Pib

For a LTR Pensioner visa I expect it would be considered unearned/passive income which is fine; it just can not be earned income such as salary/wages.

For Android the latest version is 2.1.2 released 4 Jun 2024. I have it installed and don't see in changes. Expect just some minor tweaks/bug fixes occurred (a.k.a., optimizations)...see below snapshots from Google Play.

If clicking on the link to Login.gov that SSA displays right at the tail end of your SSA acct login using the SSA User ID login method (the method going away in a few months) that SSA link to Login.gov will have some underlying/hidden/special activation coding that does not require a full-brown Login.gov identity verification/registration. You will only need to create the bare bones Login.gov acct consisting of your Email address, a PW you will create, and selection of a method to accomplish two factor authorization (2FA) such as using your phone number, Authentication app such as Google Authenticator or MS Authenticator (whatever authenticator you may want to use), or a couple other 2FA options.... and then closely following the additional instructions where Login.gov will validate your email address and phone number if using the phone number method for two factor authorization. No address of any kind required....repeat, no address of any kind required. You might want to call this a special setup between SSA and Login.gov that will allow people to login to their SSA acct via the Login.gov portal without setting up a full-blown Login.gov acct where Login.gov goes thru a complete identity verification (i.e., ID, address, phone number, etc...etc). JUST BE SURE TO GO TO THE LOGIN.GOV SITE VIA THE LINK THAT WILL APPEAR AT THE VERY END OF YOUR CURRENT SSA LOGIN....THAT LINK HAS SPECIAL/HIDDEN CODING (HAS AN UNDERLYING ACTIVATION CODE) THAT BASICALLY TELLS LOGIN.GOV TO CREATE A BAREBONES LOGIN.GOV ACCT MINUS ALL THE NORMAL IDENTIFY VERIFICATION SINCE SSA PREVIOUSLY DID AN IDENTIFY VERIFICATION WHEN YOU FIRST OPENED YOUR SSA ACCT YEARS AGO. What I recommend is you do a login to your SSA acct using the SSA User ID method that going away....and closely follow the instructions at the tail end of the successful login where SSA give that notice of the SSA User ID method going away in a few months and they recommend you setup a Login.gov login method right now....click on the link that will take you to Login.gov. Use your Google Authenticator as the chosen 2FA method. Logging onto SSA this way will "not" affect your ability to also login via ID.me; it will just create another way of you to login onto your SSA online acct via the Login.gov. And I can't be sure now but I think that SSA notice "implied" to at least me that setting up a SSA login via/thru Login.gov is a limited time offer that will disappear once SSA kills-off the SSA User ID login method in a few months. After that kill-off the special/easy way to create a basic Login.gov for SSA logon purposes will disappear and then a person would need to create a Login.gov acct the normal way...the full blown identity verification way below they could use Login.gov to log onto their SSA acct...or create a new SSA acct. Oh yea, for folks who do not have any SSA online acct but want to open one they would need to first do a full-blown Login.gov or ID.Me identify verification before they could create a SSA online acct with whatever address on Earth they use...foreign or U.S.

Both the wife and I have SSA online accts. I also have an ID.me acct which I got to access my IRS acct but the wife does not have an ID.me or Login.gov acct. I was dreading the possibility of trying to walk her thru the ID.me verification process which for me around two years ago also required a video interview and back then I was in the queue for a video interview for around 4 hours...this was years ago. But it all worked out and I got my ID.Me verification. Although I did logon once to my SSA acct via ID.me after that I continued to logon to my SSA acct via the SSA User ID method since that's what the SSA website recommends...and the wife used the same SSA User ID method since she didn't have a login.gov or ID.me acct. But today when logging on to our SSA accts we the see the notice during the tail-end of the logon process that the SSA User ID is going away in a few months with the recommendation to create a login.gov or ID.me acct. Now I was hoping (praying) a person would not have to go thru the normal/standard "login.gov" acct creation and full-blown identity verification process, but a much shorter process that includes a quickie/hidden activation process that is already setup by the SSA with login.gov. That is, follow the SSA instruction/links for setting up a login.gov acct for SSA acct login purposes and other than having to create a basic login.gov acct (i.e., a login.gov user id and password plus a security code verification method such as Authenticator App, acceptable mobile number, etc.) that this quickly/special activation process would allow login to your SSA acct thru the login.gov portal without going thru a full-blown login.gov identity verification process. And my pray was answered....see below. You can create a login.gov acct for the purpose of logging into your SSA online acct by following the SSA instructions. Right at the tail-end of your SSA acct logon via the SSA User ID method you will get the notice about the logon method change to requiring login.gov or ID.me. At that point click the create login.gov icon which will take you to login.gov where you create a login.gov acct---all you need to create at this point is al login.gov User ID (i.e., you email address), password and setup a security code method (e.g., authenticator app, mobile number, etc). For the wife login.gov would not accept the wife's Google Voice number or her DTAC mobile number---login.gov said both were VOIP numbers which are not accepted. Now her DTAC number is definitely a mobile number but for whatever reason login.gov thinks it's a VOIP number. So, instead she setup the Authenticator app method (see it up on Microsoft Authenticator and Google Authenticator)....this made login.gov happy. After a few more clicks she was taken to her SSA acct....was logged right in. NOW IT'S IMPORTANT YOU "FOLLOW THE PROVIDED SSA LINKS" TO CREATE A LOGIN.GOV ACCT as this will utilize a special login.gov activation/verification process which will allow you to login to your SSA acct without going thru a full-blown identity verification process with login.gov. This is the same way the Veteran's Administration (VA) set things up when several years ago they decided to kill-off their login User IDs and switch to login.gov. Basically, the SSA and login.gov have setup a special process that allows you to create a login.gov acct for SSA acct logon purposes which utilizes the identify verification that SSA already did on you years back when you first got your SSA online acct. Now if you don't follow the SSA links that take your to login.gov during that initial login.gov acct creation and instead your just manually open another browser to go to login.gov to create a login.gov acct then the special/quickly login.gov acct creation just for SSA acct access will not workout/would be bypassed....instead, login.gov will want you to do a full-blown identity verification. So, right at the tail-in of your SSA acct logon when presented with the notice and chance to create a login.gov acct, follow/click on the SSA link which will take you to the login.gov site. Create a login.gov user id, pw, and security code receipt method and in a few more clicks you will be into your SSA online acct via the login.gov portal. Then after you log off try logging onto your SSA acct again BUT THIS TIME click the login.gov link, log into login.gov and you are then automatically taken into your SSA online acct. If you don't have a mobile number that login.gov will accept then setup the Authenticator method....and also recommend you setup a 2nd method of getting the 10 or so Backup Codes which are one time use codes. Not having an acceptable mobile number does NOT prevent a person from creating a login.gov acct for the purpose of logging onto their SSA online acct as long as the person follows the SSA instructions/links in initially creating the login.gov acct. Both the wife and I setup login.gov acct this evening by following those SSA instructions/links...only took a few minutes. Gosh, I was so happy SSA has setup a special transition method to create a login.gov acct for SSA acct logon purposes.

You sure you didn't see a 2024 "black" Atto 3? For 2024 they dropped the red color and replaced it with black. I've seen several black Atto 3's on the roads. Don't use above website...it hasn't been update for years. Use below which is the website of the sole/official distributor of BYD vehicles in Thailand....it's where the BYD dealerships get all of their BYD cars. And I didn't think the BYD Seal U had been released yet in Thailand....it's not shown as an available model at below website. https://www.reverautomotive.com/en/rever-care

Whoops... I made a typo above....meant to say (i.e., not salary/wages income).

But their main page still lists capital gains as being acceptable. I expect capital gains falls under the category of "....other types of passive income..." talked in the required docs. Just gotta be "unearned/passive" income (i.e., now salary/wages income). https://ltr.boi.go.th/

Yes, one Not sure where above snapshot is from....possibly from older BOI LTR required docs information. For a LTR Pension visa only one year of tax returns "OR" at time of application. See below BOI weblink/snapshot....it's from the BOI LTR website as of 5 June 2024/today under the Required Docs icon/sub-link. Even if your most recent tax return shows you under the required income requirement if recent events such as a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) which is common with a lot of retirement pensions now puts you over the requirement income level then then documents showing your new income amount such as pension/annuity monthly statement, benefit letter, etc., will provide the necessary proof. Now BOI will probably still want to see your most recent tax return which like if you were submitting an application today/5 June would be for the tax year of Jan-Dec 2023 but even if the amount on the tax return is below the required income amount as long as the "current" documents from your pension/annuity payor show you the current amount has increased like due to COLA then that will satisfy BOI--I was in that exact situation for my LTR application in late 2022 and my LTR-P was approved. Tax returns merely serve as secondary proof/support of your income in some situations especially when they do not yet show income increases like from COLA of a current pension, just starting a new pension, just starting a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from a 401K/IRA type saving plan, etc. This is when documents/benefit letters/month statement/etc., from the pension/annuity paying agent become the primary proof. https://ltr.boi.go.th/documents/Required-docs-Wealthy-Pensioners-14-05-2024.pdf

Yeap...that's my understanding also. When it comes to filing a tax return, say this coming Jan - Mar 2025 (which will be the "current" tax year once 2025 get here) you will be filing that return for the "previous" tax year which would be for Jan-Dec 2024. So, any funds transferred in 2024 would be tax free on your tax return you file Jan-Mar 2025.

