Misty
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Posts posted by Misty
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24 minutes ago, connda said:
I don't think my US banks or brokerage, or my previous employers are going to share my financial information with Thailand.
Now - if Thailand wishes to extend the benefits of permanent residency to me? That would be different. Or even better - extend a path to citizenship.
Then 🇹🇭 Prathet thai ruam lueat nuea chat chuea thai 🇹🇭Under the US-Thai FATCA intergovernmental agreement signed in Mar 2016 unfortunately the ground work was laid to share individual’s financial information with Thailand
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21 hours ago, MrBanks said:
Hi, does anybody have recent information on how long the process is taking to get a decision on an application for the LTR visa.
In the past I have applied for various visas and never used an agent before, but this time, due to being busy, I decided to go with one and he is telling me that I am hearing nothing, due to a huge back log at BOI, caused by too many applications.
I am beginning to sniff bull manure, so any up to date information will be appreciated?
First, are you using one of the LTR unit Certified Agents from the LTR website? https://ltr.boi.go.th/page/ca.html If you really want to use an agent, I'd make sure it is one that the LTR unit has pre-screened as being acceptable.
If you have any doubt about the status of your application, get your application number (aka "Doc Number) from the current agent, and call the LTR unit directly to ask them where things stand. If you can't get a Doc Number, then just call the LTR unit, explain you are trying to apply, and ask them how busy they are/how long it will take.
For what it's worth, I was at the LTR unit last week and it did not look at all busy. One Stop Service across the hall was very busy, but not the LTR unit itself.
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5 hours ago, John Drake said:In a house in Thailand.
Sounds serious. More than a house in Thailand - Wang was arrested days ago in Singapore. From other reporting Wang operated a global botnet controlling millions of individual IP address and rented them to others for some really rotten purposes. The group owned over $100m in property in at least four countries (Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, USA).
"The charges against Wang are for allegedly deploying malware, and creating and operating a residential proxy service known as “911 S5”, a botnet that facilitated cyberattacks, large-scale fraud, child exploitation, harassment, bomb threats, and export violations, according to the DOJ." https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3264861/chinese-hacker-wang-yunhes-arrest-brings-fresh-scrutiny-singapore-wealth-flows
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8 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:Then maybe somebody could post a redacted picture of their LTR & we’ll see if it has “Non Immigrant” on it.
Or simply look up the definition of “Immigrant”
a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.
Nothing permanent about a 10 year visa.
Mike I've checked both my old LTR e-visa from 2022 (a paper copy all in English from NY consulate) as well as the new LTR HSP visa stamp in my passport from this year. Neither says anything about "Non Immigrant".
But my old Nonimmigrant B visa stamp did say "Non Imm." So clearly that was Non Immigrant, according to Thai Immigration. I would say the LTR program isn't the same.
So a rose by any other name?
Note that PR isn't necessarily "permanent" despite its name. If you stay outside of Thailand for more than a year, it gets cancelled as we saw happened to some unfortunate folks during the pandemic. An LTR visa wouldn't have been cancelled in the same circumstances. So LTR could be more "permanent" than PR.
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On 5/30/2024 at 12:45 PM, Pib said:When you visit Chamchuri please ask if they will issue a residence certificate my mail which would take a week or two which will also be at a lower cost than Bt500 like when getting a same day certificate.
When I got my certificate for Bt500 which took less than an hour I'm about 90% sure I asked the Information Desk on my way out the door after getting the certificate if I could get the certificate by having it mailed to me instead after I applied in person. I was told No on that day.
Since I need to get another certificate in about 6 months to renew my drivers licence if they do issue residence certificate by mailing it out and do it for less than Bt500 I would probably just ask for it to be mailed and hopefully save 300 to 400 baht and also not need to hang around an hour or so to get the certificate.
Thanks.
Today at Chamchuri I asked if they can mail the certificate and was told no, unfortunately at this location you can only pay cash Bt500 and receive on the same day, within an hour.
My experience was very much like yours, Pib - super easy. I brought a number of documents just in case, but in the end they only wanted the application, copies of my passport, LTR visa, and arrival stamp, and the TM30. I paid the Bt500 at Counter 8, submitted the documents at Counter 10, and was told to come back in an hour. I got a coffee downstairs and returned a little early. The certificate was ready about 5 min early. It was a busy day maybe ahead of the long weekend,
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3 hours ago, Walker88 said:
He is no longer allowed the privilege of voting in the State he chose to reside in, Florida.
Poetic justice.
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18 minutes ago, Pib said:
Yes, above list of documents is what is required...and this list can be found on quite a few websites. However, whether your servicing immigration office will require all of them especially a rental contract if renting, photo, etc., is a different story.
