oldcpu

He is IMHO spreading disinformation by denying that some remitted foreign income is not to be considered assessable income. If one's remitted foreign income is not tax assessable, it may mean for some there may be no need to file a Thai tax return and (if one still has to file due to some Thai income) there may be no need to list such non-assessable foreign income on a Thai tax return. If many listen to him, I fear we will read of more people, whose remitted foreign income is LEGALLY not to be considered assessable income in Thailand, still file a Thai tax returns when they should not. Why is that bad? Because they may be inappropriately taxed because the various Thai RD branches are not up to speed on Royal Decrees nor on DTAs. And those who inappropriately filed a tax return will have a difficult time in the appeal process. It is important for expats to look at their own financial situation, their income source, Thai law (including some specific Royal Decrees and some RD ministerial directives) and make their own best judgement call whether they need to file an tax return and whether any remitted foreign income they may have is to be considered assessable for Thai taxation purposes.

Yes, and the law refers to 'assessable' income that is earned in Thailand and 'assessable' income that is remitted to Thailand. Assessable. OK? As noted, foreign remitted income can be tax exempt per Thai Royal Decree 18 (which refers to DTAs which in many cases can note foreign income that is tax exempt in Thailand). Further being tax exempt can mean not to be included in the Thai tax calculation (consistent with Thai tax law), and hence in effect remitted foreign income that is not assessable. The Royal Decree I pointed out is very relevant here. But strangely enough, you forgot about that, since you failed to list such. I wonder why? If they come knocking at my door? Do NOT hold your breath waiting. Since they denied me a tax-ID when I applied, ... maybe they will change their mind and provide me one now? Don't hold your breath waiting for that either. We have been through this detail before ... I did not earn any income in Thailand and I did not remit any money to Thailand and I have an LTR-WP visa. Further the money I would remit to Thailand (but did not remit) is exempt Thai income tax according to both the Thai-Canada DTA, and the Thai-German DTA. I remitted a LOT of money to Thailand when I was a non-tax resident (in Thailand for less than 180-days). Ahh ... but you say "if they come knocking". ?? Guess what? Don't hold your breath on that. Having typed the above, likely within the next few years I will remit some of my foreign money which is Thai tax exempt to Thailand per DTAs (and per the LTR-WP). Having typed that, if the laws stay the same as they are today, I will not be filing a Thai tax return (unless I start earning too much Thailand bank interest or other Thai income). To file such a return would be a waste of both the Thai RD time and a waste of my time. Now i am not avoiding tax. I do pay tax to a country outside of Thailand, where the DTAs with Thailand are relevant. Unlike yourself ??? I suspect you will find some Thai tax authorities DO pay attention to the content of relevant Royal Decrees that provide exemption to taxation for some foreign remitted income. Which as I note possibly exempts such from the Thai tax calculation (consistent with other tax exemption cases noted in Thai tax law), which by deduction indicates such exempt foreign income that is NOT to be treated as assessable income, and hence not treated in assessing if a Thai tax return is required. ( .. unfortunately some is not all - more on that further down ... ) Which point of the above do you not agree with? My own view is possibly the area where one needs to focus (and maybe where your disagreement exists) in my logic above, is whether legally tax exempt remitted foreign income is also exempt from the tax calculation? That is an assumption where verification is IMHO ultimate useful to obtain. ALSO IMPORTANT : and I mentioned this MANY times in the past. There is NO PLACE in the Thai tax forms to list any such income as a deduction, even thou it is tax exempt. Before some where saying... just wait ... just wait ... it will be in the 2024 Thai tax return form. Guess what. The 2024 tax return is out. And guess what? It was not in such. Why ? Maybe 2025 tax form? Maybe 2026 tax form? Don't hold your breath waiting there either. I think it should be clear now, based on the deliberate RD omissions in the 2024 TAX RETURNS (and omissions in previous year) , and based on the Royal Decrees (in particular RD.18 which notes some DTAs provide exemption from tax), that there can be foreign remitted income earned in the current year that is not to be considered assessble income to Thailand and NOT to be included in the tax return. Frankly, if one ignores such, files a tax return, incorrectly lists their exempt income as assessable, one will find no proper place in the tax forms, and could end up inappropriately paying tax. Why? Because not all Thai RD know the details of RD.18 and RD.743, and details of many various DTAs. I suspect most branch RDs know none of such. So one is then inappropriately taxed , and then one is into appeal territory. Good luck and don't hold your breath hoping to succeed in an appeal. .

