2 hours ago, mark5335 said:

I thought you had first got PR in 2001, so did you somehow lose it and then had to re-apply back in 2021?

My BIG printing  mistake I meant December 2001, May 2002 and August 2004. Thank you for pointing that out. In all my years in Thailand I have never met another "farang" that has PR. 

1 minute ago, Michael Hare said:

My BIG printing  mistake I meant December 2001, May 2002 and August 2004. Thank you for pointing that out. In all my years in Thailand I have never met another "farang" that has PR. 

I've met only 2 others:

- Retired lawyer from respected international law firm, applied for PR I guess 12 months before retirement. 

- The farang guy who worked with me for many years, he applied, got approved, six months later died of a massive heart attack.

51 minutes ago, scorecard said:

I've met only 2 others:

- Retired lawyer from respected international law firm, applied for PR I guess 12 months before retirement. 

- The farang guy who worked with me for many years, he applied, got approved, six months later died of a massive heart attack.

 

I know several, all of whom applied and succeeded on the employment basis as opposed to the marriage basis (even though for those that were married, the fee would have been significantly lower.) I assume the thinking for those who had a choice was that the same criteria applied but there would be less bureaucracy involved. Also their PR status would be entirely personal.

 

 

On 6/7/2025 at 11:17 AM, scorecard said:

That's all 28 years ago. Has anything changed? I don't know.

The thing with PR is that it seems to be changing all the time. If I compare your story with the story of my former boss and the story of a friend and my own story, it all seems different. 
 

My ex boss hired a lawyer and put together a separate portfolio showcasing photos of all his contributions to Thai society. I did something similar and it was the first thing the IO threw into the bin. 
 

My friend didn’t use any lawyer or agent, same as I didn’t. But his company had an experienced immigration person who helped him, and the name and reputation of his company may also have helped. Both my ex boss and my friend had to wait several years for their approval. 
 

I didn’t use a lawyer or agent and my company’s HR lady suspected that this was the reason why the IO let me jump through hoops. Although she applied the exact checklist as per their website, she had very specific requests for many items on that list, many of which seem ridiculous, such as hand drawing the map of office and home; not having my gf in photos; having an arbitrary number of employees on the photos even though it was during Covid. 
 

Other than this and the sheer amount of paperwork needed from my company, I thought my process was pretty easy and straightforward and my application got approved in less than a year or so. 

On 5/28/2025 at 6:10 PM, Arun Mai said:

For the sake of clarity, I am not making any assertions.  I'm attempting to better understand @rimmae2 experience.

 

As I understand it @rimmae2 has been using the e.gates at Suwannabumi for exiting Thailand without any pre-registration (I may be wrong on this).  As I understand it, he has not been using e.gates on arrival.  Therefore, presumably, he only has stamps coming into the country but none for leaving.  I was also curious whether he had since renewed his non-quota immigrant visa, as that is when it would be subject to most scrutinisation.  Presumably, if he has done this several times the immigration upon entry must have noticed he only has entry stamps and they have not said anything about it.

 

As I say, I'm attempting to better understand @rimmae2 experience.

I did not register to use e.gates as I had to several years ago when e.gates could be used on departure and entry.

 

Today I obtianed a new non-quota immigration visa. No questions asked related to e.gates; normal procedure - 3 to 4 mins to check the documents and return circa 1 hour later.

56 minutes ago, rimmae2 said:

I did not register to use e.gates as I had to several years ago when e.gates could be used on departure and entry.

 

Today I obtianed a new non-quota immigration visa. No questions asked related to e.gates; normal procedure - 3 to 4 mins to check the documents and return circa 1 hour later.

So, you did use the e-gates?

7 minutes ago, onthemoon said:

So, you did use the e-gates?

Always on departure in last few months, about 8 times.

2 hours ago, rimmae2 said:

I did not register to use e.gates as I had to several years ago when e.gates could be used on departure and entry.

 

Today I obtianed a new non-quota immigration visa. No questions asked related to e.gates; normal procedure - 3 to 4 mins to check the documents and return circa 1 hour later.

 

I forgot to do that, as I always go to Thai Passport counter that has basically 0 people as all others use e-gates...

 

But if using e-gates, I assume I still need to get stamped?

2 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

 

I forgot to do that, as I always go to Thai Passport counter that has basically 0 people as all others use e-gates...

 

But if using e-gates, I assume I still need to get stamped?

If using e-gates there is no stamp as was the case previously up to pre Covid when autogates wwre in use. On return I always use lanes for Thai PP holders. e-gates on arrival are only available to 2 Nationalities and if a person uses these then there are requirements to register for certain types of visa including those with WP - refer to Deloitte website which I think that I mentioned before on this forum.  

1 minute ago, rimmae2 said:

If using e-gates there is no stamp as was the case previously up to pre Covid when autogates wwre in use. On return I always use lanes for Thai PP holders. e-gates on arrival are only available to 2 Nationalities and if a person uses these then there are requirements to register for certain types of visa including those with WP - refer to Deloitte website which I think that I mentioned before on this forum.  