To the best of my memory when I went to Chamchuri Sq I did not provide a picture although I had some ready if they asked. Typically if a picture is required there is a place to paste it on the form. They did not ask for a rental contract maybe because I provided a copy of my Yellow Book...plus the Thai wife and I own versus rent. And maybe because Chamchuri Sq is my servicing immigration office and had my LTR visa issued there then that was enough proof of residence along with the other docs I provided. A person just never knows if the immigration office will demand each of the items in the list above OR just some of them. This Is Thailand.
Regarding the application form I used the one I download from the main Thai immigration website:
https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/downloads_en/
Document #22 "Application for Resident Certificate in Thailand" on the download list...below link should take you right to it.
But if I remember right when I presented this form at Chamchuri Sq they handed me a "slightly" different version to fill-out....still just a one page form asking for the same info but a ever so slightly different format.
Yeap....I also have car and motorcycle licenses along with Pink Thai ID Card and Yellow Book....all with my current address. However, when I bought my new car from BYD in late 2023 (that's why I needed the residence certificate) and although BYD handles the registration (does it all for you for free...typical for a new car purchase)....even though BYD had a copy of my Pink Thai ID card, Yellow Book, passport, Thai drivers license, and residence certificate to accomplish the registration which should have been more than enough to register the the car "without the DLT having to see/feel/touch my passport I still have to go to DLT in the Chatuchuk area for DLT to copy/touch/feel/smell my passport.
The BYD dealership had actually said they would probably need to take my passport to Bangkok Chatuchuk DLT during the registration meaning my passport would be out of my hands for about a week. I did "not" want to lose control of my passport to BYD or DLT even for a day so I told them I really don't want to do that as the passport is too important. The BYD dealership then made a few calls and then said I would "not" need to show my actual passport (just a copy) since I had a Pink ID card and Yellow book...so those copies should be enough.
HOWEVER, about a week into the registration process the BYD dealership called and said Chatuchak DLT "had" to see/feel/touch/smell my passport....make their own copy and see me sign the copy. The BYD dealership picked me up, drove me to Chatuchak DLT (wow!!!...a huge DLT complex), DLT made their own copy, had me sign the copy, took the passport into some office for about 10 minutes, and then came back with the passport and said all is good now....all of this only took about 30 minutes at DLT since the BYD rep hand massaged my visit. A few days later I had my car blue book and white license plates.
Yeap, even though I had enough documentation to choke a horse Chacuchak DLT had to smell/see/touch my passport for a few minutes....I guess that was the only proof they would accept to confirm the copies of my passport were indeed true copies. Now when I bought a new Toyota back in 2008 here in Bangkok...Toyota did the free registration...made copies of a bunch of stuff to include my passport...I also provide a residence certificate....along with signed copies of my passport and Toyota was able to complete registration without DLT needing to see/smell/touch my passport. This is Thailand.
Good luck with the car purchase.
Thanks so much Pib. I'll download and fill out the form you note from the Immigration website and have it ready, along with everything else listed barring the unneeded 90 day report. Will be going to Chamchuri Sq as well, hopefully tomorrow morning if I can carve out the time.
Documentation to choke a horse - Pib you aren't kidding! So glad the LTR visa cut out all this on the NonB/work permit extention front, but I guess TIT and you can't escape it entirely.
For those LTR visa holders wondering if they would ever need a TM30 again, requesting a certificate of residence appears to be a case where it's needed.
Car purchase is underway - buying my very old car off my company to clean up its books. Have most of the paperwork together for that/have already contacted the DLT but still need this certificate of residency to complete it.
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55 minutes ago, SHA 2 BKK said:
Misty if I am correct the LTR HSP is brilliant for those who earn a good income in Thailand and don’t need to remit large sums from abroad, whilst the other LTRs are for we who don’t work in Thailand and rely on Foreign Sourced funds for our yearly expenses.
Yes, that is how I understand it too. I have the LTR HSP now, switched to it after my profession qualified for it. Previously I had one of the other LTRs and had to pay a higher tax on my income. But I don't need to remit funds now so I prefer the 17% rate on income. At some point in the future when I'm no longer working I'll go back to one of the other LTRs, as long as the program still exists.
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12 hours ago, Pib said:
Yes...you'll probably need to show a TM30 receipt which is the "Notification From For Housemaster, Owner or the Possessor of the Residence Where the Alien Has Stayed" form. I say "probably" because I just attached a copy of my TM30 receipt when I applied for the Certificate of Residence.
And about 5 years ago when I was still on a Non 0 type visa and when to get a residence certificate at CW I had to provide a copy of my TM30 receipt.