lol. At the risk of feeding, I note when the 2024 tax forms finally did come out, there was no obvious place (that I could find) for listing tax exempt income (as deductions) such as those exempt from DTAs or exempt from the LTR-WP visa. I have a fuzzy recollection some were very patiently waiting to see such to prove their point. But speaking of points - you do make a very good one re "no feeding". It is thou - a 2 way feeding (or no-feeding) street. .

Agree in part. DTAs do not state Assessable income. That terminology, as you note , are specific to the Thai domestic policy. However there are clear cases in Thai tax law where income noted as exempt income, is also noted as exempt from the income tax calculation. If that exempt income is not to be included in the Thai tax calculation, that also means it does not go on the income tax form (where the calculation is done) , and that hence by deduction means it is not considered assessable income for a Thai tax calculation. So as I stated, that goes back to the noted Royal Decree. The Royal Decree very clearly notes some DTAs make some foreign income exempt from Thailand tax, ... so - the question then is: Does that also mean exempt from the Thailand tax calculation like other exempt income listed under Thailand domestic tax law? I think that is THE key question , and as I stated, the view of some is per that Royal Decree which references DTAs (in general) and per some DTAs, mean that some specific income is not to be considered assessable income in Thailand. Examples I have in mind are for any DTA that will clearly state a certain type of income is only to be taxed in the country which is NOT Thailand. Such income is not taxable in Thailand, it is exempt per Thailand Royal Decree, and per related (but not identical) examples under Thai tax law, that suggests exempt income is not to be included in the Thai tax calculation. Clearly every foreigner needs to make their own judgement call here dependent on their own financial situation, and dependent on the precise source of their income. .

Yes ... but as likely you note Royal Decree No. 18 B.E. 2505 (1962) which notes per specifics in some Double Tax Agreements (DTA), some types of foreign income for some countries can be tax exempt in Thailand. The view of many is that means exempt from the Thailand tax calculation, and hence is not to be considered assessable income. Obviously this depends on the wording of he DTA.

