oldcpu

Hmm ... My Thai nephew is a doctor , working in a private hospital in Ranong. That is not the guidance he was given. He was specially advised by his superiors when he is on shift in the hospital, NOT to prescribe drugs not paid for by the Public Health Care system. Outside of the hospital, he is not limited. The same is true for my Thai niece, who is also a doctor in a different hospital. Perhaps the policy of hospital management varies dependent on the hospital. Perhaps. Again, has anyone been successful here (in getting the discount)?

I have an LTR visa, and I am age 70 (and I have a Thai wife). I always go through the Thai line, with my wife. When I was age-69 (with the LTR visa) when leaving Phuket, the immigration line for foreigners was massive. I entered the Thai line with my wife, and when we got to the immigration section for Thai, my wife and I ended up going to different IO booths. The IO in my booth (for leaving Phuket) could not have known we were married. I had no issue. There was no line at the Thai section, so it was like fast track. It was the same when I entered Thailand (at age-69) when returning to Thailand, I went through the Thai line (this time my wife was ahead of me). The IO did not know we were married. And I had no issue in the Thai line (except the LTR visa created a bit of a buzz, and hardly anyone at Phuket immigration had seen it, so my IO called over a bunch of other IO to look at the LTR stamp). Then earlier this year, now age-70 (with the LTR visa), after checking in my luggage and getting my boarding pass to depart Phuket, the airline attendant told me to go through the Thai line. He knew (1) I was age-70, and (2) I had an LTR visa. I then walked through the Thai entrance (to get into the immigration hall) and they accepted me either because I was age-70 or because of my LTR visa. The foreigner entrance was massive with hundreds in line. Must have been more than a 30 minute wait for the foreigners to get to the departures immigration booths. The Thai line had NO one in line, and my Thai wife and I went through separate booths with no issue, and the IO could not have known we were married. Then when I re-entered Thailand (again I am age-70, with an LTR visa) I went through the Thai line because it was empty (and the foreigner line had a number of people waiting). Once again my wife and I ended up at different Thai IO booths. Again, the IO did not know I was married to a Thai. This time the IO was totally puzzled by my LTR visa, and he held it up to the booth glass to another IO booth, and that IO officer stated back "something in Thai and LTR visa". The second IO (from the other booth) then walked over to the booth where I was and I believe explained to the IO in my booth, how to process the LTR visa 'entrance stamp with the permission to stay date". Again , this was the Thai line. If not having an LTR visa and not being married to a Thai enough to use the Thai line (if one is entitled to "Fast Track" ) ? I don't know for certain, but I believe it worth a try. I suspect age-70 may be adequate. So my suggestion for Phuket, if one is entitled to the fast track ? Try going to the Thai line if that line is shorter. The worst that could happen is they send one to the foreigner line, and that has never happened (yet) to me.

The OP claimed he was told " At the Vachira Phuket Hospital hospital, the head of their International Department said that I would be eligible for a Thai pink ID card for foreigners. This ID would give me 20% to 25 % discount off the hospital fees and charges. " Again - Has anyone reading this thread (with a 'Thai pink ID card') actually received such a discount? My wife tells me that Vachira Phuket Hospital, a public hospital, is also the most reputable of the Phuket hospitals. Many good doctors like to work there because of its relatively high reputation. Also, I was told many of the doctors only work in the Vachira Phuket hospital part time, and they run a private clinic outside of the hospital outside of the hours when they work at Vachira. By working in the hospital, they are able to refer patients to their clinic. Purportedly one of the reasons the doctors like to have a private clinic, is because in a public hospital, they are only allowed to prescribe medicine that the Thai public care health system will pay for. So if there is a superior medicine that is not covered by Thai medical care, when working on shift at the hospital, the doctor is not allowed to prescribe that medicine to a Thai patient. BUT if the same patient, were to show up at the doctor's private clinic, then the same doctor would be able to prescribe the 'superior' medicine (although in that case, the patient would could not get the Thai medical care to pay for the medicine). Purportedly the doctors like this, as then their hands are not 'tied' and they have a means in their clinic to propose the best medicine. And those Thai who have the money (where the Thai medical system refuses to pay) those people can then still get the superior medicine. As to whether a 'pink ID' will offer a discount? I am skeptical - which is why I am asking.

