oldcpu

I am considering applying for the LTR Visa (Wealthy Pensioner) and I have a question about purchasing Thai Government bonds (to be a Thai investment) to qualify to apply for the LTR visa. I am currently on a 45-day Visa exempt, waiting for a Type-O that I applied for to be approved (I am supposed to go to immigration on the day after my 45-day Visa exempt permission to stay expires). Assuming I obtain the the Type-O in the 3rd week of November, that will give me a permission to stay until sometime in January (if the permission to stay is measured from my application date). Hence I am thinking to apply for the LTR Visa as soon as I get the Type-O visa. I don't meet the $80K US$ equivalent per year retirement income for a wealthy Pensioner (as my pension source is Europe and the Euro has dropped significantly, bringing my retirement income below that $80K US equivalent criteria). I do meet the $40K US$ equivalent. Hence as a retiree I am considering the $40K US equivalent per year, plus a $250K US equivalent investment in Thailand. My 50% share of the condo unit I own in Thailand is not enough to meet the $250K US equivalent, so likely I will need to purchase about 2.5-million of Thai government bonds to be assured of meeting the $250K US (with some extra margin). Any recommendations as to the best bank to buy Thai government bonds ? My understanding is neither Krungsri nor Bangkok bank (where I have bank accounts) support such purchases, and further I may have to purchase via a secondary market - as opposed to waiting for buying on the issue date. I suspect it not necessary to go for a 10-year bond term (ie 5-year term, followed by buying again in 5-years) although possibly a 10-year term is easiest if one is not concerned about tying up that amount of money (where I am not concerned about typing up such amounts). I also was told foreigners are limited to 2-million Thai baht worth of Thai government bonds, although I suspect that is limited to a specific series of bonds ?? < not sure > . I want to purchase 2.5 million (so to have margin in case of further Thai baht drops vs US$). For the moderators - if this is in the wrong forum area, please feel free to move, or to simply delete, with a suggestion of a better location to post such a query. I am happy to start a new thread on this topic.

I flew from Frankfurt to Bangkok with a one way ticket (Thai airways) arriving Bangok visa-exempt (as my Type-OA was invalided by my leaving Thailand without a re-entry permit). I had an inexpensive, legitimate, one way ticket out Thailand (Krabi to KL) but Thai Airways never asked for it. They did call me up to the counter in Bangkok, paged through my passport, saw the Type-OA-Visa and extension stamps, but likely missed that the OA was invalid. When I arrived in Bangkok Airport at immigration, the IO asked for my Ticket. I showed my boarding pass and the IO repeated, she wanted my ticket. I was digging through my backpack to get both my original FRA-BKK ticket, and my 'Krabi-to-KL' throw away ticket, when my Thai wife the IO exchanged some words in Thai, and the IO waved me through without having to show a ticket. I never expected the immigration IO to ask for my ticket. .. Further on this topic,consistent with Dr Jack54's comment, a friend who recently flew from Vietnam to Thailand, planning to arrive Thailand visa-exempt, was asked in Vietnam, for his ticket, showing his departure from Thailand. He had a throw-away ticket which he showed and so he was allowed to board. He was not asked for his ticket on arrival in Bangkok. My opinion is having a 'throwaway' ticket is a good idea for some cases (such as entering Thailand 'visa-exempt' ).

Thanks I recently did the same (leaving Thailand on a Type-OA extension to void that Visa), and re-entered Visa-Exempt (45-days permission to stay, as I arrived in October), and subsequently applied for a 90-day Type-O visa. Like you, upon departing Bangkok, the IO at Bangkok departure immigration kindly pointed out to me, I was voiding my type-OA extension permission to stay. And like you, upon arrival at Bangkok (when being given a 45-day permission to stay on Visa Exempt), at Bangkok arrivals immigration, the IO was kind enough to make sure I was aware I was getting only 45 days stay, also possibly from seeing my previous extension stamps. The 45 days permission to stay (instead of 30-days) turned out to be very handy, as for health reasons I was not able to report to immigration to apply for a 90-day Type-O visa, until after being in Thailand for 2-weeks.

I don't know about Jomtien requirements, but I know in Phuket, where I applied for a 90-day Type-O visa (earlier this week), I was asked for either: (1) copy of my lease and the landlord's ID/house registration, or (2) copy of my deed for a condo I owned, and copies of pages from the associated Blue book. This information is not listed on the Phuket volunteers website as being required for a 90-day-type-O visa (that I could see - maybe I missed it ?? ), but I was asked for this information/copies at immigration. I own a condo, so I provided a copy of 'my deed' and copies of my 'Yellow book'. They initially accepted that, but I will see if later they ask for the old 'Blue book' pages copies ... The Phuket IO asked I exchange Line social media information, so they could confirm my residence. A couple of days after the type-O visa was submitted, I was asked to do a short video chat with the Immigration, showing me in my condo (in the video chat), showing me by my condo door (where condo # visible), and by the condo road entrance (showing condo name/address). Apologies, I can't provide any experience with regard if one is a renter - but the point I wanted to make is other immigration offices also have requirements that can appear unique to them.

