good foreign relationship between two countries and provide help and assistance to travelling citizens in the event of emergency. So as an American visitor in Thailand looks to move into the country for work, marriage, or retirement, you should know where your embassy is located and how it can help you.
1. Process application for lost American passport – If you lost this document, your embassy can provide you with a new one (for a fee, of course). For faster-turnaround, prepare the document necessary for the re-application: a police report and, much better, a copy of the lost passport.
Note: When you are able to recover or find your missing/stolen passport, avoid using it if you have already reported the incident to the embassy. It might have been already entered in the Interpol’s database to prevent fraud and misuse; attempting to use it might get you into more trouble.
2. Provide assistance in the event of a crime – If you are a victim of crime, your embassy can help you find a good lawyer as well as a translator. (Professional fees will be shouldered by you.)
3. Arrange transportation in event of money loss – In extreme cases, especially when they can’t contact friends and relatives who can help you, they may arrange your transportation back to the US. (Of course, you’ll have to pay the cost.)
4. Provide consular assistance – Your embassy will provide you consular assistance when you get arrested. They will contact your family as well as arrange a lawyer and translator for you. There are limitations, of course. They cannot bail you out of jail as they cannot interfere with the local legal process. It’s also important to note that your embassy cannot provide you legal assistance if you hold a citizenship in Thailand.
5. Offer medical assistance – This is of course limited to notifying your family and friends about your situation as, again, they cannot pay your hospital bills on your behalf.
6. Offer death assistance – They will be responsible in confirming your identity and getting in touch with your family to collect the paperwork.
7. Help during emergencies – Embassies are created to ensure the welfare of their citizens, so they may provide evacuation services in the event of natural disaster or civil unrest. They may also provide travel advisories, particularly about the travel risk you might face abroad.
Your American embassy, while cannot help you that much financially, can provide you the needed help when you’re out alone in a foreign country. So know how and where you can contact them.
Getting in Touch with Your Embassy
The American Embassy in Thailand is located at 120 – 122 Wireless Road and 95 Wireless Road in Bangkok, Thailand.
Hours of operation are Monday – Friday, 7:00am to 4:00pm. You may contact the Embassy switchboard 24-hours a day, seven days a week at +66-2-205-4000.
Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Whether you are in the country for holiday, work, marriage, or retirement, you may want to know what government offices to go to in the event of lost visa or passport and other emergencies. You need to know who handles which, who it is you need to talk to. One of those important governing bodies you need to be familiar with is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The MFA oversees the country’s foreign relationships. It also manages passport and visa approval, as well as naturalization or legalization of foreigners who want to move in Thailand.
How It Can Help You
1. Passport Production
The MFA issues passports to citizens and nationals under its Passport Division within the Department of Consular Affairs. Biometric/electronic passport have been made available since 2005 and can be processed through the MFA’s website.
Now, if you’re marrying a Thailand citizen and would like to bring her to your home country, you may need to apply for a passport. The requirements for applicants of legal age include:
• Original and valid Thai Citizenship Identification Card, Government Official ID, or any ID that complies with the Ministry of Interior’s rules.
• Postal Service (at around THB 35)
• Application Fee
2. Visa Processing
Visa issuance is also handled by the MFA; this document is required for foreigners entering or leaving the territory. There are some exceptions though. Passport holders from the 48 countries and one administrative region (Hong Kong) are permitted to enter and stay in the kingdom for 30 days without visa. US is on top of the list, so you basically don’t have to worry about visa when you are just in the country to meet your Thai girlfriend.
Complete list of the exempted countries:
1. US
2. Austria
3. Belgium
4. Brazil
5. Bahrain
6. Brunei Darussalam
7. Canada
8. Denmark
9. Finland
10. France
11. Germany
12. Greece
13. Hong Kong
14. Iceland
15. Indonesia
16. Ireland 17. Israel
18. Italy
19. Japan
20. Korea
21. Kuwait
22. Luxembourg
23. Malaysia
24. Monaco
25. Netherlands
26. New Zealand
27. Norway
28. Oman
29. Peru
30. Philippines
31. Portugal
32. Qatar
33. Singapore
34. Spain
35. South Africa
36. Sweden
37. Switzerland
38. Turkey
39. United Arab Emirates
40. United Kingdom
41. United States of America
42. Vietnam
43. Czech
44. Hungary
45. Liechtenstein
46. Poland
47. Slovak
48. Slovenia
Visa Requirement and Conditions
• You must have a valid passport or travel document recognized by the Royal Thai Government.
• You must be outside Thailand during the application process.
• You must apply for the visa in person. (In some countries, however, visa application can be sent by post, or through representatives, or travel agencies to the Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General office.)
3. Naturalization and Legalization Services
The MFA also offers naturalization service for foreign nationals seeking Thai citizenship. You can easily get approved of this if:
• You are 18 years old or older, or have reached the age of legal majority in the US
• You have a good police record
• You have an income of at least TBH 30,000 per month
• You must have lived in the country for five years continuously
• You must know the Thai language, whether speaking or listening, and able to sing the national anthem.
For your questions and inquiries, you may visit the MFA’s office at Chang Watthana Lak Si, 10210, Thailand, located just opposite the Bangkok government center. Or you may contact them by phone, +66 2 643 5000.
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