Married to a Thai. Can I Apply for Permanent Residency?

[wtboatr]

I'm currently 51 and living in the USA, been Married to a Thai citizen since 2017.  We plan to move to Thailand in 2024.  I will be using the marriage visa in order to stay in the country.

 

Question:  Can I apply for Permanent Residency since I will be living in Thailand under the marriage visa? 

 

I sure would like to avoid the 90 day reporting and possibly buy some land in my name.

 

Thanks,

[jackdd]

After you have worked and paid taxes in Thailand for a few years, and fullfil the other requirements, you can apply for it.

Permanent residents can't buy land. But since you are married it would make more sense to apply for citizenship instead of PR (having worked in Thailand is also a requirement though)

[wtboatr]

I'll be 55 by the time I retire toThailand.  I have no desire to work in Thailand.  I might start a business though.  Would that qualify me to apply for PR or Citizenship?

 

Thanks,

[fishtank]

You need to be working in Thailand and paying income tax.

[ubonjoe]

6 hours ago, wtboatr said:

I'll be 55 by the time I retire to Thailand.  I have no desire to work in Thailand.  I might start a business though.  Would that qualify me to apply for PR or Citizenship?

You could own a business, get a work permit, pay taxes on a income for 3 consecutive years and apply for PR or Thai nationality. For PR the salary requirement is 50k and Thai nationality is 40k baht.

[abrahamzvi]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You could own a business, get a work permit, pay taxes on a income for 3 consecutive years and apply for PR or Thai nationality. For PR the salary requirement is 50k and Thai nationality is 40k baht.

Mind you, for both PR and citizenship, a reasonable knowledge  of the Thai language is required.

[LukKrueng]

All answers above are correct for now. No one knows what will the rules be in 3-4 years time with all the mess around the world due to covid. The new demand for financial proof of 500k thb for a simple single entree tourist visa is a good example for it

[DrJack54]

OP, What advantages will you obtain having PR.

You mention avoid 90 day report. I assume that's a joke. You can do it online in 3 mins or small payment to agent or mail. 

Also mention no desire to work.

It's very easy to live in Thailand obtaining annual extension based on retirement or marriage. 

[EricTh]

People seem to forget that in the past, many foreigners have applied for PR and most have failed even after living in Thailand for more than 10 years.

 

 

 

 

[SWW]

Applying for PR requires a lot of paperwork, and a history of paying income tax for several years. Applying for citizenship has very similar requirements.

 

However, applying for PR can take up to two years (currently) to be approved, and applying for citizenship takes several years (at least three, more likely six) before getting the ID card. The amount of paperwork in both cases is large, and seemingly never-ending. A knowledge of the Thai language is required for PR, and recommended (it's a point-based system) for citizenship.

 

If you want to buy land and have all the freedoms that Thai people enjoy in Thailand, you would need to apply for citizenship.

 

If you have PR, you still need to get a re-entry permit before leaving Thailand (and if you forget, your PR 'expires'). The residence book needs to be updated at the local police station every few years.

[KhaoNiaw]

22 minutes ago, EricTh said:

People seem to forget that in the past, many foreigners have applied for PR and most have failed even after living in Thailand for more than 10 years.

 

 

 

 

From what I've seen, there seems to be a good success rate for people who apply. It sounds like those who really don't stand a chance are advised that before they even put the application in. You can find many many success stories just from this forum. 

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, KhaoNiaw said:

From what I've seen, there seems to be a good success rate for people who apply. It sounds like those who really don't stand a chance are advised that before they even put the application in. You can find many many success stories just from this forum. 

An application has requirements. 

The OP states........ "I have no desire to work in Thailand. I might start a business though. Would that qualify me to apply for PR or Citizenship?" 

Frankly the OP sounds very naive, especially where in OP mentions that PR would negate needing to do 90 day report. Surely a joke.

 

[KhaoNiaw]

29 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

An application has requirements. 

The OP states........ "I have no desire to work in Thailand. I might start a business though. Would that qualify me to apply for PR or Citizenship?" 

Frankly the OP sounds very naive, especially where in OP mentions that PR would negate needing to do 90 day report. Surely a joke.

 

I agree completely and not sure the OP is a genuine post. But I wasn't replying to the OP. 

[NCC1701A]

16 hours ago, wtboatr said:

I'm currently 51 and living in the USA,

you are far better off putting 800,000 baht in a Thai bank and leaving it there year round and getting a retirement extension of stay instead of a marriage "visa". 

 

far less problems with immigration. this is the first class way to go. 

 

you will have to do 90 day reporting forever. 

 

you can't own land. many people will come along and tell you that you can. it is not true. if farangs could own land everybody would being buying and they are not. 

16 hours ago, wtboatr said:

Can I apply for Permanent Residency

as others have stated a very long and drawn out process. 

 

good luck. 

[ftpjtm]

Having a Non-O Visa with Retirement Extension with multiple entries, listing in a Yellow Book, and Thai ID card, I thought I was considered a Thai Permanent Resident. Not so?

[jackdd]

15 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

Having a Non-O Visa with Retirement Extension with multiple entries, listing in a Yellow Book, and Thai ID card, I thought I was considered a Thai Permanent Resident. Not so?

Every year you have to hope to get permission to stay a further year, how permanent does this sound to you?

You are a "temporary visitor", basically the same as a tourist.

[ftpjtm]

22 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Every year you have to hope to get permission to stay a further year, how permanent does this sound to you?

You are a "temporary visitor", basically the same as a tourist.