I have a pink ID. It is NOT necessary but it has proven itself useful on more than one occasion. When I first obtained it, my wife's family split a gut laughing, as they noted it was a ID that many of the very VERY low paid foreign laborers had to get. They thought that funny given my visa is an LTR-WP visa. The Pink-ID has been useful in obtaining Thai price at some Thai national parks, but not at others. When asked for passport at dentist office (they should NOT need a passport) I provided my pink-D. I used it to successfully register online for COVID jab during COVID times, ...I have no idea if it sped up my getting a jab. I nominally (when traveling within a couple of hours of my condo) don't carry my passport. I carry my pink ID. However the Banks so far for me still insist on seeing my passport. My pink-Id and yellow book enable me to renew my Thai drivers license without having to get a residence letter (COR) from the local immigration. That was handy. When applying for the LTR visa, I needed to buy some Thai government bonds as part of my investment in Thailand. Two banks refused me. Finally Bangkok Bank branch manager stated he would allow me to buy Thai government bonds through his branch ONLY if I had a yellow book and Pink-Id. When buying the government bonds, the computer form had a place where one must enter their Thai tax-ID. I had no Thai tax-ID. Instead the bank entered my pink-ID number (in the Thai tax number field), and the Thai bond order proceeded successfully. If left blank the bond order would not proceed. I could NOT do this with just a passport!! The BIGGEST benefit, by far (worth a few hundred thousand dollars) was I was able to use it to unfreeze a foreign trading account. The foreign institution wanted my Thai taxation number to unfreeze my foreign account (which had a significant amount of money it). I applied for a Thai ID but I was refused. Previously, when applying for the Thai Tax ID, the tax government official noted my pink-ID number could end up being my tax ID number, after it was activated (but he was not yet going to activate it). In case curious, the reason I was denied a tax ID is I have no Thai income, and I am bringing no money into Thailand. Rather years back, when I was not a resident of Thailand, I brought a very large amount of money into Thailand and I live off of that. Since I have no income remitted to Thailand, nor income earned in Thailand, the official did not see the point to give me a Thai tax ID. So I passed the Pink-ID number to the foreign financial institute, advising them it was not yet activated as the tax ID. They were happy with that and they unfroze my account. I was immediately then able to trade equities again, and fortunately with the unfrozen assets picked an equity that within 6-months earned me a few hundred thousand US dollars. Could I have done this without the Pink-ID? Possibly. possibly not. For certain I could not do this with just a passport !! I note that when applying for a tax ID that the Thai government tax official did not seem to care that I needed a Thai tax ID for foreign account reasons. I debated with him a bit, but not too much. I did not want him to lose face. I might have had to go over his head at the tax department, which I did not want to do. Fortunately the Pink-ID worked. My cases are obscure. Clearly very obscure. But in life one never knows. The pink-Id (and yellow book) were, I recall, a MAJOR pain to get. Getting such for me worked out, but for sometime I was annoyed at how much effort needed. I think clearly for most expats a pink-ID will have little benefit (except to make one's Thai friends and Thai family laugh).

Interesting. I wonder what BoI would think about that? Still, as pointed out, its likely not worth the effort to chase down this further. Even though its been around new for a few years, not all Thai government organisations know how the LTR visa should be handled. While not taxation related, when I first went to apply at the local transportation department within the past year (for the province where I live in Thailand), for an International driver's license, I was initially refused. My Thai wife and I chatted with the head of this government branch office and they noted if I was on a Type-O/OA visa they would allow me to get such, but not on an LTR visa. Why? Because the current procedures did not list the LTR visa for such. After a very polite chat I noted I would chat with BoI to see if they could better promulgate their policy with regard to the lTR visa and International Driver's licenses. The head of the local Transportation office noted on their "end" they would check up their (transportation department) chain. A few hours later when back at home, my wife received a phone call from the Transport Office saying, come in to the office and they would allow me to obtain the International Driver's licence. The branch head checked, found LTR Visas could get such a license, but the procedures had not yet been updated across Thailand. While this (taxation) is very different, I wonder if there is something similar taking place, where procedures relation to taxation of LTR visas has not yet been updated to all provincial tax offices.

Reads to me that TRD may have made a mistake, depending on which LTR you have. I suspect you can if you can prove over paid. But I don't know for certain.

While I have a Krungsri Exclusive card, I was curious if I could also obtain a Krungsri Visa Infinite card, if, and only if, I could get the bank manager to waive the 3,500 THB annual fee for the Krungsri Visa Infinite card. The 'argument' I tried was that in addition to having the amount in Krungsri to qualify for the Krungsri Exclusive card (via cash deposit and Krungsri operated mutual funds), I also had pension income (albeit foreign) ~$60k US equivalent/year, and it will exceed ~$80k US starting next year. So I asked given that, would they waive the 3,500 THB/year if I applied for the Krungsri Visa Infinite Card (this card comes with an extra airport lounge access, and possibly (I need to confirm) rental car insurance coverage). The bank manager was happy for me to apply for the card, BUT advised no waiving of the 3,500 THB annual fee. If my income had been income from Thailand, the bank manager may have waived the annual fee, but not with my income being foreign income. Oh well - it was worth a shot. I used my SCB planet card for the first time, albeit it took me 3x before I succeeded with a foreign payment (not in Thai baht). The first time the SCB planet card transaction was blocked because by default it is set to block all foreign transactions. So I changed that. The second time the SCB planet card transaction failed, as I had not pre-deposited enough funds in the Planet card account to pay for the transaction (I had MORE than enough in my SCB savings account). So I transferred funds from the SCB savings, to the SCB planet card account, and tried again a 3rd time to do a foreign transaction, and this time I succeeded.

