Bobcat

Unless you're confident of your tones, I would not use the word "suay" on its own. Using the wrong tone with this word can mean "unlucky" or "unfortunate". To be safe, and to add some more stylish language to your speech, you may wish to use the word sŭay ngaam (สวยงาม - beautiful) instead. Then, even if your tone for the suay part is wrong, you'll be saved by the ngaam.

ืื"Na Rak" is a little more complex in reality than just "cute". It can be used in many situations, and I have recently heard it used to describe a person (male) who volunteered in his spare time to help the elderly. It can me "cute" for children, pets etc, but it also can mean "kind" "helpful" and the like and can be used to describe the good deeds of another.

For the purposes of your weeding speech, I would use beautiful and good-heart. Having a "good heart" (Jai dee) is something very important.

Bob

These are the things I view as benefits to having PR:

Security - I feel more secure having PR. I cannot be kicked out if I lose my job. I don't need any visa to stay in Thailand.

Citizenship - After having PR for 5 years, I can apply for a Thai passport. With a Thai passport, you can own land and don't need a work permit.

No More Tor Tor 3 Etc - If I buy a condo, I do not need to show that the money has come from abroad before my name is registered on the title deed.

Borrowing Money - It is easier to borrow money from a Thai bank.

Blue Tabian Baan - My name is now in my blue tabian baan for my condo. This has proved very useful to me in many situations.

No 90-day Reporting - With PR you do not need to do the 90-day reporting.

Airport Convenience - With PR, you can use the "Thai Passport" line at the airport when leaving and returning to Thailand. This is one of my favourites!

Of course, we all have very different ideas about what is important. To me, the above things make my life here feel more stable and convenient.

Cheers,

Bob

Yes, that is correct - roughly equivalent to "well", "um" "er" (for the French) and the likes. It is a bad habit that seems to be used often by Thai teenagers when responding to questions.

A teacher who uses corporal punishment is in the same broad category as the teacher who rapes their students

How ridiculous.

It could simply be because in order for you to have your deed registered, the money for the condo needs to come from outside Thailand, and to be transferred in foreign currency. If you borrowed the money from a Thai Branch of Bangkok Bank, you probably wouldn't be able to get a certificate of remittance (formerly TT3).

This is the correct answer.

Bob

Yes you can if you are a permanent resident of Thailand. Otherwise, the funds must come from abroad before you will be entitled to register the condo in your name.

he 90-day reporting requirement is found in Chapter 4, Section 37(5) of the Immigration Act 1979. The penalties for not reporting are found in Chapter 8, Section 76 of the same Act. An English translation of the Immigration Act can be found at www.imm.police.go.th/nov2004/en/doc/Immigration_Act.pdf

I am not sure how good the translation is as I have not had a chance to check it against the original Thai version.

Cheers,

Bob

The 90-day reporting requirement is found in Chapter 4, Section 37(5) of the Immigration Act 1979. The penalties for not reporting are found in Chapter 8, Section 76 of the same Act. An English translation of the Immigration Act can be found at www.imm.police.go.th/nov2004/en/doc/Immigration_Act.pdf

I am not sure how good the translation is as I have not had a chance to check it against the original Thai version.

Cheers,

Bob

At the risk of you repeating yourself, I would like to clarify a couple of points with you if I may.

1. I assume for the video you need to speak in Thai.

2. The interview etc is actually some time after you make your application and not at the same time you present your application.

I am delighted to be of assistance to anyone who is going through this process. Having successfully applied and received PR, I have personal, practical experience. As to the additional questions, my responses are as follows:

1. You must speak Thai in the video. The video is reviewed by the PR Committee of the Immigration Department. This committee consists of 6 to 10 members. It is a way for them to see you, your behaviour (remember, you should wai at the start and at the end of the video to show your "Thainess"). I'm not sure if you can use notes, although I would not think this would be a problem as long as you were not ready a script. After all, this is a test of your Thai, your appearance and how you present yourself when dealing with the Thai Government.

2. Your application will be made in December of the year you apply, usually in the last two weeks. Make sure you know when the application period opens and ends. If you miss the deadline, you'll need to wait another 12 months. You MUST apply in person. So be careful for those who intend to travel outside Thailand in the last two weeks of December. On the date of your application, you will be given an interview date, which will usually be in mid-February to mid-March of the following year. You must not miss your interview. After your application is submitted and before your interview, you may be asked to suuply additional information, for example your tax return information for November and/or December of the tear you apply - as these usually will not be available at the time you apply.

If you have any more questions, please let me know. As I said, I am delighted to help anyone who is going through this process.

Kind regards,

Bob

I was a bag of nerves for the video. I spoke too quickly and omitted some of the information that I should have given. The officer was very nice and she promted me to add more information.

With respect to the multiple choice part, I understand that there are a total of different 10 sets of questions, each containing 10 questions. Some the 10 questions I received are not the ones you might get - although I think that they should be roughly asking things of the same category. I cannot remeber them all, but the ones I do remember are as follows:

In what part of Thailand is Phuket? South, North, East or West?

Where in Doi Inthanon? Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket or Pattani?

When is the New Year celebrated in Thailand? 1 Jan, 13 April, 28 December, 12 August?

If applying for PR in Thailand, what is the fee if the applicant is married to a Thai person? (I forget the exact number, but the right answer was something like 95,600 baht)

Which of the following colors is blue? They then had four colored squares on the paper - blue, black, red and orange.

How many provinces are there in Thailand? 77, 76, 56 or 65?

That is all I can remember. Others may be able to recall some additional questions, but I have heard of questions about the Royal Family, Thai cultural events (Loy Kratong, Songran etc).

Cheers,

Bob

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