Michael Hare

So glad I took out PR 15 years ago, At the time, I thought everyone who lived in Thailand for any length of time could get PR. This was because my late Thai wife got automatic NZ PR when she married me and we moved to NZ.  Little did I know this is not the case in Thailand. However, with my Thai PR case, everything was straightforward and I got Thai PR. And what is the best thing now. The pink ID card. 

On 8/22/2019 at 1:56 PM, Tagaa said:

As usual with ThaiVisa, lots of wrong information in posts to numerous to quote...mostly concerning the Blue Book. The one correction that I will make is that a foreigner WILL NEVER be listed in a Blue Book, unless for reasons unknown, he becomes a Thai citizen.

 

By the way, good ole Roni61 joined TV on Monday, made the OP, logged back in on Tuesday & hasn't checked back since. Take it for what it's worth.

The one correction that I will make is that a foreigner WILL NEVER be listed in a Blue Book, unless for reasons unknown, he becomes a Thai citizen.

This statement is not correct. Wrong information. I am listed in the blue house registration book as I have PR. I have been for 15 years. I have never been listed in a yellow book. I have never even seen a yellow book. Before I got PR, I had the old house registration foolscap size sheet which was a lighter blue colour to the house owner's darker blue sheet. 

6 minutes ago, Patriot said:

Pink ID is all that’s necessary 

Agreed

8 minutes ago, Angry Dragon said:

Apologies if this has been raised in the previous 233 pages, but I just wanted to get TV's insights on the various annual requirements after receiving PR.

 

1.  For alien book (red book), this needs to be certified/endorsed by your local police department (where you are registered on the tabien ban) once a year.  Police departments will often provide five years of renewals at once (so you only need to make a trip to the police once every five years in this case).

 

2.  For the residency book (blue book), this needs to be endorsed once a year as well?  This is where it gets confusing to me.  The residency book is where they stamp your re-entry permit, which is required before leaving Thailand (just like with a normal visa).  Is the endorsement in the residency book something different from a re-entry permit?  If I routinely come and go multiple times a year and use a re-entry permit am I covered, or do I need a separate endorsement as well every year?

 

thanks in advance!

 

 

Not quite right.

1 Red brown book Once every five years at your local police station HQ. Cost is 800 baht. 

2 Blue book You do not need to get it endorsed at all. Never. Only need to get the re-entry permit (multiple or single) put in if you intend leaving the country. I have gone five years without ever leaving Thailand. As you routinely go out every year, then when you apply for a reentry permit you hand over your passport and blue book at the same time. The cost for multiple reentry permit is 3,900 baht in your passport and 1,800 baht in your blue book. Total of 5,700 baht. 

Have you got your pink ID card yet? Very useful inside Thailand. 

TSF has four stores in Ubon city but the one mentioned above is their biggest. The others are in the city; one near Makro, another opposite Sunee Hotel and the original one right in the centre of town near the main city park. Homepro is pretty good for appliances. They also sell paint, doors, and water filters. Houses these days in Isaan seem to require a water tank, filter and pump because the city water supply in most parts is not clean, trickles out and sometimes is off for a day or more. 

Looks great. Even the toilets have been upgraded.

9 hours ago, ubonrthai said:

I've been out of town a couple months. Have they started any underpass construction on the Yaso/Amnat intersections of the ring road yet?

Started on the Yaso intersection. Trees have gone and lots of digging where the trees were. Will also widen the 4 lane road from the intersection towards the two bridges crossing the Little Mun River. 

1 hour ago, jayceenik said:

Good info. What is the "ECC" and where is it "near TSM" ?

ECC is the English Language Centre at the northern end of Tung Sri Muang (big park in centre of Ubon). Across from the traffic lights on the right hand side and also across the road from the Ubon Plaza shopping centre. Been in the same place for over 25 years.

I don't understand why farmers have to grow grass that then has to be chopped up before the cows can digest it. Grow succulent, leafy species that the cows can digest without chopping. Saves labour, time and electricity.

1 hour ago, Patriot said:

Further to the above, and again in Ubon, what is the procedure for changing the address in one's car book.

The car is in my (farang) name and the address is my rental home. I shall soon be needing to change the address to our new property - only a kilometre away, but diffent village -  for the regular Traffic Violations I receive!

Does one have to present a newly addressed Yellow Book, or just a new Tabian Baan to the P.T.O.?

Thanks Guys

Chris

I don't think it is that important to change the address in the vehicle registration book. My two vehicles still have my old house address which I sold five years ago. Still if you want to change the address it is straight forward. Just take your new house registration book to the traffic department and the new address will be printed on another page.

I think the traffic department will have your new address in their computer system, because when you renew your annual car registration, the insurance papers you present, will have the new address. 

15 hours ago, yokat said:

I may be wrong but here are some reasons I would see against PR:

- The price is not insignificant, it's money you actually spend, not have to hold somewhere

- You still need re-entry permits

- Re-entry permits are inconvenient to get for PR holders

- The process to obtain PR is looooooong

- PR can be lost if for some reason you spend more than a year out of Thailand

 

And more personally, I am not ruling out other countries.

