I Want To Get On The Road To Permanent Residency In Thailand

[wasabi]

As I've posted on a few other unrelated threads I'm moving to Bangkok soon to study Thai language. I will do this from 1-2 years. At some point during my studies I am interested in pursuing various employment options. One of which is trying to start my own business which most likely will involve consulting work.

If possible I don't want to waste any time. My understanding you must live in Thailand for 3 years on a Non Immigrant visa, during which you must earn 80,000 Baht or more of which you've paid taxes on. You also must be proficient in Thai and have ranking members of Thai society who will testify to your character. Finally a Police background check.

For those more knowledgeable about gaining PR and even more so those who have done it. I will be arriving on a Non Imm ED visa. However as mentioned I have some business ideas and am considering at some point trying to start this up and change over to a Non Imm B visa and start paying taxes.

Is this the type of visa required?

Does only tax paying work qualify, and what if it is a sole proprietorship i.e. I am the only employee? Also say for example I volunteered at an orphanage or another type of charitable non profit work, for which I was granted a work permit but did not pay taxes on. Would the PR granting committee take this into consideration?

What type of people should I be meeting and what type of activities should I engage in to increase my chances?

That's all I can think of but as you can see I'm just trying to steer myself towards PR. If possible I'd like to make the most of my time studying Thai language and my time in Thailand on the Non Imm ED, if another type of visa is needed I'd like to figure out the quickest way to switch to that type... if I do study for 2 years I'm sure it will be very rewarding and fruitful in-itself but if I can simultaneously use this time to chip away at PR that's even better.

I also want to add. I am very fond of Thai people but I'm not at all interested in marriage so I don't want to pursue a route where that is involved.

Edited April 21, 2008 by wasabi

[lopburi3]

Have you read the pinned "useful information" at the top of the page? There is a very long and detailed link there/below for PR that you should read. The requirement is 3 years on one year extensions of stay from Immigration to make application.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=74654

[wasabi]

I have read that thread and saw that it mentioned contributions to society and membership in charitable organizations but I wonder if one is not paying tax in Thailand but has done significant charitable work if that is enough. I also didn't see specifically what type of visa is required. Also I've always heard with one year extension that you need to check in with immigration every 90 days. Is there a type of visa where you only check in once a year and that's what I need? How do I get the right type of 1 year Non Imm visa?

Edited April 21, 2008 by wasabi

[jingjingna]

Wasabi,

I myself have loooked into PR. I finished one conctract, break for a month and then went on to my second contract which lasted three years. Even though I paid all due taxes, Immigration are saying that I will need to start all over again. Since completing my final contract there was a time when I was on a tourist visa only...shame but I am not going any where, so lesson learnt.

[jstumbo]

I have read that thread and saw that it mentioned contributions to society and membership in charitable organizations but I wonder if one is not paying tax in Thailand but has done significant charitable work if that is enough. I also didn't see specifically what type of visa is required. Also I've always heard with one year extension that you need to check in with immigration every 90 days. Is there a type of visa where you only check in once a year and that's what I need? How do I get the right type of 1 year Non Imm visa?

There is no visa that only requires checking in every year. Any foreigner in Thailand must check in with immigration after being in the country more than 90 days and every 90 days thereafter.

[wasabi]

I have read that thread and saw that it mentioned contributions to society and membership in charitable organizations but I wonder if one is not paying tax in Thailand but has done significant charitable work if that is enough. I also didn't see specifically what type of visa is required. Also I've always heard with one year extension that you need to check in with immigration every 90 days. Is there a type of visa where you only check in once a year and that's what I need? How do I get the right type of 1 year Non Imm visa?

There is no visa that only requires checking in every year. Any foreigner in Thailand must check in with immigration after being in the country more than 90 days and every 90 days thereafter.

I think my ED visa is renewable every 90 days and I could actually stay more than a year, but I gather this is not a true 1 year visa. I'm not sure how to get a 1 year visa.

[madjbs]

Yes, if you get a Non B visa or Non O then you only need to renew once a year. However, you must still report to immigration every 90 days, either in person or by mail if you live out of BKK.

Does time on a Non ED visa count towards PR, anyone know?

[lopburi3]

1. A one year visa is issued by a Consulate and allows 90 day stay - but you can leave/return at will for a one year period (the exception is OA retirement which does provide a one year stay).

2. One year extensions of stay from Immigration only require reporting (of current address). If you do not stay longer than 90 days at a time no reporting is required.

3. Visa stay (90 days exit/return) would not be counted towards the 3 year stay requirement of PR application but if you continued to extend your stay in country every 90 days expect that it could be counted.

[monty]

The 1 year education visa is a bit of a special one, in that it is a 1 year visa, but you'll get only 90 days stamped at entry.

Every 90 days you'll have to go to immigration and apply for another 90 day extension, at the cost of 1900 Baht.

You do not have to leave the country, so it is not the same as a 1 year (multi-entry) non immigrant O or B visa, which does require you to leave Thailand every 90 days (unless you get an extension of course).

The education visa is, although valid for 1 year, not a multi entry visa, meaning if you would like to take a short trip abroad, you'll have to acquire a re-entry stamp!

As such this visa will not count towards your 3 years required to apply for PR.

I'm not sure, but I was of the impression that if you studied full time for one of the big Thai universities, that there is a possibility to extend for a full year in one time!

[lopburi3]

1. A multi entry non immigrant ED visa is being issued and allows repeated 90 day stays with the normal exit/enter and does not require a re-entry permit.

2. A one year extension of stay for education is still available at select schools.

3. A one year extension of stay, which requires renewal every 90 days, is currently being provided for language study at selected schools.