I prefer not to use an agent myself , ... but I believe an agent is perfectly legal, where I suspect (suspect as I have not yet used an agent myself) that one in essence grants the agent 'power of attorney' to do the immigration dealings on your behalf (likely sign a document to that effect ? ) . I have friends who live in Jomtien who much prefer using an agent, as opposed to potentially spending a long day at immigration and run into an obscure quirk in the paperwork that might even cause things to run into an extra day. Their view is the 15,000 to 20,000 baht for an agent they know is reliable is money 'well spent' , and they believe it is worth not spending what could be a difficult day at immigration. I just completed applying for a 90-day Type-O visa (previous I had a Type-OA visa) and it was a very long tiring day for me, going to the bank, and then to immigration, where immigration was a zoo, over flowing with foreigners - and hence long waits. That is the situation my friends prefer to legally pay money to an agent, to avoid. Don't forget what ever approach you adopt, that the application fee for the Type-O is also 2,000 baht.

In early October I arrived Thailand from Europe, and was not given a TM6. In Phuket I completed an application for a 90-day Type-O Visa a couple of days ago. In the TM87 application form I left the TM6 field in that form empty. I had no problems with that field left blank.

I recently returned to Thailand from Europe, where my Thai Airways ticket had me only entering Thailand (with no return Thai Airways ticket) outside of Europe. I had read one really should have a throw-away ticket, so in fact I did buy one, which I posted about previous on this forum ( I bought a legitimate Krabi to Kuala Lumpur one way ticket for 740 Thai baht.) In Frankfurt, Thai-Airways did not ask for my return ticket. BUT I suspect they saw my old Type-OA visa (in my passport), so my old permission to stay, and saw (an no longer valid re-entry permit) and mistakenly thought I had an appropriate re-entry permit, which I did not have. In Bangkok, the Thai Immigration Officer (IO) asked for my ticket. I passed him my boarding pass, and I was told, "NO - ticket". I did not now which ticket he wanted? The ticket to fly to Thailand, or my ticket showing me leaving Thailand. I was rummaging through my backpack to get both tickets, during which the IO ws talking to my wife (in Thai). I have no idea what was said, but then the Thai IO waved me through, and I did not have to show a ticket. I asked my wife a week later what was the discussion she had with the IO, and she could not remember it. ... In the past few days, a friend of mine entered Thailand from Vietnam with a one way ticket (Vietnam Airlines). He was ask to show a departure from Thailand ticket. He was entering Thailand Visa Exempt (as his previous Type-OA visa permission to stay had expired). He had a throw-away ticket (legitimate) that he showed them, and they allowed him to board.

A couple of days ago I just completed at immigration in Phuket applying for a 90-day Type-O visa (based on retirement). Back in August (with a Type-OA visa) I deliberately left Thailand without a re-entry permit so that I could re-enter Visa-Exempt (which I did in early October) and then apply for the Type-O. Fortunately I was given 45-days permission to stay, for the day after arrival in Phuket I came down with COVID symptoms (likely caught COVID on flight or in Airport in Europe, as other than myself and wife, no one else was wearing a mask). ... So it was two weeks before I recovered and was able to safely go to immigration (fortunately my COVID symptoms were very mild). So with about 30-days left in my permission to stay, I applied for the 90-day Type-O visa. It took the entire day (immigration was VERY crowded) but in the end my application was entered in the system. My permission to stay expires on a Sunday just under a month from now ... and I was told to come to immigration (with my passport and blue receipt for the 2000 baht) on the Monday after (ie one day technical 'overstay') to presumably have a Type-O Visa stamped into my passport. I would have applied sooner for the Type-O (ie a day after arrival in Thailand) had I not come down with COVID symptoms (later confirmed to be COVID). The 45-day permission to stay with Visa Exempt is very nice - providing extra margin to apply for the Type-O Visa.

At the Krungsri branch in Central Festival in Phuket, to show 800K in my account (for 3 months) it took them about 15-minutes (albeit that was over kill as for my applying for a Type-O I think I only needed to show the money in the bank on the day I went to immigration). Krungsri advised me for their branch to show 800k in the bank for a year would take them longer (a bit less than an hour). Still, it is superior to my experience of Bangkok Bank in Phuket, where to show for one year my Bangkok Bank branch in Phuket have to contact Bangkok, and it can take a few days to a week. I am in the processing of applying for a Type-O visa (having left Thailand without a re-entry permit to invalidate my Type-OA visa) and I am currently on a Visa Exempt. Likely I will wait until the 3rd week of November before I post (separately) on whether I succeeded to get the Type-O Visa. I did successfully complete the Type-O Visa application at immigration a couple of days ago, so I am positive about getting the Visa. ...