Camerata's Guide To The Permanent Residence Process

[skippybangkok]

Out of curiosity, how long does it take for applicants to get their PR these days? It took me 4 years when I applied 10 years ago. Has the timeline been reduced? Anyone who just got it can tell us?


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Doubt it

Usually apply December one year, and get November next


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[Arkady]

On 4/28/2019 at 1:42 PM, skippybangkok said:

Doubt it

Usually apply December one year, and get November next


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The current government seems for the most part to have  got the application timeline back down to what it was when I applied in the 90s, i.e. complete it within 12 months.  When I applied the first batch was announced in June following the December application and there were a couple more batches until the last one in November or December.  In the 2000s they managed to stretch it out to 5-8 years which situation still prevailed at the time of the 2014 coup.  Under the next government it is anyone's guess.  If Prayut stays in power and is able to appoint a crony as interior minister, things will remain as they are now.  If a politician gets the portfolio it will probably revert to what is was in the 2000s.

[Senseo]

On 2/26/2019 at 1:03 PM, Arkady said:

 

One of the documents required to apply under this investment category is your work permit which means you are expected to be working in the company you have invested in. No big deal for most investors who are living in the Kingdom, as they most likely do have a position in the company and a WP. But that means there’s little advantage applying in this category . In fact it would probably be easier to apply under the regular business category, as they are sure to demand a crate load in of additional documentation from investment applicants.

 

Work permit is also required for the humanitarian category. You can save on the fees, if you have a Thai wife but in that case you can apply for citizenship and fees are cheaper still.

 

I have been through both processes and I can assure you there is no way for a male to apply for PR or citizenship without a WP and 3 years of tax receipts. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar or a fool.

What does WP stand for?

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, Senseo said:

What does WP stand for?

Work Permit

[EdtheTruth]

What's the current scoop on Alien book (red one) renewal?  Mine expires next month, but it was issued/stamped last time by the police in Ubon.  Do I for sure have to make a trip back out there for renewal, or can it be done in Bangkok?  The old answer (5 years ago) was I had to do it in Ubon.  Anything changed by chance?

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

[scorecard]

My last 5 yearly 'report in' (about 18 months back) was conducted at the appropriate Police Station in Chiang Mai city where they now hold my not thin file of everything from the first issue of the red Police Alien Registration book and then the on going 5 yearly continuation of the book.

 

The previous time I was still living the Bang Lamung area (where the red book was initially issued) and I was about to move to Chiang Mai. I visited the office at Banglamung, they mentioned :

 

- 'Your file must be held at an appropriate police station within close proximity of where you are actually living. You must hand carry your full police file to the appropriate police station near your new address in chiang Mai and hand it in within 48 hours of arriving in Chiang Mai, and in your case at the same time (at the new station) do the 5 yearly continuation. You cannot open the envelope / file yourself, the envelope must be handed to the new police station unopened'.  

 

They then quickly put my file folder and contents into an A4 size official envelope and puts lots of tape around the envelope and wrote the address of the police station where the envelope was departing from in one corner.

 

I took the unopened envelope to the new station in Chiang Mai, the police guy open it and did a visual scan of all the contents then proceeded to insert the next 5 years continuation details and a new photo. During the conversation my son asked if the 5 year update could be done anywhere if I was on a holiday elsewhere in Thailand?. The polite and specific answer was 'no, it must be done at the police station which is holding your full file'. 

 

Neither the old station where my file was held nor the new station where it's now held had any new documentation nor process; just hand write the next 5 years details into the red book, add the new photo, take the money and give a hand written receipt using the old receipt books they've using for decades.

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by scorecard

[EdtheTruth]

Interesting.  Thanks very much for the quick reply.  It sounds like I need to make a trip to Ubon to pick up the file and hand carry it to Bangkok.  If I did that, then in the future I could save myself a trip out to Ubon.  Just to clarify, this would work even if the land connected to my registration is in Ubon, right?  Essentially, the police station local to where I am currently living is supposed to handle it, regardless of the location of the tabien baan I'm connected to?