A quarter of a century ago (in the 1997 to 1999 timeframe) I used to constantly do border runs from Phuket. i would either fly to (a) Singapore - a great city so sometimes I would fly there from Phuket, stay over night, and fly back sometime in the next few days (b) Kuala Lumper - where I would fly there from Phuket, clear immigration, and walk back through immigration to catch my flight back to Phuket. The 2nd and 3rd times I did this, when leaving KL (at immigration) the KL immigration officer at KL departures suggested to me (both times), " Why not stay longer in KL? We have a great city". (c) Fly to HatYai. A taxi would meet me at the HatYai airport, and drive me to the border. My Thai girlfriend in Phuket at the time, had HatYai contacts - and was able to book a HatYai taxi for me in advance. With the taxi, after driving me to the border, I would walk across the border, turn around, and walk back and be stamped in. My taxi driver would be waiting and he would drive me back to the airport. On another occasion when I did this, I stayed overnight in HatYai ... on the other two occasions, I was back in Phuket the same day (as the filght times worked). But that was 25 years ago ! I left Thailand in 1999 and returned only in 2019. Times change. One can not as easily hop in and out of Thailand today as many times, as one could do then. Immigration is 'more strict' today. Someone will need to chime in and give you up to date approach (I have no longer need to worry about this with my current Thai visa(s) since 2019). I am curious as to what the response may be.

That would be strange. I was given multiple opportunities to prove I could meet the Health Insurance requirements. I kept pointing to different accounts until I found one they would accept. In what you provided, I am puzzling over the word "endorsement". According to the BoI website, one submits an application on line for qualifications endorsement ... It then notes, after receiving complete and valid documents, the application will then be registered and sent for the qualifications endorsement by relevant agencies (such as Immigration, Thailand's Board of Investment, Department of Consular Affairs, etcc ... ). .... It also states "any decision or judgment made by the government agency regarding the LTR Visa qualification endorsement result is considered final and binding". From that I assume you were refused either at Step-4 (Status: Consider by by Government Agencies) or Step-5 (Status: Qualifications approved). That makes me think you were not 'endorsed' by either: - Immigration or - Thailand's BoI or - Consular Affairs I note they in their refusal to you state "you are welcome to reapply when you meet the necessary qualifications". This makes me believe the refusal was in step-5 and that it has NOTHING to do with Immigration nor Consular Affairs, but rather is strictly due to something within BoI. They state "LTR Visa staff do not have the authority to endorse applications" ... but they do NOT state "BoI does not have the authority to endorse applications". So if I had go guess, its someone more senior in BoI who made a policy decision over riding the LTR Visa staff on your application? PURE SPECULATION on my part. Likely you deduced this already. When senior staff over rule more junior staff, especially in government organisations, there can be all sorts of reasons, and sometimes others in the vicinity are impacted by the 'collateral damage' (such as LTR applications denied). PURE SPECULATION by me. Best wishes in what ever your decision is to do next.

wow! That is most puzzling. It almost reads like the LTR application was approved at a lower level - but then someone in a higher level, did not like something in the process, and veto'd the application? Pure speculation on my part. It might be worth trying again - if you have the energy to do so.

I am surprised that you were given no indication as to the refusal. In the process of my application, I received 11 !!! document requests - Some of which they had simply missed my documents, another case they had misunderstood my finances, and in other cases they wanted more detail than what I had sent. The requests I received (to get my LTR visa) 1. They asked for a proof of pension document, or a tax return. I had ALREADY provided such (year-2020/2021 tax years) in my initial application in early-January-2023, so I simply sent it to them again. It turns out, I learned later, they wanted a 2022 tax return, even thou this was January-2023 (and it was too soon for a year 2022 tax return to be submitted). I should have phoned BoI and asked why? 2. For proof of investment in Thailand, they wanted proof of sale purchase of my condo - They noted they wanted an Or.Cor.16. I had mistakenly provided the 'real estate agent' contract to buy my condo (and the deed to my condo), and so I then provided the Or.Chor.16 purchase document. (My Thai wife had the Or.Chor.16 document in our file cabinet - and I foolishly had never asked her what the document was). 3. They again asked for proof of a pension document, or a tax return. Again I sent them my (year-2020/2021 tax returns and I also sent proof of my passive pensions via official documents - hoping that would be enough). As it turns out, it was not enough, they wanted my year 2022 tax return, even thou this was end-Jan-2023 and too early to submit my year 2022 tax return. I should have phoned BoI and asked why? 4. They again asked for proof of a pension document, or a tax return. So I called BoI. They stated this time, they stated on the phone wanted my year 2022 tax returns. Clearly, I should have phoned them earlier. Possibly if I had stood my ground, they would have accepted the official proof of government pension documents I had given them, but I decided not to fight city hall, and that I would 'rush' doing my year-2023 tax return to satisfy BoI. This was early year 2023 and I had not yet submitted my tax return to Canada for tax year 2022. So it was some weeks went by before I could (a) get receipts for my 2022 tax return, (b) submit year 2022 tax return to Canada, and (c) get official Canadian acknowledgement of my tax return (which also listed my Global income that BoI wanted to see). However BoI knew my Type-O Visa permission to stay in Thailand was good for another 11 months, so I was not rushed to get the LTR visa. 5. They again asked for proof of investment in Thailand. I had already provided the Or.Chor.16 and my proof of 2-million THB purchase (copy of my bond book). So I sent that to them again, figuring they had misplaced such. I learned later they wanted different proof for the bond purchase. I should have phoned them asking for clarification and I did not. 6. By this time, they had my Canadian tax return. But they then asked for my Canadian T4A tax form (associated with a Canadian Pension, that I did not yet receive as I had deferred my Canadian pension to age 70). So I phoned them, and also sent them an explanation letter, stating that I was not (yet) receiving a Canadian pension, and I was NOT using a Canadian pension for proof of passive income , and I noted I already exceeded the $40k US$ equivalent passive income with my application. I can't for this day, figure out why they asked for this, unless it was some sort of 'quality check' to try and figure out why as a Canadian I was claiming a "Canadian Old Age Security" (as part of my income), but not claiming a Canadian Pension as part of my income. 7. They again asked for proof of my investment in Thailand, noting my condo purchase was inadequate to achieve the $250K US equivalent (since 50% ownership was with my wife). I once again sent them the Or.Chor.16 and a copy of my bond book showing $2-Million THB in bonds. It turns out, they wanted something different, and that was not clear until the next request. I should have phoned them asking for clarification and I did not. 8. They again asked for proof of my investment in Thailand, but this time they made it clear they wanted more information on the Thai government bond that I had purchased. I called BoI on the phone, stated the bond book is all the bank gives, and learned that was NOT enough for them they wanted a bond certificate and they did not only want the 'bond book'. As it turns out, getting a bond certificate was not feasible from the Bank - and it took me 6 weeks (almost) to sort that, where Bangkok Bank, to help me, wrote a letter to BoI for me exlaining "NO CERTIFICATE", and also Bangkok Bank added extra information to my Bond Book (giving BoI information they wanted which would nominally be on a bond "CERTIFICATE"), where this Bangkok Bank solution satisfied BoI. 9. They asked for health insurance proof. I had previous given them proof of a trading account in Canada which significantly exceeded the $100k USD equivalent in cash, but they had missed my documents in the past, so I sent that to them again. 10. They again asked for health insurance proof. I had previous given them proof of a trading account in Canada which significantly exceeded the $100k USD equivalent in cash, but this time they advised they would not accept an "investment account". They specified it had to be a SAVING account '12 months past'. So I then sent then details of my Canadian "Registered Retirement Savings Plan" (RRSP) (like a USA 401k) which also significantly exceeded the $100k USD equivalent in cash. Note the word "savings" in RRSP. 11. They again asked for health insurance proof. I had previous given them proof of a RRSP (like a USA 401k) in Canada which significantly exceeded the $100k USD equivalent in cash, but this time they again advised they would not accept an "investment account". They specified it had to be a SAVING account '12 months past'. I phoned them, and they noted my RRSP (a self directed one) allowed me to trade stocks, and it was not acceptable even thou called a "Savings Plan". So this time I sent them proof of a Foreign Currency Account (in Thailand) with money in Euros that exceeded the $100k USD equivalent in cash. I had not wanted to use this account (as I had other plans for the money), but I decided I could "restructure my finances" for my other plans, and use this acount as my Health Insurance proof. They accepted that, and at that point, I had met all of their requirements to their satisfication. In hindsight, I should have used this account immediately (or as noted in this forum - asked my European Cigna to write a letter stating my European Health Insurance (which has unlimited coverage) will provide up to $50K US$ equivalent coverage - I did not know that approach would work (ergo showing $100k US equiv in cash was not necessary for me). While this seems a LOT, other than having to go to the bank to sort the bond book aspects, for the remainder of this I was sitting on my condo balcony with a fabulous sea view, my feet up, and sipping a glass of wine - and doing my phone calls and doing my data uploads from there. This was a very comfortable process for me (given my situation) despite it being repetitive. Being able to so all this from home - made it very easy. ... Just a bunch of repetition (a lot of which was due to my stubbornness to not provide more information on my finances than necessary, or my not calling BoI to get clarifications). I could have sped this up if (1) I had instead not applied in January-2023, but rather applied in March-2023 (when I would have already done my year 2022 tax return to Canada), (2) I was not so stubborn in not wanting to use my Foreign Currency Account as my health insurance proof, or (3) obtained a letter from my European Health Insurance provider with the $50K US coverage note (I had a generic European 'health insurance' coverage document which was not acceptable to BoI) and (4) if I had known at the start to get Bangkok Bank to add more information to the Bond Book to satisfy BoI I could have sorted that ASAP, and (5) I should have phoned BoI more often for clarification. Again - I am surprised you were given no indication as to why the refusal. I assume you called BoI and asked why?

