onthemoon

OK. I don't know whether you have the Blue Book, we own the house. I always take all books with me when I go to CW. That's the point, the PR in Thailand is not permanent. If you leave the country without the visa and endorsement still valid on the day you return, the PR will be cancelled the moment you return. The landlord has nothing to do with the Red Book, and I don't remember whether I had to bring the Tabien Baan when I renewed it. Therefore, someone else has to answer this.

If I remember correctly, you have to show the Red Book as well as your Tabien Baan (house registration / blue book) during your yearly pilgrimage to CW to renew the re-entry permit (visa and endorsement). If you do not live in Thailand, you are not residing here permanently, so your PR cannot be renewed. I think that's fair enough.

Outrageous, but there must be people who pay this amount otherwise they wouldn't try. For PR lawyers, I have heard that they charge THB 100,000 per case. Since they cannot do anything but ask you for the documents you can get the list in English free from Immi), and you have to get the docs by yourself anyway, I keep offering my services. So far, nobody has paid, maybe I need a law degree for credibility? 🤣 Anyway, THB 700/month would not be worth it for any lawyer, because the charges for writing the invoice and doing the tax accounting in a law firm is probably more than that. So, I am not convinced of that person's credibility.

FWIW I once forgot to renew, and it was several months later. I got fined a few hundred Baht (with receipt), no problem. Another time when I wanted to renew my work permit and the renewal of the police book was due in three months, the labour department said I would have to extend the police book first, otherwise they can give only 3 months on the work permit. Hm. I also think that Immigration checks the validity when I do my yearly visa/endorsement run to Chaeng Wattana.

I called again recently to check up on the status of my application, as I haven't heard anything for a while. Apparently, the process has changed. That's why there have not been any interviews for 5 months or so. They are waiting for the new implementation instructions from the ministry before they can proceed. So, no new interviews until then. What surprises me a bit is that the new regulations (whatever they may be) also apply for applications that are already in process. Does anybody have any more info?

Thank you!

I was late once, and the fine was very small. THB 400 or so, I don't remember exactly. With receipt. For info: Last time I needed a new PR book (it's full of exit/entry stamps every few years, I hope the auto-gates will be re-introduced), they asked to see my PR book. That' standard. The next trip to police was due after 3 months, so they told me to get it renewed first before they could issue the new PR book.

You can get a re-entry permit at the airport (for non-imm visa holders), but I don't think you can get an immigrant visa and endorsement (for PR holders) there. I hope I am wrong, in which case I won't need to do my yearly pilgrimage to CW. Edit: I just saw @scorecard 's reply. So I am right (unfortunately).

No, only during government working hours. So, if you learn on a Friday afternoon that you have to leave the country the next day for urgent reasons, you are out of luck. Speaking of which, I have to report to immigration now, as my "Permanent Residency" is anything but permanent - I have to get new stamps every year, as I leave the country on business on average twice a month. I always used to make my yearly pilgrimage to CW in the morning and am out of there before lunch. Pretty fast for a government office, if the travelling within Bangkok wouldn't take hours. It would be even better if this yearly reporting could be done online, like the 90-day report for the non-imms. Anyway, this time I can only be there by 1pm. Does anybody know whether I can still get the Non-Quota Immigrant Visa (not "Re-entry Permit") and the Endorsement within the same day if I only arrive in the afternoon? Thanks.

Does anybody know whether the new auto-gates for foreigners are also good for PR holders? I am not asking because of the time - I would think the queues at the manual counters will be much shorter and besides, I usually go to the Thai counters anyway. I am asking because of the stamps filling up my passport (and this totally useless Residency Book), so I need to get a new one every 2-3 years. No stamps would really be an improvement.

Congratulations and that for the update!

