HerewardtheWake

OK, it seems that the Chinese embassy advises carrying both old and new passports. But are they reluctant to let one apply for a new 10-year visa and cancel the older visa which is still valid? It is more convenient to have everything in one passport.

Thank you, Joe. Information given is to the precise points. Much appreciated.

I just got a new US passport , as the older one, while still valid, has run out of pages. The old passport has my 10-year Chinese tourist visa. 

How do I get it transferred to the new passport? Do I need to go to Bangkok or can a consulate do this( Phuket, Songkla, or Chiang Mai)?

Also, is there a Chinese Consulate in Phuket? When I google it, it takes me to the Songkla Consulate. Thanks.

"---folks in the BOI are just "weeding" out anything that would cause their bosses to have to figure whether or not some document or letter was valid

documentation for the qualifications.  Too much explanation could cause even more problems.  Documentation needs to be clear and fits with their expectations.  Good luck."

This excerpt from Prenock's message elsewhere in this string succinctly states the way BoI  officials operate. The bosses who approve the applications have a set of criteria they stick to. Permutations of the required documents and variations of different kinds impose additional work of evaluations and decisions. They do not like that. For example, they understand the American 1040's include all income sources and are very straight forward in terms of gross taxable income and taxes, thereby indicating clearly the net income. They may have similar criteria for other countries.  

There is also a matter of personnel dynamics in BoI. The officials one interfaces in the office are not the ones who make the final approvals, but are mere intermediaries. I found this out when I tried to get a statement next to my LTR visa stamp that I am exempted from health insurance because of the $100,000 deposit in an account. ( I felt I needed this because Immigration often ask me for health insurance proof when I arrive in Phuket). The BoI official I met was very empathetic, but after going back and forth to meet his boss four times, finally came back with a firm statement that no such statement can or need to be written because: 1) Immigration is not supposed to ask for health insurance for an LTR, and 2) the LTR regulations specify that the 100,000 deposit is sufficient in lieu of health insurance.

It seems to vary. Some correspondents on this string said that the embassy acknowledged the application. In my case, I heard nothing. I stumbled across this link eventually, which showed the status of my application by saying that the passport has been shipped. But I am not sure whether this link would report receiving the application or its status in the processing queue.

https://passportstatus.state.gov/

New passport and the old one have just been delivered in a Thai Post envelope. It's taken about  32 days. The new passport seems to have elaborate security features and they are listed on a separate page. I checked the box  for a larger passport in the application, so it has  43 usable pages compared to 20 usable pages in the older passport.

https://passportstatus.state.gov/

The message above is what I got when I enquired about my passport application status. You have to enter name, date of birth, and last four digits of the Social Security number. Note the bottom of the message. There is a two week transfer time from State Dept to the US Embassy in Bangkok to which I sent my application on April 5. While State has processed my passport on May 17, transfer times from State to Embassy and Embassy to me add up to 6-8 weeks. What I don't understand is why I never got any email message of acknowledgment from the Embassy or any status report, as reported by some of the correspondents on this string. May be the Embassy did that in the past and has stopped now.

Application Status: Mailed

The U.S. Department of State has mailed your passport book on 05/17/2024.

We sent your passport book to you using Prepaid Delivery.

Your new passport and supporting documents are mailed in separate packages at different times. You should expect two separate mailings: one with your new passport and one with your supporting documents. We will provide another status update on the date we mail your supporting documents. This update will not include the tracking number for your passport.

Your application locator number is xxxxxxx

Please allow two weeks for your U.S. passport to arrive at the mailing address you provided on your application. If you have not received your passport after two weeks, contact the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 (or TDD/TTY 1-888-874-7793) with your application locator number. We will return your supporting documents (such as your birth certificate, previous passport, or naturalization certificate) in a separate mailing that may not arrive for eight weeks.

You have 90 days from the date the passport was issued to report that you never received your passport. If you do not tell us within 90 days, you will have to reapply and pay the full passport fee.

**If you submitted your passport at a U.S. embassy or consulate, the mailing date in this status update is the date we mailed your passport to the embassy or consulate not the date we mailed the passport to you. Your passport may take two weeks to arrive at the embassy or consulate. Mailing times are different for each country. Once the embassy or consulate receives the passport, they will deliver it to you based on local procedures.

Berkshire, thanks, but what tarcking number do I use on Thai Post for this purpose? 

Lthai, can you please explain how to track the passport on

line, as you seem to have done? Thanks.

OK, one mails the application for  passport renewal and makes the $135 payment. Tracking by Thai Post shows the package containing the application, photos, and old passport has been delivered. I have done all this. Will the US Embassy at some point send me an email message advising of the status of the application and let me know if anything else is needed? Will they send me a message that the new passport has been mailed back to me? One gets the feeling the whole process can use some more transparency.

OK, one mails the application for  passport renewal and makes the $135 payment. Tracking by Thai Post shows the package containing the application, photos, and old passport has been delivered. I have done all this. Will the US Embassy at some point send me an email message advising of the status of the application and let me know if anything else is needed? Will they send me a message that the new passport has been mailed back to me? One gets the feeling the whole process can use some more transparency.

Thanks, but I still get the same message with or without a VPN connection on Chrome. I will try Safari to see if that makes a difference.

