Bobcat

I applied by myself, Guy, but I did have a couple of people assist me in preparing all of the necessary documents, of which there are many. However, I understand that many people have a Thai person go with them to Suan Plu (Room 301), whether it be their spouse, a lawyer or someone else.

I'm sure if you were unable to carry on a simple conversation in Thai you may not get through. However, I believe that the expectations of the Immigration Department when it comes to foreigners speaking/understanding/reading the Thai language is quite low. When I told the person examining the test that I would like to read the multiple choice questions myself rather than having them read to me, she laughed. It was only after I read the questions aloud to her that she believed that I was able to read. This just goes to show that expectations are not particularly high. make sure you brush up on your Thai general knowledge (geography, Royal Family, provinces etc), be able to converse at a basic level and learn your personal introduction and I'm sure you'll be just fine.

Cheers,

Bob

I do not recall the exact breakdown, Andrew, but I believe that the 70 points are made up of the following matters: length of time in Thailand, employment history, monthly salary (probably the most important), tax payments, nationality, age, relationship with Thai persons (ie marriage - but not sure how much this matters), details of employer. There may be others, but these are the main considerations.

Cheers,

Bob

I obtained my PR earlier this year. There are 100 points in total, 30 of which are "language" related. The first 10 points is for your "interview" with the officer, where they ask you to basically confirm your personal details - name, address, telephone number etc. They may also ask you if you are married/have a girlfriend/boyfriend etc, a bit of small talk. The second set of 10 points is the multiple choice test. They will read the questions to you if you cannot read Thai. The thrid set of 10 points is the video. You need to introduce yourself, where you come from, job, salary (don't forget that), why you like Thailand and why you would like to have PR. Dont's forget to wai at the start and at the end of the video. I was told by the officer that you need to pass BOTH parts - ie the 30 point language part and the 70 point remainder. I specifically asked what would happen if one obtained a perfect score on the non-language related 70 points and failed the 30-point language portion, and was told that the person would fail, notwithstanding having received at least 70 out of 100. I must say that I am not sure if this is true or not, and I doubt it to be honest. But you never know. The most important factor is your job and your salary.

You have plenty of time before your interview, which, if you apply in Dec 2005, will be in March 2006. You have more than enough time to practice your video presentation. Also, the multiple choice questions are not difficult, but you need to brush up on your Thai listening skills if you are unable to read Thai yourself.

Good luck,

Bob

All you Aussie's out there - do you know if Cherry Ripe's are available in Thailand? I recently returned from Aus and have developed a taste for the old Cherry Ripe.

Cheers,

Bob

If the UK company held more than 39% of the shares you will not be able to register the land.

This is not correct. The land Department will register the land as long as the foreign shareholding is not more than 49% AND at least 4 out of the 7 shareholders are Thai. The regulation relating to registration of companies whose foreign shareholding was 40% or more was abolished 2 years ago. I have recently registered numerous transactions where companies with 49/51 splits have had land registered in their names at the Land Department. Sunbelt, PM me if you would like a copy of the land Department regulation abolishing the 40% rule. You may want to show this to provincial branches of the land Department if they have no caught up with the changes yet.

As long as your pre-sales activities are outside Thailand, and you don't do any other business in Thailand, I think you should be okay. You'll likely pay Aussie tax, but would not expect you to pay tax in Thailand as you won't be working. Drawing from your ATM/credit card sounds fine to me as well. Not sure about renting an apartment long-term without a work permit or longer-term visa, though. Most landlords would want to see some evidence that you'll be around for a while or at least are permitted to be around. I'm sure others will have more info and thoughts.

Cheers,

Bob

Performing work as part of a sentence handed down by a Thai court does not require a work permit. There are notifications issued by the Ministry of Labour that deal with this issue.

This is for real. I know someone who has purchased pixels. What a brilliant idea.

Check out www.thai2english.com and type in red tape. Comes up with the phrase Neeranam suggested as well as the one I prefer which is ระเบียบราชการที่จุกจิกเกินไป

If you have no university degree, there is a specific form that your employer must fill out - the employer must certify that they have evaluated your work experience, and find it acceptable, in lieu of degree.