The stamp in my passport says: "This visa is good for Multiple return Journey(s) to Thailand. It must be utilized before...(date stamp) if passport remains valid." The word "multiple" is a stamp within that visa stamp. Also kindly note that I have used visas in expired passports before, I do not apply for a new visa when my passport expires but carry the new passport (without visa) and the old (expired) passport with the visa. Never had a problem with that.

The visa in your passport does not say "multiple"? Let me check my passport when I get home tonight.

Yes, this is another issue. Even the pink ID card we have is only in Thai, not bilingual and smart card like the Thai ID. It's the political will that is missing. <sigh>

Wow, you know 99% of all PR holders? I'm impressed.

I know. Once I am Minister of the Interior, I will change everything. Until then, we'll just have to live with this. ????

Why does the stamp say "Non-Quota Immigrant Visa" if it is not a visa? Anyway, the point is that you have to go get stamps (whatever you call them) before you leave the country, otherwise your PR will be automatically cancelled upon return. That's why it is not "permanent". And let me inform you that the PR book (first one blue, next ones white) has no meaning whatsoever since the invention of computers. Immigration knows this; when we were allowed to use the auto gates at Suvarnabhumi for a brief period, we did not get an exit or entry stamp in your passport, and nobody wanted to see that useless book. (I actually don't care about the fees, but that's just me.)

While you correct yourself later in your post, let's make it clear that the PR in Thailand is NOT permanent. If it were, you wouldn't have to apply for a visa and endorsement every time (or once a year) you leave the country. This is a major flaw in the Thai PR system and highly annoying. I once almost lost my PR because I had forgotten to get these stupid stamps. Luckily that was in the morning on a weekday, and I could jump over from Suvarnabhumi to CW and back in time to catch the evening flight. Missed one business meeting in Vietnam, though. Sure, if you know for a fact that you will never travel again until the end of your life, you won't need the visa and endorsement, but that case is too rare to claim that this is the rule. The other major flaw is that PR holders still need work permits. And then there is a long list of minor ones.

She was clearly wrong on both ethical and legal grounds. BTS' policy is also wrong; however, the employees I talked to (on three different stations, actually) were just following the rules. Who sets these rules?

I recently turned 60 and asked the staff at the BTS to issue a Senior pass for me. They checked and said this is only for Thai citizens. I understand that they don't want to discount the fares for tourists, but I have PR and I pay taxes, like every Thai citizen. Does anybody know anything more about this?

FWIW, I know a few Thai people living in German who got the German citizenship. They also travel back and forth between Thailand and Germany, and they use their Thai passport in Thailand. One of them is currently in Thailand. Let me call her tomorrow and ask whether the German authorities ever asked her to revoke Thai citizenship, and whether the Thai immigrations officers ever mentioned anything when she left/arrived without a valid Schengen visa.

You have to apply for approval from the Bundesverwaltungsamt in Cologne first. This goes via the Embassy. If you receive Thai citizenship before the actual certificate (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung) has been physically handed to you by the Embassy, you will automatically lose your German citizenship. Contact the Embassy or send me PM for more details.

Thanks. Let me c&p this sentence: "The competent official must complete the process within 90 days or 120 days in the case of filing abroad. which can be extended for no more than 30 days at a time". I don't know whether this means the DOPA needs to send the file to the committee within that time frame, or who the "competent official" is. I haven't read the original Thai text yet, though. FWIW I am attaching a file I saved on my computer in 2020. Hm. BTW I did not see anything about a language test by Chula in the files you attached, I did read this: "Tuition from an educational institution in Thailand at least at the primary level". It's a course offered by some established language schools, and you study at your own pace. Three months, two years, up to you. The primary school final exam for foreigners is at the Ministry of Education (I think once or twice a year). I got my Thai Primary School degree (ป. 6) this way in the early 2000s.

I do not doubt that this is your experience. As I said, YMMV.

I know Thais with dual nationality. However, when you naturalise as a Thai, you cannot use your other passport in Thailand anymore. In fact, you have to have the intent to give our original nationality up once you become a Thai citizen.