Want to make Thailand your forever home?

Dealing with visa extensions and 90-day reporting is a weight on the minds of many long-term foreign residents in Thailand. For those intent on making the Kingdom their permanent home, Permanent Residency (PR) is an attractive option.

PR enables foreign residents to live in Thailand for an unlimited period without worrying about their visa status. It is open to those who can demonstrate that they’ve contributed to the Thai economy for three or more years through employment, company ownership or investment, and those with family ties to Thailand or specific qualifications.

Benefits include:

●        You won’t need to apply for visa extensions.

●        You won’t have to report to the Thai Immigration Office every 90 days.

●        You can easily purchase a condo in Thailand without having to transfer funds from abroad.

●        You can apply for a Thai work permit with ease.

●        You can serve as a director of a Thai public company.

●        You can get an extension of stay for non-Thai family members and Thai citizenship for your children.

●        You get your tabien baan (blue Thai house book).

●        Take an important step on the path toward citizenship.

Sounds fantastic, right? But how difficult is it to obtain Permanent Residence? What’s the process? How much does it cost? There’s a lot of conflicting information online about Permanent Residence, so we’re here to clear things up for you.

What’s the process?

1. Apply – Applicants must first submit their application for Permanent Residency to the Royal Thai Immigration Office. This includes providing all the relevant paperwork and paying the initial application fee (THB7,600). The PR application window is typically open during the last six weeks of the year. A few months after their successful application being lodged, the applicant will receive notice to attend a formal interview at immigration.
2. Interview – On the day of the interview, the applicant will meet with a panel of 7–10 officials from various related ministries who will make recommendations to the Minister of Interior, who ultimately signs off on each application.
3. Wait – Once the interview is complete, the application will be sent to the Ministry of Interior for final approval. There is no official timeline for this part of the process, but it typically takes between 18 and 20 months following the initial application.
4. Obtain Certificate of Residence – Once the Minister of Interior approves the PR application, the applicant will be invited back to immigration to receive their approval letter and pay the final fee (approximately THB95,000–200,000). They will then receive instructions on how to obtain a blue Certificate of Residence book (tabien baan) and an Alien Residence book.

From start to finish, it could take over a year to obtain PR status. That’s why we recommend applying sooner rather than later. It’s also much easier to obtain PR while you’re still working, so don’t put it off until retirement. There’s no time like the present.

What’s covered in the interview?

The interview consists of a short, semi-formal conversation in Thai with a panel of 7–10 officials from various ministries. The purpose of the PR interview is to gauge the applicant’s attitude and commitment to Thailand and its culture. Officials are looking for:

1. Language skills – Applicants must be able to understand and answer conversational questions comfortably in Thai.
2. Thai etiquette – Applicants should dress respectfully in formal attire, greet the interviewers with the wai, and speak and act politely throughout the interview.
3. Commitment to Thailand – The officials want to see that applicants have genuine roots in Thailand and are willing and able to contribute to the country.

In short, the interview is as much a test of the applicants’ Thai language skills and etiquette as it is a chance to discuss their background, reasons for wanting to reside in Thailand, and contributions to the country.