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, EdtheTruth said:

Interesting.  Thanks very much for the quick reply.  It sounds like I need to make a trip to Ubon to pick up the file and hand carry it to Bangkok.  If I did that, then in the future I could save myself a trip out to Ubon.  Just to clarify, this would work even if the land connected to my registration is in Ubon, right?  Essentially, the police station local to where I am currently living is supposed to handle it, regardless of the location of the tabien baan I'm connected to?

I'm no expert on this and especially in regard to your specific points, so I can't give you a specific answer.

 

Some points I do recall from the discussions at Banglamung;  the PR holder is required by law to visit the current police station where his/her PR documents are held within 7 days of moving, to pick up his/her file and take it quickly to the police station in the new residential location.

 

They asked for the Tabien Baan book (which I took with me just in case) which 'proved' that I was several weeks late to report all of this to the old police station and take the file to the new location (my name was already recorded in the TB book for the new location).

 

(Note:  The Tabien Baan book mentioned is for the house in CM  which my son owns, his name is shown as the owner of the land on the chanut document and he is the legal owner of the house. My name is listed in that TB book as one of the permanent residents of that house, nothing more / nothing less. My name shows nowhere at all nowadays as a land or house owner in any way, in any location in Thailand.) 

 

The head cop of that section at Banglammung police station (excellent English) was very pleasant, he showed me some regulations (Thai and English) indicating that the personal PR file must be moved quickly by the PR holder,  to the new location. He mentioned, 'this is not a criminal or serious offense and it cannot alter your PR status but you have broken a regulations and the fine is 2,000Baht', I got a receipt.  

 

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by scorecard

[EdtheTruth]

Wow.  I've lived in several different locations and never changed the police station that holds my documents.  If I remember correctly, I renewed once correctly, then when I renewed the second time, I accidentally renewed for 1 year instead of 5, so I had to go back a year later and renew again.  I've always lived in Bangkok (at various locations) and just went out to Ubon to renew.  Now I can't decide what I should do.  Maybe I should just keep renewing out there, since it's never been a problem.  If I try to move the file to my local police station, then all hell might break loose. ???? 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, EdtheTruth said:

Wow.  I've lived in several different locations and never changed the police station that holds my documents.  If I remember correctly, I renewed once correctly, then when I renewed the second time, I accidentally renewed for 1 year instead of 5, so I had to go back a year later and renew again.  I've always lived in Bangkok (at various locations) and just went out to Ubon to renew.  Now I can't decide what I should do.  Maybe I should just keep renewing out there, since it's never been a problem.  If I try to move the file to my local police station, then all hell might break loose. ???? 

 Seems you've probably answered your own question.

[Bangel72]

Similar situation, on blue book up North so that's where I do the renewal, its also my only real perm place even if I spend most of year away from there.

Using a different location means I need to get on someone else's blue book every time and not everyone is amenable to that.

The idea though that they have a file on me where I registered would surprise me a bit, we had to explain each step, visit another regions police station to pick up the alien book as they had not heard of it and had none, they even asked if I could pick up the correct stamp from somewhere, eventually had to put them on a call with a girl from Chaeng Wattana to get it done, chances of an actual file being kept is potentially slim in my case even though they did do all the fingerprints so maybe they have kept them, just lucky the same guy was there when I got the five year stamp.

Edited May 3, 2019 by Bangel72

[Arkady]

When I moved to a different district within Bangkok as a PR in the early 2000s, I did the tabien baan first which was not overly complicated with an official somewhat grudgingly helping me fill out the form.  Next I went to the police station and was told I needed to go back to my original cop shop and get them to forward the file.  They did so but sent the file to the new cop shop, rather than entrusting it to me.  I was told that for unexplained reasons it would take around three weeks for the file to arrive at another district in Bangkok.  I didn't believe this was possible and checked with my new cop shop after two weeks but sure enough the file arrived only three weeks later, presumably in the police's internal snail mail system.  I was actually about 3 or 4 months late in getting around to this process but I think I was fined only 100 or 200 baht, certainly not as much as 2,000. Around the same time I was also fined for updating the address on my firearms licences late - 100 baht for each.