[KamnanT]

I have read that thread and saw that it mentioned contributions to society and membership in charitable organizations but I wonder if one is not paying tax in Thailand but has done significant charitable work if that is enough. I also didn't see specifically what type of visa is required. Also I've always heard with one year extension that you need to check in with immigration every 90 days. Is there a type of visa where you only check in once a year and that's what I need? How do I get the right type of 1 year Non Imm visa?

As with all matters immigration-related, the rules are often not particularly detailed and are interpreted on a case-by-case basis. However, the requirement to have been on 3 consecutive one-year extensions of stay before your application will be accepted is specific and appears immutable: if the chain of three consecutive extensions is broken for even one day, the clock starts again with your next one-year extension. Extensions for periods shorter than a year don't count either.

In my case, I arrived in Thailand on a Non-Immigrant "B" visa in September 2001. For my first extension of stay application in November 2001, there was a deficiency (whilst my employer had received BoI approval for the business in question, they had not yet received the physical Promotion Certificate from the BoI). As a result, I was granted only a 90-day extension of stay. My first one-year extension of stay was granted in February 2002 and yearly extensions have been granted since then. As a result, I was unable to apply for PR in December 2004 (at that point I had extensions of stay totaling over 3 years but NOT one-year extensions of stay totaling 3 years) and had to wait until December 2005 to apply.

The 90 day "check-in with immigration" is a notification of current address and must be undertaken every time you spend 90 consecutive days in Thailand (you can lodge the notification up the 7 days before or after the 90th day). One of the minor benefits of PR is that you no longer have to report.

[Boksida]

There is no visa that only requires checking in every year. Any foreigner in Thailand must check in with immigration after being in the country more than 90 days and every 90 days thereafter.

This is incorrect. Permanent Residents are not required to report every 90 days but must obtain a re-entry visa/endorsement (Non-quota Immigrant Visa) prior to leaving the country. These can be multiple entry for a period of a year.

[THAIJAMES]

You can apply for a PR without having made 80k a month and paid taxes if you apply under the "Special Circumstances" Category.

Your work must be a great benefit to Thailand and your application needs to be sponsored by a Level 10 or Higher government official. This is usually a Minister, Governor, Chief of Police, Army, etc..

Edited April 21, 2008 by THAIJAMES

[madjbs]

So do yearly extensions of a Non ED visa count towards PR or not?

[wasabi]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'll have to investigate how to get a visa that has a 1 year extension as the above poster mentioned. I'm not sure if I manage to get an ED visa which allows this, if it'll count or not. But Mai bphen rai if not. I will be attending Piammitr school. I've heard it's reputable but is not a University so I'm not sure if a 1 year extension can be had or not but that topic possibly extends beyond the theme of this thread.

[torrenova]

I've also read the various posts on this and would hazard a guess that you'll have to finish your studies, get a job and then start the clock. Oh and start saving as they jacked the fees up enormously in 200X to 192k I think (50% reduction if married to a Thai).

[THAIJAMES]

Contact the PR office at immigration Room 302, they will answer your question regarding using an education visa. However I think the only case that they would allow it if it was only for your first year of your 3 year minimum stay, your other two years would have to be on a business visa and a salary of 80k or more.

[jstumbo]

There is no visa that only requires checking in every year. Any foreigner in Thailand must check in with immigration after being in the country more than 90 days and every 90 days thereafter.

This is incorrect. Permanent Residents are not required to report every 90 days but must obtain a re-entry visa/endorsement (Non-quota Immigrant Visa) prior to leaving the country. These can be multiple entry for a period of a year.

I stand corrected. I should have said that any foreigner on a visa, visa exempt stamp or extension of stay needs to check in. Forgot all about PRs

[jstumbo]

You can apply for a PR without having made 80k a month and paid taxes if you apply under the "Special Circumstances" Category.

Your work must be a great benefit to Thailand and your application needs to be sponsored by a Level 10 or Higher government official. This is usually a Minister, Governor, Chief of Police, Army, etc..

So it allows friends of highly placed government officials to bypass the rules

[p_brownstone]

You can apply for a PR without having made 80k a month and paid taxes if you apply under the "Special Circumstances" Category.

Your work must be a great benefit to Thailand and your application needs to be sponsored by a Level 10 or Higher government official. This is usually a Minister, Governor, Chief of Police, Army, etc..

So it allows friends of highly placed government officials to bypass the rules

No, the rule is that you must be Sponsored by a reputable individual.

If you do that you are obeying the rule, not bypassing it.

Patrick

[Digger]

Above - what great faith you have that only the great and good are found in such high positions.

For me, I think I will continue to be a relative nobody but equally owe nobody for any dodgy favours.

[thaihome]

There is no visa that only requires checking in every year. Any foreigner in Thailand must check in with immigration after being in the country more than 90 days and every 90 days thereafter.

This is incorrect. Permanent Residents are not required to report every 90 days but must obtain a re-entry visa/endorsement (Non-quota Immigrant Visa) prior to leaving the country. These can be multiple entry for a period of a year.

I stand corrected. I should have said that any foreigner on a visa, visa exempt stamp or extension of stay needs to check in. Forgot all about PRs

Just a small technicality, the foreigner doesn’t actually have to check in, it can be done by anyone for him/her or by post.

TH

[samran]

You can apply for a PR without having made 80k a month and paid taxes if you apply under the "Special Circumstances" Category.

Your work must be a great benefit to Thailand and your application needs to be sponsored by a Level 10 or Higher government official. This is usually a Minister, Governor, Chief of Police, Army, etc..

So it allows friends of highly placed government officials to bypass the rules

There are plenty of C-10 level officials about. They aren't an exclusive bunch, and are usually the senior manager of most government departments.