In Derry in Northern Ireland, they refused to accept a visa debit card with my name on it. I ended up using a Bangkok Bank platinium credit card instead to book the car. It may depend on the car rental company re: debit card acceptance.

I guess its all relative. I would consider one needs to be more than a basic (dollar) multi-millionaire to be wealthy. For example, the average home price in Greater Vancouver, Canada, is $1.2 million dollars. Does that mean the average person owning a home in Greater Vancouver is wealthy? Not in my view. But I guess it is all relative.

I suspect it depends on the card.

I also recently acquired the SCB planet card. Until now I have been using my Wise card for foreign currency transactions, but I may now use SCB planet card for some so to quickly reach a 20,000 baht transaction point. My understanding is that the perks of the Thailand SCB bank Planet card include: It has some, global currency flexibility, providing multi-Currency Support. One can store up to 13 currencies on a single card, including USD, EUR, JPY, SGD, CNY, HKD, GBP, KRW, AUD, TWD, NZD, CHF, and CAD. It claims to offer competitive Exchange Rates: Exchange currencies at rates comparable to leading money changers it claims no Foreign Transaction Fees: Make payments in any currency worldwide without incurring the typical 2.5% foreign currency conversion fee. it claims ATM Withdrawals: Withdraw cash from ATMs worldwide displaying the VISA logo, with a daily limit of up to 300,000 THB. It has a daily spending limit: Spend up to 500,000 THB per day on purchases. it is Lifetime Free Annual Fee it provides free complimentary travel insurance coverage for up to 10 days, provided by CHUBB (some conditions apply). currently if one spends a foreign currency amount of at least 20,000 baht, it will provide one with (quantity one Dragon pass) airport lounge access. This is during a campaign period and I suspect that it could be temporary. I may have some of that wrong above - but that is my current understanding. I travel internationally a bit, so i suspect I will be using the one Dragon Pass one can get from it (I also obtain two Dragon Pass yearly from Krungsri Exclusive and two Dragon Pass yearly from a foreign bank credit card).

