Pib

Between the time a person first submits their LTR application and when its approved, which could be anywhere from weeks to numerous months later, a person's immigration/passport records could have change significantly like getting another 1 year extension on their non immigrant visa, maybe even changed from say an extension based on retirement to marriage (or visa versa), maybe even changed from say a Non OA visa to a Non B visa, processed one or more new 90 day repots...etc....etc.....etc....etc. Lots of major or minor changes may have occurred....and what kind of and how many changes possibly occurred will vary from individual to individual. It's my understanding that it's the "Immigration Office" side of BoI that requires the LTR applicant to provide a new copy of their passport with all stamps and other various possible immigration related forms a person might have obtained/processed between the date he initially applied and just before the date the applicant is taking the final step to pay the LTR issue fee/have the LTR actually issued. And immigration requires it in the format requested (one "continuous" PDF doc) versus several PDF uploads that people often upload when initially applying for an LTR. It just something you will have to do...plan on resubmitting your passport and possibly a few other forms like your latest TM47 90 day address report (if you have one), TM6 from last entry (in case one was issued like entering at a land checkpoint vs airport)....if you don't have any of these forms like because you haven't been required to submit a TM47 since you haven't started in Thailand 90 days yet then you just tell BoI such. If your passport hasn't changed in anyway then you just upload it again in the one continuous doc format requested. As said, BoI wants to ensure they have the "latest" copy of your passport and some other forms before taking the final LTR steps.

Here is what "use" to be on the Bangkok Bank website years ago regarding the process/documentation related to death of an account holder and what a foreign relative needed to do to access those funds. Now their website just says to contact Bangkok Bank for process/documentation requirements which are probably still the same as below.

Yeap....my Bangkok Bank passbook regular saving accounts reflect a SC and when I did fixed savings account years ago those old Bangkok Bank passbook reflect a FC. I don't know what the code would be for a foreign currency acct but FC might not be it as others have mentioned since Bangkok Bank uses FC for their Thai baht fixed savings accounts. Then again maybe Bangkok Bank also uses FC for accounts other than fixed savings accounts.

See below Medicare.gov article. https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11037-Medicare-Coverage-Outside-United-States.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwibjty8-pCAAxVbd2wGHS8XB6AQFnoECBsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0y3hugbAvtkNB0fwwzkYx0

A quote from the requirements docs....income/tax related forms/docs that must be provided. No shortage of paperwork requirements for a PR.

https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?page_id=1744 Go to above immigration webpage, click Paragraph 3 Required Documents which will pull up a list of documents required in the situation you talk about....you will see Thailand employment and Thai income tax docs are a requirement. The situation you ask about will be on page 3 of the 4 page doc.

Red, Well, waived is probably not the word I should have used, but more like the Thai language requirement carries little weight in the review process and only a very/low level of understanding is needed....especially when you have a Thai spouse. About a year ago when I did some serious googling on the PR requirements I came across several very creditable websites that gave good details and how when you have a Thai spouse the PR hurdles are lowered in some ways. I guess the Thai authorities don't want to disapprove a PR "just because a person can not speak Thai" when a Thai spouse is involved because the Thai spouse has no problem communicating with the foreigner PR applicant and the PR applicant has basically proven he can fit into Thai society by getting to the point in the PR process where an immigration officer(s) wants to ask a few questions in Thai...and even then if needed immigration would help the applicant to understand what is being asked. Over the coming days I see if I can find those website again. But in the interim, I did find the one below where it talks about the Thai language skills needed. https://attorneysinthailand.com/permanent-residence-in-thailand/

No....it's just most farangs living in Thailand are retirees, don't work or make enough "and pay Thai taxes," are not married to a Thai, and/or don't want to pay the high PR fee. Plus if the stars line-up and you are approved for a PR that process can take a year or more which many people do not have the patience for. PR's' are for a niche group just like the various LTR visas.

I assume you want to drop Medicare Part B which has a standard monthly premium of approx $170. Now Part A is free. As you implied Medicare can not be used outside the U.S. except in certain emergency cases. You can signup for and maintain Medicare Part A and B regardless of your U.S. "or foreign address" although as mentioned using Medicare outside the U.S. is a no-go. Merely changing your address to a non-U.S. address will "not" cancel Medicare Part B. You will need to contact SSA for an interview followed by completion of a SSA form. ENSURE you really want to do this because if you want to signup for Part B again in the future there will be a 10% per year premium penalty for lifetime. Example: if dropping out of Part B for 5 years but then reenroll there will be a 50% Part B premium increase for your lifetime. How to Cancel Medicare Part B https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/ready-to-sign-up-for-part-a-part-b/how-to-drop-part-a-part-b https://eligibility.com/medicare/part-b/part-b-how-to-disenroll

