Since Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South East Asia and offers a modest yet practical standard of life, many people wish to settle there permanently. Due to these reasons, we receive numerous inquiries from foreigners who are willing to obtain a Permanent Residence Visa in Thailand.
If you have gone through our previously published article, you must now have the information about the process and benefits of Permanent Residence in Thailand. To enhance your existing knowledge, we would like to state that there are a few categories under which the Thai Government grants Permanent Residence Visa to foreigners. They are:
- Investment Category
- Working/Business Category
- Family or Humanitarian Category
- Expert or Academic Category
- Other Categories as and when determined by the Thai Immigration Department
All these categories are essential both for the Royal Thai Government and the applicant in deciding the purpose and goal of granting and obtaining the PR Visa in Thailand respectively. All are important in their individual contexts, but this article will guide you on the Investment category.
- Prerequisites for Applying for Permanent Residence in Thailand
- Proof of Investment to be submitted for Permanent Residence in Thailand
- Documents Required to be submitted with the Thai PR Application Form
- The Greatest Help you Need!
Prerequisites for Applying for Permanent Residence in Thailand
Have Non-Immigrant Visa in Thailand for three consecutive years
Any person who has lived in Thailand for three years on a non-immigrant visa and has maintained the same category of the visa the entire time they’ve been here is eligible for permanent residency. For example, holders of investment visas have to hold on to the same for three consecutive years prior to applying.
Ability to Read, Speak and Understand the Thai language
A Thai-language multiple-choice test and an interview with an immigration official are both integral parts of the application process.
Have a Residence in Thailand
A tabian baan is one of the paperwork that is mandatory to apply for permanent residency in Thailand, where you will be recorded if your application is accepted.
No Criminal Record
All individuals applying for permanent residency in Thailand must submit to a criminal history investigation.
Necessary Proof of Investment for Permanent Residence in Thailand
In order to qualify for PR under the “Investment” category, a person must have invested at least THB 10,000,000 (US$ 277,262 – as of 21/11/2022) in a Thai public firm, limited company, stock exchange, a security issued by the government, or asset owned by a state enterprise.
Applicants must submit certified records demonstrating that they complied with the aforementioned requirements in order to apply for Permanent Residency based on investment; specific records depend on the type of investment made, such as:
For investments in instruments certified by the Stock Exchange Commission
- Original copy certifying the purchase.
- Copy of the purchasing document.
For investments in government or state-issued bonds
- Certified letter from a Thai bank confirming the bond’s purchase
- Original copy of the bond certificate
- Copy of the bond certificate
Investment in a Limited or Public Limited Company
- A Ministry of Commerce certified certificate of company registration dating back no more than three months.
- Copies of the company’s financial statements and corporate income tax returns from the past three years.
- Evidence of Value-Added Tax or Specific Business Tax registration.
If given permanent residency status in Thailand, the resident must provide the Immigration Bureau with proof that the investment capital. Additionally, this detail must be preserved by the end of September every year for three years, failing which they would permanently lose their PR status.
Documents Required to be submitted with the Thai PR Application Form
Please note that, along with the proof of investment as mentioned in the previous section, you will be required to produce the following documents:
- You will need your passport and a photocopy of your passport’s relevant pages. This includes; the personal information page, issue, expiry date, and Previous Thai Visas, along with entry and exit stamps.
- Recent (taken within the last six months) passport-size pictures. The pictures need to meet the following specifications;
- Dimensions of 4 x 6 cm
- Photos must have a white background
- You should be looking ahead with a neutral facial expression.
- Your entire face needs to be visible (e.g., you should tuck your hair behind your ears)
- An application for Permanent Residence (TM9). The form needs to be filled out properly and signed.
- Your House Registration Book (Yellow Tabien Baan) along with copies of the same.
- A copy of your Work Permit.
- A Certificate of Work Background from the Alien Occupational Control Division of the Department of Employment.
- Copy of your monthly income tax form/return.
- A copy of your financial statements, such as balance sheets, profit, and loss statements, etc., of the previous three years.
- You should also have the fee for application processing ready when you apply.
- Any documents that the Immigration Department requires you to submit. The Immigration Department, at its discretion, can demand any additional/supplementary documents.
The Greatest Help you Need!
Although you are now knowing about the basic regulations of getting a Permanent Residence Visa in Thailand in the Investment Category, yet, this is not enough. Nevertheless, have you ever thought that what can happen if you face any or all of the following situations:
- Fall short of some documents during the application process
- Unable to understand any bylaw that is important for your PR application
- Issues in communication as most of the relevant Thai authorities speak only in the Thai language
- Get any unexplained reason for the rejection of any of the documents
- Face issues in collecting all of the tax documents that are important to highlight your investment and financial portfolio to the Thai Government.
So that you do not fall into the abyss of any of the said issues, you must have reliable Thai immigration and law firm by your side. Nevertheless, we at Konrad Legal Company Limited take the sole responsibility to smoothen and ease out your process of application for Permanent Residence Visa in Thailand. Therefore, be it for Investment Category or any other legally permitted category for PR in Thailand, if you are planning to apply for one, let us know! Email us your requirements to [email protected].