Getting PR many years ago has been one of the best things I have done in Thailand.

1 Once I got PR there were no more yearly trips to Immigration to get my annual visas to stay working in Thailand. Often it meant two trips if some paper work was forgotten or not signed properly.

2 No more 90 day reporting. In those days I had to drive a 70 km round trip from Ubon to Phibun Immigration to get this done. 

3 Once I got PR life became easier. My passport gets locked away in my safe and I use my ID card for everything in Thailand. Banking, traveling, checking into hotels etc. My passport only comes out when I travel overseas. I can even let my passport expire as my ID is for life.

4 Getting a reentry permit In Ubon is a simple straight forward process. I only do this when I have to travel. Sometimes two-three years go by with me having no need to travel overseas.

5 Getting the red book stamped at the police station once every five years for 800 baht is also a simple straight forward process.

6 I now can get a work permit for two years. My passport is not needed. 

14 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

Yes, if working is what I continue to do. Let´s say I worked finished and want to apply for a PR for continued retirement. Is there any proof required then?

Regarding working and no financials, that is the same for working without a PR, but you still need to maintain the requested amount of salury to be given the work permit based on what country you originate from? Is that right?

 

That is not correct. Once you get PR it is forever as long as do this. Every five years get another stamp in the old red book for 800 baht at your local police station. Always get a reentry permit when leaving the country and come back before the reentry permit expires. 

You do not have to work once you have PR. It is for the rest of your life. If you are retired and do not want to travel outside of Thailand, the only thing you have to do is get the stamp in the red book every five years. 

1 hour ago, Arkady said:

The answer to the OP's question is complex.  I have also been mystified as to why many more qualified people I knew didn't apply.  Of course, today the Thai language requirement is a hurdle for some and the fees are no longer cheap.  When I applied in the late 90s there was no language requirement and the total fees were only B52,000 for everyone (2,000 application fee and 50,000 on success). Still many people were derisive about the idea of applying - "why would I want to do that", was a common response, and I gave up trying to encourage them to apply.  Over the years many of those naysayers, who are still here, have complained bitterly about how increasingly badly they are treated by Immigration as temporary residents and some have been beset by crises such as sudden loss of job and immigration status simultaneously. Some applied many years later, after enduring all these hassles for years, and found it was much harder than, if they had applied as soon as they were qualified. I think for most long term residents who are qualified and can afford it could but don't apply,  the real reason is that they can't be bothered.

 

Fortunately for males married to Thais the Thai government, in its munificence, provided a better alternative in 2008, which may work for some. That is the ability to apply for citizenship without getting PR first with virtually the same requirements, i.e. three years on a work permit, but the salary requirement is only B40,000 a month.  Strangely enough this is a much easier and cheaper option. There is a language requirement but it is waived for those married to Thais who are allowed to have their Thai spouse help them in the panel interview.

I got PR in 2004 because I thought it was the normal thing to do if one intended, as I was, going to live several years in Thailand. My late wife lived with me in New Zealand for 14 years and had PR. She said that I must have PR in Thailand. So I got it. Living here in Ubon Ratchathani it meant making four trips to Bangkok for interviews etc. I did everything by myself. now I have PR it is absolutely great. One problem though; many Thai people (officials included) don't understand what it is.

Now I would apply for citizenship if I could do everything here in Ubon which I can't I am informed. I just can not be bothered making trips to Bangkok and going from one Thai department/ministry to another with documents and papers. PR, for me, is good enough. I renewed my work permit last week and got it for two years. 

On 7/5/2019 at 6:12 PM, tfranz said:

Oh no. That would be bad news!

The next water park I know and took the kid to is in Ubon. That's quite a drive though.

Are there any other water parks (or similar) around Mukdahan (in any direction)?

I live in Ubon. I stand to be corrected, but to the best of my knowledge there is no water park currently operating in Ubon. There was a big water park behind Central Plaza but that has been closed for many months. There is the swimming pool complex at Sunee Tower which has water slides. Running water parks must not be a viable business. 

23 hours ago, gunghang said:

Years ago my embassy made a photocopy of my passport and put their seal on it and an officer blessed it.  Today, my feeble antique brain can't even remember what I needed it for. Maybe I was doing something at the MFA.

 

I needed a translation of my passport for my yellow book/pink ID.  I did not need to have it blessed by the embassy. This was in Buriram province, but not A. Muang.

 

I've used it once so far. I opened a bank account. I wish I had tried to use it instead of my passport for my DL. My name would have been in both Thai and English. Also, my passport expires before my DL; but my pink ID has no expiry. 

Even using your ID card, you may not be able to get your name printed in Thai on your drivers licence. Here in Ubon Ratchathani my first 5-year drivers licence issued in 2010, had my ID card number printed in both the Thai and English sections and my name printed in Thai in the Thai section and in English in the English section. 

When I renewed the drivers licence in 2015, they refused to use my Thai ID card number (I have prermanent residence) and insisted that my Passport number be used in both sections. I pointed out to the police officer doing this, that my passport was going to expire in 6 months time, whereas my ID was for life. I said that last time my ID card number was used and not my passport. She said all foreigners must use their passport and to stop telling her how do her job!

