oldcpu

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 >

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9 hours ago, K2938 said:

There are people who say that is not true IF you were a tax resident of Thailand in the period mentioned (i.e. 1/1/2024 to getting the LTR visa).  Who is right I have no idea and probably only the future will show.

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.

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11 hours ago, Yumthai said:

Ignorance is bliss.

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.

11 hours ago, Yumthai said:

My comment on LTR is a bit exaggerated and provocative,....

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.

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

I thought Income earned between 1/1/2024 and you getting the LTR was still Taxable. 

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.

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

E.g. I plan on going for mine when my pensions start in 2026 and am expecting that I would have to pay Tax on Rental/Dividend income earned in 2024 & 2025 if I remit it.

 

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.

On 5/7/2024 at 5:38 PM, Middle Aged Grouch said:

LTR is absolutely not worth applying ...   and the fact that every year one has to show all the updated absurd documents for insurance etc ....  harassed each year, with the risk of the visa being cancelled if one is not in Thailand when they decide on the date you must do the annual reporting (that replaces the 90 day reporting). ....  if you can, look at other countries in Asia for a retirement visa if you plan just to stay in winter ...  the possiblity that they will tax your foreign pension

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 ?? ).

1 hour ago, Paris333 said:

If you are a foreigner from Europe States Thailand banks treat you like criminals and you feel uncomfortable like a victim.

But if you are in legal marriage with Thai woman you should not have the same treatment and unacceptable behaviour like me.

 

The OP was asking about opening a Bank Account with only a Tourist Visa - and as noted, today, that is VERY very difficult. (It was not so difficult a decade ago).

However, today, for someone on a non-immigrant Type-OA or Type-O visa, it is entirely doable to open a bank account in Thailand.  One need not be married to a Thai.   And now that banks are more familiar with the LTR visa, it also very doable for foreigners on that Visa to open accounts in Thailand.

Thailand Banks do NOT treat foreigners from European states as criminals.  If one has an appropriate Visa, the banks WILL open a bank account - as they want your money ... but only if you meet their conditions for the type of Visa a foreigner must have.  The banks do not want to open accounts for tourists.

Those tourists trying to buy a condo in Thailand do have a valid point - that its very difficult for them to buy such (without a Thai bank account) if the condo purchase is not direct from the developer. If the purchase is direct from the developer, then typically a Thai bank account is not needed.

5 minutes ago, stat said:

Amazing that you then write a tax guide after posting "we will follow the rules to the letter" when no foreigner is allowed to give tax advice in Thailand.

From what I could read - that 'guide' does not provide advice - but rather it provides information - for the readers then to consider and come up with their own approach - or for the readers to seek actual advise from elsewhere.

In Canada, when I prepare my income tax, I can get over 100 pages of a tax guide from the Canadian government - and not one word in that official Canadian Government 'guide' is considered advice by the Canadian government.

You and I really interpret that 'guide' provided in this forum for expats on tax very very VERY differently.

9 hours ago, sabaiguy said:

You're a "Wealthy Pensioner" don't have to worry about running the AC.

I never worried about running the A/C, even before we had solar panels ...  I am a lucky guy as my Thai wife is careful with our money - but given we are not poor, most times she is far too careful, as before we had solar panels she did not want to switch on the A/C much  (which I see as silly as we can't take our money with us, and we have no children to bequeath the money too ) ... but now have solar panels, she is now very happy to turn on the A/C a LOT more .    So yes - I am very happy now we have solar panels - given the current heat in Thailand.

3 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

My wife tells me that for license renewals the proof of residence isn't needed. 

In Phuket a couple of years ago,  I needed 'proof of residence' for my Thai driver's license renewal.  However they were happy with my 'Yellow Book' (showing my condo ownership/residence) and with 'Pink-ID' (and my passport) and they did not ask for a TM-30.

4 hours ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

I don't have a Thai wife. 
 

 

I don't stay in Thailand for more than 180 days. Before, I used to stay 3 months in Thailand, 3 months in Portugal and 6 months in the US. I have sold all my real estate in Portugal. Now I only stay 6 months in the US and 6 months in Thailand, and visit Portugal one or twice a year for a month. 

 

 

I don't do 90-day online or not. The agent picks up my Passport from my condo and returns it the next day. Sometimes I even don't need to do 90 days because I make a trip to Singapore to visit family members. 

 

 

Agents never asked me for any documents except my passport. And she picks it up from my condo. 

In the last 7-years that I have been in Thailand, I have never stepped foot in the IO office. Last March, I wanted to get a taste of the IO office for a residence certificate to renew my driving license. I went to the office and handed over my passport. They said your TM-30 is not up-to-date. I ran from there and called my agent. She came and got the passport from me and got a residency certificate and a brand new TM-30 stapled to my passport. And then she drove me to the DMV office and got my license renewed. 