 

Something similar happened with my red book when I had to change my nationality from "Angrit" to "Britiss", in order to apply for citizenship.  It was done on the spot at the khet for my tabien baan, at the Labour Ministry for my WP and at CW for my residence book but police made the same meal out of updating my red book.  It had to be sent from CW to the local cop shop which again took three weeks.    

[EdtheTruth]

Interesting.  I've got a minor update to my situation.  I went out to CW last Friday to get a re-entry permit.  The process went smoothly as is typical for PR people.  I think there are so few of us relative to the general population that the lines are rarely long.  There was one guy in front of me.  I waited 10 minutes to see someone and then came back an hour later to pick up my finished documents.  Super easy.

 

But she did notice on her own that my alien book was in Ubon and that I was living in Bangkok.  She actually had a disapproving look on her face and said to me in Thai, "You know you have to move this to Bangkok, right?"  I just said "Yes, I will."  But there was no threat of a fine or anything like that.  She clearly treated it like something that was not her problem.

 

I'm definitely going to try to move mine even though it might open a can of worms and I might have to pay a fine.  Even if I have to go to Ubon to pick up the file to move it, at least I won't have to go back out there ever again.  I'll update you guys on the process and how it goes. 

[Dogmatix]

15 hours ago, EdtheTruth said:

Interesting.  I've got a minor update to my situation.  I went out to CW last Friday to get a re-entry permit.  The process went smoothly as is typical for PR people.  I think there are so few of us relative to the general population that the lines are rarely long.  There was one guy in front of me.  I waited 10 minutes to see someone and then came back an hour later to pick up my finished documents.  Super easy.

 

But she did notice on her own that my alien book was in Ubon and that I was living in Bangkok.  She actually had a disapproving look on her face and said to me in Thai, "You know you have to move this to Bangkok, right?"  I just said "Yes, I will."  But there was no threat of a fine or anything like that.  She clearly treated it like something that was not her problem.

 

I'm definitely going to try to move mine even though it might open a can of worms and I might have to pay a fine.  Even if I have to go to Ubon to pick up the file to move it, at least I won't have to go back out there ever again.  I'll update you guys on the process and how it goes. 

 

Definitely do that before the red book needs to be endorsed again. It won’t be any worse than, if you had done it on time, apart from a trivial administrative fine.

 

It’s funny how the PR sections at CW have plenty of staff sitting there twiddling their thumbs, while hoards of visa applicants are queuing for hours in front of very busy desks  in the rest of the office, sometimes until well into the evening. It is good to think of the naysayers who poo pooed  the idea of applying for PR, saying they were confident they could always get a work permit or retirement visa, stewing in these queues for hours.

 

I think the PR section positions are plumb jobs the officers strive to get and stay in until retirement, once they’ve got them. I notice that they all seem to be Senior Sergeant Majors which means they got as far as they could go without passing officers exams.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Dogmatix

[scorecard]

55 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

 

Definitely do that before the red book needs to be endorsed again. It won’t be any worse than, if you had done it on time, apart from a trivial administrative fine.

 

It’s funny how the PR sections at CW have plenty of staff sitting there twiddling their thumbs, while hoards of visa applicants are queuing for hours in front of very busy desks  in the rest of the office, sometimes until well into the evening. It is good to think of the naysayers who poo pooed  the idea of applying for PR, saying they were confident they could always get a work permit or retirement visa, stewing in these queues for hours.

 

I think the PR section positions are plumb jobs the officers strive to get and stay in until retirement, once they’ve got them. I notice that they all seem to be Senior Sergeant Majors which means they got as far as they could go without passing officers exams.

Quote:  "It’s funny how the PR sections at CW have plenty of staff sitting there twiddling their thumbs"

 

Agree with that point, I went there last year to replace my soon to be full white PR book, and then get a new exit/re-entry permit (stamp).