Yes...just needs to be a Thai spouse...female or male. I expect most of the time the Thai spouse is the wife. This will also usually result in the wavering of the Thai language requirement. It also cuts the PR certificate approval fee in half from approx Bt191K to Bt96K. ........ What is the Cost of a Thailand Permanent Residence Permit? The Thailand Permanent Residence Permit processing fee is 7,600 Thai Baht. If your application is approved, you have to pay another fee for the Permanent Residence Permit Certificate: 95,700 Thai Baht if you applied for Permanent Residency on the basis of marriage to a Thai citizen. 191,400 Thai Baht if you applied for Permanent Residency on the basis of employment, investment, expert, etc.

https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?page_id=1744 Clicking on the link of Paragraph 1 at above Immigration website will download an English language doc detailing the various ways to qualify for a PR like employment, relationship with a Thai, etc., While there are ways to qualify via investment/humanitarian/Thai relationship reasons, generally it's going to require having being currently employed in Thailand for at least 3 consecutive years, employment paying a certain amount, paying Thai taxes, etc. See doc at above link.

You need to study-up on the LTR visa as there is no requirement to have Bt 800k in a Thai bank to qualify for or maintain an LTR visa. And there is no application fee if a person fails to qualify for one of the various LTR visa categories. LTR website https://ltr.boi.go.th

You said 800k is flushed relating to an "LTR" visa? Why is 800k flushed with an LTR visa?

Why is 800k flushed?

Where 1FinickyOne talks "....report every 90 days...." he's not referring to annual visa/extension of stay renewal requirement. Instead he referring to the separate 90 address reporting requirement where a person needs to report his current address to immigration every 90 days when staying in the country continuously for 90 or more days. Now if you exit/reenter Thailand before the 90 day address report is due the 90 date clock is reset to zero and no report is due until 90 days. Or said another way every 90 days address report is a separate issue from the one year annual renewal/extension of a 1 year Non immigrant type visa/extension. Now if you have a LTR or SMART visa the address reporting requirement is just every 365 days vs 90 days.

See even the Thai Embassy didn't recommend a Non OA visa. Avoid an OA visa due to the medical insurance requirements. It use to be a good visa up until Oct 2019 when the Thai Immigration started requiring medical insurance for OA visa/extensions. Since that change expats have been rapidly jumping off the Non OA boat onto the Non O boat. LOTS and LOTS of posts on AseanNow over the last few years regarding switching from a Non OA to Non O. Don't get me wrong....nothing wrong with having medical insurance; it's just the Non OA medical insurance requirements make it VERY hard to use anything other that some select "Thai" insurance companies/policies which are expensive with weak coverage in order to initially get a Non OA visa and then do annual OA extensions of stay. Summary: Go with a Non O; avoid the Non OA boat (Titanic).

Amen Brother!!!....especially the first sentence.

Yes there were some changes effective 1 Oct 2022....OA insurance changes which still made it VERY hard to allow the use of foreign insurance (thanks to the Thai insurance mafia) or allowing self-insuring if a person is denied/rejected insurance coverage. And of course various notarizations/certifications by the gods also required if not buying/being rejected from obtaining an acceptable insurance policy. The OA visa/extension medical coverage changes are still pretty much like asking a 75 year old in a wheel chair to run a military basic training obstacle course. See full details in below immigration police order. OA Visa Extension Requirements - 406244182_RTP-Order-No.654-2564-1RevisingClause2.22oforder327-2014 (7).pdf Partial quote from above Immigration Police Order regarding the medical coverage requirement.

