TroubleandGrumpy

They cannot acknowledge that - it destroys their virtue signalling narrative about minority and oppressed groups being good, and white christian males being bad. This event, and the radical woke liberal left's response to it has finally exposed to the majority of people what they really are - and that will show in the next US mid-term elections when the Democrats will be decimated.

Unfortunately this is atypical of Thailand - there are no guarantees here - and 10 years is a very long time. I think it is Philippines but it could be Malaysia, but maybe both - they give a Govt Guarantee that whatever Expat package/Visa you receive for 3-5-10 years , will remain under those Ts&Cs - no matter what changes are made for new applicants. I do know that they both have separate 'Expats Visa' Offices that work under the Cabinet/PM and not in any Dept - and they have the authority to approve and issue Visa - they over rule any single Dept or Agency. That is not the case in Thailand - BOI is a Govt supported organisation and has no real authority. When Immigration (or Foreign Affairs) change something, it affects all existing and new holders.

I hope every day - every day I drive the car or ride the bike I hope it all goes well - hope is everything. You can stay in bed - safer there - but if you do walk drive ride outside, I hope it all goes well.

I had heard that some people had the O-X, and when it was canned they lost it - but there is no media reports that I saw. Thanks for confirmation. Yet another reason not to get an LTR.

I think that BOI 'endorsed' means they have received all the documents and have determined that the applicant meets the requirements. The BOI then send the 'endorsed' application to the relevant Thai Dept/s to approve the application - they dont actually control approval. When they are advised that the applicant is approved they then send the applicant a notification letter, and they then have 60 days to pay and complete whatever other documents are needed. If the Dept/s requests further details or information, then they get BOI to obtain it. If the Dept/s reject the application, then BOI advises the applicant. So I think the BOI has 'endorsed' 7000 applications - but probably most were approved - and most taken up when notified. Maybe - maybe not.

I think you are right - it was probably the Elite Visa - and the Govt have finally realised that the scammers and criminals can afford to pay for that Visa to enable their comings and goings. I just checked the BOI facebook site and they now say they have 7000 applications for LTR. I think the translation actually means 7000 approved - but I do not know for sure - the wife is not sure either.

I know my avatar can be triggering, but I will change it on the anniversary of 5th November 2024. My point being that I have blocked a lot of the insane left woke nutters on this forum, and I note that they are rarely ever anywhere giving advice to others. Harris is one I have blocked - his/her trolling is unrelenting and I am sure he/she/it is furiously egging this discussion onwards to arguments and abuse. It is what they do and how they roll. That is my answer to the troll.

Live your life and let others live theirs. Dont preach. That is my advice to you in return.

Perhaps that will happen - massive stroke - but I would hope that either kicks me 'upstairs'. If not - then the directive is we only spend the million baht or so we have in Thailand and maybe bring over a little more - and the directive is also to 'pull the pin if I am a vegetable thanks'. LTC is part of the Government health coverage in Oz. Yes - compared to USA the insurance here is not that expensive on the surface. But it is very expensive compared to what you get in the USA with regards to the level of quality care available here. It is all the same price here - whether living next to a very good hospital in Bangkok, or in the Provinces where at best it is 2nd class, but mostly 3rd class. Compared to everywhere else in the world, medical insurance here in Thailand is very high. It is a scam IMO. I will also say that in doing more research for all this LTR stuff, I have found a global medical insurance company this week that seems to offer what I am seeking. High excess and only hospital coverage for an extreme medical problem - such as a stroke - nothing else covered - just that one time only in a year - not for a car or at home accident (have that already) - and at a reasonable price. Will chase them up next week or two and see what they really have.

Here is what BOI quoted on their website on launch - The Thai government has set the target of attracting one million wealthy or talented foreign residents into the country over the next five years. https://ltr.boi.go.th/ Jan 2025 - To date, over 6,000 LTR Visas have been granted to high-potential foreign individuals worldwide. The largest group of recipients comes from Europe (2,500 individuals), followed by the United States (1,080), Japan (610), China (340), and India (280). https://pkfthailand.asia/thailands-ltr-visa-criteria-improvements/#:~:text=Progress and Impact,drive innovation in multiple industries. Since its launch in September 2022, Thailand’s Long-Term Resident (“LTR”) Visa program has attracted significant global interest, receiving over 6,000 applications worldwide, according to data from the Office of the Board of Investment. The majority of the applicants hail from Europe, followed by the United States, Japan, China, and India, with numbers continuing to rise.※1 Despite its attractiveness, some criteria and conditions appeared to be burdensome, with certain financial requirements not fully aligning with the actual financial capabilities of many potential applicants. Following our previous article outlining the qualifications, criteria, and conditions for the LTR Visa, the Thai cabinet further approved the amendment of certain material criteria and conditions for the LTR Visa on 13 January 2025. These changes introduce relaxations to several material requirements, aiming to make the LTR Visa more accessible and appealing to wealthy individuals and highly skilled foreigners to live, work, or invest in Thailand https://www.noandt.com/en/publications/publication20250527-1/#:~:text=Background,capabilities of many potential applicants. I am not sure where I got the 43K number from - read it somewhere on a website about LTR. Just checking it again seems that number is very wrong and it was not 6000 wealthy retirees, but 6000 across all types of LTR. I think they will be lowering the bar again soon.

