Pib

Can't say for sure until I attempt a transfer. But my guess/bet would be it's going to be required for transfers "and" changing limits.

Today/24 May the Thai wife and I went to a little hole-in-the-wall Bangkok Bank branch in a Lotus's mall to have our photos taken...not our home branch. Took along my passport and our 5 passbooks as the wife and I have 5 Bangkok Bank accts between us....some single accts....some joint accts. As it turns out the passbooks were not needed; only our IDs (the wife's Thai ID card and my passport). The rep did make a copy of my main passport page and visa/extension page and had me sign that copy. The rep had both of us print our name and mobile phone number on a form and then sign it. Then the bank rep continued with by having me log onto my Bangkok Bank mobile app, go to a certain area in the app, and accept a bunch of conditions (terms and conditions stuff)....then the rep took my photo with the counter camera. Then the rep did the wife, however, since the wife is Thai she did not have to logon her Bangkok Bank mobile app to accept any terms & conditions. We asked why not and the rep said the procedure for foreigner and Thai is different. We are done...finished...out the door....doesn't take long to do above. A few minutes later when in Lotus's shopping I decided to see if I could now change my daily limits above Bt50K...as mentioned in my earlier post when tried before I couldn't change it....would get a message to visit a branch. But now after having my photo taken, when selecting to change my limit from Bt50K to Bt100K it continued on and I had to pass the facial recognition step on my phone.....at first I couldn't get the photo to accept even doing the showing of my teeth/smiling, blinking my eyes, etc., as instructed by the app, but the app was indicating maybe the lightning was poor....maybe so due to the fluorescent lighting in Lotus's. I then went to an area of the store where the lightning was stronger and the facial recognition process worked.....my daily limited was changed to Bt100K. Yeap, lighting conditions are important. I then went thru the same process to lower the limit back down to Bt50K and it did such "without" going thru the facial recognition process. When i got home I decided to try changing the daily limit to Bt2M (the max allowed) and the facial recognition process worked first time as lightning in my home was good. Then once again I lowered it back down to Bt50K without the facial recognition process being required. The wife hasn't tried changing any limits in her Bangkok Bank mobile app as she rarely uses it but I expect things will work fine. Now I have not tried an actual internal or external transfer above Bt50K since having my photo taken but I'm pretty sure when/if I need to do such that it will work with the correct limit setting since changing/testing my daily limit worked fine today.

And I will add to my above post that I just transferred significantly "over" Bt50K from my Krungsri acct (I had my photo taken about a week ago) to one of my Bangkok Bank accts---no problem. My Krungsri daily limits are still set "above" Bt50K...don't know if Krungsri has started restricting transfer to Bt50K if a person has not had their photo taken. I will assume not since the transfer that was above Bt50K did not require the taking of a facial photo to complete the transfer which is suppose to be the new Bank of Thailand (BOT) requirement. Then I went to that Bangkok Bank acct (transfer from Krungsri arrived in milliseconds) and I then did an transfer for "over" Bt50K between two of my Bangkok Bank acct with no problem. So, although I can no longer up my daily transfer limit "above" Bt50K in my Bangkok Bank mobile app (Android version 3.25.1 which updated today/20 May), I "can" still transfer "above" Bt50K between my Bangkok Bank acct....internal transfer so to speak. Have not tried (and probably will not) try a transfer above Bt50K from Bangkok Bank back to my Krungsri acct. So although Bangkok Bank's app update has made it so I can not increase my daily limit above Bt50K it has not limited me from doing transfers above Bt50K between my Bangkok Bank accts (i.e., internal transfers) but I don't know about an "external" transfer from Bangkok Bank to another Thai bank. Will just get my photo taken soon to satisfy Bangkok Bank; got my photo taken a week or so ago to satisfy Krungsri Bank. Then kick back and see how "transfer and limit changes" occur over the coming weeks/months as Thai banks implement the new BOT facial recognition thingie.

Ditto for me....as of today/20 May I updated to BBL Android version 3.25.1 (big, big change in appearance from previous app version over the years) and when I try to change a daily transfer limit "above 50K baht " I get an error message stating: I have "not" went to Bangkok Bank yet to have my photo taken....over the coming days I will go.

You need to meet the income requirements of the particular LTR visa (i.e., LTR Work from Thailand Professional, LTR Highly Skilled Professional, LTR Pensioner, etc.,) you are applying for....and these income requirements are generally 80K or 40K USD/year....but if working for the Thai government there is no minimum income requirement. By meeting the LTR visa income requirement "income-wise" that qualifies you for the digital work permit....but you of course need to also meet whatever skill/experience requirements that are required. See the LTR Visa basic criteria requirements at this weblink: https://ltr.boi.go.th/index.html#what

Above is correct when "paying" for/buying something. Typically, it's approx 5.9% worst....the percentage is usually stated on the checkout/payment receipt. But the bottom line is you are still getting the local processing bank's DCC rate. But when withdrawing at an ATM DCC means the owner of that ATM (i.e., the Thai bank) is offering you "their DCC rate which is going to be significantly worst than the card network rate.....but the ATM screen will use vague wording in trying to hook you into thinking their rate is a good thing. DCC good for the bank, bad for the customer.

Thai bank ATM generally charge a Bt220 withdrawal fee. AND, repeat, AND you will probably have foreign transaction fee applied by your "card-issuing bank"....this fee typically ranges 1 to 6%....this fee varies from card-issuing bank to card-issuing bank....there is no standard answer....you must know your card-issuing bank's fee structure. And fortunately, there are few card-issuing banks that do not charge a foreign transaction fee like Schwab and Cap1 in the U.S.....Schwab will also reimburse the Thai ATM Bt220 fee but Cap1 will not. Yeap, a person just needs to know/ask their card-issuing bank what foreign transaction fees may apply and if the bank reimburses the fee. Regarding Thai bank charging for a counter withdrawal some will charge approx a Bt200 fee; others will not. And the fee amount can depend on the card network (i.e., Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc). And for those brave souls using a home country "credit card" for a cash advance there will most likely be an approx card-issuing bank 3% cash advance fee "plus" a foreign transaction fee....and don't forget the possible Thai bank counter withdrawal fee of approx Bt200 or ATM Bt220 fee. Once again a few home country banks will not charge a credit card cash advance fee (like Pentagon Federal Credit Union as example)....but the great majority do. Additionally, Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) could come into play where the Thai bank/ATM offers their local exchange rate versus the card-network (i.e., Visa, Mastercard, etc) rate. Since a DDC rate will typically be much worst than the card-network rate be sure to read the ATM screen wording closely and push whatever button that declines the offered DCC rate....the wording is likely to be vague...trying to confuse a person into pushing the wrong button. Once selecting the button that declines the DCC/local rate, the ATM transaction will then continue on and you'll get the better card-network exchange rate Summary: Thai bank ATM foreign card withdrawal fee is generally Bt220. But don't forget the fees probably charged by "your card-issuing bank"...know those fees by contacting your card-issuing bank.

I'm only guessing but I expect an LTR visa will qualify as the PR regulation was written saying a person needed a long term non-immigrant visa of 1 year in length for 3 consecutive years because when the PR regulation was written before the LTR visa came into existence last year. I would think it's just a matter of the regulation/guidance being updated to include the LTR visa since an LTR via allows a 5 year stay per each Permitted to Stay Stamp which is longer than the 1 year Permitted to Stay stamp of a Non Immigration 1 year visa.....plus, the LTR visa allows a work permit which means the person can work, pay Thai taxes, etc., to meet the other PR requirement. Yea, I'm guessing, but I don't see why an LTR visa would not satisfy PR visa requirements. Hopefully there will be some official, written clarification in the near future....but we all know Thai time many times runs slower than normal time. From the Bangkok Immigration Website https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2.2คำแนะนำอังกฤษ-2565-legal.pdf

For those friends "in Thailand" they have to vote "in-person" at their registered home district "unless" they apply to vote early at selected early voting locations across Thailand....but an early voting location could still be a good distance away. For those Thais "living outside or traveling outside Thailand" on election day they could register for early voting at a Thai embassy/consulate and then that Thai embassy/consulate would mail them ballots which the voter then returns to the embassy/consulate by a certain date which in-turn mails the ballots to Thailand via express/diplomatic mail to be counted on election day. So, no voting by mail if "in Thailand," but if living in/traveling outside Thailand on election day then voting by mail is possible.

