onthemoon

Good advice. I am one of those who travel out of the country at least once a month, so I have a multiple-entry anyway. However, even if a trip weren't planned, I'd feel better with the re-entry in the passport. The reason is that I have family overseas and you never know when you get a call on Friday afternoon that you have to jump on a plane the next day. Sometimes business can require very urgent trips too.

I just asked them. It is not possible yet for foreigners with PR to apply for autogate. He said they are waiting for an upgrade at the moment. He could not say how long it will take.

Thanks for this. While item 3 with the time limitation is interesting, I don't expect anybody to take action when the application process is delayed. It would be kind of counter-productive, methinks. I re-read item 4 on the website you linked. The applicant needs to be able to conduct a conversation by speaking and understanding the Thai language and present proof of this. So, the Primary School Degree (ป.6) that some of us have will be sufficient. While a certificate from a university will be accepted, there is no mentioning of Chula as was originally posted. It also clearly says that only speaking and understanding is required, no reading or writing. My interpretation of this is that the applicant should be able to conduct a simple conversation (degree of simplicity to be decided by the institution issuing the certificate, and the institution must be accredited by the Ministry of Education), something an applicant will be able to do anyway, Why would anyone apply for a citizenship without speaking the language at least basically, I wonder. So, all is cool. The Thai government just wants to establish that that the applicants speak basic Thai. The German government also requires that. I don't know about other countries, such as the US or Australia.

In my notes, it says 18 months. I must have noted it down from postings in this list. Maybe it was 12 months some longer time ago?

That's 18 months between interview and publication. I believe this was the schedule before Covid, too. So, they are on track. ????

You need the support of your company. I was lucky as I worked for a small company at the time I applied, and one of the owners was a PR holder herself. A big corporation may be reluctant to give you their tax receipts and other internal documents, and they have no obligation to. Sweet-talking will be required... Good luck!

I beg to differ: to keep your PR, you have to get your yearly stamps or never leave the country. If you leave the country without your yearly stamps, the PR will be cancelled. It is not permanent and not for lifetime; you can lose it easily.

Great, and good luck!

Gymnasium: Sweden seems to have the same school system as in Germany or Austria. The degree you get when you graduate (Abitur [DE] or Matura [AT], I don't know what it is called in [SE]) can correctly be translated as "Highschool Degree". PNG90/91: If you worked and paid taxes, but you simply cannot find this paperwork, you can indeed go to the revenue department and request copies. You need your tax ID, bring your passport, and fill in a form stating why you need the copies. They will also certify the copies, which I think you will need. Minimal fee.

The officers are human, they do not just tick boxes. You want to make a good impression. They liked my P.6 certificate and some other stuff (partially not certified as I knew the document wasn't needed) and I had a good chat with my case officer. And why not? I know they are not the final decision makers, but it is never wrong to establish a good relationship. YMMV.

You need from your country of passport. Hand in a copy of your highest degree. Additional certificates from uni won't hurt. If you have a work permit, you will see that it shows only your current employer. I am not sure whether it has changed, but in the past, we needed to be on the same work permit (i.e. with the current employer) for three years. Someone else will chip in and advise whether that has changed. Yes, you need to hand in your PND90/91 for the past three years. If you don't have three years full yet, you will have to wait for another year before you can apply. You will have to ask your company for the PND50 and PND1. Any company documents will have to be provided by the company. It does not matter whether you are the owner or an employee. In fact, if you own a company, you will technically be an employee of your own company. HTH

NON-B = Non-Immigrant Class B (business). You know the drill, you need a Re-Entry Permit before leaving. After you receive PR, you will need to apply for a Non-Quota Immigrant Visa. Another type of visa for you. No more Non-Immigrant visa. You can apply for this Immigrant visa, with multiple entry if you like, after you have received PR. At the same time that you apply for the Immigrant Visa, you also need to apply for an Endorsement in your initially blue (later white) residency book. Another stamp. You need to have both stamps in place before leaving the country. Otherwise, your PR will be cancelled upon return. You can get these stamps only at CW, not at the airport. We often call the visa and the endorsement summarily "re-entry stamp", but they are very different from the re-entry permit you need for a Non-B. Hope this helps.

Let's keep pushing. I already mentioned to the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Industry when he proudly presented the LTR to one of the foreign chambers of commerce earlier this year that it's all fine and good, but why do PR holders need a work permit? Obviously, it is not really necessary as LTR holders - who are a lot less vetted than us - don't. He said that they never thought of that, because there are so few PR holders, so it's easy to forget.... He promised to bring it up in the next meeting with the minister. I am not holding my breath.

Since not even the constitution is set in concrete, I don't think the Immigration Act is. The reason that we even need these visas and Endorsements (read: Re-Entry Permits) is probably the income for the government. What can we say to the Minister, why would it be of advantage for Thailand to do away with this requirement?

Thanks for this report, proving that the "permanent" residency is not permanent. I feel for you.

I agree. They have a list of documents which you need to prepare, and all a lawyer could do is relay that list to you and tick it off one by one. The lawyer cannot do the interview (which will indeed be video-taped) for you. The people at CW are very helpful, and their advice is correct and free.

I can tell you next month. I will just go to CW and renew my book. That's the easiest way to find out.

Pardon me for asking: When were your documents sent to the MOI so that you had your interview in May 2022?

Yeah, the good ol' times... And no, I didn't use a lawyer either. For those who do, that would add to the cost too, of course.

"Just the PR gone" means an inch of documents handed in for nothing, waiting for years (6 years in my case) for nothing, and roughly THB 200,000 in official fees down the drain. Maybe it's just me, but I would consider that a penalty.

I just walked in. That was back in February. I have never downloaded the forms, I always get them there and fill them in on the spot.

Bummer.

If that's true, that's new. In the past we were informed that the Permanent Residency is not permanent at all and certainly not issued for life; to the contrary, it will be automatically cancelled if you come back to Thailand and that stamp in your books has expired. In fact, I had once forgotten to get the stamps, and at departure, the immigration officer was kind enough to notice it and ask me whether I really want to lose my PR status. I thanked him, took a taxi to CW to get those meaningless stamps and finally flew to Vietnam on the evening flight. I understand that due to Covid, expiry has now been extended indefinitely. Does that mean we don't need to get these useless stamps at all any more, and PR has suddenly become permanent? This would be really good news.

Not yet. I haven't even had time to follow up yet.

Kudos to the current government, I say. I wouldn't want to try that path anyway. If it later comes out (in 10 years or so) that you paid amounts without receipt to get the Thai citizenship, they might cancel it and book you for having gotten it through, let's say, deviation from prescribed practice.