But RD743 came out a year or so "before" the recent tax change.

Thanks Misty. As I mentioned earlier my memory was about "90%" that Chamchuri only issued residence certificate by paying Bt500 and waiting an hour or so to get it. Can't have it mailed to you at a lower cost like some immigration offices will do such as CW will do. With your confirmation I can now upgrade my memory of the situation from 90% to 100%. 😉

@Barry13 Two questions: 1) How long have you had this account? 2) Have you ever been able to use your debit card and/or mbanking/ibanking app to transfer money "out of" this acct?

This Youtube video talks the new BYD spare parts warehouse/center in the Bangkok area. Spare parts availability should definitely be a consideration in what vehicle you buy as all vehicles eventually needs spare parts under or out of warranty, get into accidents, etc. At around 6:25 min into this 10 minute video they also briefly show the traction battery room and the guy says they have 30 traction batteries in the room....you will see the large wooden crates containing the traction batteries. Yeap...readily available spare parts within country is a good thing.

Yea...pretty much the same experience for me when I did my report in Dec 2023. The front desk gave me a queue number and directed my down the hall to where you suppose to do the report....I didn't know if it was just a desk, a sperate room, etc. This was just before the lunch hour. I walked right by the room on the right and I asked someone at desk where to do the 1 year report...they told me to set down and they will get someone to help me. A few minutes later two ladies showed-up to help me but then with big smiles they pointed me over to the address report room....it was only like 10 steps away but only had a small sign above the door....I convinced myself it can be easy to walk right by. So, I now back-track those ten steps and walk into the room which is actually a good sized room once entering with plenty of waiting area seats but only one person was waiting in the room. I went right to the counter and said I'm here to do my 1 year address report...the officer asked what my queue number was and I showed the queue slip...the officer said that number already been called (like where in the heck had I been when my number had been called!!!) but then took my paperwork. A few minutes later I'm done and out the door....see you next year. I spent more time going from the front desk and trying to find the address report room (which I walked right by the first time...simply didn't see the room) than the time I actually spent in the room having the report processed/approved. 😉

@Misty When you visit Chamchuri please ask if they will issue a residence certificate my mail which would take a week or two which will also be at a lower cost than Bt500 like when getting a same day certificate. When I got my certificate for Bt500 which took less than an hour I'm about 90% sure I asked the Information Desk on my way out the door after getting the certificate if I could get the certificate by having it mailed to me instead after I applied in person. I was told No on that day. Since I need to get another certificate in about 6 months to renew my drivers licence if they do issue residence certificate by mailing it out and do it for less than Bt500 I would probably just ask for it to be mailed and hopefully save 300 to 400 baht and also not need to hang around an hour or so to get the certificate. Thanks.

I did an edit in my earlier post also showing the BOI LTR link for the residence certificate form supposedly used at Chamchuri Sq immigration. Probably best to use that one vs the main immigration website generic one.

Did you ever get the LTR visa you applied for? If so, you should go to Chamchuri Sq Immigration vs CW Immigration.

I'm a Atto owner....I got such an email yesterday but instead of talking BYD Seal it talked BYD Atto. I expect all BYD owners (i.e., Seal, Atto, Dolphin, etc) are getting such an email.

Not new. Those documents use to be in the same website location for many months right after the LTR program kicked off...and then they disappeared around six months ago...now they are back again. I figured they disappeared because BOI had determined they were unneeded for LTR applicants....overkill in terms of info. Like #8 seems written for Thai immigration officials to included telling them exactly how the LTR visa stamps must be made....how to enter stamp info...etc.

