There is a wide number of foreign individuals who request a legal consultation with H&P Bangkok Lawyers regarding their Thai permanent residence application. Every year the Thai government provides the opportunity for foreigners of all nationalities to apply for Permanent residence in Thailand via the immigration bureau. There is a annual quota per nationality and the relevant information is as follows:
Qualifications of the Applicant
Must hold a passport of the country of their current nationality and must obtain a temporary residence permit (NON-IMMIGRANT VISA) with permission to stay in the Kingdom for a year. The period of residence should be not less than 3 years from the date of application submission.
Types of submissions are:
(1) applying for investment,
(2) requesting to come for work,
(3) Applying for humanitarian reasons, divided into having a relationship with a person who already has a residence, namely 1) being a husband-wife, 2) being a father-mother, 3) being a child under 20 years old who is not married, (4) apply to become an expert (5) a particular individual case
After the Ministry of Interior of Thailand has issued an announcement determining the number of foreigners who will come to reside in the Kingdom for the year and has already been published in the Royal Gazette, The Immigration Office can issue an announcement accepting applications.
It is key to prepare all the supporting documents in advance, therefore we strongly recommend the applicants to engage law firms with expertise in immigration to handle the applications, especially the supporting documents and forms. Although the application will be done personally by the applicant, the preparation of the supporting documents will be key for the success of the Permanent Residence application.
After this, the officer will stamp the permit to stay awaiting the first consideration for 180 days, and the next one for 180 days each time until the result of the consideration from the Immigration Committee is known.
Later the foreigner will receive an appointment letter and those involved who came to the interview. There will be a test for speaking and listening to understand the basics of Thai language.
Foreigners who are fourteen years old or older must undergo a criminal background check as follows: (1) print the fingerprints of such aliens; send for a background check at the Criminal Records Division to check if there is a history of offenses in Thailand or not (2) Check the passport from the blacklist system to be a prohibited person. According to the Immigration Act, B.E. 2552 or not (3), Verify that it is a person with an international police arrest warrant from the Foreign Affairs Division. National Police Agency?
Regarding the Consideration, this will be done by the Immigration Committee, with representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Labor, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Board of Investment, the Office of the National Security Council, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Based on H&P Bangkok Immigration Lawyers experience, the criteria for consideration will consider income, assets, knowledge, professional capabilities, family status of foreigners with Thai nationals, national security, personality, health, understanding of the Thai language and other conditions.
The consideration period for each year will depend on the policy of the Immigration Commission and the Ministry of Interior of Thailand
Regarding the government fees, the Fee for applying are 7,600 baht per person. Fees will not be refunded.
If the permission for Permanent Residence in Thailand is granted, then in order to obtain the certificate the applicant should pay the fee of 191,400 baht
Any document in a foreign language must be certified by the embassy, translated into Thai, specifying the details of the translator that can be verified.
If you want to obtain an appointment with our lawyers in Bangkok to discuss your permanent residence in Thailand, please contact our Bangkok lawyers at [email protected]
