Pib

OP, Did you ever officially register your foriegn marriage with your amphur office? This would have been done after you got the marriage certificate translated and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "and then" you registering those docs with the amphur office which loads it into the Thailand marriage database.. Then you could have gotten a new KR22 at any time.

I renewed my passport in May 2022....it took 18 days/2.5 weeks including coming and going mailing time....I live in Bangkok. Now when I renewed my passport 10 years earlier from Bangkok it only took around 10 days. Since kimothai mentioned "next generation" passport I googled it. The State Dept weblink below describes the next generation passport and says the next generation passport started issuing in "2021" but my passport issued May 2022 was "not" the new generation passport. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/next-generation-passport.html And below State Dept weblink talks passport processing times....and it talks how they know the issuing of passports is taking longer for some people. Reading between the lines I think it probably boils down to a manpower & money issue. https://www.state.gov/important-updates-on-passport-processing/

Don't get your hopes up....I fully expect the US Embassy BKK to tell you what their website says.....see weblink/snapshot below. Other than certifying/notarizing docs required to apply for SS, the US Embassy BKK and the Chiang Mai Consulate got totally out of the SS assistance business several years ago. All you can really do is continue to try contacting the Manila SS FBU via the online Contact form, their email address, and/or by calling them. I know it's frustrating....for years the ability to actually talk to a human at the Manila SS FBU has been challenging to seemingly sometimes almost impossible "unless they called/emailed you." And it does seem over the last few years it's go even tougher to get info from the Manila FBU. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/federal-benefits/social-security/

I expect since you uploaded a "new passport" your application had been endorsed/approved and since a passport is the core/central doc of the application that this has resulted in your application be set-back several steps in the process so BoI (and possibly relevant agencies) can take another look, update their system/internal paperwork to fully link you new passport to your application. To use an analogy, it might be like needing to change the hub of a spoked wagon wheel where the hub is the passport with the the spokes & rim being all the other docs submitted.....to replace that hub the spokes & rim must be removed and then connected back to the new hub......not a snap fingers process. As Misty recommended I would definitely contact BoI to talk your status if your status doesn't start moving "forward" in the steps process say by around the middle of next week. Plus the LTR application IT system has went thru a lot of growing pains (and probably still has issues/glitches). Good luck....all of this is surely just an administrative, reshuffle the paperwork thing that unfortunately will take some time.

When you log onto your acct under the "Information" tab the flow diagram shows Qualification Approved as Step 4. You are probably just fine. I know during the final days of my LTR approval the status changed very frequently/rapidly as I responded to Notifications/Emails where BoI asked for certain things to dot all the i' s and cross all the t's. Just be sure to monitor your online acct "Notifications" area (i.e., the little bell in the upper left hand corner) and your Email inbox because the BoI may ask for additional info via Notifications/Email although there is no apparently change in online status. Yea....I think you are close to the finish line.

You say you qualify under the monthly income rule. This would mean your home country embassy still issues an income certification letter (keep in mind the U.S., U.K., and Auz embassies no longer issue such letters) "OR" you have had monthly income transfers of at least Bt65K going to your Thai bank account for 2 or 3 months (whether 2 or 3 seems to vary from immigration office to office although the rule is supposed to be 2 months) since your planned late May 2023 entry. This would mean monthly transfers would need to have been arriving since around Apr/May 2023 (or earlier) since you'll probably apply for the extension in around late Jul 2023.....basically 2 or 3 monthly transfers under your belt before the day you apply for an extension if your home country embassy no longer issues an income letter. Normally, immigration requires 12 months of transfers for annual extension "except for the first extension of your Non O visa after entry to Thailand" which will be your case.....so, you'll just need 2 or 3 months. So, if you meet above monthly income requirement you should be good-to-go to do a 1 year extension of stay. Otherwise, you'll need to go the Bt800K deposit method or try using an agent. Or, maybe try getting a 60 day extension of your 90 day Non O visa....maybe those 2 extra months will help bridge the gap to getting a LTR....but it sounds like going a 1 year extension is probably the best thing to do considering you can't be sure as to how long it will take to process your LTR application....for most folks it takes 1 to 2 months even when all their ducks are lined up.

If you are talking a reentry permit a LTR visa includes a multi-reentry permit. It a separate stamp next to the visa stamp.

Congrats!! Where you said "completed" 14 March do you mean that's when you got the endorsement approval notice/email from BoI "or" later on when you paid the fee/got the visa actually issued since a person has up to 60 days after endorsement notice to actually pay the fee/get the visa issued. Any other details you might want to share like method used to satisfy medical coverage, any request for additional docs, etc., would be appreciated as such details can add insight to the LTR approval process. Again...congrats!!

