Misty

I've heard it's the way the law was written that is the problem. The BoI is stuck with following the law, such as it is. But would hope that at some point the law could be amended to be made more reasonable.

Thanks Pib, this is a great reminder for me. Looking to hire a new HSP employee and realized I'd forgotten some of the details of the requirements. Good to review everything to make sure they can qualify. With all the time I've spent on these visas I thought I was pretty familiar with the details, but that was not the case apparently!

Yes, I found phone calls to the LTR unit to be invaluable, also in-person visits when all else failed. If you call, be prepared for long wait times, so have something to do or read while you wait. You'll probably first get the BOI switchboard and get put on hold. Ask for the LTR unit, and you'll probably get put on hold again. But once you get someone at the LTR unit, they'll be able to look up your case by the "DOC number" which if it's a digital work permit that you applied for this year, starts out "LTRDWP2401..." Hope it goes well and you get your appointment!

Spotted this announcement on the LTR Facebook page. The last bullet point looks to be good news for LTR visa holders doing annual reporting: https://www.facebook.com/LTRVisaThailand/posts/pfbid0t8EooPqgfL8RQmgfS1eFtNDKjXMEC1PQqBzo9ZZ7dHBAaotjFvBH33dAjoHrqQy9l

Is there a red bell in the upper left side of your screen you can click on? Or otherwise, try clicking on the 3 vertical dots next to the "View" button in the screenshot above. If neither of those pull up the calendar to schedule a visit, my best suggestion is just call the LTR unit and ask.

It's really good to hear that there are efforts to increase the FBAR threshold figure to be closer to FATCA's. I didn't know that. In fact FATCA's Form 8938 threshold for expats (US taxpayers living outside the US) is even higher than the $50,000 domestic threshold as per below. It would be very helpful if FBAR threshold could go to the expat Form 8938 threshold, and then be inflation adjusted: Unmarried taxpayer threshold - more than $200k on last day of tax year or more than $300k at any time during the tax year. Married Filing Jointly--more than $400k on the last day of the tax year or more than $600k at any time during the tax year. https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i8938#en_US_2020_publink55389wd0e825

The Phuket IO thought there was a fake boarding pass? I understand that the OP did not have a fake boarding pass but am curious: why would someone fake a boarding pass. Is this a thing?

Those in the US would apply for a NonB e-visa from one of 4 Thai consulates in the US. If you're on the west coast, the NonB e-visa would be from the Los Angeles consulate. Start here: https://www.thaievisa.go.th/ I'm not sure there is a Thai Embassy in SFC, or at least not one that issues NonB visas.

If a Thai or other nonresident foreigner buys real estate in the USA and then sells it at a.profit, the gain is taxable in the USA. Gains on investment portfolios would not be taxable, however, as these types of gains are considered sourced at the location of the taxpayer.

Do you have US military Tricare health care benefits? Tricare benefits may not qualify for the purposes of getting a Thai visa (although they really should), however if you check into it you may find you actually do receive Tricare benefits overseas https://tricare.mil/FAQs/General/GEN_Eligibility_Moving_Overseas

Yes, the LTR unit has been extremely helpful throughout. Especially since a lot of the process was outside their direct control, especially coordination between Min of Foreign Affairs in Thailand and the NY Consulate. But it's done - the LTR HSP visa was issued yesterday. Paid Bt50k cash at counter. In this case the visa takes up 3 passport pages (one page handwritten note about the transfer, the visa itself, and then various stamps about entry/ stay permitted until, etc). So that's the only downside - the LTR e-visa used no passport pages, it was just a separate piece of paper.

Happy holidays Pib! The process isn't over yet, but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi Pib, yes it was an amazing act of coordination by the LTR unit. Back in Aug, when I'd first discussed with them switching from my existing LTR to the LTR HSP visa that I newly qualified for after a change in the HSP qualifying industries this year, the LTR unit thought it would be a simple process to switch that could be done at their office. I received approval for the new LTR HSP in September while I was traveling abroad. But, once I returned to Thailand in Oct and tried to actually make the switch, the LTR unit realized that it was more complicated in this case since I had an LTR e-visa issued by the NY consulate for 10 years. Only the NY consulate could cancel this visa and that is something that has not been previously (most e-visas are only for 90 days). Despite the complications, the LTR unit didn't give up. They coordinated with the MoFA and NY consulate and were able to get the LTR e-visa cancelled while I've been traveling in Dec. My digital work permit has also been cancelled. To re-enter, I have LTR e-visa cancellation letters from the MoFA and new LTR HSP visa approval letters from the BOI. The LTR unit has advised me to enter visa exempt, and then make an appointment to come to their office to get the new LTR HSP visa. The process was pretty complicated and I had to write a couple of different letters that were forwarded to the NY consulate vis MoFA, especially since this had never done this before. I remain really impressed by the courtesy and professionalism of the LTR unit, as well as their "magical powers" that I've heard about from others. The amount of tax I'll save overall (between Thailand and US) is pretty substantial, so despite the complications this move is worth it. Lesson learned: the LTR e-visa is a great visa, but if you might need to cancel it to switch to something else, it might be better to receive the LTR visa in Thailand, rather than from a consulate overseas.

Thanks for this. In that case, I have enough foreign currency cash. For the airlines my passport still has the old LTR visa details (it'll be changed at the LTR unit in Bangkok) but will get the onward ticket just in case.

You'd have to ask AMCHAM Tax Committee

Hi all, is there an ATM machine in the Suvarnabhumi international arrival hall available for withdrawing funds for arriving visa exempt? I’m going through the process to transfer my existing LTR e-visa to an LTR HSP visa. The LTR unit says to arrive visa exempt. I don't think I've ever arrived visa exempt before, or if so it was 30 years ago. To get through Immigration with minimal hassle, my plan is to have both an onward ticket and Bt20,000 cash, just in case. I also have the official approval documentation and the LTR unit’s phone number and a point of contact.

I agree with contacting the BOI LTR unit on this point. Would suggest emailing them so you have a written response. I've found talking to the staff to be very helpful, but sometimes they suffer from wishful thinking. Anything said on the phone could change 5 years from now. An emailed response would be a bit more durable.

According to the AMCHAM Tax Committee online seminar today, the Thai Revenue Department has yet clarified if foreign credit card or ATM withdrawals would be considered a remittance and therefore taxable. It was noted that other countries would consider use of a foreign credit card or ATM withdrawal as a remittance, so it's possible the RD would do so as well.

This seems important. Does the LTR unit also expect to see proof of USD100k in a bank account for 5 years for proof of the health insurance requirement? It would be difficult to "forget" and accidentally sell a USD500k gov't bond, but funds in a bank account would be different. Especially if someone actually needed to use these funds for health care expenses at some point.

A day older than yesterday.

A good point - it is situational dependent. For some folks this amount of Thai gov't bonds may not be an issue and a better option than buying a condo.

KBANK's bond desk (specialized department inside KBANK) has also sold LTR visa holders gov't bonds.

Malaysia https://insightplus.bakermckenzie.com/bm/tax/malaysia-updates-regarding-taxation-of-foreign-sourced-income

Agreed. And if you establish it was a "real" salary for work you are doing - if you were physically in Thailand doing the work, then it is Thai source income, not foreign source income. In that case, all of your salary is taxable in Thailand - whether or not you ever remit it.