Permanent Residency in Thailand

If you are a permanent resident, you are not a Thai citizen. You still can not own land in Thailand and will need a work permit for working. But permanent residency will grant you some benefits:

• Able to have your name in a House Book (Ta Bian Ban)
• Able to buy a condominium in Thailand without transferring money from abroad (Still, you can own a condo with PR)
• Able to become director of a Public Thai company (Do you really wish for that?)

To be honest, the benefits are minimal because you will still have to report to authorities once in a while (see below). But once permanent resident of Thailand, you can apply to become a Thai citizen according to the law. You can normally apply for citizenship after 5 years or permanent residency. That is really different and will grant you the same benefits as a Thai person. You will become Thai citizen if granted. But there are different tests for citizenships and that is not easy.

You can normally apply for permanent residency once a year, around December. The ministry of interior will issue some announcement each year for the opening of the permanent residency. There is a quota of granting of maximum 100 people per country, decided by the ministry of interior. To cost to apply is only about 8,000 baht. But if you are granted permanent residency, you will have to pay around 200,000 if not married to a Thai or 100,000 if married to a Thai to get the certificate of permanent residency.

You will find the regulation here in Thai and English:

- Regulation in Thai.

- Translation of the regulation of Permanent Resident for Thailand in English.

Different categories of applicants:

There are different categories like:

• Investment (minimum of 3 to 10 million baht)
• working
• support of family or humanitarian reasons
• expert
• and others.

If you are approved, you will receive a blue book. Then, you must register  your place of residence in Thailand at the registration office (called "amphur" in all provinces or "khet" in Bangkok) to get a house card. Then, you must apply quickly for another book, a red book.

Your permanent residency never expired. However, every 5 years, you must go at the police station of your area and stamp your book.

On top of that, if you leave Thailand, you need to apply for a re-entry permit.

Different links about permanent residency in Thailand: