oldcpu

In this case, for the sake of foreign women and Thai men who are married and live in Thailand, I hope you are right. Still - cynic that I can be at times, ... I still think an underlying nationalistic (and possibly subconscious anti-foreigner sentiment) , if there should ever be a case of "saving face", ... could make this an exception to your view. Cynically I wonder if there could be one-sided listening by the government. .... worst case resulting in foreign women could be required to show limited income, much like foreign men (married to Thai women) have to show reduced income. I say reduced as I am thinking of the 400k THB Type-O/OA non-immigrant financial requirements (for reason of foreign man married to Thai woman) as opposed to the 800K THB Type-O/OA non-immigrant financial requirement (for reason of retirement). ie The amount can be reduced for a foreign man (if married to a Thai woman) but not eliminated. .... So if the government is pushed into a 'loss of face' by too many public complaints, would a similar 400k THB requirement be applied to foreign women? I think not - unless of course there is a LOT of publicity around such - after which, I would not want to venture nor risk the outcome, for foreign women married to Thai men.

While there is definitely an imbalance here (arguably unfair to both married Thai women and to their foreign husbands), IMHO it may be best not to 'rock the boat'. Cynic that I am, I I suspect if this were to be addressed, the result would be to require the foreign woman to prove her income. ie I believe a Thai perception of foreigners (having wealth) would be stronger than the Thai perception in regards to a Thai men being the main bread earner in Thaliand. This then would make life difficult for foreign women in Thailand (who have Thai husbands - unless protected by a 'grandfather' clause). But as noted - i can be a cynic.

Thanks for the recommendation. I think thou, I will stick with my current Global Health Insurance with Cigna Europe. It does cost a LOT more than what you pay Hanse Merkur, but it has excellent coverage, and further it covers both my wife (age-57) and myself (age-70), and it is heavily subsidized as part of my pension. .

They sent me a letter - advising me NOT to file a tax return unless my income situation (globally) was to significantly change - they stated in the letter that was because I was a non-resident to Germany. However if one looks at the pension amount, and the statements they provide online, it is clear there is a withhold amount.

Please let us know if you get an updated reply.

Many of us do NOT rely on Capital gains for our income. I definitely do NOT. Those that do rely on such (IMHO) need to give serious consideration as to where they live - and not just in regards to Thailand.

May I ask (out of my curiosity) as to what (1) immigration office in Thailand, and (2) what non-Thai branch of a Health Insurance company? My understanding is the 'signed form' is ONLY applicable for the initial Type-OA visa application and not for the subsequent extensions. I know Phuket immigration do NOT accept that form for an extension. Instead they give one a list of Thai branches of Health Insurance companies and one MUST use one of those. Further, my Insurance company Cigna Europe FLAT OUT REFUSED to sign that form re: Thai cabinet rules. They replied they did not know the Thai cabinet rules (even thou I provided to them both Thai language and translations to English language version of the Cabinet ruling) and they further replied they had no interest in doing so. Instead they advised I had to use their 'stock ' form.

You could cut this up into two shorter visits. Show up and enter Thailand Visa Exempt (currently that gives one 30-days (but it could change soon, which means this post could be soon out of date)). The day after you arrive in Thailand go to the local immigration and apply for a 90-day type-O visa. You need to meet the Visa requirements (over age-50 + 800k THB seasoned in the bank for at least 2 months prior to your application (assuming you are applying for reason of 'retirement'). Nominally dependent on your immigration office location, I believe this could take up to 30 days and possibly shorter. So it makes it a bit difficult to plan precisely. The very day in which you receive the Type-O Visa, at the same immigration obtain a single (1000 THB) or multiple (3800 THB)) re-entry permit. This allows you to leave Thailand immediately without invalidating your Type-O visa. Then return to Thailand about 30 days prior to your Type-O visa expiring. As soon as you get back to Thailand (with only ~30-days left in your Type-O visa's permission to stay in Thailand) go to your local immigration office and apply for a 1 year extension on the permission to stay that comes with your Type-O visa. Again, you will need to have had the 800K THB in the bank (so simply keep the 800k THB in the bank the entire time). Dependent on your immigration office you could receive this extension very quick or it could take the entire 30 days. And once you get the extension on your permission to say, immediately apply for a re-entry permit on that permission to stay extension with your type-O visa. You are then free to leave Thailand and return anytime within a year ... just be certain to be back in Thailand one month before your 'permission to stay' in Thailand expires, so you that you have adequate time to apply for another 1-year extension on your permission to stay. So that means only 2 months total (about 30-days per trip). Maybe less. Maybe more. I see such an approach mainly for those who don't plan to live in Thailand full time, but maybe only visit Thailand for 179-days or less per year. Visiting for 179-days or less could be important for taxation related reasons (but that is something for ANOTHER thread and not this one). Possibly with the new Visa changes coming out, there will be much superior ways to go about such an approach - and this could OUT OF DATE VERY SOON. ... and again - it could be I made a mistake here - so if I did, I hope others will chime in and correct what I typed.

