Good news for everyone looking to apply for Thai permanent residency. Application dates have been announced.

For 2023, the immigration department at Chaeng Wattana will be receiving PR applications from the 16th of October to the 29th of December.

 

Our article below outlines the announcements and you can find links to our 'Thai Permanent Residency - The Ultimate Guide" at the bottom of the link. Good luck to all applicants! 

 

Read more: https://www.thaicitizenship.com/thai-permanent-residency-for-2023-applications-now-open/

little confused here, only working people can apply, many expats are retirees, thus can not apply

This is really good news.

 

Been pushing up me word count. Ready for the exam. The other day, the daughter asked if I knew 30 Thai words? I said I knew a thousand.

 

Noon, song, sam see, haa,,,. No numbers!!

 

Stuck on 29 at the mo'.

My Thai wife made it to the US for the first time in 2019 on a fiance' visa, and got citizenship in 2023.....so now it's just super simple for her to get back and forth to Thailand, and can stay in either country as long as she likes.  Unfortunately, I don't experience the same benefits in Thailand, so we only spend a few months a year there.  Obviously we spend far more money in the US, just because that's where we live most of the time.  Apparently Thailand has enough money, and does not need another 200,000 baht from me for PR.

Most foreigners who live permanently in Thailand are ( married ) retired foreigners .

Exactly those people are excluded from applying for permanent residence ... because they do not work , just spend the money that they earned abroad  .

Illogical , just as many other things here ...

And yet, we stay...at least until the new and confusing tax regulations go into effect!????

Got mine in 1988; never regretted it. A tedious uphill walk the bureaucracy mountain of your home country as well as Thailand but once you have it, forget all the stamps, permits, TM1-100; the only thing they want afterwards is a re-entry permit (should you wish to leave the country) and a quick visit at the police station every five years. During Covid I did not leave Thailand and hence did not see a single immigration or any other government agency during the whole time. 

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

Got mine in 1988; never regretted it. A tedious uphill walk the bureaucracy mountain of your home country as well as Thailand but once you have it, forget all the stamps, permits, TM1-100; the only thing they want afterwards is a re-entry permit (should you wish to leave the country) and a quick visit at the police station every five years. During Covid I did not leave Thailand and hence did not see a single immigration or any other government agency during the whole time. 

I hope to obtain a work permit in the very near future and start the process to naturalisation. 
I’ve been told by pretty much everyone, thai and foreigner, don’t waste my time, it’s too difficult, the system is against you and so on. 
I’m ready for the years long uphill climb 
 

 

2 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

Got mine in 1988; never regretted it. A tedious uphill walk the bureaucracy mountain of your home country as well as Thailand but once you have it, forget all the stamps, permits, TM1-100; the only thing they want afterwards is a re-entry permit (should you wish to leave the country) and a quick visit at the police station every five years. During Covid I did not leave Thailand and hence did not see a single immigration or any other government agency during the whole time. 

The reason you require a re-entry permit when you leave the country is because you cannot obtain a Thai Passport as a Permanent Resident, as for reporting to the Police Station every 5 years, well, seems like they still don't trust you....LOL

 

Personally, I see no benefit of having Permanent Residency here in Thailand as it could be revoked as quick as any extension/visa, same would apply to Citizenship of a foreigner.

 

But each to their own, if it works for you, kudos.

 

 

4 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Most foreigners who live permanently in Thailand are ( married ) retired foreigners .

Exactly those people are excluded from applying for permanent residence ... because they do not work , just spend the money that they earned abroad  .

Illogical , just as many other things here ...

Oh, come on now, your making my day an overcast one, haven't you gotten accustom to Thai's yet, "up to you" ????

 

I applied for PR in 2007 and got it in 2012! I think the process is much quicker these days. Anyway, once you provide the required documents/information, you just wait. The interview in Thai is pretty simple, so don't be put off by that. It was a good idea to get PR. As a previous poster said: no need for 90 days; no need to do anything during Covid; if your Thai wife dies/leaves you; you still have status in the country.

1 hour ago, MadMuhammad said:

I hope to obtain a work permit in the very near future and start the process to naturalisation. 
I’ve been told by pretty much everyone, thai and foreigner, don’t waste my time, it’s too difficult, the system is against you and so on. 
I’m ready for the years long uphill climb 
 

 

Good for you mate. It's nice to see someone not easily put off by others who easily are. Hope you are successful.

6 hours ago, madisongy said:

My Thai wife made it to the US for the first time in 2019 on a fiance' visa, and got citizenship in 2023.....so now it's just super simple for her to get back and forth to Thailand, and can stay in either country as long as she likes.  Unfortunately, I don't experience the same benefits in Thailand, so we only spend a few months a year there.  Obviously we spend far more money in the US, just because that's where we live most of the time.  Apparently Thailand has enough money, and does not need another 200,000 baht from me for PR.

I hear you and understand - my Thai wife is in the same boat for Australia. For her getting to Australia was about the same as for me getting a Thailand Retirement Visa some years ago - but after that her path to Residency and then Citizenship was easy and achievable.My path to Residency and Citizenship here in Thailand is basically impossible - and I am a far more 'valuable' resource to Thailand, than my wife ever will be to Australia.

 

IMO Thailand should have different Resdiency requirements for citizens from 'selected' countries, such as USA and Australia, that make Residency easier to be achieved.  The Thailand Immigration Act, Laws and Proceedures were made in the 1970s and they are still mentally and structurally back there. I do agree that Thai Citizenship should be much harder to achieve than it was for my wife in Australia, because I can see what would happen if it was too easy.  But Thai Residency should be far more achievable - and perhaps one day in the future it will be. 

5 hours ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

I hear you and understand - my Thai wife is in the same boat for Australia. For her getting to Australia was about the same as for me getting a Thailand Retirement Visa some years ago - but after that her path to Residency and then Citizenship was easy and achievable.My path to Residency and Citizenship here in Thailand is basically impossible - and I am a far more 'valuable' resource to Thailand, than my wife ever will be to Australia.

 

IMO Thailand should have different Resdiency requirements for citizens from 'selected' countries, such as USA and Australia, that make Residency easier to be achieved.  The Thailand Immigration Act, Laws and Proceedures were made in the 1970s and they are still mentally and structurally back there. I do agree that Thai Citizenship should be much harder to achieve than it was for my wife in Australia, because I can see what would happen if it was too easy.  But Thai Residency should be far more achievable - and perhaps one day in the future it will be. 

most of Thai laws are from the stone age era and they were never updated and maybe they will never be because if they updated them that would mean they are moving forward and in Thailand moving forward is a no no 

8 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

The reason you require a re-entry permit when you leave the country is because you cannot obtain a Thai Passport as a Permanent Resident, as for reporting to the Police Station every 5 years, well, seems like they still don't trust you....LOL

 

Personally, I see no benefit of having Permanent Residency here in Thailand as it could be revoked as quick as any extension/visa, same would apply to Citizenship of a foreigner.

 

But each to their own, if it works for you, kudos.

 

 

Well, it did for the last 35 years and I never heard of any PR being revoked, if you follow the rules - which I do. The re-entry is generating some money into the state's coffers; absent for more than one year = PR considered invalid. The police station's visit (a 30 seconds affair) every five years has nothing to do with "trust" but is rooted in the aftermath of the Vietnam war with tens of thousands of refugees. Then they wanted to know, where they are and the never revoked that requirement. On "normal visa" you have the 90-days reporting = same reasoning after 1975 ????