 

Ok - so if under age-70, and if no Thai wife, then if you don't fly business class, you will likely have to suffer through the immigration lines.  NOT having to suffer through those lines is a benefit, especially when they are long.  When I departed Phuket in March of this year, there was a 30-minute to 45-minute foreigner line just to reach the immigration booths (so catch one's flight). It was sheer madness. People were panicking that they could miss their flights. ...  Since there was no fast track line, I was able, with my LTR visa to show it at the Thai immigration line (which had NO ONE in line  but they accepted 'fast track' people) and I could bypass that 30 to 45 minute foreigner wait.  I consider that a useful benefit.

I don't pay an agent ... I use that money for food and drinks instead.  And while I don't begrudge those who want to use an agent,  I still do note an LTR in this case (my not paying an agent) has saved me that money.   I consider that saving a useful benefit.

If the agent does not ask you for any documents, and if you stay in Thailand for 6 months (or shorter periods) then I assume you are regularly contacting your agent (or your agent contacting you) for either the 90-day report, or the TM-30 or for other aspects.   With a 5 year permission to stay - I don't have to contact an agent multiple times per year.  I don't need to phone an agent.  An agent doesn't need to phone me.   I don't have to leave Thailand every 90-days so not to have a 90-day report ... etc ..   I consider that being able to stay peacefully. relaxing in my seaside condo, for 1 year full year with no such contact needed, a useful benefit.

Many of us stay in Thailand MORE than 180 days a year. That implies tax residency. You don't have that, but many of us do.  Hence it appears for those of us, having an LTR visa that the LTR-visa could turn out to be a significant benefit for reasons of taxes. Really significant.

So maybe you don't see any benefits - but I dare say many of us do.  I think its clear we would not have applied for (and obtained the LTR) if we did not believe there was a benefit.  

But I have said before and I will again. Thailand has many visa options, and LTR is not a visa for everyone.  It is thou for some of us.

1 hour ago, Ben Zioner said:

Amusing that one, BOI have reinvented perpetual movement. I live in Surin, and would need to spend on night in Bangkok to do my TM30, going back to Surin I would need yet another TM30, so off to Bangkok again, etc..

Indeed.

I think thou most immigration offices don't require a TM30 for one's internal to Thailand travel if one always returns to one's normal Thai residence. I think it also possible (?) to postal mail a TM30 in addition to doing online.

I believe it's only when one returns to Thailand from being outside of the country that a few (?) more immigration offices want a TM30 filed.

Which brings up an interesting thought .. at present for most of the LTR visa holders, we deal with BoI and the immigration in the same building and floor in Bangkok. Does their TM30 requirements supercede any of our local immigration office requirements ( if different). I suspect this is a very mute question as this is all pretty minor.

21 hours ago, LivingNThailand said:

I did that once.  The first year I went to immigration, I got 12 month statements for both accounts.   Since you had 800,000 in both accounts for a couple of weeks it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Thanks - that's interesting to know (even if no longer applicable to me).

When I did this a few years back (switching from Bangkok Bank to Krungsri bank) , I simply setup a new Krungsri account with the 800k THB in it for over a year, before switching from Bangkok Bank account (where I also maintained the 800k THB for the same year), and that also worked fine for Phuket immigration.  My biggest 'worry' was it would be more difficult (for the new Krungsri Bank account, as opposed to the old Bangkok Bank account) to prove the new 800k in Krungsri came from outside of Thailand.  The money did come from outside of Thailand, but the paper trail would have been complicated and a small annoyance to prove.

Thankfully immigration never asked for that proof.

3 minutes ago, Presnock said:

 

The response was a BOI explanation of the yearly report and included in the first sentence that one was to do the TM.30 at the BOI immigration office or I guess who ever is doing the report pluse the other requirements. 

I read that - but that was for the documents needed if one does not leave the country and has to do a 1-year report at BoI.

The other half of that was to do with a Thai driver's licence application (either TM-30 or legal document with regard to property where one is staying - I can't recall exact words).

Still, I do believe none of that exempts the LTR visa holder from having to do a TM-30 when re-entering Thailand.

3 minutes ago, Presnock said:

Yes I think that 99.9% of the forum users don't have a very good opinion of the TM30 reporting

Agreed - the requirement to submit a TM-30 is fuzzy at best - perhaps even worse than fuzzy.

3 minutes ago, Presnock said:

take care, enjoy the heat!

Yes - take care also.  And the heat !!  After 6 weeks in New Zealand and Australia, the humidity and heat when we arrived back in Thailand 2 weeks ago hit us like a red hot brick wall.

Thank God that we invested in solar panels last summer, so we can turn on our A/C a LOT more than normal, and still have a 0 THB electrical bill.

.

6 minutes ago, Presnock said:

if you check out the response of SHA 22 BKK, where there is included the info in the BOI website about this subject - includes reporting to the BOI immigration the tm.30  info plu plus plus.

