Overseas Thai people (Thai: คนไทยพลัดถิ่น, คนไทยในต่างแดน) can be roughly divided into 3 groups;
A non-resident Thai is a citizen of Thailand who holds a Thai passport and has temporarily emigrated to another country for employment, residence, education or any other purpose.A Person of Thai ethnics or ancestry (Siamese, Lanna, Isan etc.) who was or whose ancestors were born in Thailand or other countries under Thai ancestry and holds non-Thai citizenship. A person of Thai origin might have been a citizen of Thailand and subsequently taken the citizenship of another country.A Person of Thai origin with foreigner ancestry (Chinese, Persians, Hindi, Pathans, Panjabi, Portuguese etc.) who was or whose ancestors were born in Thailand before 1975 and holds non-Thai citizenship. A person of Thai origin might have been a citizen of Thailand and subsequently taken the citizenship of another country.