Thailand offers a beautiful environment and quality standard of living, so you may want to consider applying for Thailand Permanent Residence status, which will bring you many advantages, including living permanently in the Kingdom, without the requirement to apply for an extension of stay. It will also make it easier for you to buy a house and/or seek a work permit.
All the applications for Thai Permanent Residency are processed by the Royal Thai Immigration Commission. The annual quota for granting Permanent Residency in the Kingdom of Thailand is a maximum of 100 persons per country. The application period for Thai PR usually ranges from October to the end of December every year.
Criteria for Becoming a Thai Permanent Resident
To apply for Thai Permanent Residency, you need to fulfill the following criteria:
- You should have had a Thai non-immigrant visa for at least 3 years prior to the submission of your application. Holders of multiple Non-Immigrant visas can not apply. In order to qualify you must have 3 consecutive yearly extensions.
- At the time of the submission of the application, you must be a holder of a non-immigrant visa.
- You must be able to meet one of these categories to apply for PR status in Thailand:
- Investment category (minimum 3 – 10 M Baht investment in Thailand)
- Business / Working category
- Support a family or Humanity Reasons category: In this category, you must have a relationship with a Thai citizen or an alien who already possesses a residence permit as a husband or wife; father or mother; or a guardian of a Thai child under 20 years of age.
- Expert / academic category
Other Requirements to Obtain Thailand Permanent Residence
- The list of required documents for the application depends on the category under which the application is made.
- Once your application for Thai Permanent Residency has been approved:
- A residence blue book will be issued to you.
- You must then register your place of residence in Thailand at the local Amphur and obtain a house card.
- A week after the receipt of your residence certificate you can apply for an alien book (red book) at the local police station, which is equivalent to the Thai national ID card.
- You must re-register there every year.
- The Residency Permit itself never expires, unless revoked, but if you leave the country, you will need to obtain a re-entry permit before you leave in order to re-enter Thailand.
- When you have completed 10 consecutive years as a permanent resident, you can apply to become a Thai naturalized citizen.
For complete local Thai support in the process of obtaining Thailand Permanent Residence status, email us at [email protected]. Our team will get back to you within one Thai working day!