I didn't realize there was something else. What is the "Permanent Resident" visa type? Does it have to be renewed? Are 90 day reports required? Can it be revoked?

 

I know what my (lack of) status is, I didn't realize there was anything more available short of Elite Visa or Citizenship.

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, What advantages will you obtain having PR.

You mention avoid 90 day report. I assume that's a joke. You can do it online in 3 mins or small payment to agent or mail. 

Also mention no desire to work.

It's very easy to live in Thailand obtaining annual extension based on retirement or marriage. 

While the ease or otherwise of staying on a yearly extension of stay is debatable, the more secure PR or citizenship route will be preferable to others.
 

With a sufficient amount of money to employ people to do the bulk of the work and an ability with language will make the process a lot less stressful.
 

If I were eligible I would certainly be interested but as I am retired and don’t have marketable employment prospects there is no route for me.

[sometimewoodworker]

4 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

I didn't realize there was something else. What is the "Permanent Resident" visa type? Does it have to be renewed? Are 90 day reports required? Can it be revoked?

Permanent resident is not a visa and requires you to be working in Thailand for years, it is an easier ( not easy) option for those not married to a Thai.

 

Both PR and citizenship can be revoked.

[ftpjtm]

1 minute ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Permanent resident is not a visa and requires you to be working in Thailand for years 

Okay, I'll never qualify in that case, but out of curiosity how does one prove they have it? A card? A passport stamp? Does it have to be renewed? Can it be revoked? Are 90 day reports needed?

[sometimewoodworker]

Just now, ftpjtm said:

Okay, I'll never qualify in that case, but out of curiosity how does one prove they have it? A card? A passport stamp? Does it have to be renewed? Can it be revoked? Are 90 day reports needed?

I suggest that some Google fue is your best resort.

[ratcatcher]

43 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

Having a Non-O Visa with Retirement Extension with multiple entries, listing in a Yellow Book, and Thai ID card, I thought I was considered a Thai Permanent Resident. Not so?

With all of the above that you listed, you are a resident in Thailand, at the whim of the Immigration Department. (Not a Permanent Resident who has been granted PR and who has the required book)

Basically you can stay here ad infinitum providing you meet the requirements (Until the day someone in power orders all foreigners OUT.) That is unlikely to happen. IMHO.

[paddyfield7]

18 hours ago, jackdd said:

After you have worked and paid taxes in Thailand for a few years, and fullfil the other requirements, you can apply for it.

Permanent residents can't buy land. But since you are married it would make more sense to apply for citizenship instead of PR (having worked in Thailand is also a requirement though)

plus speaking Thai fluently, plus singing the Thai Anthem and two more songs.....

[userabcd]

Just now, ftpjtm said:

Having a Non-O Visa with Retirement Extension with multiple entries, listing in a Yellow Book, and Thai ID card, I thought I was considered a Thai Permanent Resident. Not so?

I would hazard a guess that some consider they are permanent residents when the acquire their pink ID card and start flashing it about. They are certainly not.

[Sydebolle]

Ha, ha ha, what do we know what 2021 brings in Thailand and you want a crystal ball analysis of what is going on in 2024?

For a PR you need to live on one and the same visa for consecutively three years and fulfill basic criteria of either supporting Thai minors or work and pay taxes on a minimum of THB 110K etc. You will need to pass an interview in Thai language which will be recorded and it takes anything between 9 to 15 months to get the permit. It costs you close to THB 100K for the official government fee; it helps if you get some law office to help you through the maze and keep the file on top of the pile which will be anything between another THB 150K-250K; in today's terms something like USD 12'000. Quite some juice for not showing your face four times a year at the immigration. Forget about buying land in your name too. 

Above is status today and is based on my present understanding, but - in closing - get it from the horse's mouth and ask the immigration at Chaengwattana Road, their head office, as they make and execute the rules and regulations.

As far as 2024 is concerned; why not cross the bridge once you get there? 

[SpanishExpat]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

you are far better off putting 800,000 baht in a Thai bank and leaving it there year round and getting a retirement extension of stay instead of a marriage "visa". 

 

far less problems with immigration. this is the first class way to go. 

Sorry, but how can you say something like that, after having seen it first hand what's been happing during the past months? It`s obvious that retired people in TH are seen as a piece of sh** by both the government and the immigration.

Even if the marriage visa means more hassle it will ALWAYS be a much safer option than the retirement option.

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, SpanishExpat said:

Sorry, but how can you say something like that, after having seen it first hand what's been happing during the past months? It`s obvious that retired people in TH are seen as a piece of sh** by both the government and the immigration.

What are you on? Few weeks back I obtained my next 12 month extension based on retirement. Money in bank method makes it a breeze.

VERY simple process and even better now with online appointment available CW. 

Did my online 90 report online last week, 3 minutes. 

I never have a problem with imm. Mainly because I have everything in order.

 

[Whip]

Find an agency and bribe your way in. Cuts the red tape.

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, Whip said:

Find an agency and bribe your way in. Cuts the red tape.

No idea! 

[SpanishExpat]

44 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What are you on? Few weeks back I obtained my next 12 month extension based on retirement. Money in bank method makes it a breeze.

VERY simple process and even better now with online appointment available CW. 

Did my online 90 report online last week, 3 minutes. 

I never have a problem with imm. Mainly because I have everything in order.

 

Again you don't get my point!! Tell that to all the people on retirement visas, who are out of TH now and desperately want to get back in. Furthermore, no one knowns how they may change the requirements in the future. As soon as a Thai national is involved, be it wife or husband, it`s always better. That`s why I would ALWAYS go for the marriage visa option!