I never registered for e-gates as my PR booklet was 2/3 full and I have heard of people having a problem after changing the PR booklet and they could no longer use eChannel or whatever it's officially called. And Immigration couldn't fix it. So I wanted to wait until I change the booklet, which I did but forgot about that.

Each time I go through counters, they stamp both my passport and PR booklet. In the past I saw someone going through eChannel and then going to a desk where an officer stamped both booklets. And that took longer than going through the Thai passport counter...

 

That's why I am interested in it. If there's no need for any stamps when going in and out of country into these booklets, I'd definitely prefer to use e-gates, so the passport and the white book don't fill up. Their annual non-quota visa and endorsement stamps are taking enough space already.

Have a look at full document on Deloitte website re arrival. 

On 7/2/2025 at 4:28 PM, rimmae2 said:

Always on departure in last few months, about 8 times.

Thanks. Then I'll do it too, next time.

Where do I register, at the airport or Chaeng Wattana?

10 hours ago, rimmae2 said:

Have a look at full document on Deloitte website re arrival. 

 

Where is the full document?

10 hours ago, onthemoon said:

Thanks. Then I'll do it too, next time.

Where do I register, at the airport or Chaeng Wattana?

Registration not required.

9 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

Where is the full document?

 

Takes a second to find it. Try.

 

https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-zone1/southeast-asia/en/docs/services/tax/2024/th-tax-newsletter-immigration-alert-dec2024.pdf

12 minutes ago, rimmae2 said:

Registration not required.

Thanks.

Thank you.

On 7/2/2025 at 3:22 PM, rimmae2 said:

I did not register to use e.gates as I had to several years ago when e.gates could be used on departure and entry.

 

Today I obtianed a new non-quota immigration visa. No questions asked related to e.gates; normal procedure - 3 to 4 mins to check the documents and return circa 1 hour later.

Thank you for the update.  Much appreciated.

On 6/9/2025 at 8:30 AM, Michael Hare said:

 

I thought the most common way to get PR was being married to a Thai and having a dependent child. I live in Ubon Ratchathani. In December 2021 I flew down to Bangkok for the first interview at Suan Plu. In May 2022 my wife and I were interviewed again. My final interview was a few months later. I then waited until August 2024 to get PR. Two years and eight months from start to finish. At the time I thought this was very slow as I was comparing with my wife getting PR in my home country of NZ many years ago. 

 

Since the Nationality Act was amended in 2008 to allow foreign men married to Thais to skip PR and apply for citizenship without it, I think most foreign males with Thai wives prefer to apply for citizenship directly, unless there are constraints due to their birth nationality. It is much easier and cheaper than PR and gives you far more rights and status.  Also the officers at Special Branch in Bangkok are far more friendly and encouraging than those at the PR application section at CW.  You can also apply on any working day of the year without the issue of the cabinet resolution to open the application window for PR. 

 

For PR having a Thai wife effectively provides you with a discount on the fees and subjects your wife and family to a lot of scrutiny.  Otherwise it is no different than applying under the business category.  All requirements for WP etc are the same and having a Thai family doesn't make you any more qualified. 

Anybody know if the pr book can be renewed in Chiang Mai? mine is full. And if not, in Bangkok how long does it usually take?  Thank you in advance.

 

If it matters mine was originally issued in Bangkok but I live in Chiang Mai.

9 hours ago, THAIJAMES said:

Anybody know if the pr book can be renewed in Chiang Mai? mine is full. And if not, in Bangkok how long does it usually take?  Thank you in advance.

 

If it matters mine was originally issued in Bangkok but I live in Chiang Mai.

In Bangkok it usually takes about 3 working days. I don't know whether you can do it in Chiang Mai, but you can give them a call and ask.

Wow ... a thread running for just over 19 years, with 5,000 posts!!!!

1 hour ago, onthemoon said:

In Bangkok it usually takes about 3 working days. I don't know whether you can do it in Chiang Mai, but you can give them a call and ask.

Thank you that's helpful

1 hour ago, JimHuaHin said:

Wow ... a thread running for just over 19 years, with 5,000 posts!!!!

A good indication how necessary and useful this thread is! 🙂

On 7/26/2025 at 7:58 AM, JimHuaHin said:

Wow ... a thread running for just over 19 years, with 5,000 posts!!!!

it helped me tremendously from start to finish  of my PR journey, as there seems to be no better source for it then and https://thaicitizenship.com/category/thai-permanent-residency/ this website

I asked the below before in the Pattaya forum, but only got one useful reply to part of  the question, then thought i would ask it here, as for any PR holder the SSO subscription might have been part of the work permit application to get to PR. Whereas many readers on the normal info boards are pensioners on a visa, without ever having worked in Thailand.

 

 

https://thaicitizenship.com/thai-social-security/

 

i read here, that it is possible to keep some kind of heath coverage and even some kind of small pension, if keep paying to SSO even after i would loose my job until i am 55. After the "topic, can you live on 40 K a month" when retired, i got worried and started thinking. 

Currently i do phave private health insurrance for me and my family, but they did bump it up by 30% and you never know what happens in the future, if it would still be affordable or if they would kick me out at 65 as i did have an pulmonary embolsim a few years ago.