 

The two PR ladies sat there doing nothing for perhaps 30 minutes whilst I sat in a wheelchair outside until they eventually decided to call 'next', then when I went into their cubicle one said 'you should be more careful about what time you come here, it's nearly lunchtime'. They weren't rude but they weren't friendly or accommodation.

 

Then one of the two ladies said '4 days, 4 days', instantly repeated by the lady at the second desk.

 

So I went back, in wheelchair, after 4 days to collect my new white PR book. The reality is that to prepare the new white replacement book needs handwriting, in total, less than about  20% of an A4 page and it's just copied from the old book. And this doesn't include pasting the new photo into the new PR white book, that's done when the PR holder goes to pick up the new white book.

 

When completed (on the second visit), the PR lady called the lady from the desk that takes care of new exit/re-entry permit (stamp) ( 5 or 6 steps way).

 

She came quickly, very friendly and pleasant, pushed my wheelchair for me to her desk, all done and gone in 20 minutes, then she pushed my chair back to the lift area and asked another officer who happened to be waiting for the lift to help me to get to a taxi on the lower floor.

 

This officer asked me where I wanted to go as she pushed me out to the taxi area, she spoke to the driver and she and the driver helped with getting me into the taxi, then she said sincerely in Thai 'are you OK now, do you have your mobile phone ready if you need it?' 

 

Can be chalk and cheese.

 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by scorecard

[Arkady]

2 hours ago, scorecard said:

Quote:  "It’s funny how the PR sections at CW have plenty of staff sitting there twiddling their thumbs"

 

Agree with that point, I went there last year to replace my soon to be full white PR book, and then get a new exit/re-entry permit (stamp).

 

The two PR ladies sat there doing nothing for perhaps 30 minutes whilst I sat in a wheelchair outside until they eventually decided to call 'next', then when I went into their cubicle one said 'you should be more careful about what time you come here, it's nearly lunchtime'. They weren't rude but they weren't friendly or accommodation.

 

Then one of the two ladies said '4 days, 4 days', instantly repeated by the lady at the second desk.

 

So I went back, in wheelchair, after 4 days to collect my new white PR book. The reality is that to prepare the new white replacement book needs handwriting, in total, less than about  20% of an A4 page and it's just copied from the old book. And this doesn't include pasting the new photo into the new PR white book, that's done when the PR holder goes to pick up the new white book.

 

When completed (on the second visit), the PR lady called the lady from the desk that takes care of new exit/re-entry permit (stamp) ( 5 or 6 steps way).

 

She came quickly, very friendly and pleasant, pushed my wheelchair for me to her desk, all done and gone in 20 minutes, then she pushed my chair back to the lift area and asked another officer who happened to be waiting for the lift to help me to get to a taxi on the lower floor.

 

This officer asked me where I wanted to go as she pushed me out to the taxi area, she spoke to the driver and she and the driver helped with getting me into the taxi, then she said sincerely in Thai 'are you OK now, do you have your mobile phone ready if you need it?' 

 

Can be chalk and cheese.

 

 

Things worked better before they introduced the electronic queue number system when you could just breeze into the PR section and sit down in front of one of the unoccupied officers. The queue numbers encouraged them to keep people cooling their heels for a bit, while they shuffle through papers, chat amongst themselves or play with their phones.  I found them generally pretty nice and friendly during 18 years I had dealings with them.  However, I was also once told off for coming too close to the lunch break, even though she had plenty of time to get everything done before midday. Many Thai office workers, especially bureaucrats, regard it as impolite to ask for service in the last half hour or so before lunchtime or going home time but I have no patience with this attitude.  I was once asked to pay a bribe by the Immigration doctor at the old Soi Suan Plu office (I can't remember the exact amount - B200 or 500) because I wanted a yellow fever vaccination too close to the lunch hour and was told I would have to come back at 2 p.m., if I refused to pay.

 

A new white book has always taken a few days for some reason. Of course a senior officer has to sign and he may too important to come to the office every day. 

[jayboy]

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

Quote:  "It’s funny how the PR sections at CW have plenty of staff sitting there twiddling their thumbs"

 

Agree with that point, I went there last year to replace my soon to be full white PR book, and then get a new exit/re-entry permit (stamp).