Yes, above list of documents is what is required...and this list can be found on quite a few websites. However, whether your servicing immigration office will require all of them especially a rental contract if renting, photo, etc., is a different story. To the best of my memory when I went to Chamchuri Sq I did not provide a picture although I had some ready if they asked. Typically if a picture is required there is a place to paste it on the form. They did not ask for a rental contract maybe because I provided a copy of my Yellow Book...plus the Thai wife and I own versus rent. And maybe because Chamchuri Sq is my servicing immigration office and had my LTR visa issued there then that was enough proof of residence along with the other docs I provided. A person just never knows if the immigration office will demand each of the items in the list above OR just some of them. This Is Thailand. Regarding the application form I used the one I download from the main Thai immigration website: https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/downloads_en/ Document #22 "Application for Resident Certificate in Thailand" on the download list...below link should take you right to it. https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/36.แบบขอหนังสือรับรองถิ่นที่พักอาศัยในประเทศ.doc But if I remember right when I presented this form at Chamchuri Sq they handed me a "slightly" different version to fill-out....still just a one page form asking for the same info but a ever so slightly different format. Yeap....I also have car and motorcycle licenses along with Pink Thai ID Card and Yellow Book....all with my current address. However, when I bought my new car from BYD in late 2023 (that's why I needed the residence certificate) and although BYD handles the registration (does it all for you for free...typical for a new car purchase)....even though BYD had a copy of my Pink Thai ID card, Yellow Book, passport, Thai drivers license, and residence certificate to accomplish the registration which should have been more than enough to register the the car "without the DLT having to see/feel/touch my passport I still have to go to DLT in the Chatuchuk area for DLT to copy/touch/feel/smell my passport. The BYD dealership had actually said they would probably need to take my passport to Bangkok Chatuchuk DLT during the registration meaning my passport would be out of my hands for about a week. I did "not" want to lose control of my passport to BYD or DLT even for a day so I told them I really don't want to do that as the passport is too important. The BYD dealership then made a few calls and then said I would "not" need to show my actual passport (just a copy) since I had a Pink ID card and Yellow book...so those copies should be enough. HOWEVER, about a week into the registration process the BYD dealership called and said Chatuchak DLT "had" to see/feel/touch/smell my passport....make their own copy and see me sign the copy. The BYD dealership picked me up, drove me to Chatuchak DLT (wow!!!...a huge DLT complex), DLT made their own copy, had me sign the copy, took the passport into some office for about 10 minutes, and then came back with the passport and said all is good now....all of this only took about 30 minutes at DLT since the BYD rep hand massaged my visit. A few days later I had my car blue book and white license plates. Yeap, even though I had enough documentation to choke a horse Chacuchak DLT had to smell/see/touch my passport for a few minutes....I guess that was the only proof they would accept to confirm the copies of my passport were indeed true copies. Now when I bought a new Toyota back in 2008 here in Bangkok...Toyota did the free registration...made copies of a bunch of stuff to include my passport...I also provide a residence certificate....along with signed copies of my passport and Toyota was able to complete registration without DLT needing to see/smell/touch my passport. This is Thailand. Good luck with the car purchase. EDIT: just noticed there is also a link on the BOI LTR website to download the resident certificate form. As I mentioned earlier I got mine within one hour for Bt500 vs the two weeks talked at the LTR website which might be "general" info in how quite a few immigration offices handle a residence certificate request if not providing same day service but instead they mail it to you later...that's how CW use to handle it based on my personal experience when I was on a Non O visa. This Is Thailand. BOI LTR Weblink for Residence Certifiate https://ltr.boi.go.th/page/how-to-manage.html

Yes...you'll probably need to show a TM30 receipt which is the "Notification From For Housemaster, Owner or the Possessor of the Residence Where the Alien Has Stayed" form. I say "probably" because I just attached a copy of my TM30 receipt when I applied for the Certificate of Residence. And about 5 years ago when I was still on a Non 0 type visa and when to get a residence certificate at CW I had to provide a copy of my TM30 receipt. LTR visa does not use a TM47 as there is no 90 day address reporting requirement; instead, a TM95 one year address report is used. I also attached my TM95 receipt since I haven't left Thailand for over a year. Edit....correction...I just remembered that I got the residence certificate before I had one year under my belt with the LTR visa and just included a copy of the address reporting slip they give a person when first getting the LTR visa issued.....I didn't file my first TM95 until a couple months later. Sorry I can't be more specific because when I went to Chamchuri Sq Immigration to get the resident certificate I just had a copy of my TM30, TM95, and TM6 that I offered with the application form and they took them all....they didn't have to "ask" for any form.

Misty, Direct to Immigration...no appointment....just walk-in....pay Bt500...talks approx an hour. When I paid the fee they said come back in one hour for pickup....I came back in 50 minutes and the certificate was ready. Done...out the door I go.