Yes - that response of SHA 22 BKK is relevant for reporting if after 1 year, one has still not left the country.  Then one must fill in those appropriate forms as the 1-year reporting "counter" was never reset.

However if one exits and returns, as has been noted, the clock/clock for 1 year restarts counting from the beginning again.

Still, my understanding, and I would be happy to be proven wrong with a pointer to an official document, NONE OF THAT exempts an LTR visa holder from having to complete a TM-30.  TM-30s are still, as far as I can determine required when one re-enters the country. And that TM-30 lists where one is staying.

The confusing aspect for many of us with regard to TM-30s, is each immigration office appears to interpret the TM-30 requirement differently.  Since as LTR visa holders, we have much less interaction with immigration, it is likely (?) this "TM-30" aspect is not a big thing and will never arise as an issue if not completed.   In my case, I am very conservative, so I did (have my Thai wife for me) fill in an online TM-30 when I returned to Thailand a couple of weeks ago.

On 5/4/2024 at 8:17 AM, Presnock said:

I am only telling you my experience and meetings with the BOI reps.  In my passport is a note indicating that I am to report where I am living once a year.  If it does not apply to you, I am not concerned, just wanted you to know what I have been instructed by the BOI folks.  good luck stay safe

As has been pointed out , when one exits and re-enters Thailand, that resets the 1 year clock.

As for reporting where you live once per year, when you re-enter Thailand, you still must do an online TM-30 which indicates to immigration where you are staying. 

There is nothing new there.

18 hours ago, JackGats said:

My understanding was that it needed to be cash over 12 months, never mind which kind of account (current account, savings account, brokerage account). It then became an issue of showing at least 12 statements of account for at least 12 consecutive months up to the present.

As pointed out - this was not the case when I applied.

For self health insurance, I tried two different accounts, both easily exceeded the $100K US cash equivalent. One was a 'pure' trading account, and despite exceeding the cash requirement, it was rejected as it was a trading account.

I then tried (what in Canada is called) a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). ... sort of like a USA 401k, where that 'Savings plan' account also had the prerequisite cash by a large margin (multiples). That was also rejected by BoI.

In the end I pointed to a Foreign Currency Account in Thailand bank, that had the prerequisite amount and that was accepted.  I did not want to use that Thai bank account initially, as I wanted to be able to tap into that account (and lower it below the $100k US equivalent).  However, since I now use that account (for the $100K US$ self health insurance accepted now by BoI) I have restructured my finances a bit, such that I don't have to touch money in that account.   But I am curious to learn (maybe in 4 more years time) if that restructuring on my part was really necessary.

4 hours ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

I thought to apply for an LTR visa, but except for the Work permit to run your business, I really did not see any more benefits.

LTR has many more benefits - but possibly for YOUR situation - they are not applicable.

I assume when you travel, you always travel business class, or you have a Thai wife who always travels with you, such that you can go through a Thai immigration line when you travel out of country?  or you simply don't travel out of country any more.    I am  age 70 (with Thai wife) and I still travel - as much as I can generate the energy to travel. Theoretically (if I didn't have a Thai wife or if I was under age-70), I think it fair to say the LTR visa would have saved me from suffering in about 3 hours of immigration lines when both leaving and entering Thailand.

I assume ALL your income is covered by a Double Tax Agreement and hence you receive no benefit from the tax exemption (by Thai Royal decree) for any money brought into Thailand.  This LTR tax exemption on money brought into Thailand, has the potential over coming years, to be a big benefit to some, dependent how the Thai implementation of some tax enforcement changes play out.

I assume the online 90-day reports always worked for you (they never worked for me) and so since you say you don't travel much anymore , you can still do your 90 day reports online?  In my case, before I had the LTR visa, the 90-day online NEVER worked.  If I had not traveled recently, I would every 90-days have to drive to immigration (and potentially go in line with the hordes at immigration)  to do a 90-day report.  Since getting the LTR I have not had to do an immigration 'report' (other than my entering/leaving Thailand at the immigration booth).

Can you submit your documentation (for your extensions) online to your agent ? (ie sit on a chair on your seafront accommodations balcony with your feet up, sipping a glass of wine)?  I could to that with my LTR application.  I do note my friends on type-O visas can mostly do such with their agents (to whom they give power of attourney for their visas) except they are required yearly to physically visit their agent a couple of times AND despite having an agent they are still required to go to immigration yearly to pick up their passport with their extensions.  Perhaps other agents handle this differently.

I confess - when the LTR-WP (wealthy pensioner) visa was announced I too was a BIG skeptic.  A couple of my friends strongly recommended the LTR-WP visa to me and I shrugged off their recommendations, stating it had no tangible benefits over my new (then) Type-O non-immigrant visa (as i had recently switched to the Type-O from a Type-OA).   One of my friends, who knows my financial situation, challenged me, point by point, to prove my rejection of the LTR-WP.  As a result, after a point by point review, he convinced me I was wrong (given my financial status) to reject the LTR Visa. 

