jcates29

A quick update, which could prove useful for LTR visa holders: I applied for and received my new passport through the US Consulate in Chiang Mai, and went to Chiang Rai immigration this morning to have my visa transferred to the new passport. I explained the situation outlined in my original post above. The immigration officer was very helpful, but she told me (erroneously, it turns out) that she could not extend my permission to stay until Sep 2029, but I would have to depart and re-enter. The transferred visa permission to stay date reflected the one on my old passport (passport expiry date). When I asked a few questions, including what would happen upon reentry - that is, would the immigration officer grant me 5 years from the date of first entry? She admitted it was very confusing. She went to the regulation and consulted with others via text and phone, and in the end, she amended the stamp in my new passport and granted me permission to stay until Sep 2029. She recommend I carry both my old and new passport when re-entering, in case questions arose. She agreed it was likely, had she not extended it, that a subsequent immigration officer at re-entry could miss the fact I should be granted permission to stay until Sep 2029. I also asked about the LTR visa requirement to report annually - specifically is the date for me to report tied to the date of first entry, or if I depart and re-enter does the date reset (similar to 90 day reporting). After much consulting she advised I should report near the date of 1 year continuous stay in Thailand and it resets if I depart and re-enter. The most important lesson is one should ensure one's passport is valid for the entire length of stay, when either initially activating one's visa or extending it. In the case of an LTR visa, that means if your passport expires in less than five years, you should get a new one before entering Thailand or extending it. Otherwise, they will let you enter, but grant permission to stay only until the expiry date of the passport, and then you may encounter the same issues I experienced.

Well, unless the immigration officer screwed up when I entered in Sep 2024, that can't be correct. My visa was issued in April 2024, and the first time I used it was Sep 2024, at which time I was granted permission to stay until Sep 2029. If the 5-year clock started when the visa was issued, then the permission to stay would have ended in April 2029. It would make sense for the five years to start when one uses the visa for the first time, though.

Thanks very much for your prompt replies, gentlemen.

So, since I entered the first time and activated this visa in September 2024 (which started the five-year clock running), if I depart and return, say, in January 2026, and come back with a fully valid passport, they will provide a permission to stay until Sep 2029, and not to Jan 2031 (5 years from the latest entry)? I think that is what you are saying, but just want to make sure.

In April 2024 I was granted an LTR-P visa. My current passport expires in Dec 2027. I entered Thailand in Sep 2024 and was granted permission to stay until Sep 2029. I departed in Oct 2024. I then returned in Feb 2025, but when I went through immigration I was only granted permission to stay through the date of expiration of my passport, Dec 2027. I have two questions: 1) Was it incorrect for me to be granted permission to stay for the full five years when I arrived in Sep 2024, or was it incorrect for me to be denied five years permission to stay when I arrived in Feb 2025? Or, is this a case of "discretion of the immigration officer"? 2) My visa is valid for 10 years from April 2024. The visa letter states it must be used by 07 April 2034, and the "Length of Stay" is 5 years. Does that mean if I enter Thailand on 06 April 2034 (say, with a valid passport that has an expiration date of 6 April 2039 or later), that I should be granted five years permission to stay? This would be a similar scenario to the O-A visa which can be used to obtain two years permission to stay if one re-enters Thailand on a date close to the end of the Visa's expiration date.

Have you considered the LTR-P option? No bank account required (but you can get one); no minimum deposit amount or monthly transfers required, no 90-day reports, explicitly tax-exempt, its a 10-year visa (permission to stay 5 years, which can be extended for another 5 years); must show an annual income of 80k. It far exceeds any non-O visa in benefits and ease of use.

@Presnock Thanks for your reply. Regarding stamps in the passport, since COVID the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. does not require visa applicants to actually travel to the embassy or send one's passport for stamps. They issue an approval letter via email, and I have received the letter. I'm sure the info in the letter is also reflected in the immigration computer system as well. In the past, I have applied for a Tourist visa and received approval via letter, and traveled to Thailand using the approval letter. Thus I'm pretty sure the letter is sufficient. I just wanted confirmation that I wasn't missing some three-month deadline to actually enter Thailand using the approved visa.

I recently applied for and received approval for an LTR-P visa via the Thai embassy in Washington, D.C. During the application process, the BOI website and the Thai Embassy website mentioned in different places that applicants should not apply for a visa sooner than 3 months before they intend to travel. Indeed, I had plans to travel to Thailand in June 2024, and I received BOI approval on April 1, 2024 and visa approval on April 8, 2024. The visa approval letter from the Thai embassy states the following: Date of Grant: 08 April 2024 Visa must be used by: 07 April 2034 There appears to be no 3-month deadline on actually entering Thailand with this approved LTR-P visa, despite the 3-month admonition when going through the application process. After I received the visa approval, my plans have changed, and it would be most convenient for me to travel in late 2024, as opposed to my previous plans. Is there any reason to worry that the visa will not be honored if I do not enter Thailand within 3 months of the Date of Grant?