 

The two PR ladies sat there doing nothing for perhaps 30 minutes whilst I sat in a wheelchair outside until they eventually decided to call 'next', then when I went into their cubicle one said 'you should be more careful about what time you come here, it's nearly lunchtime'. They weren't rude but they weren't friendly or accommodation.

 

Then one of the two ladies said '4 days, 4 days', instantly repeated by the lady at the second desk.

 

So I went back, in wheelchair, after 4 days to collect my new white PR book. The reality is that to prepare the new white replacement book needs handwriting, in total, less than about  20% of an A4 page and it's just copied from the old book. And this doesn't include pasting the new photo into the new PR white book, that's done when the PR holder goes to pick up the new white book.

 

When completed (on the second visit), the PR lady called the lady from the desk that takes care of new exit/re-entry permit (stamp) ( 5 or 6 steps way).

 

She came quickly, very friendly and pleasant, pushed my wheelchair for me to her desk, all done and gone in 20 minutes, then she pushed my chair back to the lift area and asked another officer who happened to be waiting for the lift to help me to get to a taxi on the lower floor.

 

This officer asked me where I wanted to go as she pushed me out to the taxi area, she spoke to the driver and she and the driver helped with getting me into the taxi, then she said sincerely in Thai 'are you OK now, do you have your mobile phone ready if you need it?' 

 

Can be chalk and cheese.

 

 

 

Great anecdote.It nicely encapsulates what makes Thailand so maddening and at the same time so lovable.

[KevT]

If you have two jobs, say with the combined salary of 81K/mo, would you meet the 80K/mo requirement for PR? Or would the two jobs instead come under the 100K/year taxed requirement (meaning you would instead need a monthly salary of around 85-90K to meet 100K/year, after deductions, etc.)?

[skippybangkok]

If you have two jobs, say with the combined salary of 81K/mo, would you meet the 80K/mo requirement for PR? Or would the two jobs instead come under the 100K/year taxed requirement (meaning you would instead need a monthly salary of around 85-90K to meet 100K/year, after deductions, etc.)?

Do you have 2 work permits ?


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[onthemoon]

48 minutes ago, skippybangkok said:

 

Do you have 2 work permits ?


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I'm in the same situation as KevT, and I have two work permits (actually one book with both companies listed). One job pays more than THB 80,000, the other doesn't. I believe I'm fine, but KevT raised a good question, so now I am wondering too...

[Arkady]

On 5/31/2019 at 10:33 PM, KevT said:

If you have two jobs, say with the combined salary of 81K/mo, would you meet the 80K/mo requirement for PR? Or would the two jobs instead come under the 100K/year taxed requirement (meaning you would instead need a monthly salary of around 85-90K to meet 100K/year, after deductions, etc.)?

I think this is probably a question that is difficult to answer here, unless someone has applied in exactly same circumstances. It is logical that it should be OK but, as we all know, logic and Thai officialdoom are not always hand maidens.  You may have to put your question directly to the PR section officials at CW.

[SteveB2]

I will be leaving and re-entering Thailand with PR status in a couple of weeks time.

 

It's the first time I've done a exit/re-entry jolly with PR status.

 

To prepare for the trip, I have had the 1 year multiple entry visa put in both my passport and PR book to permit the trip in accordance with what I understand to be the normal PR holder travel rules. 

 

Question: What is the current correct procedure for a PR holder to leave, then finaly re-enter Thailand through SVM?

 

I seem to remember that during the exit/re-entry, one needs to:-

• Use a special lane (The Thai lane?)
• Needs to show ones PR book during both the exit and the re-entry process.

Today, my BKK lawyer advised Now, the Thai citizen lane is automatic lane (no need to stamp by an authority) which you have to submit the application at Suvarnabhumi Airport before use the Thai citizen lane. You should contact an authority at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

 

• Can some kind person clarify who/what is the 'correct authority' to contact at SVM Airport so as to arrange registration for exit/re-entry process, compliant with the current PR holder travel rules.

or otherwise explain the PR holder exit/re-entry process for me.