Misinformed about GSB in what regard? In the regard that it cannot collapse? All banks can collapse, Government or not Government. It is just some are more likely than others to have issues in bad financial times. With regard to your wife's friend, ... her friend having a good job in a good bank is in my view an excellent and solid career. Well done !! I know a couple senior bankers (outside of Thailand), they are good people and they did very well financially. Obviously thou, they would never say anything negative about their bank's finances that could be then quoted in public. Nothing. So if judging a bank, other criteria is needed, in my view to judge a bank, than just the view of the employees. With regards to very wealthy people putting their money in GSB. Sure. Of course. But all their money in GSB. No. In my view not a chance. I know some wealthy people and they have MULTIPLE accounts in each of the major Thai banks. They diversify. However for them trying to stay under 1-million baht in any one bank is simply not practical for them, if they want more liquidity. So they spread their money across multiple banks (which means significantly over 1-million THB in multiple banks). I don't consider myself wealthy, but that is what I do (more outside of Thailand than inside). I have accounts in a few Thai banks (and more foreign bank accounts), and I note (with exception of SCB where I just opened an account) Krungsri is my smallest account, and yes, I do qualify for Krungsri Exclusive status. Looking back to Thailand's history, its true in the 1997 the Government Savings Bank (GSB) was only moderately affected, compared to some others. At the same time, I note that Krung Thai bank (one of Thailand's largest state-owned commercial banks) had major issues. I also understand that Kasikorn Bank (known as Thai Farmer's Bank at that time) in 1997 faced serious issues, with the bank dissolved in year 2000 due to the financial fallout from the 1997 Thai financial crisis, and it was later rebranded as Kasikorn Bank. Today it is one of Thailand's largest commercial banks, and my understanding is that operates to a much higher standard than 30 years ago. With regard to the major (ie largest) Thai banks in 1997, my understanding is that none of the depositors of the major Thai banks were directly impacted in terms of losing savings in 1997. Only the very small Thai banks had depositors hit the hardest, where for some they faced restricted access to funds for months. I believe that Thailand also did not have a formal deposit insurance scheme at the time. So perhaps GSB gave some piece of mind in 1997, but regardless, those with savings holdings in the large Thai banks were also pretty much ok then. Now, one might say that Thailand was 'lucky' (?) in 1997. Some other countries have had government banks and government controlled banks fail. ... Yes government banks. ... Some examples that come to my mind, and perhaps you know of more: 1. Banco Nacion (Argentina) 2000 to 2001 - savings withrawals were restriced and frozen in cases. 2. Gosban (Soviet Union) 1991 collapse - depositors in rubles lost much of their money through hyperinflation and currency collapse 3. IDBI Bank (India) pre-2004 and after. 4. Laiki Bank (Cyrus) 2013 - Depositors lost funds above the 100,000 euro insurance threshold 5. Multiple State Owned banks (Zimbabwe) - 2000s - depositors lost much of their money through hyperinflation and currency collapse, bank withdrawal limits, official "dollarisation" (2009) where those who didn't have foreign savings lost much of their savings BACK ON TOPIC - In regards to what Thai Bank credit cards AseanNow forum members have, I want to point out to achieve Krungsri Exclusive, it does not have to mean 5-million sitting in Thai baht cash in Krungsri (rather the financial asset can be in different forms). I think that point was lost. My OWN experience is that mutual funds, managed by Krungsri also contribute to the qualification for Krungsri Exclusive and those mutual funds come with their own separate risk (like any mutual fund has risk). So one's 5-million in Krungsri need not be all in Thai baht cash. For example (I speculate) possibly one could have 1-million THB in cash, and much more in a Krungsri managed mutual fund to exceed the 5-million combined. For this qualification, one would need to chat with the Krungsri branch manager at one's local bank. Now, if you have heard up to date financial bad news specifics against Krungsri (or against any other Thai bank's) regarding their solvency, I think all in this forum would be most interested. But again, in regards to the topic you started (on Credit Cards), I think we are all curious about what Thai bank credit cards people have, and curious about the benefits ... (and less curious about the bank financial details, unless one has solid news to point to that a bank is in trouble). Obviously, that is just my opinion. Best wishes to all, and I am curious as to what Thai credit cards other have.

You seriously believe that 'guarantee' will be honored by GSB when economy goes south that Thai banks are threatened? Again - I remind you of Iceland and what transpired. GSB offers nothing extra really, in terms of protection. I may have swamp land in Florida to sell you ... < just kidding > Other than a misplaced sense of security, what benefits does GSB give you for basically the same risk (compared to Krungsri exclusive benefits)? I do note your max 1-million per bank is a sensible strategy if that is a sensible limit for one's funds ... but without going into detail on my Finances, even if I massively raise the limit you adopt to 5-million THB per bank, Thailand does not have enough banks for me to adopt such a strategy, As I stated, aside from SCB where I just opened an account, Krungsri is my smallest account (where a good portion of that amount is in Krungsri bank managed mutual funds).. Given the number of banks, and insurance on deposit aspects, I also use overseas banks (which is not as easy as it sounds given my being a resident here in Thailand). ... Further, after a while, when one gets too many bank accounts,, management of funds becomes a PIA, so there are limits as well to diversification. Finally, I caution everyone reading, do not naively believe GSB will protect one more than other banks when/if economy goes seriously south. There is no guaranteed protection, despite what one might read. So back to getting on topic ... Krungsri Exclusive credit card offers some good benefits. I have yet to find a Thai credit card that can match Krungsri, with similar (or less) deposits AND without requiring massive spending on the credit card. Perhaps others can share why they prefer their credit card in terms of benefits.

