Permanent Residence Requirements

[bagan68]

¡Hi to everybody!

I am leaving in Thailand now for two years and wil start my third one. I am Swiss citizen and I have a Multientry Non Inmigrant B VIsa after having the first year a Multientry Non Inmigrant O(I get it from Hull every year when I go back to Europe) based on a business I have(49 % Of course). I leave in Chiang Mai and eventhough is one day to go to Chiang Rai-Mae Sai and cross the border every 90 day I do not want to spend my life doing this. I will be married next year to a Thai woman ¡Of course!. I read the posts about the permanent residence but is not clear to me the requirements.

- First, Does a Non Inmigrant B VISa with Visa runs counts as aperiod of stay in Thailand in order to reach I think the 3 years required to apply for permanent Residence? I do not have extension of Stay because the lawyer advidse me better to do my VIsa every year in Europe to avoid inspection in my company.(Eventhough every thing I do is completely legal). They also said to me that I do not need to have 4 thai employees employess for one "farang" working in the company. But if I do extensions of stay they willl come too check and ask for this requirement.

- It will help to be married to a Thai Citizen to get the permanent residence?

Thanks a lot for your help!

[digitalchromakey]

In answer to your first question - no, only time spent living in Thailand on an Extension of Permission to Stay counts as regards Permanent Residence qualification.

Second question - being married can help in certain circumstances.

Suggest you read the pinned thread at the top of this forum - Camerata's Guide to The Permanent Residence Process.

Edited November 17, 2010 by digitalchromakey

[bagan68]

Tahnk you for the information. I read Cameratas post which is really helpful but doesn´t tell the requirements to apply or I didn´t see it.

In answer to your first question - no, only time spent living in Thailand on an Extension of Permission to Stay counts as regards Permanent Residence qualification.

Second question - being married can help in certain circumstances.

Suggest you read the pinned thread at the top of this forum - Camerata's Guide to The Permanent Residence Process.

[Mario2008]

Currently you don't qualify as you are not on an extension of stay but do visa runs.

[KamnanT]

At the risk of sounding pedantic, it's three years of continuous, uninterrupted extensions of stay. So, initial Non-Immigrant visa followed by three 12 month extensions of stay. If, for any reason, your extension of stay expires and you need to obtain a new visa, the clock starts again. Even extensions of stay shorter than 12 months don't count: when I arrived in Thailand on a Non-Imm "B" in October 2001, my initial extension of stay was for only 90 days, as the BoI had approved my employer's application under the Investment Promotion Act but had not yet issued the promotional certificate. Just before the 90 days expired, I obtained my first one year extension of stay in February 2002. In August 2004, I enquired as to whether I could apply for PR in December 2004, having been on continuous, uninterrupted extensions of stay since October 2001. I was told that my first 90 day extension didn't count and I would have to wait until December 2005 to apply.