DodgerRodger

From the horse's m out (in answer to a question I sent in to BOI) will there be an annual or periodic review of qualification for the LTR Visa, and will the visa holder be required to be physically present in Thailand at that time? Answer: There is no annual or periodic review of qualification for the LTR Visa holders. However, if the holder are living continuously in Thailand for a period of 1 year, they are required to make 1-year report to the Immigration (in case of re-entering Thailand, the report will be due 1 year counting from the latest arrival date into the Kingdom). Please be informed that the LTR visa period is 10 year (5 years + 5 years staying permission) which means that you will get a 5-year visa stamp first. Your qualification and criteria (for example, your investment) will be evaluated again after the first 5 years of the visa. If your qualification and criteria do not meet the requirement e.g. the value of investments is less than USD500,000 (because you sold your property), then you will not get approval for the rest of the 5 years of the visa.

Do you mean enquire with the building management or security staff? Seems worth a try as a first line of approach at least. If I was an experienced renter in BKK it makes perfect sense. I just worry that the owner will see me as an easy target to ramp up the rental price.

Thanks OneMoreFarang and JayClay. Some very helpful advice. The market seems to be absolutely flooded with available condos. I've spent hours looking at hipflat and dotproperty (the same agents and same condos often appear on these platforms). I can understand that the listings are not always up to date and photos not genuine (I can spot some photos being used for condos in totally different buildings????) I was in BKK a month or so ago and spent time walking the area and identifying suitable condo buildings based on convenience and how quiet they might be (traffic, construction noise) and I also want to avoid those buildings that have multiple airbnb listings. Thanks again for the input.

That's encouraging, many thanks. I was planning a 10-day hotel stay so that I'd have time to find an ideal rental, sign contract and have a few days to shop for essentials before spending the first night at the condo. As a follow up I'm also going to need time to get a Thai bank account (thinking of using an agent). If I've not achieved this before signing for the condo, is there an alternative method to pay the deposit etc but also ensuring the funds go directly to the condo owner, not the agent?

Hi, all, just finished reading the very helpful thread from Brian Nose on how to avoid getting ripped off in the process. I am arriving BKK in November and will hopefully rent a condo as soon as possible. I want to make a hotel booking in first instance, but not sure how long I am going to need to realistically close a deal and move in. I will be looking for fully furnished ready to move in type condos in the Asoke to Thonglo area, which I am familiar with. Grateful for any views.

I have just received further clarification from BOI, which reads, After received LTR visa, you would like to leave Thailand, your visa permit will be remain. However, for the Work-from-Thailand Professional and Highly-Skilled Professional categories, your visa will be terminated if your quit the job from the endorsed company. Kind regards, LTR Visa Unit

Got a reply to my questions, copied below (Q1 has been misunderstood by BOI) Please see the answers to your questions below. 1.May I please ask if the 10-year LTR visa has any restriction on the number of days the visa holder is required to be resident inside Thailand in one year? Answer: There is no restriction on the number of days the visa holder is required to be resident inside Thailand in one year prior to the LTR Visa application. 2.Also, will there be an annual or periodic review of qualification for the LTR Visa, and will the visa holder be required to be physically present in Thailand at that time? Answer: There is no annual or periodic review of qualification for the LTR Visa holders. However, if the holder are living continuously in Thailand for a period of 1 year, they are required to make 1-year report to the Immigration (in case of re-entering Thailand, the report will be due 1 year counting from the latest arrival date into the Kingdom). Please be informed that the LTR visa period is 10 year (5 years + 5 years staying permission) which means that you will get a 5-year visa stamp first. Your qualification and criteria (for example, your investment) will be evaluated again after the first 5 years of the visa. If your qualification and criteria do not meet the requirement e.g. the value of investments is less than USD500,000 (because you sold your property), then you will not get approval for the rest of the 5 years of the visa.