No offence taken. No disrespect, but you did read that for my LTR visa I am required to have a minimum of $100k US$ equivalent in only one bank anywhere in the world for self health insurance. Stock trading accounts don't count. Also, the amount ABOVE the LTR visa requirement, needed to top up to meet the Krungsri Exclusive 5-million, can be an investment managed by Krungsri (mutual fund or other). Ok ? Sure - tell that to holders of Iceland government bonds who years back lost their shirt. With respect, smart and wealthy people do not do what you thought/think. Smart and wealthy people diversify their money across many financial institutes. I don't claim to be smart nor wealthy , but I do know a few who are, and like them I have diversified massively via many banks (mostly outside of Thailand). Krungsri bank money is my 2nd smallest bank holding (my new SCB is my smallest). This is all relative. I would never in 1,000 years put all my money with ANY institution, much less than ANY gsb bank (pink bank), just because some government claims unlimited guarantee. When push comes to shove, there IS NO SUCH GUARANTEE. Again - go back in history - look at Iceland. Frankly, and again, no disrespect, but if keeping 5-miilion THB in Krungrsi is a concern, and if it could cause you or anyone else concern, then do NOT adopt the approach I made. I had thought i was clear when I stated that "this card is likely only for those with a bit more wealth". I do not believe that statement of mine was understood. Perhaps now I have clarified this better. Is this thread intended to be limited to only those who need to worry per your observation?

I have Krungsri Exclusive creditcard. To qualify for their absolute lowest category, one needs 5 million Thai baht deposited and/or invested with Krungsri, for a combined 5 million THB total in one's Krungsri accounts. This card is likely only for those with a bit more wealth. It comes with some perks. Even this lower 5 million baht category provides, but is not limited to multiple monthly free passes to a large local gym/health club (they have a list of qualifying clubs), 2 free dragon pass airport Lounge access per year, plus if flying Thai airlines 2 Royal Silk airport lounge access per year. One also gets to use the vip lounge at a Krungsri branch when doing banking. Since I need to maintain $100k US equivalent in cash in an account anywhere in the world as part of my LTR Visa ( for my self health insurance) then given I have that with Krungsri, I only had to add a bit more to meet the 5 million THB requirement. I also recently opened an account with SCB and I have applied for a Planet travel card. I believe one of its perks is one lounge access ( priority pass? or dragon pass? ) after the first 20.000 THB equivalent of foreign currency purchase.

Sometimes the real story can be difficult to find out. I suspect your being on the LTR took them by surprise and that there was major 'face saving' on their part going on (refusing to admit a mistake). They did not not want to admit that your original assertation (that your remitted foreign revenues remitted to Thailand don't matter if on LTR_WP) was correct. Possibly they even made more mistakes to cover up their original mistake. For the western mindset (like mine) this means one has to be very careful - even if one is correct. Especially when dealing with Government officials, one needs to try to thread the needle (or 'stickhandle' as we say in Canada), to have the correct legal approach adopted, and to try and ensure the Government official does not lose face. I concede that can be difficult at times, especially if the government official gets too stubborn in regards to a mistake they may have made. Sometimes smiles all around (despite wrong info from the Government) with a polite request to double check with other officials (or sources) can be the way to proceed, but that too is fraught with risk, possibly causing an even more loss of face. As the saying goes "This Is Thailand".

It was long. I applied in Jan 2023. I gave them my 2020 and 2021 tax returns. They insisted to see 2022 return assessment. I couldn't provide that as I did not yet have paperwork from 2022 income so I could not do tax return for another month ... and then after I could submit my tax return to Canada, I had to wait for Revenue Canada to agree with assessment for 2022 to give to BoI. That took many weeks. Then I had over a four week?? delay getting BoI to accept my Thai savings bonds as part of my investment in Thailand. BoI asked for bond certificate which Bank of Thailand no longer provides and it took time to educate BoI on that. There were also other minor delays due to BoI missing items in my submission, due to them asking for nonexistent tax form ( which I sorted) and multiple iterations ( this took a couple of weeks) to accept my self health insurance. .. I posted on all this previous. Hopefully in year 2028 this will go much smoother.

