Permanent Residence

[Mario2008]

But if you have a Thai wife, I would considering skipping PR and going straight for Thai nationality.

Wow, Mario! I didn't know that was an option. I always thought PR was a mandatory step on the way.

Do you have a ThaiVisa or government link where I can read more about this?

Any idea on the cost?

Thanks.

This is the main thread on Thai citizenship. Any questions can be best asked there:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/121353-story-of-my-thai-citizenship-application/page__st__225__p__1968769

[HAL9000]

Thanks Mario. That thread is very comprehensive and includes a lot of links too.

[Arkady]

Regarding PR working and paying taxes are the key words.

So what about PR based on Thai wife without working and taxes?

Is this another hypothetical category that they just list and don't really approve?

I had been waiting the 3 years hoping to apply last month, but I didn't have the money to pay for it.

I didn't feel so bad when I found out they didn't take any apps this year.

I think in practice the same applies to the category of being in Thailand to support a Thai wife or other dependents. Much of the phrasing in Thai immigration regulations is there for historical reasons. If you think back to the origins of PR, it was given almost automatically on arrival to people who could demonstrate they had a profession through which they could support themselves in Thailand, including labourers, and permanent residence was the only status that permitted working, except for diplomats. In the old days, coming to work to support dependents who were Thai nationals would have given would-be immigrants a priority claim but they would still have to demonstrate they could earn a living in Thailand. Later on evidence of being able to earn a living was redefined as evidence that the applicant has already been successfully earning a living in Thailand for at least 3 tax years. In official eyes, some one of working age who has no work in Thailand is not going to be much use to dependents here who would be better off, if he worked overseas and sent them money to support them. Some one in the Camerata thread on PR said he got a lawyer to force Immigration to accept his application on the basis of supporting Thai dependents without a track record of work in Thailand. That seemed a pointless exercise, since Immigration had advised him not to apply and I imagine the application never made it to the Immigration Committee. Hopeless applications are rejected by Immigration and never forwarded to the Committee to save the pooyai's time.

[tombkk]

As Arkady pointed out, PR is still open based on investment but you have to pay tax etc, and it is for entrepenuers who invest and work in a business. One would not get it based on simply owning a condominium worth more than 10 million.

Regarding PR working and paying taxes are the key words.

That's the same I found: Even in the Investment category, you have to have worked and paid taxes for at least three years:

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/doc/residence/residence_invest_en.pdf

Kind of defeats the purpose of the Investment category as opposed to the Business category, I'd say.