aublumberg

So this morning I arrived in Bangkok for the first time after receiving my LTR-T visa sticker at the Royal Thai Consulate in Hong Kong. Used the Fast Track channel, LTR is not specifically written on the signage but Smart Visa is. This is the same channel used by Air Crew and what I normally also use with the APEC card. No material difference in queueing time as it was fairly quiet today, but can be helpful if it’s busy. The very charming immigration officer Khun Annie had never seen a LTR visa and had to ring her colleague on the phone first to clarify but then swiftly figured out the five year entry duration. Her supervisor walked by and she double confirmed with him again. She was quite curious and asked how long it took to get the visa. Most pleasant conversation.

There is no way to tell from the online system what the progress is. Don’t interpret the status, it’s meaningless. I think Ryan got approved but it still says ‘processing’. You get an email when they need something. There is the notification box on the upper left in the system but that only updates when they email you. If you haven’t heard from them after three or four weeks, best is to call them, most effective channel. For reference, my dates were: 05 Sep 2022 submitted application online for a LTR WFTP (LTR-T) 26 Sep 2022 request for additional documents but actually everything was already provided correctly 04 Oct 2022 email approval received 14 Oct 2022 received Notification Letter for Qualifications Endorsement 20 Oct 2022 picked up visa in passport at the Royal Thai Consulate in Hong Kong

Llikewise. Applied 05 Sep, and got the visa sticker into my passport at the Royal Thai Consulate in Hong Kong on 20 Oct. As long as you meet the criteria and have the supporting paper work evidence, it's straightforward.

Thanks for sharing. What the article doesn't say is how many have been approved in that period. 50? 100?

Yes, interesting how this suddenly popped up again. I think it's THB40+m, and also not really of freehold nature as far as I understand and yet it gets a lot of vocal opposition locally. Let's see how it pans out. Personally I don't think foreigners can ever permanently own land in Thailand (without current and future workarounds), not in our lifetime anyway. But an interesting new twist to the LTR positioning ... looking forward to all the fine print.

These numbers worked for me +6622091141, +6622091147, +6622091149 but not sure how 002 would map. Could always try one of these three and ask to be transferred. Some even communicate by Line once you made contact.

Major progress, great to hear. Getting there soon!

Congrats!

If you think about it ... the collective insights, learnings, feedback and recommendations from the pioneers (early customers in fact) represented in this single forum thread alone should be extremely sought after by any Board Of Investment in order to finetune, adapt and improve the program. Oh well ...

Yes, I would estimate less than 100 across all visa types and locations approved thus far, perhaps even less than 50 ... early days.

No change, application has always been via the BOI online system since start on 01 Sep 2022 when it was launched. If you go to https://ltr.boi.go.th/ in the upper right hand corner is an 'Apply' icon. Just click that and follow the instructions. Subject to the LTR visa type, details are provided what information and which documents are required, it's fairly straightforward. I don't believe applications by email are (or ever were) entertained. Suggest you register the online account and have a look around the forms, even if you're not ready to submit just yet.

Three more 'hidden feature' tips, two for before and one for after getting the visa: (1) Whenever you make changes in the main data entry page or any uploads on the document page, go through each individual page one by one click next - next - next - save so that it retains the data input. I noticed (at least early Sep 2022) if you don't follow this then you may lose some of the data input. (2) In the status page there is an acronym for the BOI staff handling your case, it reads e.g. StaffBoI1147. The last four digits are the phone extension of the person handling your case. They are organised by each of the four LTR visa types so in above example you can call the case handling officer under +6622091147 (replace last four digits accordingly). Forget about sending an email to them to check the status. Always call. If they don't pick up then call again until you get through. Super friendly and accommodating and the best communication channel. (3) Once you have the visa and you have status [complete] on the summary page, you can still edit certain parts and you can delete all the documents uploaded. I am quite sure they keep copies of the documents elsewhere in another system but since the application system is internet facing, if you're concerned about the security of your sensitive data then it may be worthwhile to remove the documents. Plus change your password to a new, complex one.