This Thai law has been around for a l....o.....n.....g time. No one looses their "voting right," but as the article states some restriction over the following two years could apply...quote from article below. For most non-voters these restrictions are non-applicable to their day to day life, work, etc. From my experience with Thai family/friends non-voters are usually "old" folks who have a hard time getting to the voting location due to age/mobility problems, don't understand the simple ballot marking/voting process, and of course those who have simply loss interest in voting. And you have voters of any age who simply don't want/can not travel back to their voting province (i.e., how they are registered in their house registration/blue book).

Yes....you can get a digital work permit with the LTR visa if desired. The work permit comes as an extra fee of Bt3K/year which means for the 1st five year permit it will cost Bt15K on top of the LTR basic 10 year fee of Bt50K.

Your extension is no longer valid upon the day of divorce. Now if the wife has passed away while married then the marriage extension remains valid until its normal expiration date.

When I switched from a Non OA Marriage extension to a LTR Pensioner visa in late 2022 (done at BoI Chamchuri Sq in Bangkok Immigration) when a person is having their current "marriage" extension cancelled to switch to the new LTR visa a person should bring along their wife, wife's Thai ID card, a marriage certificate (Kor Ror 3), and a fresh marriage registration (Kor Ror 2). Immigration tells you this in the LTR approval letter before you come to BoI immigration to have the LTR visa inked into your passport. Basically BoI immigration wanted to confirm the wife was aware of the visa change....and maybe to confirm the person had been living up to the marriage extension requirements/was still married vs being divorced which would have immediately terminated the marriage extension...the person would have technically been on an overstay. However, if, repeat if I had been on a Non OA "Retirement" extension switching to the LTR Pensioner visa no need to bring wife, girl friend, pets, or anything along....just me needed to attend. Seems from varying posts above show switching from a marriage extension to another type of extension such as Retirement that different immigration offices handle it differently....some want the wife to also attend along with KR3 an KR2 docs whiles other offices do not require the wife to come along.

I think a lot of people confuse the 7 day extension you can get on the day you cancel the Non B extension as meaning you have a 7 day grace period to go cancel the extension.

Could be....I think I remember that post also. But hey, at the Thai photo shop they can photoshop you in a suit & tie at no extra/little cost. For my photos over they years when I get these type of photos for a visa extension, passport renewal, etc., I've always have a suit photoshopped....I vary the suit color & tie color to stay in style. ????

I would be interesting to know exactly "what type/level of assistance" a LTR CA could provide for an applicant versus a generic overview of available assistance. Of the four CAs currently listed on the BoI website and taking a quick look at the CAs web pages (with the exception of the Thai Relo Services CA weblink which does not work for me as it just opens as a blank white screen and is also an unsecure (HTTP) weblink vs a secure (HTTPS) weblink) the only info I found on the CA webpages regarding the level of service provided was on the True Digital Park CA webpage....see snapshot at bottom....which was very little detail. And I couldn't find even below level of detail at the other CA webpages...pretty much they all ask that an interested applicant to contact them for more info. @JimGant, I see StarVisaServices in your town of Chiang Mai is one of the CAs....if not already done so, maybe contact them for more detail as to how much assistance they can provide. Heck, maybe these CAs will be given the power to transport an applicant to a near by immigration office/BoI regional office for the final issue of an LTR visa...that is, where they need to take your picture and fingerprints before stamping in the Permitted to Stay LTR stamp. There is a BoI regional office in Chiang Mai and of course they have a immigration office that you currently use. But my gut feeling is it's probably going to require a visit to the BoI and Immigration Office in Bangkok at Chamchuri Square for the final inking/issue of the LTR visa when a person selects to have the LTR visa issued within Thailand vs the outside Thailand via the evisa method. From True Digital Park LTR CA webpage regarding services provided.''

TM30 was required due to the passport change. Or if you change visa type/enter on a new visa a new TM30 would also be required.

It a passport sized picture of you chest up in a suit (business attire) for a male; for a female I guess a nice blouse would be considered business attire (or a suit if desired). Thai photo shops can photoshop a suit & tie of your choosing for no or little added cost....that's what I did. A photo of yourself in a t-shirt, regular shirt, etc., will not hack it with BoI. The photo is one of the docs uploaded when applying so be sure to get a digital copy.

Yes, but the same link clarifies further down in their article.

