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Permanent residency in Thailand.

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.

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Thailand application
for a permanent residency.

Requirements:

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    A foreign national who has legally entered Thailand through an immigration checkpoint

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    Who is free of disease
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    Holds three consecutive one-year-visa extensions

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    Has had a valid work permit during the last three years

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    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

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    Is not prohibited from entering Thailand under the Immigration Act

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    Him/her permanently residing in Thailand will be of benefit to the country and his/her business will thus not compete with local business in a way that domestic business is extinguished or diminished
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    Falls within one of the categories as mentioned below

Advantages.

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.

Timeframe.

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.

Categories and process.

Permanent residency can only be applied for when the foreigner:

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    Has made a significant investment in Thailand
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    Is an executive officer and a signatory of a Thai business with a capital of at least 10M THB for at least one year. He must have had a work permit for three years and a salary of at least 80,000 THB per month since two years.
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    Is married to, has a child – single and younger than 20 years – or is a parent of a permanent resident or Thai citizen (supporter). The last category is for foreign experts, holding a Bachelor or higher degree, and having worked here for at least three consecutive years.

Note that the applicant will also be interviewed by an immigration officer to test their oral Thai skills.

Ready to get started?

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Natnaree, Immigration services coordinator