Thai Permanent Residence

Thai Permanent Residency is an option after you have been staying in Thailand for a few years. Once you are convinced that Thailand is for you then the Thai Permanent Residence certificate is an option however it does come with its own conditions as set by Thai immigration. These conditions have been listed below as there are a number of ways to qualify for the Thai Permanent Residence certificate. Once you have this status in Thailand you no longer need to worry about renewing your Thai visa every year.

The first condition for the permanent residence certificate is that you have to have lived in Thailand for at least three consecutive years with a non-immigrant visa. These could be a Thailand Business Visa or a Thai Retirement visa or more commonly the Marriage Visa for Thailand.  The PR status is only offered once a year and there is a limit to the number of foreigners by nationality who may apply each year.

Advantages

Having a permanent residence certificate has its advantages as listed below so it is well worth apply for it. The following would be the advantages of the permanent residency status:

• You may live permanently in Thailand with no annual visa renewal;
• You may obtain an alien registration book which is similar to the National Tabian Baan;
• Also you will obtain the permanent residence book to certify your PR status in Thailand;
• You may now be included in the Tabien Baan;
• Also you may apply for a Thai work permit much easier than before.

Privileges

There are a number of privileges with having a permanent residence certificate. As mentioned above there are numerous advantages to this. These privileges that you can now enjoy are as follows:

• You may now buy a condo using local funds as opposed to the required offshore funds;
• You may in time also apply for naturalization which is a route to Thai citizenship;
• You may now be a director of a public company despite being owned by the Thai majority;
• Your dependents can also apply for an extension of stay and PR based on your Thai PR.

Quota per nationality

Note that there is a quota system for Thai Permanent Residency which is set by the Thai Immigration Bureau. These limit the number of applications each year. The current quota in Thailand is 100 applicants per nationality per year. You need to speak to a Thai immigration lawyer about your nationality quota as it works on a first come first served basis once a year if there are more than 100 applicants.

Application Period

Note that the Thai Permanent Residency applications open once a year. You need to ensure that your application is completed and submitted before the end of its closing date which is normally mid-December. Thai Immigration will notify you of your application status by post and via your lawyer, if you have appointed a lawyer for your application. The results are published by the Thai government in the government newspaper the following year normally around December month. As you will note that the process takes about a year to complete.

Basic Qualifications

The following would be the very basic qualifications for your permanent residence application under the Work category. This has been listed below:

• You have 3 consecutive years of stay in Thailand with a Thai B Visa;
• As well as you held a Valid Thai Work Permit for the 3 consecutive years;
• You earn at least 80,000 THB per month or THB 40,000 if married to a Thai national;
• Also that you have been paying income tax based on the above income with proof;
• You can communicate in Thai – this being both written and spoken.

Do you think you are qualified for Thai PR?

Speak to our immigration lawyer Thailand. If you have read the above and your answer is a resounding YES. Then you are best advised to start the Thai Permanent Residency application process as early as possible. This to ensure that all documentation is completed on time.

See also the Thai marriage renewal as well as the Thai marriage visa application form. You may start the procedure by calling us at G.A.M. Legal Alliance to speak with our Thai PR specialist at this number 02 611 2881 for an initial consultation. We shall be able to evaluate your qualifications and advise you to proceed should we think you are qualified. You can also find the 10 year retirement visa Thailand on here.