Here's some info from a legal firm talking cancellation of a Non B visa and/or Non B Extension along with work permit. Please note it does make a difference as to whether you are on a Non B visa or an extension of that visa in regards to cancellation of the visa/extension. https://franklegaltax.com/visa-issues-when-your-work-permit-is-cancelled/ And then here is some info from the Phuket Immigration Volunteers....once again it makes a difference as to whether a person is on a Non B Visa or extension of that visa. https://piv-phuket.com/others/b-extension-cancelation/

Just go instead without an appt as you are going to be put in the front of the line anyway since transfer of stamps is easy and fast for immigration. Don't hog an extension appt slot someone else could use for an actual extension.

Agents to assist with an LTR visa application will not be able to offer the same type of assistance that some visa agents provide say for a 1 year Non O Retirement visa like magically making the income requirement seemingly not exist. A lot more paperwork is required for an LTR visa, especially income evidence, which a LTR visa agent will not be able to assist with....magically create the required income or overcome. All the LTR visa agent will be able to do is explain to the applicant the required paperwork and hope the applicant can then round-up that paperwork to give the LTR agent so the agent can continue to build an application package. Additionally, an agent has to be on the BoI Certified Agent list...right now only four LTR Certified Agent exist. Just any ol' visa agent (of which there are probably hundreds across Thailand) will not be able to build/submit a LTR application package...or deal directly with BoI on behalf of the applicant. Heck, lots of people use an agent to apply for a Thailand Elite Visa which requires very little paperwork, no income proof, no medical coverage, pretty much no-nothing other than a simple application form, passport, and "big money" to pay for the Elite visa. The Elite visa company runs a police background check on the applicant and a person is approved. Really a simple process but a lot of people still use agents to apply for an Elite visa. Yea, always a place for a visa agent as some applicants do not want to apply directly....they are willing to pay for the assistance of a visa agent......and govt agencies like the BoI and Immigration are fine with that as long as the applicant provides the necessary documentation in the LTR application. I guess you could call this a Win-Win-Win situation....the applicant gets the desired visa application assistance and hopefully an approved visa.....the agent makes money....the government gets to approve the visa & collect a Bt50K visa fee along with other benefits the LTR visa holder will provide Thailand.

As with all types of visas a person can do it all by themselves if they desire. However, some folks prefer to use an agent to assist and those folks are willing to pay for the service...for the assistance....for the guidance....for the handholding, etc. Now in the case of a typical 1 year visa say like a Non-O Retirement there is really not much paperwork at all....basically provide income proof via large deposit or monthly transfers along with your passport and application form. But LOTS of people still pay an agent to assist. Now in case of a LTR Pensioner visa there is lot more paperwork....more income proof paperwork like bank statements, pension benefit letter, and tax return. The income proof will be looked at closely. And medical insurance paperwork consisting of either Thai or foreign insurance policy for $50K USD, coverage under Thai social security, "or" self-insure with $100K USD in a Thai or foreign bank account for the last 12 months. And of course a copy of your passport, a photo of yourself in business attire, and on a case-by-case basis possibly a police clearance/background check. If going for another type of LTR Visa like a LTR Work from Thailand Visa there is additional paperwork regarding your current employer/evidence of employment, your qualifications, a CV, etc., on top of the paperwork described for the Pension visa above. Required docs for each type of LTR visa is listed at the the BoI LTR Visa website. https://ltr.boi.go.th/page/required-documents.html I sure lots of people will want assistance with the associated LTR application paperwork and will be willing to pay an agent fee. But applicants are going to find out they are still going to have to round-up all/most of the necessary paperwork to provide to the agent who can they help the applicant thru the application process. An agent is not going to be able to create a tax return for you....create a pension/annuity statement.....create monthly pay statements.....create a CV....round-up your foreign medical insurance coverage although the agent could arrange a Thai insurance policy...etc. In the case of an LTR visa an agent is really going to be more of a "screener/application co-preparer/coach" for the applicant more than anything else....and the applicant is still going to be on the hook to round-up a lot of necessary paperwork for the agent so the agent can screen/build the application package which will be submitted to the BoI for consideration.

Almost 15 years at my house in western Bangkok....mailbox on yard wall surrounding house...never a problem in mail delivery from the U.S. or within Thailand. Rountine mail from U.S. typically takes 10-14 days. Thai mailman delivers mail at least 6 days a week (Mon-Sat)....not sure about Sunday.

Yea...I always renew my U.S. 10 year passport at around the 9 year point to allow for plenty of renewal time and to always have at least 6 months validity left on the passport.