I wore a short sleeved white shirt (with collar), with a tie ... and I also wore an "off-the-shelf purchased" sports jacket (looks like a very informal suit jacket), long pants, and shoes. After I finished with BoI and then in possession of an LTR visa (when in the elevator heading down) I took off the tie. When in the skytrain later, I took after the sports jacket (and hand carried it). I suspect you will be able to find an appropriate shirt and tie from somewhere. Possibly the sports jacket might be the hardest part - but I would think it possible to find such. Although it would be overkill - its not difficult to find tailors in Thailand who are more than eager to make a sports jacket (or a suit) for someone willing to spend the money. You won't need a perfect fit, so no need to go for the most expensive tailor (if it should come to that).

Indeed ! As noted I was most surprised when I received an official letter from the German government (ie European) advising I no longer needed to file a German tax return (as I was no longer a German resident and my small German pension (where there IS withholding tax withdrawn before I receive the monthly pension amounts) was too small for Germany to want to process a tax return). Hopefully as noted elsewhere, you will find a way to convince BoI that you do indeed have the funds needed to achieve the philosophy of the LTR visa - despite your legally not having any tax returns to show them. Best of luck here !

For most of us, its pretty hard to avoid filing a tax return somewhere. EVEN if in some cases we were not a resident of the country. I have not lived in Canada since 1995. I lived in Germany from 1999 to 2019. I have been living in Thailand for 5 years now. I still have to file a Canadian tax return every year !!!! (again I don't live in Canada and further I have not lived in Canada for almost 30 years) , because I now receive Canadian sourced "Old Age Security" (a very small amount of money) from the Canadian government. Further in my Canadian tax return, I am obligated to state the total of ALL my global income. If I were not to state that, I could be legally prosecuted by Canada. I am fortunate thou, in the case of Germany, because my German pension is small (and because I am a non-resident to Germany), Germany specifically asked me to STOP filing a German tax return every year (unless my tax situation in regards to Germany were to change). That (not being asked to file a return) astounded me - I had wished Canada would have done the same, although as it turned out (for the LTR visa) my having those Canadian tax returns did come in handy in the end - because I could show them to BoI (and the Canadian tax returns state the total of my Global income). The area I am watching carefully in regards to having an LTR visa, is I am attempting to keep my Thai sourced income (from interest and such) under 150,000 THB year. I want to avoid what I think would be an inconvenience of being legally required to file a Thailand tax return - although reading this forum, I note some expats consider it not such a big thing to file a Thai tax return.

Correct me if I am wrong, but even though you don't have an LTR visa, if you ALREADY could prove you had the $250k US$ equivalent before 1-Jan-2024, then you do NOT have to pay tax on it - even if brought into Thailand in later years ... ?? If I am not wrong, then keep a record of your bank accounts as of end-Dec-2023, and that money will be considered savings and a good record for the future. My understanding is with the planned new tax implementation for money brought into Thailand (by foreigners without the LTR visa) that is if this money (brought into Thailand) is income turned into savings from before 1-Jan-2024, then there will be no tax on bringing this money into Thailand after 1-Jan-2024. Its only new income earned after 1-Jan-2024 (and savings from that income) that will be taxed (on non-LTR visa holders) if brought into Thailand. So I assume then, if one is 'audited', one would, one simply have to prove they already had the money prior to 1-Jan-2024, (despite it being brought into Thailand in 2025, 2026 ... ) - for it was savings from before 1-Jan-2024. But maybe I have that wrong. Since I have the LTR visa, I have not been tracking all the tax ins-and-outs considerations of those expats to Thailand who don't have the LTR visa - and who have concerns about what could be some tax changes.