Thanks, yes, I saw that, but the source of the information was I believe from a private enterprise called BDO (bdo.th), Hence I wrote to BOI about it to confirm frequency of reviews, whether the visa applicant has to be in Thailand at the time of the review, and also if there is any minimum annual residency requirement.

I emailed BOI on this very question just over a week ago. No reply as yet, although another question I asked was responded to in about 4 days. I'll post any reply I get.

I emailed BOI on this aspect, asking about how they want proof, this is the reply (received within 4 days): As regards the proof of a deposit account, a bank certificate or proof of funds (POF) certifying that you have the balance of cash deposits with the bank is required since the letter is used to verify that the applicant who claims to have the money actually has it. We will use foreign exchange rates from Fed (https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/current/) for your currency (GBP/USD).

sorry, my error, my card is a UK Mastercard and the fee is 2.99% of the transaction I only used it once on my last visit to BKK so thought the O.40 charge was a flat fee. Usually I use a credit card from Hong Kong which has no transaction fee. But at the end of the day it is the applied exchange rate that is the critical factor as banks vary.

I'm with HSBC UK and they charge £0.40 for a CC transaction. This is OK for the odd big ticket item, but suicide if you want to use it for piddly purchases each and every time you buy something.

Just to add, there is also an option to have the visa placed into your passport at your local Embassy. That way there's no pressure to arrive in Thailand and have it done there. As UJ says, the visa is valid for 5 years from the date of it is issued.

Some really great replies in this thread. Just to add a couple of points from my recent experience of paying AVCs to get up to the 35 year mark. The OP has managed the process already, just another word of warning, HMRC are slow to process payment. The money will instantly be swallowed up in the govt coffers but the resulting credit of NI contributions takes months to appear in the online record. I my case 9 months. And then only after letters and phone calls enquiring as I was told 8 weeks was the then-current time lag. Also, I applied for my state pension last year online exactly 4 months prior to my b'day (I was in UK at that time). They literally only need you to confirm your address and bank details. I did this without the "code" that arrived a week or so later in the post - it is not sent electronically. I got the confirmation letter of my pension amount 2 weeks after my 66th b'day (the first payment hit my account before the letter arrived), but I hear the delay is longer now.

I tried for a SETV from UK last February. I thought some replies to some of the questions with a "not applicable" pdf would suffice. Wrong. I got rejected and lost my GBP30 fee. This is the rejection email Dear Applicant, You visa appliation is cancel. please apply again provide -Flight detail - Hotel booking - Bank statement - Your proof of residency e.g. council tax bills, utility bills - Your picture holding the photo and information page of the passport*Please note this is an auto generated e-mail. Please do NOT reply to this email.Best wishes,E-Visa Team

Sorry if my activity causes confusion. However, I do not equate me "liking" a post with me being interested in pursuing it. I merely appreciate people making genuine useful comments that are helpful for my research and also potentially helpful to others. I remain hopeful that I can find a reliable mail forwarding service based in Thailand.

Sorry DezLez for being a bit late getting back to the forum. Many thanks for all the replies. Very useful ideas to consider. But just to confirm, I am looking at a service within Thailand as I thought that would be easier (but now not so sure). Also I envisage it to be an office where mail is opened and scanned/forwarded/shredded as per my instructions. However, I do have the added problem of having to receive official-type mail from UK as well as Hong Kong. Maybe the HKG stuff can go to the UK first? I like SandyF's approach and this would be ideal except for lacking family support. I'll take a look at the options and see how I can deal with this best. Many thanks to all again.

Hi, I was hoping someone could give some advice on the viability of signing up for such a service in Thailand. Does anyone have any experience of this, which companies are recommended? Forum search has been unhelpful so apologies if this has come up before. I'm concerned about small amounts of personal mail only. Pension matters, bank cards from overseas etc. TIA Dodger

May I suggest to the OP that he starts from scratch again using a different email address (preferably Yahoo) and using Firefox as the browser. I completed my Thailand Pass on 20 March for travel on 26 of April. I was approved in a tad under 2 hours.