LTR visa does not use a TM47 as there is no 90 day address reporting requirement; instead, a TM95 one year address report is used. I also attached my TM95 receipt since I haven't left Thailand for over a year.
Edit....correction...I just remembered that I got the residence certificate before I had one year under my belt with the LTR visa and just included a copy of the address reporting slip they give a person when first getting the LTR visa issued.....I didn't file my first TM95 until a couple months later.
Sorry I can't be more specific because when I went to Chamchuri Sq Immigration to get the resident certificate I just had a copy of my TM30, TM95, and TM6 that I offered with the application form and they took them all....they didn't have to "ask" for any form.
Hi Pib, thanks very much for this. There's a list of documents on the Thai Elite website that I was working off of, link & screenshot below.
A couple of questions:
1) Where did you get the certificate of residence application form?
2) In the Thai Elite link it mentions also needing a copy of the lease agreement if renting, a copy of my landlord's ID and title deed in the case the landlord is not a person. Did you need any of those documents as well? If not, how does the Chamchuri Sq immigration confirm where you live?
Just an aside: I also have two Thai drivers' licenses (car & motorbike) and on the back of each is my residence. Interestingly so far no one seems to be requesting or interested in copies of those, even for the car purchase itself.
https://thailand-elite.com/what-is-a-residence-certificate-and-how-to-get-it/
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On 11/26/2023 at 10:59 AM, Pib said:
Yes...the Chamchuri Sq Immigration Office stays pretty busy but based on my experience in Dec 2022 when initially getting my LTR visa and last month when getting a certificate of residence to buy a car when they know you have an LTR visa you get priority service....front of the queue type service.
Hi Pib, looks like I'll need a certificate of residence to buy a car. Did you need to make an appointment at Chamchuri Square for this, and was it with the LTR unit, or directly with Immigration?
I now see the only advantage to having an old style work permit (a paper booklet) was that the last page listed my residential address. Never had to get a certificate of residence before this.
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13 hours ago, JohnnyBD said:Thank you all for being very helpful. I've been stressing out over the past few months with this tax thing (I'm on marriage extension), then, after reading this thread, it gave me some hope that my life here could still be relatively stress-free and enjoyable. I received my new passport in the mail from the US Embassy, and had the visa stamps transferred today, so I will start the LTR process tomorrow. I am hoping for a smooth approval process. Thanks again for all the advice.
Yes, definitely give LTR visa a try. It sounds like you're a good candidate. If you qualify you won't regret it.
It is really good not to be in the annual extension grind anymore - in my case it was an annual NonB/work permit renewal. That's a system that should be ended for all concerned.
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On 5/26/2024 at 8:30 AM, Mike Teavee said:Capital Gains can be included (something that doesn't really make sense to me TBH)...
Unearned or passive income includes, but are not limited to pension, rental, capital gain, dividend, and interest payments
But I'm not sure how you prove the gain if you don't need to report it on your home country tax returns.
Thanks Mike, it's interesting that capital gains are listed as an acceptable form of passive retirement income. I guess if you can establish that the gains are a sustainable/repeatable source of income it could make sense. The challenge might be to make sure they keep coming each year so that at the 5 year point the LTR visa is renewable. And of course establish that the income is in fact a gain, so return on investment, and not return of capital.
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15 hours ago, stat said:I explictly asked them if bank statements would be OK, their answer was we will have to see, so I guess up to BOI . Also in my country Germany cap gains, dividends etc do not show in my tax return if from a German bank. It would be interesting to know if they accept an abundance of monies i.e. 1-3 Millions Plus USD as enough, even if you can only show 60K USD passive income as this video with a BOI official suggested at 14:05 following. She stressed it should be in an 401K plan but there is no such thing in a lot of countries. Any experiences? Thanks!
The impression I’ve had is that the BoI’s LTR unit is looking for steady recurring passive income such as provided by a defined benefit pension, state pension, annuity, rental income, dividends, interest etc. However, capital gains from trading or a sale of assets might not qualify.
From interactions with the LTR unit, It seems that they are just following the law governing the LTR visa, as it was written. The law isn’t perfect. Although the LTR unit is sympathetic to the imperfections, they don’t think they have room to interpret the law or maneuver outside of it. This might be different from Immigration where “VIP service fees” can be an influencing factor.
The comment about the US 401(k) plan is interesting. I wonder if the BoI official was referring to a traditional 401(k) where Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) have already begun. In that case a 401(k) will have be required to provide a steady passive income, a bit like a defined benefit pension. Same could go for a traditional US IRA undergoing RMDs. While other countries may not have these specific types of plans, they may have other types of pensions that would work in a similar fashion.
