The Thai Ministry of Labor is set to open its first Certification of Identity (CI) center for migrant workers in Samut Sakhon District this November. This center will issue CI booklets to verify the identities of migrant workers, regardless of nationality.
The announcement came following an October 21 meeting of the National Committee for Migrant Worker Management. The center aims to provide travel document (TD) issuance for migrants from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and other neighboring countries and support workers with expired permits to renew their documentation.
According to U Min Oo, head of labor affairs at the Foundation for Education and Development (FED) , the CI initiative is particularly focused on workers who missed last year’s documentation schedule under the Thai government’s program.
“The CI will be issued by Thai authorities in groups, focusing on the 8 lakh workers awaiting work permits or pink cards. Half of them have already completed the process, and the remaining will be included in this initiative for these four countries,” he said.
Operations at the new CI center will run through April 2025, with plans for additional centers if there is further demand.
While this new Thai CI center will differ from the Myanmar-issued CI centers, which confirm Myanmar citizenship, U Min Oo noted that specific differences remain unclear. “The Myanmar CI attests to citizenship, whereas the Thai Ministry of Labor’s CI may also include travel documents, but details are still being clarified.”
Labor activists urge migrant workers to register for CI services through their employers or agents at local Labor and Employment Offices. Although there were previously eight CI centers for Myanmar migrants, many were closed by Thai authorities. The only active center, located in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon District, is currently operating on a limited scale.
As of January 2024, there were over 2.3 million legally registered Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand, with an additional estimated 2 million lacking official documentation, according to labor activists.
