Acquiring permanent residency in Thailand is not evident. Not only is there an annual quota per nationality (published in the Government Gazette), one also has to comply with the following requirements.
Requirements:
A foreign national who has legally entered Thailand through an immigration checkpoint
Holds three consecutive one-year-visa extensions
Has had a valid work permit during the last three years
Has a monthly income of at least 30,000 THB (if married) or 80,000 THB (single) and can proof this by providing three years of tax statements
Is not prohibited from entering Thailand under the Immigration Act
Besides being able to live in Thailand permanently without any administrative loss of time, a Thai permanent resident is able to buy a condominium without having to transfer funds from abroad (since local financing will become quite a lot easier), can become a director of a Thai public company, can apply for an extension of stay for his (non-Thai) family members and will receive his work permit easier.
One can only apply for the permanent residence from October to the end of December of every year and the applicant may in principle submit his application until the last working day of that year. After submission, the Immigration Commission will approve or refuse the application within 60 days. If approved, the application will be send to the Minister of Interior for a second confirmation. In total, the consideration for the application takes about six months to one year.
Permanent residency can only be applied for when the foreigner:
Note that the applicant will also be interviewed by an immigration officer to test their oral Thai skills.