Same planning as myself there stat - no guarantees of course - but that is the plan. Returning back to a 1st world medical system that is basically free, and get away from a 3rd world medical system that charges almost as much as USA medical costs - it is all about timing. I have a feeling that with the failure of LTR, they will reduce the requirements next year/next Govt - or maybe roll it back into Immigration itself. The BOI claimed they would get 500k to 1 Million LTR Visa holders, and the latest numbers are only about 43K overall and only 6K for the 'wealthy pensioners'. I am certainly not planning for either of those events - but either of them could happen. They could even do what Thai Elite did and up their prices and requirements, and thereby smash down the demand. But because of the need for me to give them so many of my financial details, to prove my income because most of it is not taxed and therefore not in an annual tax return, I will sit tight for a while and see what happens - if anything.

You missed the point - if an illness/accident happens in Thailand and needs treatment then we have the funds and some accident insurance to deal with it here. But after recovery, that could well be when we decide to return back to Oz. Travel insurance has a maximum 12 months period of validity - we would have to travel back at least once a year to renew and that would blow away some Govt taxation and social security benefits that I/we have if we do not live overseas full-time. The rules about pensions and taxation of super funds is not the same in Oz as they are in USA etc.

I hear you - but the plan for us is that if anything serious happens, serious enough to drain the health fund, then it is back to Oz for us. I have been paying our medical costs on/off for over 10 years - so far we have spent less than one year's insurance premiums (touch wood). Likewise if either of us is diagnosed with something serious (cancer etc) then it is back to Oz. The maths add up if you are not permanently locked into living and dying in Kansas. Whether we get sick or have an accident/illness or not, we are going back to Oz. There is no way I want the wife spending a small fortune on medical costs here in my last 3-5 years of life - we have always planned to return - it is just a matter of when. I am hoping for about 10 more years here - which will make over 20 all up. To give you an example of why we are returning whatever happens. Many years ago in Chiang Mai, I started suddenly having sharp pains in my shoulder and after a few weeks I could not move it much laterally. Went and saw a local GP who sent us to a Surgeon from a big private Hospital that specialised in shoulder/knee surgery in his private clinic. He said it was a torn tendon (golf?) and sent me for an MRI at a local MRI Clinic - 100K was the quoted cost. When I arrived the MRI machine was something from the ark - I asked how old it was and the technician said 2 years - that was BS - it was out of the late 80s and probably about 0.35 Tesla - the software must have been upgraded. I could not actually fit inside the aperture it was too small for my shoulders (OK for Thais). In the end I pulled the pin and left the clinic without getting an MRI. I went back to Oz - got an MRI in a 1.5 Tesla wide-aperture MRI and the problem was nothing to do with tendons - I got a cortisone injection into the shoulder (man that hurt) and a few days of physio and the problem was gone and has never returned. The costs? About $500 AUD - the hospital and MRI was free. This was all in Chiang Mai City and no names but not a small Hospital. Back to Oz is the plan - when TBA.

Yes indeed - happy to pay for reasonable insurance. One major point about health insurance being discussed is the fact that you must maintain it for the 10 years of the LTR Visa. Over that period of time the premiums would be very expensive - I will be well into the 70s by then - and that is the period of time over which to make that cost/value judgement. Plus I know if I make a claim the premiums will increase a lot more too - another factor to consider. But it is the income tax concerns that are a bigger factor - for me. Either way, as pointed out, the conditions are there and straightforward. But given the relative failure of the LTR Visa I would not be surprised to see them change a few things. ASfter all, how silly is it to demand insurance coverage for up to 50K USD each year, but then demand as the alternative that 100K USD be held as 'cash' in a savings account - for 10 years.

