The deadline for illegal Myanmar workers in Thailand to apply for a Certificate of Identity (CI) that legitimises them in Thailand has been extended until 15 May 2023, according to Thai media outlets.

The CI is intended for migrants who do not have a Burmese ID card or a household registration document. A CI will allow migrants to freely travel in order to obtain necessary documents and, eventually, apply for a Burmese passport in Thailand.

“The Thai government issues the CI. There are no regulations. It is Thai government policy to carry out the process whenever they want. Many migrants are interested now. Normally, the deadline is 13 February, but because so many people are doing it now, they [the Thai government) have extended extended the [application] time”, said a Myanmar migrant worker.

“Migrants with a pink card and a household registration document don’t necessarily need to apply for the CI. They can also directly apply for a Burmese Passport and a work permit [also known as the blue book]. They can apply at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok”, he added

After the coup, many people went abroad due to the scarcity of job opportunities in Myanmar. Of those, many went to work in Thailand illegally. If those workers apply for a CI they will then have legal Thai documentation.

Currently, many Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand are without the correct documentation as they have been unable to renew their work permits because they are waiting for a new Myanmar passport.

It is estimated there are more than four million Myanmar workers in Thailand, of whom over two million have been issued temporary passports by the Myanmar government while about 800,000 have pink card identity documents from the Thai government.