I received the new driver's licence and on my way home, the police officer rang me and asked for me to return as they had made a mistake. Upon my return, I found that the "mistake" was that in the Thai section, my name was printed in Thai and not English. It must be in English. Foreigners can not have their name in Thai in the Thai section. 

But this was in Ubon Ratchathani. Buriram and other provinces may be different.

Next year when I renew my licence for another 5 years, I wonder what "changes" will be made this time. 

The workers must be all at my seed warehouse building site in Ubon! Sorry about that. Got to pay them well and give them lunch.

The workers must all be at my seed warehouse building site in Ubon! Sorry about that. Got to pay well and give them lunch. 

22 hours ago, onthemoon said:

You have to renew the Red Book which you got from the police station every 5 years. Late-renewal fine is THB 400, that's all. (According to my experience.)

 

If you have a pink ID (not compulsory), it expires every 10 years.

My pink ID card is for life.

1 hour ago, johng said:

Another thing that can cause certain devices not to connect is special character's and/or spaces in the routers WiFi SSID name.

Definitely agree with that. Four years ago I moved into a new house in Ubon. I had 3BB service at my old house and got the 3BB service at my new house. I wanted a new router which would give me a wider range. Once connected, the WiFi worked well with the computers and mobile phones but not with my old WiFi grace digital radio which I have in my kitchen. Sorted that out but everytime we had a power cut, it seemed to mess up the WiFi radio connection. Also the Netflix connection from the WiFi to the TV seemed to get messed up. The 3BB technican didn't seem to be able to sort this out. My son who is a computer engineer in Bangkok was up on holidays and quickly solved the problems. He removed certain characters etc from the settings in the router and now all devices work perfectly, and after power cuts there are no problems. 

The technicans at 3BB and also at TOT are usually not very bright and either just guess at what the problem or just can not be bothered. 

When I got my last 5 year endorsement at the Ubon Ratchathani police station I asked the officer how many PR holders were in the Ubon province. He thought about 400 hundred. I, myself, have not come across another "farang" having PR status in Ubon. But a few years ago I was at a local Vietnamese-Thai funeral and when I explained that I had PR and had a red book, the people around me all said just like us!

8 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

When you obtain an exit/re-entry stamp it's placed in your original passport and your PR book, and the words on the stamp placed in your passport are:

_____________________________________________________

       NON-QUOTA IMMIGRANT VISA

 

       No.  ................................................ 

 

       This visa is good for  multiple  return journeys to Thailand. 

       It must be utilized before ......................

 

_____________________________________________________

In reality this is an exit/re-entry stamping.

Is this what you see as PR re-approval?

 

Let's remember that this stamp only goes into a passport when the PR holder requests an exit / re-entry stamp.

 

If it's a single entry exit/re-entry stamp it could be stamped into the passport and used tomorrow to leave Thailand and return to Thailand the next day. On return this stamp is now redundant (used). In other words it's not a re-approval of PR, and it's not an annual re-approval of PR, remembering that another single journey exit/re-entry stamp might be obtained and used the next week. Annual is not in the picture.

 

To continue, maybe the PR holder doesn't apply for an exit/re-entry stamp (single journey or multiple journeys) for another ten years. But you seem to be saying that there is a requirement for PR re-approval every year.

 

In 20 plus years nobody at the passport control desks (out or in) has ever mentioned anything about this, and when I have applied for a new PR blue then white book (because old book close to full - now recently started the third white book) nobody has ever mentioned that I should have got an annual PR re-approval before I applied for an exit/re-entry stamp.

 

 

Can I please ask other PR holders, do you get an annual PR re-approval stamp in your passport? (Not meaning an exit/re-entry stamp, which is a different matter). 

 

Thanks.

 

Further, you mention 'endorsement'.

 

Endorsement in this scenario actually means 'copied', and means that the exit/re-entry stamp just placed in the passport is endorsed / copied into the PR book. 

 

All PR holders pay 3,800Baht for the exit/re-entry stamp to be placed in their passport.

 

Then all PR holders pay 1,900Baht for the same stamp / details to be endorsed /copied into the PR book.

 

 

Arkady / other PR holders would you please share your understanding on all of this.

 

 

 

Scorecard you are absolutely correct in everything you say. I only get an exit reentry stamp when I want to leave Thailand on a holiday or business. Then I get a multi-entry exit-reentry stamp which costs a total of 5,700 baht as stated by Scorecard. A few years ago I never left Thailand for three years and therefore never had to get this exit-reentry stamp. No point in paying out 5,700 baht for nothing and wasting a trip to immigration. 

In all my years in Thailand and years of holding PR, I have never heard of what Onthemoon is writing about: 

Our conversation has just clarified that in Thailand, you need to get an endorsement and a new visa every year if you have PR, even though the PR is confusingly called "permanent" - it vapourises the moment you leave the country without these yearly stamps. Nothing permanent about that.

For PR holders there is no such thing as an annual visa. PR holders also can let their passport expire as they have PR. Of course, if they have to leave Thailand, they will have to have a current passport and get the exit-reentry stamps in their passport and blue-white book.