Yes - policing of the laws does not happen here much. There has been owners killed and mauled by their own dogs here - they dont understand or train them. One Thai bloke had a pit bull and slept with it like a teddy bear - it attacked and killed him. Only an idiot would sleep with a large dog - they are animals and if suddenly frightened they can and will attack. Indeed - if someone is killed by their dog due to their negligence, then an owner in the civilised world can be charged - not here unfortunately.

Cannot disagree about that - USA health insurance are very high because hospital costs in general there are horrendous. Speaking as an Aussie where it is very cost effective and mostly free for pensioners. Be careful about the motorbike coverage - check the fine print - most bike coverage insurance has many gotchas and exclusions.

Yes and Yes

The tragic event unfolded when the baby's parents, junk dealers, were visiting a house to purchase second-hand goods. Think again - they were junk dealers looking for used stuff to buy. They were not looking at antique furniture in a shop.

Good point. But you cannot tell what is a dangerous dog by looking at a picture. I was told when young and experience has shown it to be true - beware pink lips, pink ears and pink eyes. Pit Bulls and all Pit Bull crosses and all larger bull/terrier dogs should be banned here in Thailand - they need to be trained and disciplined - and most Thais do not train their dogs enough (or children).

Unless they had no idea there was a dog in the yard. If they were looking at junk to buy then they would be climbing around and over stuff.

The good thing was that after he was told the same thing by everyone else too, he realised he was wrong to get such a big older dog that others had obviously not treated well and they had then dumped it on the streets. He then go a small mixed breed terrier sort of dog - lovely animal he was too. Some people learn - he did. If anyone wants a big larger dog then they must get them as a puppy and train them well.

I think/hope the parents did not realise there was a pity bull on the premises. Likewise the owner should have tied the dog up when the strangers arrived. Whenever entering anyone else property, the first thing I ask about and look for is a dog - some dogs are OK and some are just 'not good'. I worked with a bloke who had a dog that was 'not good' - he picked it up from an animal shelter - it was very clear immediately I saw it - and I warned him about it. It got out one day and was aggressively barking at people walking nearby - then a day or two later it jumped the fence and was attacking kids in the local park. When I found out about that I told him to return the dog to the shelter - he refused to listen. A few weeks later later somebody poisoned the dog and he was very angry and upset. When I tried to tell him the dog was very violent and someone was scared for their kids, he refused to listen and stormed off. If that dog was in a yard near my kids - I would probably have done the same thing. Some people just do not understand dogs and should never own them - especially Thais.

Very true - and in most of those cases the person was sick for a long time. As someone experienced in medical issues (both parents in medical services) the vast majority of deaths in old age come on slowly and take years to do the deed so to speak. Like you, I will return home if I am diagnosed with something like bone cancer or heart disease. Those that actually 'drop down dead' after the age of 60 are about 10-15% of people. Those that die after 60 from an accident is a very small percentage, but a large percentage do pass away after a bad accident/fall - usually some years later. The vast majority get sick and then pass away a few years later. I knew one bloke that was sick in March and passed in September - very few pass that quickly. The vast majority get old and start getting serious problems - it takes 2 to 5 years on average for them to pass away because of all the modern medical treatments available. It is all a matter of luck - good and bad. The key to when to return home, if that is an option for you, is something us self-insured have to calculate. If you are staying in Thailand until the day you die, then health insurance here may be a rip off, but the only alternative is a decent sized self-insurance fund. Each person has to make their own decisions based on their own situations.

True - both those insurances are reasonably priced. And I have money in bank accounts as my self-insured fund - and access to much more within a few days from back home (where it is earning tax free good returns).

Same thing happens all the time in the West to naive/unlucky blokes - the change to the marriage laws has greatly advantaged 'bad' women. Many blokes (like me) had it done early to them, and many of us then built back our wealth and stayed single (I got a vasectomy to make sure). Many of us then retired early with enough money to be comfortable, and then looked for a partner in a country that does not give the wife half or more of what you own, if they quit. I recall once debating with a woke liberal bloke in Australia about how unfair it was that Greg Norman's wife got almost half of what he had earned though golf and business. He used the usual woke argument that she had contributed to his life and that had enabled him to be a successful sportsman and business millionaire. I then asked why the wife of Alan Bond was not also sent to jail when she had likewise contributed to his life and had enabled him to be a millionaire criminal. If looks could kill - I would not be here. That many of us 'screwed over' blokes from the west have done well and are AOK financially, and that our ex-wives are fat, lonely, in debt and depressed, while we are living with a beautiful slim wife who looks after us and we them, does not make us feel good at all - no no, not at all 🙂