Instructions for residence permit application in Thailand (annual quota)

      Foreigners staying in Thailand for a long time and wishing to apply for a residence permit must wait for the Ministry of Interior to announce the number of the annual quota first. The instructions are as follows: 

Applicant's qualifications

 1. They must hold a passport of the country of their current nationality and must hold a non-immigrant visa, as well as permission to stay in the Kingdom for an annual period, and the period of residence may not be less than 3 years up to the date of application submission;

 2. Reasons for submitting an application:

 (1) Applying for investment purposes; 
 (2) Applying for work; 
 (3) Applying for humanitarian reasons, divided into relationship with Thai nationals or having a relationship with a resident as follows: 

   – Husband – wife; 
   – Father – mother; 
   – Unmarried child under 20 years of age. 

 (4) Applying for a specialist; 
 (5) In a specific case.

      The application acceptance date depends on when the Ministry of Interior issues a notification specifying the number of foreigners to be granted residence in the Kingdom for the year (i.e., the quota). After the notification has been published in the Royal Gazette, the Immigration Office will publish a notification to accept applications for residence permits, and the application deadline will be the last working day of that year. Applicants may inquire about the application period and required documents at Sub-Division 1, Immigration Division 1, Immigration Office, or at the provincial immigration checkpoint. 

Procedures after application submission 

1.  The immigration officers will grant the applicants 180 days’ extension of stay on the date of application submission first, and the next extension will be granted for 180 days, until the results of the applications come out from the Immigration Commission;

2. The applicants and those who are involved will get an appointment form to come for an interview, which includes a test of Thai language ability in speaking, reading, and listening; 

3. Applicants who are 14 years of age or over on the application submission date must be checked for criminal records.

Fees 

 1. A fee for each application is 7,600 baht. If permission is not granted, the application fee will not be refunded; 

 2. If the application is approved, the fee for the residence permit is 191,400 baht. The residence permit fee for spouses and children (under 20 years of age) of foreigners holding the residence permit or Thai citizens is 95,700 baht. 

Information as of 8 February 2023