Once on the 90-day type-O visa (but before obtaining the 1-year extension on the type-O's permission to stay), I suspect you could get a re-entry permit, that would allow you to leave Thailand for a portion of the 90-days. Likely in that case, if you get the re-entry permit immediately after getting the Type-O visa, and if you then leave Thailand, you should return to Thailand after about 60-days (ie with 1 month or so left in your Type-O visa) and immediately upon returning apply for your 1-year permission to stay based on the Type-O visa. Hopefully, if I have that incorrect, that others on the forum will correct me - but I do not believe you are required to spend 4 months total in Thailand - you do thou, need to plan your exact time in Thailand carefully to match the dates in which you will need to do things.

Back when I was on a Type-OA visa, I had a case where I forgot to do the 90 Day report before the due date. I realized my mistake 6 days after the due date, and I showed up at the local immigration exactly one week after it was due. The volunteers who vett people coming to immigration advised me their computer system was down, and that the 90 day report could not be done on that day, and suggested I return the next day and pay the fine. However at my request, they agreed to let me talk to an IO in the immigration office (while I was at the office), and the IO filled in some paperwork without the computer, gave me part of the paperwork, and I was not fined and I was OK for another 90 days. Still, I learned my lesson and I was on time for my 90 day reports from that time forward.

It would be helpful, I think, for BoI note on their website that such a letter (stating > $50K US coverage) is acceptable, instead of the 'stock/generic unlimited health insurance coverage' form that some Health Insurance companies provide.

My point is one need NOT reduce the "Planet to the USA" as the vast majority of us are NOT from the USA and we have already paid tax on our foreign sourced income. I gave two EXCELLENT examples, that being Canada and Germany. Clearly we are NOT part of "planet USA" as coined in your post but we have paid taxes elsewhere. And as Presnock pointed out, one does not need $80K USD equivalent (for LTR-WP), but rather for obtaining the Thailand LTR-WP visa only $40K US equivalent, plus a $250K investment in Thailand (such as the ownership of a foreign freehold condo worth that much). MANY pensions do reach the $40K US$ equivalent (such as my pensions, if one adds them up and I hence I qualified for the LTR-WP, which I currently have). Again, I believe those most concerned here are those IN A MINORITY who structured their income (either by choosing the "right" employers or by other means). I DO CONSIDER choosing the right employer a method to 'structure one's income'. I also note the other group who may be concerned, are those in a minority whose country does not have a DTA with Thailand (and those without an LTR visa). Still, I note at present time, this is ALL speculation about tax with regard to LTR visa holders. As has been posted by others, BoI when asked still maintain foreign income is NOT taxed for LTR visa holders, whether or not it is brought into Thailand.

Wow .... Just when one thinks they have heard it all. .... We need a 'wow' !!! icon. Hopefully they came up with a solution to quickly solve this ( ie a 30-day extension followed by trying another country ? ) . < unsure >

Interesting ... I had not read of that. Although rather than sit at the airport immigration to do that (after a LONG flight), I would rather do what I did, which is once I am back home in Thailand (on a visa exempt) to in the next few days head down to the local immigration office, at my leisure, and then only then apply for the Type-O visa. Typically, when I arrive at the Airport immigration, I am totally jet lagged and exhausted.

You misread my post. I noted one can not go visa exempt DIRECT to a 12 month extension. I myself went visa exempt to a Type-O to a 12 month extension.