For me back in late 2022 which was the initial kickoff months of the new LTR program I got approval a day or so after providing the additional docs (i.e., the tax return) if I remember right....to me it seemed to be at the very tail end of the entire approval process....like BOI was initially happy with my docs...sent it out for other govt agencies to approve....got approval from the other agencies...but then in the final step before endorsement (what BOI calls recommendation for final approval) they decided to ask for a copy of my tax return like maybe doing a final QA check and decided having a copy of the tax return would be a good thing. I too think since you have not heard back from BOI after submitting the tax return that the tax return made "BOI happy" and now they are just waiting for the other govt agencies involved to provide coordination. As far as I know BOI is the only agency to determine if you meet "income requirements" and the other agencies are just to ensure you are not on any "bad boy/undesirable" list. Good luck.

Joint return is fine. You will have a 1099R's or other certificates/benefit letters from SSA and your company clearing showing what income is all yours. You should submit income documentation such as your SSA and company 1099R's as the primary income documentation....the tax return is considered secondary income evidence in such a case. Include a one page memo explaining your income if you think it's needed. When I applied/got my LTR Pensioner visa in late 2022, I used income docs such as 1099R, benefit letter, etc., from my U.S. govt pensions and included a memo summarizing my annual income partly because one of my income streams which is a 100% tax free/non tax reportable was a VA pension that does not provide any annual 1099R since by law is 100% non taxable and non reportable on a tax return....does not appear anywhere on a tax return. Additionally, SSA pension is only partially taxable. Now after submitting my LTR application with certificates/benefits letters as the primary income documentation showing my income was at least $80K BOI came back and asked for my last tax return as Additional Documentation. So I submitted the tax return along with another memo once again summarizing my income to include pointing out again the VA pension is not on the tax return because it's 100% non reportable/non taxable by U.S. law. My LTR Pensioner visa was approved although there is quite a bit difference in income reported by my primary income documentation in comparison to income on my tax return. BOI will not have an issue with a joint return....will not consider half of the income on the return as being your wife's....BOI will primarily rely on other income docs with your tax return basically being a secondary form of income documentation. However, I would include the tax return in your initial submission just to avoid BOI coming back later and asking for the return as Additional Documentation....this will just slow down the approval of the visa. Good luck...sounds like you are a shoe-in to get the visa.

I just did a test form my home here in Bangkok. First I put my phone in Airplane mode and then turned by on Wifi.....this effectively kills the mobile connection but you have the Wifi connection. I then tried a VPN connection using Express and Pure VPNs...I tried VPN connections of Dallas, Houston, "and Thailand." Each time the Krungsri app would not let me logon due to the VPN connection...told me to turn off the VPN connection. I turned off the VPN connection and I can logon on. I even tried using a mock location location app set to Thailand in addition to the VPN connection from Thailand to see if I could connect....I couldn't...the Krungsri app sensed a VPN connection and wouldn't allow logon. Now this either means the app can sense the person is using a VPN connection which Krungsri don't want to be used.....OR it may not have anything to do with a VPN connection but since a VPN connection uses an "IP address" for the city/country you are using in the VPN app and if that IP address is not a "true" (versus virtual) Thailand IP address then maybe the Krungsri will not allow logon except from Thailand....OR it will allow logon from outside of Thailand as long as a VPN connection is not being used. I expect the Krungsri app is sensing a VPN connection and simply will not allow use of a VPN regardless using a foreign or Thailand IP address. Now banking apps/websites use "HTTPS" connections (as well as many websites now days) which is a "secure, encrypted" connection just like a VPN connection. A VPN connection is "not" needed for security purposes with a HTTPS connection. https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/what-is-https/#:~:text=Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS,increase security of data transfer. Try using the app without a VPN connection since the app uses HTTPS. Hopefully the app will then work regardless of where you are on planet Earth....and you will still have a secure, encrypted connection along with being able to still use the app outside of Thailand. The attitude of only using the internet if on a VPN connection is what the VPN companies want you to think....you can still safely/securely use the internet without a VPN connection.....just be sure you have a HTTPS connection. Edit: one more thing about a VPN connection....when you make a VPN connection you only have a VPN connection between you and the VPN server....not necessarily a VPN connection all the way to the website you are connecting to. Example: say you are in New York City and you make a VPN connection to a New York VPN server....and then you connect to a website in Bangkok like Krungsri. Only the NYC to NYC part of the connection is VPN encrypted...the rest of the trek from NYC to Bangkok is "not" VPN encrypted....it's just using HTTPS encryption/connection from NYC to Bangkok. Only in those cases where the VPN server is integrated into the website (like intra company communications/connections) you are connecting to is the entire trek VPN encrypted.