BANGKOK, Thailand – Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has revoked the Thai citizenship of an Israeli-born gem and jewellery entrepreneur after he failed to disclose and renounce his other nationalities, in a case highlighting the strict terms attached to naturalisation.

Interior Ministry Probes Israelis’ Thai Citizenship Cases

The order, signed on 1 October in Anutin’s capacity as interior minister, targets A. B., a Bangkok-based businessman who obtained Thai nationality in 2019. Evidence showed he kept using his original Israeli passport after naturalisation — including to travel to and from Hong Kong on the very day his Thai ID card was issued, which officials deemed a continued exercise of his original citizenship in breach of Thai conditions.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has signed an order revoking the Thai citizenship of an Israeli-born man for failing to disclose and renounce other nationalities upon naturalisation.

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— Bangkok Post (@BangkokPostNews) October 1, 2026

Dual nationals are permitted to hold a second passport if their home country allows it, but they must use their Thai passport to enter and leave Thailand. Investigators also found Mr B. never disclosed his Uruguayan citizenship during his application, nor renounced it, and later travelled abroad on that passport multiple times.

Thai Cabinet Grants Citizenship to 483,000 Long-Term Residents

He was naturalised after notice appeared in the Royal Gazette on 3 April 2019, with his first Thai ID card issued on 14 June that year. For foreigners seeking citizenship through permanent residency, the path is extremely narrow: residency approvals are capped at 100 per nationality annually, with only around 200 to 300 granted in total each year. Applicants must then hold residency for at least five consecutive years before applying, and final approval from the interior minister can take another three to five years.

-Thailand News (TN)