Residency Requirements

[cutter007]

I read on thaivisa the following requirment for residency.

1. An applicant must have received permission for yearly stays in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa for at least of three years prior to the submission of an application for permanent residency. Holders of multiple NON-Immigrant visas can not appy. You must have 3 un-broken yearly extensions in order to qualify.

I have had 1 year class B visas but when I enter the country they always stamp it 90 days. Meaning I keep the same visa for 1 year but have to leave the country every 90 days, or apply for an extension for the full year.

Does this requirement mean that you have to have 3 consecutive 1 year visas?

Or does it mean that you have to have 3 consecutive 1 year visas, and you have to apply for the 1 year extensions on them, so that they don't stamp your passpost 90 days every time you leave the country?

Or lastly I could interpret "3 un-broken yearly extensions" to mean that you can extend your 1 year visa, past 1 year, is this possible?

[maxbkkguy]

I read on thaivisa the following requirment for residency.

1. An applicant must have received permission for yearly stays in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa for at least of three years prior to the submission of an application for permanent residency. Holders of multiple NON-Immigrant visas can not appy. You must have 3 un-broken yearly extensions in order to qualify.

I have had 1 year class B visas but when I enter the country they always stamp it 90 days. Meaning I keep the same visa for 1 year but have to leave the country every 90 days, or apply for an extension for the full year.

Does this requirement mean that you have to have 3 consecutive 1 year visas?

Or does it mean that you have to have 3 consecutive 1 year visas, and you have to apply for the 1 year extensions on them, so that they don't stamp your passpost 90 days every time you leave the country?

Or lastly I could interpret "3 un-broken yearly extensions" to mean that you can extend your 1 year visa, past 1 year, is this possible?

You need to have a work permit with a yearly stamp on your passport.On top of that, you need to pay your yearly personal income tax with the thai tax dept.

From what you wrote, i can see that you don't have a work permit.You only have a class B business visa on your passport which is not enough to apply for thai permanent resident.

[simon43]

I was not aware that it was a requirement to have a work permit for residency based on 3 years of a non-immigrant B visa? Do all such residents have to work then in Thailand? I can't believe this is the case. What about the guys like me who have a B visa, but receive money into Thailand from savings abroad?

Simon

[Indo-Siam]

Work permit is NOT a requirement. What is required is tht you have three consecutive one-year entry permit extensions. Forget the term "visa" - a "visa" is a stamp placed into your passport outside Thailand by a diplomatic post of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An entry permit is a stamp placed into your passport INSIDE Thailand, by an Immigration Officer. To apply for residency, you must have three consecutive long-term entry permits issued by an Immigration office.

So - in this case, the original poster does not qualify - he has not had even one long-term entry permit.

Good luck!

Steve

Indo-Siam

[Bobcat]

There are several different categories under which an application for PR can be made. I applied under the Business category. According to current immigration guidelines, a work permit and evidence of income tax payments for three years prior to the application ARE REQUIRED if you apply under this category. I applied in December 2003 and I can assure you that if I did not have these documents my application would not have been accepted.

[george]

Here are the different categories for PR:

http://www.thaivisa.com/300.0.html

[Indo-Siam]

There are certainly different ways to obtain the necessary three one-year extensions of non-immigrant entry permit. If the extensioins were based upon employment, then you certainly needed a work permit. If your extensions were based on support of a Thai spouse, based upon your overseas lottery winnings, or inheritance, or whatever, then a work permit is not part of the picture. The same for someone who obtained long-term entry permits vased on being a high-rolling investor.

Cheers!

Indo-Siam

[maxbkkguy]

There are several different categories under which an application for PR can be made. I applied under the Business category. According to current immigration guidelines, a work permit and evidence of income tax payments for three years prior to the application ARE REQUIRED if you apply under this category. I applied in December 2003 and I can assure you that if I did not have these documents my application would not have been accepted.

I am applying this coming Dec 2004.Still waiting to pay for my final year of income tax for the 3th conservative years.

Since you have submitted on Dec 2003.Did the thai immigration officer tell you how long you have to wait for the result.

[lopburi3]

Forget the term "visa" - a "visa" is a stamp placed into your passport outside Thailand by a diplomatic post of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

VISA ISSUING AUTHORITIES

          Official Agencies in charge of issuing visas are

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2. The Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates abroad

3. The Office of Immigration Bureau

It used to be that easy (visa outside/extension of stay inside but things have changed). The above is quoted from the current MFA web site visa page and shows that the Immigration Bureau has authority to issue visas inside Thailand; and they do so on a regular basis when a change of status is needed from reports here.

[cutter007]

I think my question was answered but wanted to be sure.

I do have a work permit, and I do pay Thai income tax.

But they stamp my work permit every 90 days, because that is all my entry stamp is good for.

So my conclusion is that even while paying taxes and having a work permit, my 1 year stay does not count because I did not file for the 1 year extension on the entry stamp.

[lopburi3]

So my conclusion is that even while paying taxes and having a work permit, my 1 year stay does not count because I did not file for the 1 year extension on the entry stamp.

The policy is one year extensions but do not believe that is in the code so you could ask for consideration. But it would probably be better to start getting yearly extensions.

[Roger13]

Can I just clarify:

You need 3 consecutive one year extensions to

the one same entry stamp.

For this to remain continuous/ valid, if you wish to

travel outside of the Kingdom, then before you leave,

you must obtain a Re-Entry Permit to return.

If you do not get the re-entry permit you go back to

day one as far as the Three years counting.

Once you start the one year extensions - there is no

requirement to leave the Kingdom.

Roger

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I think my question was answered but wanted to be sure.

I do have a work permit, and I do pay Thai income tax.

But they stamp my work permit every 90 days, because that is all my entry stamp is good for.

So my conclusion is that even while paying taxes and having a work permit, my 1 year stay does not count because I did not file for the 1 year extension on the entry stamp.

My reply to you from earlier today is the answer for you, and then you begin year one of the three year requirement to enable you to apply for PR.

[xxxarte]

There is several categories to get a PR.

2. Has personal qualifications that meet one or more of the following categories:

1) Investment category (minumum 3 - 10 Mil. Baht investment in Thailand)

2) Working/ Business category

3) Support a family or Humanity Reasons category: He/she must have relationship with a Thai citizen or an alien who already possesses a residence permit as the

followings:

- A legal husband or wife

- A legal father or mother

- A child who is under 20 years of age up to the submission date of application and must be single

4) Expert / academics category

5) Other categories

But in the paper appenrently only...

At the office 301 in imigration Suan Plu the officer tell me without Work permit you can get nothing about PR. Even if you have more than 10 M Bath, married or not... no you need a work permit. And he give me 6 sheets of paper with the different rules to follow.

Also the officer tell me that the governement prepare some disposition for people who invest more than 15 M Bath. (Which ones, wich maneer???)

I just renew for my second year my extention of my visa B for 1 year considering I'm holding condos for over 3 M Thb.

I was a little (big) bit desapointed about. I was thinking that with investment over 10 M THB I can get a PR.

Somebody can precise the point 1) Investment category ?

Does the officer tell true?

Is there a difference with the disposition and the reality?

[alanw]

For cutteroo7,

I have PR, and I've contributed several posts on this board about the documents / the steps I went thru. Some of the content might be of interest to you.

Can I suggest you do a search of posts by alanw.

Hope it helps, and good luck.