I have no experience in applyinf for LTR outside of Thailand, so I can comment on that approach. But my recommendation would be to do something different than what you noted. If you come on a 90-day Type-O Visa, and then try to get the LTR, you will possibly be nervous as the clock counts down on your 90-days, and you may not have received the LTR visa yet when the 'clock runs down' (ie 90-days expire). So why risk any stress over that? Instead, one possibility (assuming you are age-50 or older) that is different is : 1st obtain the 90-day type-O. Enter Thailand. 2nd. Immediately open a Bank Account. Place 800k-THB in the bank, and 3rd. apply for a 1-year extension (based on retirement) on your 90-day type-O, to stay in Thailand. Then 4th, AS SOON as you get your 1-year extension, apply for the LTR. This way you have almost 1 year to get the LTR and have massive time margin if for some reason BoI end up delaying your LTR due to their own internal constraints. My LTR-WP took just under 6-months to get. Fortunately I applied within a couple of weeks after getting a one-year extension on my type-O, so I was not stressed in the slightest about time in regards to my LTR-WP taking MUCH longer than normal. Just something to consider. .

Not at all. This thread has been very useful for those who successfully applied for the LTR, and obtained suggestions / guidance on the way. And then we have posts like yours noting it is failed strategy for BoI. Why post such when the intent is to help? Ok - then I am VERY surprised you did not note a number of posts of detractors of the LTR. Detractors who either did not want to apply (because they knew they did not qualify), or those who applied and could not make the qualification, or those who could make it (but did not because they refused to restructure their finances to meet BoIs requirements). I recall one claiming even one particular well known billionaire could not meet the BoI requirements (due to how his wealth was financed - where of course that was nonsense - but detractors will be detractors). .... So given you take an interest - now you know there are a number of detractors. There is a clear difference there between a PR and an LTR. One is Permanent Residency. The other is a Visa. Visa types come and go. Permanent Residency does not come and go (only requirements change). .

There are posts of a some who did not qualify, and/or whose finances were not structured to meet the BoI criteria, who detract from the visa. As for BoI not meeting their goals - why post that was bad for them (for Boi for a 'flawed strategy' ) ? Why say anything? Are you attempting to drum up support to stop the visa? if not then why post at all? The post accomplishes nothing other than risk a good thing for those who obtained the visa.

I believe most of us who obtained the LTR visa don't care re 'the numbers'. Especially for those of us who had a non-O/OA visa in the past, we are very happy with our LTR visa . And we hope that Thailand carries on with the Visa so that we have the option to go for the same Visa after the 10-years are up.. My experience in reading posts contrary to the LTR visa on this forum, is the detractors in the most part (but not always) are those who either did not qualify for the visa, or who qualified but did not get the visa because their finances were not structured in a manner acceptable to BoI. But as noted, those who have the LTR are in the most part very happy with it. .

I suspect they are only following policy directed from above (ie from Central HQ in Bangkok). Banks can be very political in their upper management, and any branch manager who goes against central bank policy does so at their own risk. The BoI website is quite clear in recommending the Endorsement Notification be provided. When the SCB bank branch manager 1st told me I needed a letter to open the account (where we would accept my old non-immigrant visa but not the LTR-WP 10-year visa (with its 5-year permission to stay), my wife and I politely asked, what letter? We stated we never heard of such. He actually had a copy of one on his phone !! I immediately recognized it for what it was. Unfortunately only a few months prior I had cleared my copy of such off my phone. So in Arnold fashion we simply smiled and said "I'll be back" .... lol ! Not quite - but I can't blame the branch manager for following bank policy. and I now do have the SCB savings account. .

I opened an SCB savings account a couple of days ago, and applied for the SCB planet card. (I am on an LTR-WP visa). Purportedly if one uses the card in one-year (calendar year ?? ) to purchase/withdraw >20,000 THB equivalent in foreign currency equivalent, one will receive one dragon pass (or equivalent ??? ) which is good for airport lounge access.