Residency

[HANGLOOZ]

Hi all,

I would like to ask the veteran members of this forum to give their advice. I am  an expat having an Indian passport. I am working in Thailand for last 5 years or so for a large Thai company ( 400 million baht capital and 390 employees , I am the only foreign national working for this company and I head their overseas department ). I have had valid non immigrant visa and work permits for last 4 years sponsored by the same company. I know that after 3 years of continuous stay here , I can apply for a residency.

My question is that do I have any advantage by getting residency ? If I do apply , do I need outside legal help or can I go it by myself. In my company we have a personnel department who will provide all the documents I will need. Account dept will provide the bank details and tax papers etc. my assistant who is a Thai has been helping me to get yearly renewals for work permits and visa extensions etc can do all the clerical works. I had never had the slightest problem till date in getting work permit or a visa extension despite the fact that we do it ourselves. It takes me a maximum of 2 visits to T.M and one 2 visits to labour office to get both.  So is there a real advantage to go to some legal firm and pay their fee. ( some are asking 70000 baht or so ) . will this guarantee a residency ??

I hope to get some sound advice on this.

[george]

1. The advantage with residency is that you don't need to reapply again for one-year visa extensions, and your work permit will be valid longer.

2. You qualify for apply under the working status (stayed here 3 year with one year extensions (unbroken re-entry, work permit)

3. The govt' fees for residence is 55,000 Baht, so you must add those 70,000 baht (cheap offer by the way!). Total 125K.

Cheep!

4. Forget to apply by yourself! Just forget it.You need a very qualified laywer and some 100K tea money extra.

5. The fact that you are Indian citizen makes it extremely difficult, and you could loose all your money incl. laywers fees.

Stay as you are with one-year-extensions. The residency is too dodgy right now.

[HANGLOOZ]

Thanks a lot for your advice.

Actually i have no problem with one year visas. The problem is that I also own some business in Thailand and I do some international consultancy and for the next 3 years I will be getting some steady income from abroad  (by the way do I have to pay any tax on the income from abroad) . Although I make more than 1.5 million baht a year from the comany Iwork with currently, I want to use this time in developing my own business here. As my visa is connected to my job I can not leave it.

I am living together with a thai women for last  4 years and we will get legally married next year as soon a my divorce in united states comes through.

I also own 2 properties here in thailand in her name and a residency will allow me to include my name in the papers. I have no problem in paying the lawyer's fee and the tea money too if i am convinced that it will do me any good. Otherwise i am going to have to get a cat "o" visa next year when i get married.

So even if it is extremely difficuly , is it possible for me to get a residency.

thaks for advice , I appreciate it.

[DaveYo]

Hi Hanglooz.  Just reading your messages.  As of residency as they are telling you, and of what you are thinking has some extra frosting.   There are pros and cons concerning residency, and the pro is true involving property and also gaining more rights toward as Natural Thai Citizen.  On the other hand, yes it is very touchy getting one, and remember only 100 from your country even get such residency per year.  The price tag is very high for such priviledge, and if you already got your one year visa extensions plus work permits all but settled into routine, is it worth your time and trouble to spend nearly 200,000 Baht on a chance for residency because on one stroke of the pen you can lose not only that but everything that comes with it.  I too thought of this before, but for me it is not worth it.  If you got land and home etc, make sure you invest your money on a good lawyer to see to it that these items is also leased to you on a 30 year deal and solid.  If your girl dies and it is not leased to you while you living there, her family can move in instantly and send you packing pronto.  At least with the lease, you still have rights to stay where you are at, and not be out in the street and lose every investment you have done.   Oh, by the way, I can use a good job in Thailand, and is looking for work before i get there.  Can you help me?   I am a mechanic by trade and can fix most anything and also supervise too and teach others my knowledge.  Bottom line is I can sure use a good job there and earn a few bucks to supplement my income.   Any help from you would be appreciated.  Take care    :blues:

[HANGLOOZ]

Dear Dave,

Thank you for your response. I will give it another thought. I think there is no danger of me loosing the houses which i have . They were given to us by the family itself. They are the one's who are telling me that i should get residency so that my name can be included. they worry that if i loose my job then staying in Thailand will be uncertain and they do not want that i should be bothered with all that. They are very sweet people and we are very close. Since the very beginning they have worked towards making things easy for me and my girl and they have enough money. I am grateful to them.

I am not in a hurry to get residency so i can wait. if this year's quota is full then maybe next year i will get ahead in waiting line. The idea was to know that is it possible in the first place.

I am very sorry but outside of ophthalmic optics , i dont know any thing or any body . I believe that getting a job in Thailand is becoming difficult now but still for someone who is determined this can work out. If you have some specific way in which i can help then let me know. I dont know anybody who needs a person with mechanic knowledge but i will keep my eyes open and if something turns out , i will let you know

Thanks for  your advice.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Ahhhhh now I know where to get inexpensive glasses. Residency will not entitle you to have your name on a

land title in Thailand. Make your long term decision on

some other basis. Your company is not small, is there

a legal officer with whom you can discuss your ideas?

[HANGLOOZ]

Dr Pat Pong

No problem for glasses . we make some of the best in the world for global markets. Any time you want them send me a PM

Yes we do have a legal department but they are not very good in matters of immigration. So i thought to have the view of the masters.

I thought that residency will allow me to add my name in the land document. i can not have it alone but my name can be added . Well if not, then maybe this whole excersize is futile anyway. I will have to re think the whole thing. What do you suggest ?

thanks for you comments though . i appreciate it.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Have a rethink......it is, in your circumstances, impossible to get on the title personally. A corporate structure can be set up to own the property ( alas, expensive to set up and to keep going ) or a lease deal to cover you. You need a lawyer to do this, but it is not too difficult nor too expensive.

[sevinnow]

As you well know anywhere in the world "it's not what you know but who you know". and in Thailand when it comes to Residency it is more paramount than anywhere eles.

Spend time finding out who the lawyers are with the "connections" to the high raquatie of the the immigration depts because those lawyers are the ones who get the "100" visa's granted, nothing to do with history ect especially for the lay men like you and I.

Sev

:cool:

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Hey Sevin....educate me, whatever is RAQUATIE ? New word on me ...can't be English can it ?

[HANGLOOZ]

Thanks Sevinn

can you rcommend some such lawyer ? can anyone here recommend such a lawyer ??

what do you think Dr. Pat Pong ??