When I try to log into the US Embassy passport site, I have been getting this message for the last three days:

We’re sorry, this site is currently experiencing technical difficulties. 
Please try again in a few moments.
Exception: request blocked

I have tried both Chrome and Safari portals which give the same message. Anybody knows what's going on?

Thanks, Oldcpu, for that categorical explanation of the LTR process and advantages. Your message should put all the fears expressed by others to rest. During my  own dealings with BoI I've found them to be responsive and rational. In the context of other types of visas, LTR is an oasis of reason and purpose. Let us all hope that when the 5-year extension time comes up around 2027, BoI will continue to be rational.

No, it is not a financial issue to keep both the $100,000 deposit AND a health insurance policy. That is what I will do as a measure of safety in case BoI changes their policies. A policy with 300,000 Baht deductible costs only a premium of 42,000 Baht, so it is not a big deal.

Yes, for many IOs, an LTR is a rare bird sighting. At least in the sticks- submitting a TM90 at Krabi Immigration caused a bit of confusion among the staff because they have never seen LTR before. May be as LTR numbers increase, IOs will become familiar with it.

Thanks for  all comments.

US$100,000 deposit in lieu of Health Insurance- Visit to Chamchuri Square BoI office

I wanted to discontinue my  Pacific Cross LTR visa health insurance and use the 100,000 deposit method. I went to the BoI office with: 1. Balance Letter of Charles Schwab bank checking account  which says my average balance for the last 12 months was over $100,00; 2. Account statements for the last 12 months each of which showed over $100,000 each month.

A soft spoken young man with a pleasant manner met me. I showed him the Balance Letter and the monthly statement. He had a cursory look at the Balance Letter but did not examine the monthly statements.

I explained to him that each time I arrive on my LTR visa, Immigration  asks me for proof of health insurance. Since I now I want to change to the $100,000 deposit method, can BoI give me a statement that they have approved my bank deposit method and exempted me from having to carry insurance? Or, at least a notation on the LTR visa  passport page to that effect?

He went back and forth to consult with his supervisor. The final word was that BoI has no policy of giving such a statement. Because it is superfluous and not necessary, according to BoI.

He said Immigration is not supposed to ask for health insurance proof for LTR visas. If it happens again, he said, ask them to call BoI. But he agreed with me that such a call would be impractical and went back to the supervisor.

He then gave a Thai version and English translation of the LTR Qualifications, Conditions, Criteria, and Conditions for LTR. He underlined Section 2.2.3 which states that: --- a deposit balance of at least USD 100,000 in a bank account in Thailand or abroad retained for least 12 months as of the date of application.

If Immigration asks me for proof of health insurance, show them the document, he said. 

That was the best BoI could do.

My dilemma is: at over 75, if I discontinue my Pacific Cross policy , and if at some point BoI changes the LTR health insurance rules, I will not be able to get health insurance.

So, is it best to continue carrying the health insurance policy?

Question about Going to the LTR visa people at Chimichurri Plaza, Bangkok:

I want to take the US$100,000 deposit option for maintaining my LTR visa.

I have the relevant account statements for the last 12 months. Can I just drop by at the Chimichurri building? Or do I need to get an appointment? Contacting them on the phone has been a futile effort and email messages get a canned irrelevant response.

PIB's points are quite important. I am sure BoI will insist on an LTR visa holder's having met the requirements during all the time the visa has been valid. 

Tom, Misty, Thailand, thank you for such useful replies and information. You have addressed my questions precisely. I will talk with my insurance agent and see if I can lower my premium, albeit for another useless deductible schedule. US$100,000 will generate interest slightly exceeding the policy premium, so Tom's idea is very relevant. 

Frits, thank you. Yes, I am aware of the requirements, but I am trying to find out how to register the

US100,000 deposit with the LTR organization, so that I can cancel my Pacific Cross health insurance. 

Background: I had an O-A visa for which I had the required health insurance. I used the same policy for meeting the LTR visa requirement in 2023 April. The Pacific Cross insurance expensive (at over 100,000 Baht premium) and  is useless because it has a 300,000 Baht deductible. I would like to use the self-insurance route of having a US$100,000 bank deposit. I have been trying in vain to contact LTR visa service in Bangkok. A written message to them gave me a an irrelevant canned answer without addressing my question. Phone calls get me a response to contact by email.

How does one go about getting LTR approval of the self-insurance? I got an account  Balance Letter  from my Charles Schwab bank and attached it as a file to my profile on the LTR website, but got no acknowledgment from LTR. 

Would it be better to make a visit to the LTR office  in Bangkok? Does one need an appointment? Would a Balance Letter be sufficient to meet the LTR requirement? 

If anybody has had any experience with this, please comment.

OK, so Zenni ships to Thailand? They said last March that they cannot ship to Thailand. Their policy has changed? 

Thanks, Tim. 

My LTR visa was granted in April and the existing O-A visa was cancelled.  I know I have to submit a TM-90  form  or something like that once a year. 

However, during the the LTR visa validity period, do I have to leave the country once a year and then return to keep the LTR

visa valid? Or can I just stay put for the five years and keep the LTR visa valid without incurring any overstay penalties? Thanks for any insights.