As mentioned earlier avoid a Non "OA" visa due to the medical insurance requirement. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad thing to have medical insurance....it's just Thai immigration basically requires a person with a Non OA visa to have very specific medical insurance from a select group of "Thai" insurance companies....the insurance is expensive and the coverage is weak....full of exclusions. Thailand makes it pretty much impossible to use a foreign insurance policy to initially get or extend a Non OA visa. Even though you may have outstanding home country medical insurance that provides worldwide coverage it would not be accepted for annual extensions of your Non OA visa. Up until 2019 the Non OA visa was VERY popular...had been for many years....but the medical insurance requirement that began in 2019 turned it into a visa to avoid. If going with a 1 year type visa go with the Non O visa...no medical insurance required to get the visa or annual extensions. Annual extensions will cost Bt1,900. See the Thai Embassy in Paris webpage at the bottom of this post for details. And if you meet the requirements and want to avoid 1 year extensions consider a 10 year Long Term Resident (LTR) visa....probably the LTR Pensioner visa if you meet the requirements. This LTR visa is really a 5 year plus 5 year visa totaling 10 years...although issued for 10 years you only initially get a 5 year permitted to stay and just before that 5 years is up you apply for an LTR extension to get the remaining 5 years of the 10 year visa. Cost of a 10 year LTR is Bt50K (averages out to Bt5K/year)....no fee for the 2nd 5 year extension. Full details at the BoI LTR website and also the Thai Embassy Paris website. Thai Embassy Paris....Non O over 50 visa http://www.thaiembassy.fr/fr/visa-rdv/les-types-de-visa-et-les-documents-necessaires/visa-non-immigrant-o/ Non-immigrant visa O Non-immigrant visa O

Spot on! During the peak burning period of around Dec-Apr pollution goes way up across most of Thailand....and cities like Chiang Mai and Bangkok really suffer. But there are those in the govt in trying to cover up the true reason that try to blame the big increase during the Dec-Apr on vehicles. Then I ask myself is it because millions of additional vehicles suddenly started running from Dec-Apr and then stop running for the rest of the year OR is it the burning of the fields/forest? And the correct answer is the latter.

Good luck on the application. From one of your earlier posts in appears you have a FEHB "AFSPA" medical policy. If so, their FEHB 2023 Medical Plan Brochure can be found here: https://www.afspa.org/fsbp-forms-library/ https://www.afspa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-RI-72-001-FSBP-Brochure_FINAL.pdf I see when quickly scan thru the brochure it provides coverage outside the U.S. and defines in Section 7 how a person can file a reimbursement claim and/or the medical provider to file the claim. And in other places in the brochure it also talks out-of-network coverage which would include an overseas/non U.S. location. I also appears a plan ID card is provided to you....maybe you get a new one each year in the mail...or maybe you get it online...be sure to include such in your LTR applicaiton. Now since the BoI general requirement is policy must have 10 months remaining on it upon LTR application they are flexible when it comes to polices that don't have end dates like a lot of government-sponsored medical plans which effectively have no end date....automatically renew each enrollment year as long as you are paying the monthly premium typically via automatic deduction from your monthly pension payment.....basically the plan continues until death due you part or you disenroll. If, repeat, if your plan does not reflect a specific annual end date be sure to include some kind of documentation explaining the reason for no specific end date like it's on auto enrollment....renewal is on autopilot. And including a "one" page cover memo where you explain your policy just hitting on any key points like it's a U.S. govt sponsored plan which provides unlimited and worldwide coverage, annual automatic renewal, etc. And be sure to define any acronyms you may use. And if BoI appears to reject the policy without giving any specific reason...asking you to upload a policy providing at least $50K coverage and having at least 10 month left on it (can make you think they didn't even read your first upload) then reupload the same policy but with a new one page memo stating you previously uploaded the policy and it still shows in your LTR online acct, explain once again info on the policy end date like if it's auto-reenrollment, has unlimited coverage, provides worldwide coverage, etc. Sometimes basically resubmitting what you have already submitted passes on the 2nd BoI review. Good luck.

As mentioned by others any office will allow the renewal up to 30 days in advance; some 45 days. And definitely don't wait till the last day/30 Oct to renew your extension as "unexpected stuff can happen" which might prevent the office from being open or you not able to go to the office....or the immigration needs additional paperwork you never had to provide before....etc....etc.....etc. Renew at least a few weeks in advance....you do "not" lose any time off your new extension due date by applying early. Trying to keep 1 of 4 annual 90 address reports in sync with your extension due date would rate low priority in my book. And give the online 90 day reporting system a try....it actually works a LOT better than the previous online system. And for those reports where the online system rejects a report then you can do a report in person. Yea, the latest online system definitely works pretty good in most cases.

Excellent explanation and checklist at below Pattaya City Expats Club webpage regarding going from a Visa Exempt to Non O Retirement within Thailand....at the Pattaya Immigration Office. https://pcec.club/Applying-for-Non-Immigrant-O-Retirement

And just to add to my above post regarding social security medical coverage in Thailand. I found an Oct 2022 email from BoI where they were responding to a question I asked of what did they really mean by: "...social security benefits insuring treatment in Thailand...?" BoI's response is partially quoted below....as you will see it's focused towards "Thailand" social security.

Province governors are "appointed" by the Interior Department of the government. These "unelected" appointees are basically yes men to the current government....or said another way, one of the PM's yes men.