This makes sense and sounds like it should work for you given your work experience and the fact that your company is supporting you.

Good luck.

Bob

Ever since I have had my name in the blue tabiaan baan book, I have found it helpful in a number of instances. It's another piece of official paper to add weight to the non-transient nature of my existence here in Thailand.

Cheers,

Bob

Perhaps they are asking for university degree certificates, in which case you would not need to worry. What certificate did you get at 15? I only had to show my university degree, not copies of my high school certificates. The midical is very easy. Blood pressure, weight, open your mouth and say "ah" and that's it. No blood work done. They just give you the once over and if you look okay, then they will issue you with a certificate. When you go to the hospital, just tell them you need a medical certificate for your work permit.

Yes, sabaijai, I'm taking the plunge. The reading/speaking part of the exam happens after the 3-hour long written portion of the test (including the essay, dictation and comprehension). By that time, my hand will probably be bleeding! Then I think there is a small rest of around 5 minutes or so. Students sit down and wait to be called to a desk. There are about 30 single desks in a huge exam room, each with an ajarn. The ajarn gives you something to read aloud (including some Thai poetry- yikes!) and then after you're done reading, the ajarn will engage you in conversation to test your spoken Thai. My teacher says his contacts at the Ministry of Education have informed him that I shouldn't expect easy conversation. One example given was what would you do if you were in charge of organizing a campaign to increase awareness of Thai cuisine in foreign countries. You have to speak immediately and off the top of your head.

Lambous - the application fee is 500 Baht and applications are open between 3 October and 20 October 2005. The exam is on 17 December.

Must go, I've got a bit of study to do!!

Cheers,

Bob

From reading the application forms and accompanying material, this years test will be extremely difficult. There is no letter writing section (becuase it was found that peoplewere simply memorizing format letters) and there will be a spoken portion as well. The examiners have come to realize that people simply study to pass the test and this has been deemed by the MOE to be an undesirable state of affairs. Accordingly, this will be a very detailed exam to see if people are able to communicate (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in the Thai language.

The breakdown of this years test is as follows:

Dictation (30 minutes) - 20 marks

Comprehension (60 minutes) - 30 marks

Essay Writing (90 minutes) - 35 marks

Reading and Spoken test (no set time) - 15 marks

It will be a killer for sure. Students are expected to even know about Thai literature and poetry. After I read all of the info on the website, I feel a bit nervous to say the least. But you know what they say - สู้ๆ

This is a no-brainer as far as I am concerned. Bring your parents to Thailand. They will have their son, their grand-daughter and lots of love and caring. Don't stick them in a nursing home.

Neeranam, yes you would use the word "ka" if you are a female speaking on behalf of your female friend. However, the OP would use the word krup in the above context becuase it is he (male) that is the one speaking to the Thai person. He would not need to say "ka" - his female friend would use that particle if she spoke to the Thai person herself. What the OP (male) is telling the Thai person is "thank you", which is "korp khun" only. In this particular context, the polite particle "ka" can be omitted. However, of course you can use "ka" as well to emphasize that your female friend is being very polite.

I agree with Kat!

BambinA, yes, absolutely - the words you have added make the sentence so much smoother. Thank you!!

I wonder if this might work - เขาฝากบอกขอบคุฌด้วยนะครับ "kao faak bawk korp koon duay na krup". You might drop the "na" if the situation was a bit more formal. Yoot or Bambi, would this sound natural to you?

The exam is being held on Saturday 17 December 2005. All details, including where, when, details of the exam itself, as well as an application form that you can download, are available online at http://bet.obec.go.th/

Good luck!

Bob

Sunbelt is absolutely correct.

If you are a director resident in Thailand then you are required to have a valid work permit for each company.

http://www.thaivisa.com/513.0.html

This should help.

Cheers,

Bob

You should contact Tony Ja, of "Tom Yum Goong" and "Ong Bak" movie fame. There was a large farang bad guy in his last film. You'd be perfect for something like that. Find out who the directors/producers of those movies were and contact them. You never know.