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How to become a Thailand Permanent Resident

There has been a lot of myths and misinformation about becoming a Permanent Resident in Thailand. In this blog post we will explain more about what you need to do to become a permanent resident in Thailand and show how you can do it with some long term planning. This post applies for people who are working in Thailand long term, and for people who are married to Thai citizens.

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"They are very honest and professional. I will definitely use their services when I move to Thailand."

- Remo di rocco

So a lot of expats have been working successfully in Thailand and don't realize that they can become permanent residents. They struggle with 90 day reporting for years, and with the mental idea that they will never be on a path to Citizenship. Citizenship means you can buy property and get a Thai passport just like any natural born Thai Citizen. But the first step is Permant Residency, so let's look at what you need.

Benefits

You can use those empty Thai lanes at the airport used for Thai citizens and Permanent Residents
You can apply for citizenship after 5 years of permanent residency
You can get mortgages, bank loans etc more easily
No need to do the 90 day reports anymore
You don't have to ever worry about visas or work permits again.

Requirements

The requirements center around work. You have to be gainfully working in Thailand to even be reading the rest of this.

You must have a work permit for 3 consecutive years just before the application
You must be working in the last company for at least 1 year just before application
Earn at least 80,000 baht per month for 2 years (or filing tax on monthly income of 100,000 baht)
If you're married you can apply after 2 years showing 40,000 baht per month, tax returns and annual renewal of your marriage visa.
You need to speak conversational Thai

If you have a business in Thailand and have a work permit associated with that business and have the same income requirements -- you also have no problem and are eligible.

Most other categories, even investment, etc requires you to have work permits and be filing taxes also.

Who is not Eligible?

People who hold a Retirement Visa
People who hold the Elite Visa
People who do not do consistent work in Thailand
Tourist visa holders (obviously)

What about the Quota?

Yes, there is a quota of 100 people per country or colony, but from all reports, very few people actually apply for permanent residency, so for most countries there should not be a problem. We have heard that China and India, because their large populations and many immigrants have to wait for multiple years before they can apply.

Is the Permanent Resident Visa Permanent?

Yes! And once you have it you do not need to get work permits or another visa. However, if you leave Thailand, you do need to get a re-entry permit so you do not invalidate your visa. You can purchase a multiple re-entry permit each year that allows you to leave or enter Thailand as many times as you want. If you are only travelling once a year, then you can purchase a single re-entry permit at a lower cost.

How much do I have to pay?

To apply for the visa, you pay a non-refundable fee of 7,600 Baht, or around $250 USD
If you are accepted you will then pay a one-time fee of 191,400 Baht, or around $6,000 USD.

And now you see why even with a quota of 100 per year per country, so few people actually do it. As with everything in Thailand, you do have to pay some money.

Summary

So let's stop the myths. Permanent residency in Thailand is very possible. And in fact, is quite similar to getting permanent residency in many western countries, in terms if time and money.

If you are married to a Thai Citizen, it costs less and takes a shorter time.
If you are a woman married to a Thai husband, it will cost even less and take a much, much shorter time.