 

Thank you (in anticipation) for your advice.

[rimmae2]

11 hours ago, SteveB2 said:

I will be leaving and re-entering Thailand with PR status in a couple of weeks time.

 

It's the first time I've done a exit/re-entry jolly with PR status.

 

To prepare for the trip, I have had the 1 year multiple entry visa put in both my passport and PR book to permit the trip in accordance with what I understand to be the normal PR holder travel rules. 

 

Question: What is the current correct procedure for a PR holder to leave, then finaly re-enter Thailand through SVM?

 

I seem to remember that during the exit/re-entry, one needs to:-

• Use a special lane (The Thai lane?)
• Needs to show ones PR book during both the exit and the re-entry process.

Today, my BKK lawyer advised Now, the Thai citizen lane is automatic lane (no need to stamp by an authority) which you have to submit the application at Suvarnabhumi Airport before use the Thai citizen lane. You should contact an authority at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

 

• Can some kind person clarify who/what is the 'correct authority' to contact at SVM Airport so as to arrange registration for exit/re-entry process, compliant with the current PR holder travel rules.

or otherwise explain the PR holder exit/re-entry process for me.

 

Thank you (in anticipation) for your advice.

You will need to submit the application; refer to following. It is also possible to use the Thai Lane, whether registered or not, which can be useful if the autochannel is not working, as has been the case for some recent posters. Whatever you do it is essential to carry the PR Book, otherwise it is not possible to leave Thailand.

 

forum.thaivisa.com/topic/857172-e-channel-for-permanent-residents

[onthemoon]

13 hours ago, SteveB2 said:

I will be leaving and re-entering Thailand with PR status in a couple of weeks time.

 

It's the first time I've done a exit/re-entry jolly with PR status.

 

To prepare for the trip, I have had the 1 year multiple entry visa put in both my passport and PR book to permit the trip in accordance with what I understand to be the normal PR holder travel rules. 

 

Question: What is the current correct procedure for a PR holder to leave, then finaly re-enter Thailand through SVM?

 

I seem to remember that during the exit/re-entry, one needs to:-

• Use a special lane (The Thai lane?)
• Needs to show ones PR book during both the exit and the re-entry process.

Today, my BKK lawyer advised Now, the Thai citizen lane is automatic lane (no need to stamp by an authority) which you have to submit the application at Suvarnabhumi Airport before use the Thai citizen lane. You should contact an authority at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

 

• Can some kind person clarify who/what is the 'correct authority' to contact at SVM Airport so as to arrange registration for exit/re-entry process, compliant with the current PR holder travel rules.

or otherwise explain the PR holder exit/re-entry process for me.

 

Thank you (in anticipation) for your advice.

You can use the "manual" Thai lane right away. Show your passport, blue PR book and the boarding pass to the officer. You can also still use the Foreigners' lane, but that is usually longer. Important is to have the PR book wiht you.

 

If you want (and I would recommend it), you can apply for the auto-channel (which your quote above calls "the Thai citizen lane"). It is not mandatory. There is a whole other thread about the auto-channel for PR holders.

[onthemoon]

2 hours ago, rimmae2 said:

You will need to submit the application; refer to following. It is also possible to use the Thai Lane, whether registered or not, which can be useful if the autochannel is not working, as has been the case for some recent posters. Whatever you do it is essential to carry the PR Book, otherwise it is not possible to leave Thailand.

 

forum.thaivisa.com/topic/857172-e-channel-for-permanent-residents

Yes, it is possible to leave Thailand without the blue PR book. However, your PR will be automatically cancelled upon re-entry. You probably don't want that.

[scorecard]

40 minutes ago, onthemoon said:

You can use the "manual" Thai lane right away. Show your passport, blue PR book and the boarding pass to the officer. You can also still use the Foreigners' lane, but that is usually longer. Important is to have the PR book wiht you.

 

If you want (and I would recommend it), you can apply for the auto-channel (which your quote above calls "the Thai citizen lane"). It is not mandatory. There is a whole other thread about the auto-channel for PR holders.