That point by point check also convinced me that the LTR visa is not helpful for some, but for others it is very good.

I suspect BoI had some specific guidelines they had to follow for the LTR visa qualifications ... and they in my view deliberately limited the LTR to those in strong financial situations with a substantial very liquid portfolio (but not in stocks/foreign-property/nor foreign company ownership) and a strong consistent financial source of money (from either major companies or passive income from government or major companies - and likely not from astute stock trading).  Clearly there were exceptions on this, but in general, I believe they deliberately did not include the vast majority of expatriates, whose finances are more subtle/illusive as to how it is structured.  The finances of many expatriates and foreigners being more illusive, BoI, likely for good reasons (to eliminate their own administrative verification efforts) decided to not expand the LTR qualification to include the wealthy whose source of money was more difficult for them to be assured of future stability.  A case in point - they reject the $100k US$ equivalent for health insurance in a trading portfolio, even if a massive amount of money in that account is cash (5x or more of that $100k US$ equivalent) just because that cash is in an account with stock trading functionality.  BoI drew a line to reject cash in any stock trading portfolio. 

I do note, that Thai immigration still kept all the other visa types after the LTR visa was introduced - and for those potential or existing expatraites whom the LTR visa makes no sense (due to how their wealth is structure, or how they receive their wealth) , I note that there are other options to stay in Thailand, with the other visa types.

2 hours ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

The best thing in Thailand is to just get an agent to get your things done, including your retirement visa and never step into the immigration office. I avoided the immigration office for 7 years and always got things done by agents. Last March, I wanted to get a taste of the IO office to get my residence certificate for my MC license. They looked at my stapled TM30 and said it was out of date. I ran from there and went to my agent, who got everything done for me, including a brand new TM30 without any documents. 

The beauty of the LTR visa is it is valid for 10 years.  No need to go for an agent EVERY YEAR.  No need to pay an agent - EVERY YEAR.

Further, one can apply for the LTR-visa - where in my case I uploaded all the documents with a laptop computer from my condo balcony (with a great sea view) with my feet up, sipping a glass of wine.  Why pay an agent - as I meet the requirements and I don't have to wait at immigration ?

I do thou, have a couple of good friends who share your view and always use an agent. They easily meet the Type-O visa financial requirements, and they do NOT want to wait with the hordes at immigration ever year.  So EVERY YEAR they pay an agent (which includes handing over 'power of attorney' to the agent for the Type-O visa extensions) and this reduces my friends travel EVERY YEAR to 1 or 2 trips to see the agent, and 1 trip to immigration to pick up the passport when the extension stamp is in place. 

Each to their own - but I note the LTR visa is for 10 years ( with financial proof and likely a trip to Bangkok to have next 5 year stamp applied needed).  I much prefer that over yearly going for a 1-year extension via an Agent.  Again - each to their own.

22 hours ago, pedritosan said:

 However, there is a 1-year requirement for check in with immigration. When I went to immigration, they told me to fill out the 90-day form and come back in 90-days. I explained that it had been 1 year since I last came into the country. They told me that I should wait another 90 days before checking in. Is that correct?

No, it reads to me that the immigration individual made a mistake asking you to return in 90-days and they are likely unfamiliar with the LTR Visa.

The first time I re-entered Thailand with an LTR visa at Phuket, it created a big 'buzz' of excitement, and a bit of a huddle of a few IO, as they rarely see an LTR visa in Phuket (according to what my Thai wife was told by one of the IO).  That was early last autumn last year.

Then about 2 weeks ago, when I re-entered Thailand with an LTR visa (again at Phuket), I passed to the IO my passport opened at the LTR visa page, and made a point of VERY politely indicating the LTR-Visa stamp when I handed it to the IO (because my passport has many stamps and I was afraid the IO might miss the LTR visa stamp).  The IO stared at the LTR-WP visa stamp for a long time then the IO held it up to the glass to the adjacent IO booth.  That IO in the adjacent boot stated "LTR (  + something in Thai ) and then walked around to the immigration booth where I (and my IO) were at, and from what I could understand explained to 'my IO' as to how to handle an LTR visa.

So its clear to me the LTR visa is still 'relatively new' and hence I believe those 90-day report comments are simply from an IO who is NOT yet familiar with the LTR visa.  If it were me, and if that 'return in 90-day request' were to happen, I would VERY POLITELY ask for confirmation from the IO's boss as to the 90-day report request being needed (politely pointing out a reference page on LTR visa requirements) , as it is clear that a 90-day report is not a nominal requirement for an LTR visa.

This LTR visa is still new - and some learning (and some mistakes) are likely still being made.