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2 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:
So forgive me for being a little less than impressed in how to proceed or have the same opinions as others saying how clear the service is.. What do they want ?? As far as I can tell I showed everything they ask for.
Definitely understand the frustration. Can you go to LTR unit in person? I did that a number of times, and that's when most of the really useful communication occurred.
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5 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:
Thats what he described himself as.. The people you speak to when you email ltr(at)boi.go.th and set up the zoom / video calls.
You didnt have questions and sort of pre screening by video call ??No, that sounds like something new. Interesting, I hope those folks are helpful! It sounds like you don't pay them, which is good.
I first did a pre-application in Aug 2023, then formal application in Sep 2023. Then switched LTR visa type in a complicated process in 2H 2023 (Change in qualification for LTR HSP made that one financially much better). No videos or people calling themselves "BoI lawyers." Lots of calls, emails, and some in person visits though.
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3 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:Wore a nice pair of golfing pants and a polo shirt, dressed like I do for Informal business meetings.
Yes, basic rules of common decency apply: be clean, shave if needed, comb hair, wear clean well-mended clothes, brush teeth. A collared shirt and long pants. No flip flops - closed toe shoes.
Probably all the folks who qualify for LTR visas know how to dress decently already.
From many years doing annual NonB extensions in CW immigration that may not be the case for expats there, but don't let that place be a guideline of acceptibility.
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6 hours ago, LivinLOS said:Its odd as the BOI lawyers I consulted with on video calls before applying were all 'yes of course just document your earnings'.
I'm not sure what a "BOI lawyer" is - is this a private sector firm charging a fee for advice, or a lawyer who works for the BoI directly, or something else?
The reason I ask is that the LTR unit itself seems to be the best source of information and advice, and there's no fee involved. My various applications were not at all straight forward or plain vanilla, and the LTR unit was great in getting it all done. There was no need to pay a third party for this.
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11 minutes ago, khunjeff said:On 5/12/2024 at 8:20 AM, SHA 2 BKK said:Anyway I've had my LTR for 18 months. Apart from coming and going at the airport haven't seen an Immigration Officer or the BOI for that matter since!
Ditto (though I've had mine for "only" 17 months). No visits to immigration, no forms to fill (I leave the country regularly), no bank statements, no photocopies. Visa matters are no longer the constant irritant in my life that they used to be - and I just now sped through Fast Track at the airport in under five minutes. I'm an LTR fan.
Same here - had an LTR visa since Oct 2022. BoI's LTR and its long-term digital work permit are way better than the years of annual hassle renewing NonB/work permit. No comparison.
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5 hours ago, Presnock said:I am pretty sure that all foreign remitted funds to Thailand are exempt under the LTR benefits (by royal decree). If one works legally in Thailand with the LTR work permit, the earned funds will be taxed a a different rate than normal- BOI will probably send you confirmation soon.
Just to clarify: for most LTR visas if you work in Thailand the earned funds will be taxed at the normal progressive rate schedule, reportable on a PND90 or PND91.
There's only one LTR visa (LTR HSP) where the earned funds will be taxed at a flat 17% rate reportable on a PND95. But the LTR HSP visa doesn't get the benefit for the royal decree tax benefit. If you have an LTR HSP and remit foreign funds into Thailand, the royal decree doesn't apply.
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1 hour ago, SingAPorn said:Not very clear on how immigration will start making their annual checks for LTR visa holders to see if they still qualify and to "maintain" the LTR. With the risk of having the visa unfairly cancelled. Not to mention the postings read on the annual reporting and some immigration refusing to consider the report and asking the ltr holder to come back in 60 days. What if one has planned to leave when the ask to come back ?
You don't seem interested in this particular visa. Why do you keep posting on this thread?
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21 hours ago, noobexpat said:
No doubt similar to our offshore bonds, which don't have one and every other offshore bond i've ever seen.
So lets see these policy terms.
They seem to be variously referred to as "offshore bonds" and also "offshore savings plans" "offshore investment schemes" "offshore pension schemes" and perhaps other terms.
When you say "our" offshore bonds -- whose offshore bonds do you mean? Is it possible you've only seen a subset of what seems to be out there?
As you note, these offshore IFA pushed products are "policies" - as in insurance products. Maturity dates are included. And surrender penalties if the policy is surrendered ahead of the maturity date.
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Thailand to tax residents’ foreign income irrespective of remittance
in Thailand News - Discussion
Yup ,wondering the same. I think some DTAs might address how to handle IRAs, Roth’s etc but my guess is the current US Thai DTA does not. Wouldn’t have been relevant at the time it was negotiated. Maybe some tax expert can clarify.