 

Then is there anyone who has made use of their SSO coverage for health care? was it ok? What hospital were you treated and was it survivable, or no AC available and outdated equipment? or very good value for the money and definetely something worth to keep just in case. In the Pattaya area, what SSO hospital would be recommended.

 

And would anyone know if this pension mentioned is still paid out to foreigners? How much would it be? In the end, even small amounts are better then " a poke in they eye", especially once one no longer receives salary and with stock market uncertanties.

 

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Ant.

What is the best way to handle getting your name in the blue book after PR approval? I would rather not buy condo tbh and not married.

 

Not sure if the landlord would cooperate so are there some agents you could pay to put you in there or law firms that offer the service?

On 9/4/2025 at 10:00 AM, Jangunnim said:

What is the best way to handle getting your name in the blue book after PR approval? I would rather not buy condo tbh and not married.

 

Not sure if the landlord would cooperate so are there some agents you could pay to put you in there or law firms that offer the service?

This is one that I've struggled with, also trying to switch from a house up north to a Bangkok ideally without going back to police station in the north who tend to have no idea on steps involved.

 

I think some lawyer companies may do it registering at their buildings, I had an offer to go on a lawyers personal house before but took the house up north option.

 

The first time its only for one year so a temp option may work if you can find a friend, but on second year its 5 years which is why its on a back burner for me to sort but I will face this situation so following to see if some good options.

On 8/14/2025 at 9:55 AM, anthonyT said:

I asked the below before in the Pattaya forum, but only got one useful reply to part of  the question, then thought i would ask it here, as for any PR holder the SSO subscription might have been part of the work permit application to get to PR. Whereas many readers on the normal info boards are pensioners on a visa, without ever having worked in Thailand.

 

 

https://thaicitizenship.com/thai-social-security/

 

i read here, that it is possible to keep some kind of heath coverage and even some kind of small pension, if keep paying to SSO even after i would loose my job until i am 55. After the "topic, can you live on 40 K a month" when retired, i got worried and started thinking. 

Currently i do phave private health insurrance for me and my family, but they did bump it up by 30% and you never know what happens in the future, if it would still be affordable or if they would kick me out at 65 as i did have an pulmonary embolsim a few years ago.

 

Then is there anyone who has made use of their SSO coverage for health care? was it ok? What hospital were you treated and was it survivable, or no AC available and outdated equipment? or very good value for the money and definetely something worth to keep just in case. In the Pattaya area, what SSO hospital would be recommended.

 

And would anyone know if this pension mentioned is still paid out to foreigners? How much would it be? In the end, even small amounts are better then " a poke in they eye", especially once one no longer receives salary and with stock market uncertanties.

 

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Ant.

Have a look here https://idpeself.sso.go.th/login/,  Its in thai only for the most part, I'm still working so covered but it seems to have sections on voluntary continuation of payments but likely need to be within a certain timelimit of the payments through work.

 

It will also show the history of your payments and pension calculation, note if multiple jobs they may have not linked them to same account so you may have missing years.

 

Takes quite a few years to get a pension though, I think I worked it out about 3k a month so very low but worth it if it keeps you in insurance loop. 

 

You can select a designated hospital once a year, slow service but often same doctors as the paid places, just very slow. 

1 hour ago, Bangel72 said:

Have a look here https://idpeself.sso.go.th/login/,  Its in thai only for the most part, I'm still working so covered but it seems to have sections on voluntary continuation of payments but likely need to be within a certain timelimit of the payments through work.

 

It will also show the history of your payments and pension calculation, note if multiple jobs they may have not linked them to same account so you may have missing years.

 

Takes quite a few years to get a pension though, I think I worked it out about 3k a month so very low but worth it if it keeps you in insurance loop. 

 

You can select a designated hospital once a year, slow service but often same doctors as the paid places, just very slow. 

 

I got approved for Thai PR 28 years ago:

- I was not required to submit any detail whatever se Social Security (SSO) membership or my monthly member payments (deducted by my employer)

- At the interview I was not asked about SSO membership and not asked for any documents re SSO. The interview was conducted by a very senior Immigration officer (located within the police assigned to the immigration office at soi Suan Phlu in Bkk). A long interview nearly 2 hrs, he spoke perfect English, the main thinge he focused on was asking me to explain how my work was helping the development of Thailand, and the level of my knowledge / expertise on the subject involved (he mentioned that PR holders are expected to hold at least 2 masters degrees - not sure if that's the same today). At the start of the interview he asked me to give him 2 or 3 names of the Thai employees who were in my team and their phone numbers, and he indicated he would call them and ask what they were learning, from me, the value of their learning etc. He did call them ( sat with him) and he spoke in English and he listened carefully to their comments / responses. 

- When I received the approval letter I went to the local big amphur office (Pattaya city hall) to get the dark blue covered PR book, SSO as not mentioned.

- Then to the big police centre at Bang lamung to get the Dark covered Police Registration book. SSO not mentioned. SInce been back every 5 years to update my photo etc in the police book. SSO never mentioned.