And what are you saying? Are saying that Thailand should have no choice in the matter as to the financial requirements they set for a custom visa (where BoI are trying to attract wealthier expats with the LTR visa) ? Have you looked at retirement visa cost requirements for other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand? Do you have the same opinion about the EVEN LARGER retirement visa requirements for those countries? Also - Thailand did NOT remove the Non-Immigrant Visas, such as Type-O and Type-OA, and I suspect the average European can obtain one of those visas, and then go for yearly extensions. So the door has not been closed for the average European to come to Thailand. Also, you quote $80K pension for a pension as THE requirement. Note one can also obtain the LTR pensioner Visa if one has only a $40K US$ equivalent pension if one also invests $250k US$ equivalent in Thailand, where one's condo purchase can count toward such. I know that to be correct, as that is the route I followed for my LTR-WP visa. And the relevance of those youtube videos on an AsianNow thread where the intent is to exchange helpful information on an LTR visa? The relevance? Again - a reminder to you, BoI's intention with the LTR visa is to attract wealthier expatriates. BoI are not making non-immigrant visas illegal at the same time. Lets not "lose the ball here". The idea here in AseanNow on threads such as this, is to exchange helpful information on the topic of the LTR visa. The idea is not to be snarky toward those who are either trying to get more information, or those who are willing to share information on the LTR visa. The Type-O and Type-OA non-immigrant visas are still available for those who choose, and in many cases (dependent on the expat's situation) those visas are in fact far more suitable than an LTR visa. .

You are totally on the wrong interpretation path after reading the post you reference. There is NO official screenshot stating an LTR visa holder must "requalify" annually. You clearly have a major misunderstanding here. How many times do you need to be told you have made a mistake?

What problem? Instead of doing a 90-day report, one is doing a 1 year report. There is NO annual re-qualification. Why keep posting something that you have been told is flat wrong. Let me repeat - in case you missed such. There is no annual re-qualification with an LTR visa. One has a 5-year permission to stay - and at the 5 year point ONLY, one has to reprove one's finances. 5 years does not equate to 1 year - even with the 'new math'. Do the arithmetic. 5 years. Not one year. 5 years ... remember that. 5 years !! However, in case you also did not know, for a Type-O and a Type-OA visa extensions, there IS a one year re-qualification.

Who wants? In regards to the numbers, if you check the BoI web site, well over 7,000 applicants by the end of April. Does that answer your question as to who wants? Greater than 7000 expats want this. As for the harassment, add up 5 years trying to get Type-O and Type-OA extensions. Where on Type-O/OA one has to go to immigration (and go to city hall yearly if going for an extension based on marriage), sometimes in both places for many hours, and sometimes going multiple times to either place due to an official at immigration coming up with a new undocumented requirement for Type-O and Type-OA. Add that up for over 5 years ??? The Type-O and OA are FAR FAR FAR more hassle than what was needed to apply for the LTR 10 year visa. The LTR overall is MUCH LESS hassle. Do the arithmetic. Further, the LTR application (in my case) meant I could upload my documents from my seaside condo balcony , with my laptop on a table, my feet up, and my sipping a glass of wine. I dare say if with a Type-O or Type-OA visa extension application in mind, if I showed up at immigration with a bottle of wine, my laptop, and put my feet up, I would be escorted out of there prompto. Again, an LTR visa is much less hassle. Of course with a type-O/OA visa, I could pay for an agent, and then instead of a Type-O/OA costing 7,000 THB more (57,000 vs 50,000 for LTR), it could cost 50,000 to 75,000 THB more for a Type-O/OA over 10 years via an agent (vs the cost for an LTR visa). Do the arithmetic. Nope, LTR is far superior for those of us who meet the very specific BoI financial requirements. No. No. No. You are wrong. Every year with an LTR visa (if you did not leave Thailand during the year) you need an immigration check. Not a financial check. You had this pointed out before. You need to stop spouting false statements. You are confused with the Type-O and Type-OA visa. An LTR visa has REDUCED the amount of paperwork compared to annual extensions for other visas (such as Type-O/OA) over a 5 year period. An LTR visa is cheaper than Type-O and Type-OA. An LTR visa gives me less concerns about taxation issues. Now I speak from experience. Given the clear mistake in your post about "requalify" every year, why do you keep posting that statement that is clearly wrong? What is your agenda here to post clearly WRONG information?

