MPoll

All throughout Covid, for about 2 years, I was unable to do my 90-day report online. The system wouldn't let me do it. I kept a PDF of the TM47. I changed the dates and printed it out and Immigration took it and processed it. So I would say that if you file in person print out the form otherwise do it online. The new system, after Covid, seems to be more reliable. Another thing though . . . why even ask the question? Just print out the form with current information. How hard can it be? You have it if you need it. No harm and little cost if you don't.

Regarding what happens in 5 years I am saving tax forms and insurance certificates for the first 5 years with the expectation that they may ask whether I met the initial terms throughout the first 5 years. When I applied in Oct I only needed to supply my most recent tax return. My understanding is that applicants now have to supply the 2 previous year tax returns. In 5 years will they ask for the previous 5 years tax returns? I remember asking them if they will check whether I have insurance and they said no at the time but will they check to see if I maintained my insurance? I don't have to worry about my pension income. That won't change.

For those of us over 60 we started working during a time when pensions were more common. If you stuck with a company or industry for 30+ years it is reasonable to expect that a work pension or work pension + Social Security (US citizens) can be above $80k/year. Particularly for those have rose to management level positions.

I am curious to see what they ask for in 5 years. I'm preparing to keep my tax and insurance records handy just in case they ask to see if my pension income remained above $80,000/year and that I kept up with my insurance policies. There is no reason for my pension to decrease and I will keep copies of my tax returns available. I will also keep each year of insurance certificates. I will also be getting a new passport so I will make sure I have the old passport. When I applied for the LTR I needed to give them copies of half my passport pages to satisfy the immigration official. I do love my pensioner LTR though. It seems a little silly but the psychological relief of not doing 90 reports and future yearly extensions or thinking about my 800k bank account is nice. I just returned from the US last week and I loved using the FastTrack lane at immigration.

The website seems to say yes but I have no intention of working anywhere so I have not looked into this.

I switched from an OA visa extension to a pensioner LTR this past January, Once you have the LTR visa you are not required to keep any money in the bank. When you are approved you make an appointment with the BOI office. The Immigration office across the hall handles the switch from the OA to the LTR. They do check, in the LTR application process, that all your immigration requirements for the OA visa have been met. Then you get approved. On the day of the transfer you do pay a non-refundable fee of 50,000 baht. The insurance required for my OA visa extensions satisfied the LTR health insurance requirement but note that I think you have to have 10 months remaining on the policy. They stamped canceled on my most recent 90-day report receipt. If you remain inside Thailand for a full year then you have to check in with the BOI office. I don't know what that entails but I can guess that it is the equivalent of a 90-day report. I am visiting the US next week so I won't have to do this 1 year report until a year after I return from the US. One of the LTR benefits is that I don't need re-entry permits to travel out/in of Thailand. I just moved to Sisaket province and as a courtesy I checked in with the Sisiket Immigration office to let them know I was here and that I had an LTR visa. They had never seen one before.

If you are leaving permanently then I would consider withdrawing all your Thai bank funds while you are in the country. Doing so from overseas may be more difficult.

When I opened my account at Kasikorn I paid some nominal fee for 5000 baht of accident insurance. A couple of months later, while staying in a hotel in Chiang Mai, I fell out of bed and hit the concrete floor head first and split my eyebrow open. (Bad dream?). It was pretty bloody and I was dizzy for a couple of hours. In the morning I went to the emergency room, got a scan of my head, and 5 stitches. The cost was 8000 baht. When I returned to BKK I filed a claim with Kasikorn and the 5000 baht was deposited into my account within the month. I was so pleased with the insurance that at bought 50,000 baht the next year. I never had to make another claim and unfortunately they don’t cover you after 65 years of age.

I've never experienced any nonsense. I extended my OA at CW 5x and provided a 1 year bank statement. Never a problem. Never a request to return. Now I've got a 10 year LTR so really no problem. I recently moved to Sisaket province. I visited the Immigration office to let them know I was here with a 10 yr LTR. They smiled and pretty much said welcome. Everyone I've met here raves about how friendly and easy the Sisaket Immigration office is for them.

If we are talking about 1 year extensions of the O and OA as a retiree there is no advantage to having an OA and arguably there is a disadvantage because of the insurance requirement. When I got my OA in 2017 there was no insurance requirement. If I were to come to day I would pursue a non-O visa. However, I just got a 10 year pensioner LTR which also requires insurance so I’m glad I got insurance years ago when I was younger. In general though I think insurance is a good thing but there is no need to tie it to your visa.

When you apply for a 1 year extension of an OA visa you will need approved health insurance. I have Thai health insurance. Prior to applying for my 1 year extension of my OA visa at Chaengwatana, Bangkok, I would renew my insurance. They would send me an insurance certificate. I would include both this year’s certificate and next year’s certificate as part of the documentation for the extension. You need to have insurance on the day you apply and they will only give you an extension until the end of your insurance is the reason for both insurance certificates. I applied as a retiree, not as married.

What is interesting and unfortunate about this is that in the old days you could get a residency affidavit from the US Embassy. I recently learned you can’t do this anymore. In my case, in 2017, I had my girlfriend come with me to Kasikorn bank to open an account. When they asked for residence she told them to use her address which, to my luck, they did use and opened my accounts which I have to this day. This was the first bank I went to and the usual story is that people search for days to find a bank to let you open an account. I had an OA for 6 years and now I have a pensioner LTR.

If you are under 50 years old it is a way to stay on 1 year extensions.

I always extended as a retiree with 800,000 baht in the bank, even after we got married. The idea of getting a home visit didn’t appeal to me. I got a 10 year LTR in January so now I don’t even have to have the money in the bank.

I just switched from an OA to a 10 year pensioner LTR so I'm going to be another vote for investigating that option.

I was previously here on an OA visa and extensions. I have Pacific Cross insurance. Before applying for the LTR I purchased my next year of insurance, got the insurance certificate, and submitted that insurance certificate as part of the LTR application. I did not get any additional questions about insurance. They accepted the certificate. The process to get the LTR though took several months and for a while there I was concerned I might have less than 10 months remaining on my policy.

I have the pensioner LTR and it is my impression is that you have to qualify again in 5 years but you wouldn’t pay a fee. I’m also not sure if they are going to check back on each of the first five years.

If you are looking for another name for the list, I got my pensioner LTR on January 5th. I applied around the first of October. My financials were very simple, a work pension, Social Security and I submitted my 2021 tax return. They did not ask anymore about my financials. I did have a couple of emails back & forth about photos of my passport but it really wasn't a problem. Everything went smoothly at the BOI. They were very friendly and helpful. I just moved to Sisaket province and I made a point of introducing myself to the immigration office there. They had never seen an LTR before (I think) but the officer had a long document describing it.

I extended an OA visa for 6 years at Chaengwattana in Bangkok. The financial requirements for a 1 year extension are the same for an O visa. The banked money requirement is 800,000 baht in your Thai bank account 2 months before you apply for a 1 year extension, 3 months after you apply and no less than 400,000 baht for the rest of the year. This was a change implemented 3-4 years ago. I needed the bank letter (good for 7 days at CW) affirming that I had a bank account and the balance, at the time of the letter, was recorded. I also needed a 1 year bank statement to show that I had met the yearlong requirements stated above, and I needed an updated bank book with a same day transaction.