This is no tax advise and I suggest anyone to seek professional advise for their own circumstances. The following may provide context. Royal Decree issued under the Revenue Code No.743 (TH).pdf (boi.go.th) Royal Decree issued under the Revenue Code No.743 (EN).pdf (boi.go.th) Notification of Income Tax No. 427 (TH).pdf (boi.go.th) Notification of Income Tax No.427 (EN).pdf (boi.go.th) Thailand Long Term Resident Visa Tax Concessions - SHERRINGS Long-term resident visa approved for high-potential foreigners in Thailand - BDO

This is a different visa type. All LTR requirements are listed in detail on the BOI website https://ltr.boi.go.th. For example: ”WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS HOLDING AT LEAST USD 1 MILLION IN ASSETS - At least USD 1 million in assets - Personal income of a minimum of USD 80,000/ year in the past two years - Investment of at least USD 500,000 in Thai government bonds, foreign direct investment, or Thai property - Health insurance with at least USD 50,000 coverage or social security benefits insuring treatment in Thailand or at least USD 100,000 deposit - Applicants must fulfill all of the above requirements to be eligible for Wealthy Global Citizens application”

Well your stamp still wins hand down in the artistic category! Will update when coming into Thailand, potentially end of the month.

Got the ticket, take the ride. ????

Yes a few have obtained one. As far as I recall they did it on their own. It’s not that difficult as long as you meet the criteria and have the right documentation which you would also require if you go through an agent / law firm. More details in this main LTR thread: https://aseannow.com/topic/1265383-ltr-long-term-retirement-visa-thailand-is-finally-changing/

Hi @Misty, looping back. Went to the Royal Thai Consulate in Hong Kong this morning with the BOI notification letter. Unlike the US, HK is not on the e-visa system, hence the visit in person. Filled out a generic visa application form (neither TM94 nor STM8 required) together with one photo. They checked their computer and can see the LTR status from there, I assume it will be similar for the Consulate in the US. Paid the LTR visa fee and can pick up my passport with the visa in two days. Hope you were also able to make progress in the meantime.

Hello, the notification letter is dated 14 Oct 2022 and Duration of permission on the second page is 13 Oct 2032, for Visa Type LTR "T".

For some of the early notification of qualification letters e.g. the one @ThailandRyan shared it states the letter is valid for 60 days. This is also consistent with the BOI communication on email and website. Upon double checking my notification letter however it is valid for 10 years. It seems that BOI may have changed this recently, providing more flexibility in timing and perhaps location to obtain your actual LTR visa.

If it's a publicly listed company then the company's annual reports should also be public and available e.g. on the company's public website. I used the financial sections (including the external auditor confirmation of the financial results) of the annual reports for the last three years and uploaded those in .pdf to the BOI website and it was accepted fine.

Sharing a couple screen shots in chronological order for emails and the LTR portal for anyone who may be interested ... Clicking on the [Print] icon then shows this:

Hello @Misty, hah - you’re raising a lot of most relevant and timely questions here and I went through all the same literally just days ago. So after BOI initial approval they send you an email and ask you to specify where you want to get the actual visa - in Bangkok or at your applicable Royal Thai Consulate. So I specified HK and replied immediately and was expecting the notification letter in “1 - 2 days” as the email stated but it actually took more than a week. They have been plagued with computer system issues including their email system and then this past week were public holidays. That most likely triggered a lot of delays. I also think they prioritised those applicants who pick up in Bangkok directly, which is fine. I understand they may have only signed a dozen or so notification letters this week. When I spoke to BOI they said they will send the consulate the notification as well and I should contact the consulate to make a booking. When I spoke to the consulate in HK (just a couple days before getting the notification letter) they said I’m the first one they have ever come across with a LTR in HK and it’s all very new and once they get something they “will call me”. Would be the first time ever a consulate has called me ha. They also observed the Thai public holiday at the HK consulate so the past week was basically a complete write-off. Last night to my surprise I received another batch of notification letters dated three days later than the first batch and worded slightly differently. They became available in their online website for download. So I assume the system issues still have impact and they re-do some of their notification letters. So on Monday morning I will call the Royal Thai Consulate here in Hong Kong and try to figure out what’s the next step. It’s very new for everyone and I would not be surprised if it takes some more time to get the actual visa stamp / sticker into my passport. I’m in Bangkok for an extended weekend end of October and was briefly considering to pick it up at BOI directly but that would probably confuse everyone even more so I’ll stick to the HK consulate route for now. In any case, I shall keep you posted timely of any progress.

Yup but a pensioner needs to be age 50 or above to qualify, no such age requirement for the wealthy global citizen.

Yes I am indeed and I did that because the original question above was related to the USD1m investment. There is no other category than the WGC that has USD1m referenced (but USD1m in terms of assets, not investments which is USD500k). Whether one category is easier than another depends on each individual's circumstances.