I wish you good luck on your approach - and I hope you succeed. I have an LTR visa (due to my pensions and investments in Thailand) and not due to my stock investments. Still , i am curious if you will succeed. I confess, based on my experience with BoI with obtaining self health insurance, I am not confident you will succeed. The 'issue' , as I see it, is BoI may look not only for wealth meeting certain criteria, but they also want high confidence (or perhaps 'strong verification' is a better word) that such wealth is sustainable and repeatable. Hence they asked for tax returns from many of us, not for just 1 year, but they wanted tax returns for 2 years (in my case I ended up giving them 3 years due to unlucky timing on my part). Further, they rejected stock/trading accounts (which had the necessary $100k US$ equivalent) for self health insurance, even thou the $100k US$ cash equivalent in the stock trading accounts was exceeded significantly (I dare say exceeded by multiple amounts). So when it comes to proving the $80K US$ annual income for an LTR Wealth Pensioner Visa (and also proving the financial amount as a Wealth Global citizen), I think BoI may struggle to accept a stock portfolio. I wonder thou, if one submits a tax return (to the country where their stock portfolio exists), does that tax return show, over multiple years, an income that meets the LTR requirement? If so, I ask myself if that would providing that tax return ONLY be adequate 'proof'/'verification' of income consistency and sustainability for BoI? I am curious as to what others may post on this - but I am skeptical based on my limited experience here. i.e I believe its not just having the wealth and income to obtain the LTR visa, but its able to prove to BoI that the wealth and income is verifiable and sustainable (all in my humble opinion) over time. I could be wrong of course. Best of luck in your efforts.

What annual hassles to maintain the LTR visa? Do you mean the need to do an annual report (in comparison to a 90-day report) is the hassle? Would you rather do a 90-day report? Note also, if you exit Thailand and return before the time for the 1-year annual report, the counter for the 1 year report restarts. This 1-year report is an immigration check, and NOT a BoI financial check. Now you mention 'to have to go through all the re checking qualification process each year". What re-checking qualification process each year? After obtaining the LTR visa, the financial qualification process is done with BoI only after five years !!! One is given a 5-year permission to stay. .. Thai immigration one year financial process is applicable to one-year extensions on Visas like the Type-O and Type-OA visa and NOT applicable to the LTR. But hey - if every year, you wish to fly to Bangkok, with all your financial paperwork in order, and pound on BoIs door step showing your LTR finances, ... proving to BoI you qualify still for the LTR, ... well ... ok ... go ahead. Fill your boots !! I think you will be the ONLY LTR holder in Thailand to go to Bangkok to BoI and do that every year. Apologies for my being facetious but that statement I quoted is so far out ... Now the rest of us with the LTR visa ? We will show our financial situation still meets the requirement only after five years per the requirement. And if we travel out of country every 10 to 11 months for a short interesting travel elsewhere (such as brief visits to family out of country - or visit countries we have not yet seen and may be curious about), we may never actually do the 'annual' report (as our having our passports stamped by Immigration upon re-entering Thailand starts the counter again for our annual report). .

There are many people for whom the Long Term Residence visa is not appropriate for. It is after called a Long Term Residence Visa. Note the word "RESIDENCE" in LTR? People who only want to come to Thailand for 4 months of the year clearly will NOT be residents. BoI designed this visa for those who wish to be Long Term Residents who meet certain financial situations. Again - note the word "residents". Why would someone who does NOT plan to be a resident, apply for a resident Visa? ?????? Thailand has many different Visas, and it makes sence that foreigners should apply for the Visa that is most suitable for their individual situation. I've pointed it out before, and I will once again. Go to the BoI website, and one will read that as of end-April-2024 there were 7,322 applicants for the LTR visa. Clearly those applicants do NOT believe the visa is useless, as they would not apply for such if they considered it useless. Rather THEY see it useful. Likely those 7,322 applicants looked at what the LTR visa had to offer, and they see advantages for THEIR situations. As noted , others will have different situations with regard to Thailand, and those others should apply for Thailand Visas that are appropriate for them. No one on this thread is claiming everyone should apply for an LTR - JUST THE OPPOSITE. This thread is for those who are interested in the LTR to share their knowledge (on qualification maintenance). I dare say the vast majority of expats to Thailand will find the LTR visa is not suitable for them, ... and that is perfectly fine. They should look for and find other Visas. But for the 7,322 LTR Visa applicants, if they meet the requirements, I hope their application is successful, as the LTR visa does have its advantages.

