aublumberg

HKD100,000 to Kasikorn and zero such encounters. Just FYI. So may be location / user specific?

Am on the new 3.25.1 and can’t change beyond 50k. Haven’t registered yet at a branch.

Bangkok Bank released a new app version which is more snappy and usability has improved. It also implements the “enhanced security by adding a facial recognition process for 1) transfer etc. of 50+k, 2) daily transaction totals 200+k and 3) raising transfer limits”. I don’t recall what my transaction limit was previously but it’s 50k now and when trying to raise it the app shows “if you want to proceed, please bring your passport and go to a branch”.

Back to the stone age then ... seriously hope not.

The Kbank app in its latest update has under Settings -> Facial verification with bank (Collect facial image for important transactions and other services with bank) newly added. When selecting it, a message is displayed “Sorry. Facial verification with bank is only for Thai customers.” Curious to observe how this will further evolve in the coming weeks …

FYI ... some interesting amendments (ahem ... expansions) to the list of target industries for LTR visa type Highly-Skilled Professionals. Previously: (1) Next-generation automotive industry; (2) Smart electronics industry; (3) Quality tourism industry; (4) Agriculture and biotechnology industry; (5) High value-added food processing industry; (6) Automation and robotics industry; (7) Aviation industry; (8) Biofuels and bio-chemical industry; (9) Digital industry; (10) Medical and comprehensive healthcare Industry; (11) Defense industry; (12) Direct and significant supporting industries for the circular economy, e.g., fuel production from wastes, water resource management, etc.; (13) Human resources development, and research and development for targeted industries; (14) Other targeted industries in line with the 20-year National Strategy and as approved by the Commission for National Competitiveness Enhancement for the Targeted Industries Policies. Now: 1) Automotive Industry 2) Electronics Industry 3) Affluent Tourism Industry 4) Agriculture, food, and biotechnology industry 5) Transportation and logistics industry 6) Automation and robotics industry 7) Aviation, aerospace, and space industry 8 ) Biofuels and bio-chemical industry 9) Petrochemical and Chemical Industry 10) Digital industry 11) Medical industry 12) National defense industry 13) Direct and significant supporting industries for the circular economy, e.g fuel production from wastes or water resource management, etc. 14) International Business Center (IBC) 15) Other industries in which the foreign applicants for the qualification endorsement must work with special expertise in one or more of the following areas: 1) Research and development in targeted industries or technologies, such as Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, Advanced Material Technology, Digital Technology 2) Human resource development in science and technology at vocational or higher education levels 3) Application of artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics in business operations 4) Planning and development of digital systems to enhance business productivity and services 5) Financial or Marketing Analyst or Advisory Services. 6) Environmental and energy management 7) Management or Advisory of incubation programs, acceleration programs, innovation, and startup ecosystems 8 ) Alternative dispute resolution services. 9) Promotion and support of economic development, trade, and investment by foreign chambers of commerce and organizations promoting trade and investment from foreign countries.” Details on the BOI LTR website under Info Services -> Law & Regulations -> Announcement of the Office of the Board of Investment No. Por. 6/2566.

FYI for those wondering about opening a bank account on the LTR visa, the BOI website has launched a new section: LTR Visa Thailand - Opening Bank Account In Thailand (boi.go.th)

Application form for payment of electricity bill by direct debit from bank account (pea.co.th)

Correct, import of foreign currency exceeding the equivalent of USD15,000 has to be declared. See https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/FIPCS/Documents/FOG/2560/ThaiPDF/25600055.pdf

It's an option. Whether it's useful depends on the circumstances.

You can back it up with your fixed account which they freeze at your credit line.

Am a very recent UOB customer in addition to also having accounts at the usual local banks (BBK, K-Bank, SCB) and found their staff at UOB HQ on Sukhumvit refreshingly professional, commercially minded and modern to deal with during account opening and getting a credit card (no work permit and the usual local payslips, so most local banks just say "no"). Will see how it goes with UOB as an international alternative to the local banks going forward and who deserves more of my business ...

I don't believe you can use Wise to send from Thailand to Europe, see https://wise.com/help/articles/2932335/guide-to-thb-transfers ("You can’t currently send money from THB."). I've only ever used Wise for Thailand inbound transfers. There are services to send money from Thailand to Europe, e.g. https://www.deemoney.com/ but no personal experience. Poland seems not listed on their website as yet.

Thank you @Boomer6969, have explored this further and it ended up being fairly straightforward with Bangkok Bank (Visa, 500k) and UOB (Mastercard, 900k) apart from the three dozen or so pages with signatures each time.

It's listed on the BoI LTR website. At Suvarnabhumi itself one of the categories to use Fast Track is 'Smart Visa' (also BoI administered), it doesn't specifically state 'LTR' on the posters but I've traveled in and out a couple times and no problem. If challenged say you have "Smart Visa LTR" or something.

Don't worry, the stamp you will get when entering Thailand will have 5 years only. Was the same for my visa issued by Royal Thai Consulate in Hong Kong.

Thanks much @Misty for sharing these updated figures. A slow drip with a lot of WIP.

Yes a couple other factual inaccuracies in the article. It also doesn't even mention the Royal decree 743 nor the Revenue Department notification 427, both listed on the BOI LTR website. So the LTR specifics are not duly considered in the article. This is not a surprise since the article is dated 14 Sep 2022 (and thus probably written a week or more prior) at which time the LTR had only just been launched and the info on the BOI LTR website was not as comprehensive as it is today. The majority of the aspects in the article are not dependent on LTR visa but are generally applicable. Similarly, I would expect the average person answering enquiries at the Revenue Department not to know the LTR specifics. It's just too new, and too rare. Here is a more relevant article from an expert firm specialised in Thai tax: Thailand Long Term Resident Visa Tax - SHERRINGS. I've contacted two of the global top four tax and accounting firms and both provide specific tax advisory on this point for around USD2,000 - 3,000. I haven't gone ahead with it at this point due to personal circumstances, but would recommend anyone who is planning to spend any more than 180 days a calendar year in Thailand under a LTR-T visa to consider seeking professional tax advise.

Yes, they would consider your % portion of the respective investments e.g. if you jointly 50/50 own a condo of 10m then they would account 5m for your application.

When the LTR program was launched in one of the webcasts back in Aug / Sep 2022, that question came up and BOI explicitly said that dividend payments or similar recurring investment returns do qualify for the Wealthy Pensioner assessment. That's the general statement, of course the details will depend on the level of documentation etc. that you can provide them with. But in general - yes it should work.

Has anyone with a LTR-T (WFTP) been able to get a proper credit card locally in Thailand? Normal requirement is to show local pay slips as one of the conditions to get one which obviously doesn't apply for us. We also don't have a traditional local work permit for reasons mentioned above in the threat. I've got a couple debit cards with the major banks here and am aware you can have a 'credit' card that must be secured by a savings account ... which is like a debit card at the end of the day. They also tend to come with fairly low spend limits like THB100 - 150k a month.

Definitely not they way is supposed to work ???? but who am I to argue. Mine is fixed date every time, 5 years from first entry. It may be due to the fact that you traveled via DMK and not BKK so maybe less LTR expertise.

Yes all three criteria

Not applicable to LTR-T

Very helpful chart, thanks for sharing. So when you are 'qualification approved' you're actually only half way through the full process in fact ???? This explains the relatively long duration from getting the 'approval' notice to the visa issuance. It also clarifies that the other government agencies come after 'approved' and are not part of that, hence 'qualification approved' only.