There are still 'manual' Thai channels and yes the Imm. officers prefer that PR holders use the Thai channel.

 

My experience; the first time I left Thailand after getting PR (20+ years back). I was in the foreigner passports line, an Imm. officer was walking along the line asking to see documents and was trying to ensure people had their documents ready.  One guy just in front of me didn't have a departure card, the Imm. Officer pulled one out of his pocket and asked 'do you have a pen?' The he said I'll come back In a minute to check your OK', and he did.

 

I showed my passport and PR book, he responded politely, in perfect English, 'please go to the Thai line and always the Thai line, because the officers on the Thai passports desks generally have more knowledge of how to process your documents', and he took me to the Thai line. I've used the Thai line ever since and never had an Imm. officer query why I was in the Thai line.

 

 

 

[SteveB2]

Thank you all for your timey advice.

 

I will ensure that I exit & re-entry with both my passport and PR book in my possession, and that I show them both to the immigration officer during the exit/re-entry process.

 

...and Yes,  ???? I would prefer to not have my PR cancelled over some administrative mistake during the exit/re-entry process.

[scorecard]

7 minutes ago, SteveB2 said:

Thank you all for your timey advice.

 

I will ensure that I exit & re-entry with both my passport and PR book in my possession, and that I show them both to the immigration officer during the exit/re-entry process.

 

...and Yes,  ???? I would prefer to not have my PR cancelled over some administrative mistake during the exit/re-entry process.

When you leave and re-enter put both books (passport and PR book) on the desk together. Don't wait until the Imm. officer asks. If no PR book then no matching entries in the passport database and the PR database which can cause difficulties at a later time. 

 

 

[Arkady]

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

There are still 'manual' Thai channels and yes the Imm. officers prefer that PR holders use the Thai channel.

 

My experience; the first time I left Thailand after getting PR (20+ years back). I was in the foreigner passports line, an Imm. officer was walking along the line asking to see documents and was trying to ensure people had their documents ready.  One guy just in front of me didn't have a departure card, the Imm. Officer pulled one out of his pocket and asked 'do you have a pen?' The he said I'll come back In a minute to check your OK', and he did.

 

I showed my passport and PR book, he responded politely, in perfect English, 'please go to the Thai line and always the Thai line, because the officers on the Thai passports desks generally have more knowledge of how to process your documents', and he took me to the Thai line. I've used the Thai line ever since and never had an Imm. officer query why I was in the Thai line.

 

There is usually counter right next to the electronic gates for Thais who can't use the e-gates, either because they lack the intellectual capacity to do so, or because the low quality finger print recognition system fails to recognise their prints, which is what has happened to me several times. I am not sure if this counter is always marked for Thais only but it is usually positioned well away from the foreigner lanes to discourage them from trying to use it.  

 

In the old days before e-gates there used to be a lot of foreigners without PR trying to use the Thai counters, which got annoying, if one was in a hurry but officers often politely let them through.  I remember once being behind a big group of Indians holding Indian passports in their hands.  Since I was running out of time to catch my flight, I asked them if they had PR and warned them that, if not, they might not be accepted by the officer in the Thai queue. They just turned their backs on me and refused to acknowledge my existence.  But just as they were getting close to the end of the queue an Immigration officer answered my silent prayers and came up and booted them all out of the queue.  Halliluyah!

[brianinbangkok]

If flying late at night I have sometimes been sent to the foreigners queue because the Thai desks had been closed.

This included my Thai wife.

 

I have often thought using the auto gates could become an issue as I have no stamps proving I followed the rules leaving and entering Thailand but it would seem this is not the case.

 

However when I had the immigration officer put the autogate sticker in my passport she told me I had to come update my file with her if I got a new re-entry permit.

The sticker however is valid for a few years.

So does anybody know if I need to go and update my autogate details every year as I get a new multi entry every year?

 

One other question as I need to get a new passport next year. Does it take longer at CW if I bring a new passport and do they need the housebook this time?

Edited June 16, 2019 by brianinbangkok
Add multi re-entry info