I also missed the poll - .... I am on an LTR visa and I do not plan to file a Thaliand tax return for my foreign sourced money brought into Thailand (which consists of various pensions and savings, that in the most part have already been taxed (and are hence also covered by DTA with other countries.) I also brought more than normal foreign sourced (savings and my income) into Thailand BEFORE 1-Jan-2024 (ie in the month of Nov-2023 and Dec-2023) so it will be a few years before I need to bring foreign sourced money into Thailand again. Still - I could end up filing a Thailand tax return, as just the low interest I obtain from money in Thailand banks, has me hovering very close to the requirement to file a Thailand tax return for interest money earned in Thailand. I have tried to keep my annual interest under 150,000 THB per year (I think that is the 'line' where if one reaches that one needs to file a Thailand tax return), but interest rates change, and I could find myself above that amount if I am not careful. Most people shuffle their money to get more interest, but in Thailand to avoid having to submit a tax return, I do the opposite. lol ! < just kidding > .

The context of the question in which I was providing my opinion, was if a person did not get an LTR visa until sometime in year 2026, would they be required to pay tax for year 2024 or year 2025 taxation years? My view is if they brought no foreign sourced income money (ie income earned in 2024 & 2025) into Thailand during the time in which they were NOT on an LTR visa (ie in 2024, 2025) , then they would not need to pay Thailand tax on that money that is still outside of Thailand. Once they change to an LTR visa in year 2026 their tax payment requirements for Thailand change, by Thai Royal decree. Hence if they, with their new LTR Visa, bring money into Thailand, given their new tax situation, they are not obligated to pay tax on income from previous years (if they followed Thai taxation law in those previous years, which I assume they did by not bringing the money into Thailand during those previous, pre-LTR visa, years). If on the other hand, when they did NOT have an LTR visa (in 2024 & 2025) they DID bring that money into Thailand in 2024/2025, then that money 'might' be subject to Thai tax, but there are also other considerations. What was one's residence in those 2024/2025 years? Was the income money already taxed and covered under a Double Taxation Agreement with another country. Did other tax exemptions apply? I believe those aspects complicate this - and given NONE of this applies to me, I have not looked into this further. I suspect thou, once one is on an LTR visa, if one followed Thai taxation law in the past (before getting the LTR visa), then when on the LTR visa there should be no Thaland tax on bankrolled income/savings from previous years (if that money is still outside of Thailand when one obtained the LTR visa) ... ie no Thaliand income tax for foreign sourced money brought into Thailand once one on the LTR Visa and only then one decides, after getting the LTR visa, to bring the foreign sourced money from previous years into Thailand. A key point here obviously is one needed to follow Thai taxation law prior to one obtaining the LTR visa (and obviously follow Thai taxation law even after obtaining the LTR visa). IMHO an LTR visa does not 'give one an out of jail free card' if one broke Thai taxation law in the past. .

Well if you wish to adopt a 'wait and see' until the sky falls - and call those who don't think the sky will fall as blissfully ignorant, feel free to so so. I will keep laughing and I suspect many others will also. lol !! I prefer to deal in facts. A Thai Royal decree has a lot more 'weight' in my books than your provocation and exaggeration. Regardless ... You stated what you stated - on this forum where an underlying view of MANY is that Thailand wants to get at foreigners money, and that makes that exaggeration and provocation very very laughable. Once again I prefer to deal in facts. A Thai Royal decree has a lot more 'weight' in my books than your provocation and exaggeration.

Money earned (outside of Thailand) between 1/1/2024 and getting the LTR Visa is not taxable if it is not brought into the country until AFTER one gets the LTR Visa. I believe if you keep the money earned in 2024 & 2025 OUTSIDE of Thailand, and only bring that 2024/2025 money into Thailand AFTER you get the LTR visa in 2026, then that 2024/2025 money is not be taxable. Others who are tracking this closer than myself can likely confirm but that is my understanding. If the 2024/2025 money (or any other money) was earned INSIDE Thailand - then it is taxable , and you will have to pay Thai tax, even if you have an LTR visa. An LTR does not give one exemption from tax on income earned inside Thailand. If, on the other hand, you bring foreign sourced 2024 & 2025 money into Thailand before 2026, and if you have not yet paid tax (in another country on this) then that might be taxable (dependent on your Thai tax residency status). Note that there is another massive thread elsewhere on this topic. Often a DTA (double tax agreement) with the source country where one earns the income (rental/dividends) may mean one does not have pay Thai tax, or one gets tax credits resulting in no double taxation. It depends on the Thai agreement with the source country. This starts getting complicated if one does not yet have the LTR. So if you do get the LTR visa in 2026, it might be financially beneficial(?) , if you can afford such financially and do not need that money now, to not bring the 2024/2025 money into Thailand until AFTER you obtain the LTR visa in 2026. Again - its best to confirm such as I am definitely no expert on this.

"Wait till ... " That is a silly argument. Its like saying 'Wait until the sky should fall' . or "wait until" a Tsunami should wipe out Bangkok, or "wait until" Thailand goes 100% xenophobic and all foreigners outlawed? It is all the same sort of "wait until" speculation .... People have been saying for years "wait until a Type-O visa" has health insurance requirements like a Type-OA. It has not happened. A speculative "wait until ... " is no more than speculation .. ... We should stick with facts. LTR visa was established by a Royal decree with conditions laid out. It was clearly laid out as a 10-year Visa, where ONLY at the 5-year point do finances have to be again proven. There is no reason to believe your speculation has any basis in ever happening for a 10 year visa. Rather just the opposite. Your speculation reads like someone who either applied and was refused the LTR, or reads like that someone who for some reason can not meet the LTR-visa requirements and is upset.

One does NOT have to show every year all updated documents for insurance. That statement of yours is wrong. You are confused with another visa perhaps? One does not run a risk of having the Visa cancelled if one is not in Thailand to do annual reporting. There is NO report required in that case. So that statement of yours is wrong. You are confused with another visa perhaps? As for the possibility of taxing your foreign pension (1) many foreign pensions are covered by a Double Tax Agreement and (2) the LTR Visa, by Thai Royal decree, has foreign money brought into Thailand tax exempt by Thailand. So your statement on taxes was wrong if applied to the LTR visa. Again, you are confused with another visa perhaps? As I noted elsewhere, I too was skeptical about the LTR visa, until a friend, who knows my financial situation, had me sit down with him and compare non-immigrant Type-O/OA 1-year extensions vs LTR 10-year wealthy pensioner visa , POINT by POINT, convincing me I was wrong and convincing me that for my financial and residence situation, the LTR visa was definitely worth applying. So I applied and obtained the LTR visa. Further, I note as of the end of April-2024, 2,174 foreigners have applied for an LTR-WP visa, and further 7,322 foreigners have applied for different types of LTR visas. I think one can conclude from that there are most probably at least 7,322 foreigners who disagree with your assessment. As for those who wish to stay in Thailand 'just for the winter' (ie less than 180 days) , they are not 'residents' to Thailand. Note the word "resident" in Long Term Resident Visa. ie this Visa is intended for, and structured for, relatively wealthy foreigners to come to (or stay in if already in Thailand) and reside in Thailand. It is not designed for those who show up in the winter (although some of those who only show up in the winter may still be able to meet LTR requirements). My view is for those who don't meet the LTR requirements, and for those who plan to stay for much less than 180 days per year (ie only in the winter), there are other visa options they should consider. I do note that those who plan to stay less than 180 days are not residents (ergo why go for a resident visa, if one is not planning to be a resident ?? ).

'As we all know' ? .. My alternative opinion: You are speaking for yourself and not for 'all'. Serious? I don't think so. Frankly, I don't believe for one second that the goal of anyone in the Thai government is to help foreigners financially. They would rather find a way to get money from the foreigners. Honestly - I think you could not be more wrong in that statement. The LTR visa was created to get money from foreigners - for foreigners to spend money in the Thai economy. I think the Thai government view is they won't get any tax money from those LTR foreigners regardless, so the idea is to convince those wealthy foreigner to reside in Thailand and spend their money in Thailand. I never thought I would see the day on Asean Now when someone claims a visa was created to compensate wealthy foreigners. lol ! lol !