If the insurance is your main reason you can "self insure" with 100K USD equivalent balnce for at least the past 12 months in a "foriegn" or Thai bank. Repeat, a foriegn acct is fine. Just need to show statements as proof....like the statements you can download with your online banking.

Yeap. I have two ultramobile SIMs....$3/month. I only use them for banking/OTP type cases. Be sure to activate the ultramobile SIM while in the U.S. as the full activation requires a connection to a U.S. cell tower at least once. Make a call or two and send/receive a SMS to ensure the activation is complete. You are then good to go for worldwide use via cell connection and/or Wifi Calling.

Yea...you are right. Brain fart on my part.

It's my understanding that TM 6 Arrival/Departure card is now only required when arriving by air and not by land. So, depending on how/where a person enters Thailand would determine if you must complete a TM6 for their latest entry. Seems if required to fill out a TM6 "if you have a visa" like a LTR, OA, O, B, or whatever kind of visa, you would enter that visa number in the Visa Number block. "And if you do not have a visa like entering on a visa exempt you leave visa number blank." The TM6 is really not about having or not having a visa....it's really just for immigration to help track entries and exits that a person does. And if you do complete a TM6 for an entry, be sure to keep it in your passport for your next exit and/or other Thai immigration administrative purposes. Gosh knows Thai immigration just love forms like the TM6, TM30, etc.

I didn't get the LTR Wealthy Global visa which was the requirements you quoted.....those assets/income requirements too high for little ol' me. I got the LTR Pensioner visa which does "not" have a requirement for a million USD in assets. The LTR Pensioner visa which does "not" have a requirement for a million USD in assets nor the requirement to invest in Thailand unless your income falls below 80K USD. All LTR types have a 365 day address reporting.

I expect the LTR visa follows the same rule it's sister SMART visa which also only requires annual address reporting "AND that annual reporting date resets every time you re-enter Thailand"....that is, it's not due for another year from date of entry. https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/pages/how-to-manage.html

Yea....could be.

No.....not using the app...but I still have it installed on my phone. Was just reporting the link did show it still available on Google Play. When I was still doing 90 day reporting I used the newish web based link . But as of a few months ago my every 90 day reporting is a thing of the past for me as I switched from a Non OA Marriage extension of stay to a LTR Pensioner visa so now I only need to do address reporting once every 365 days.

Yeap...the link to the app on Google Play Store works for me also. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=th.go.immigration.immeService

Yes

Deleted.

A applicant spouse (such as the wife or husband) can apply for benefits "based" on the other spouse's SS earnings record either because using the other spouse's earning record would provide a higher benefit OR the applicant spouse did not work/pay into the SS funds for at least 10 years/40 credits. My wife receives her SS benefit based on the later. When a married person applies for SSA pension the SSA will automatically calculate benefits both ways and provide the highest of two. That is, a pension based on the person's own earning record or the spouse's earning record. See below SSA weblink/webpage which talks spousal benefit. And below I've also included a SSA webpage link which talks "survivor" benefits....like if I kick-the-bucket before my wife her current spousal benefit amount (which is a lot lower than my benefit) will automatically be upgraded to the amount I was receiving. That's called a survivor's benefit. A spousal benefit/pension does not necessarily mean the other spouse has kicked-the-bucket. Spousal Benefit https://www.ssa.gov/oact/quickcalc/spouse.html#:~:text=The spousal benefit can be,will receive a reduced benefit. Survivor Benefit https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/ifyou.html#:~:text=Survivors Benefit Amount,-We base your&text=Surviving spouse%2C full retirement age,50 through 59 — 71½%.

I guess you are saying that based on not wanting to pay for or unable to obtain medical insurance for coverage in Thailand. Well, a person can self insure with an LTR visa by showing they have at least 100K USD equivalent in a foriegn or Thai bank acct for the last 12 months. So, if a person can self insure they sure could save LOT of money in long term visa costs by going with a LTR visa compared to the very pricey super tourist visa called an Elite visa.

See below weblink/snapshot. You will need to talk to the SSA Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) at the U.S. Embassy-Manila. The Manila SSA FBU handles SSA benefit issues for this part of the world. Go to below weblink to download the 7162. https://ph.usembassy.gov/services/social-security/

At my local district office here in Bangkok each original Kor Ror 2 desired costs 1 (one) baht....probably just to cover the cost of the paper. When I was still doing marriage extension of stays when the wife and I went to the district office to get a Kor Ror 2 the district officer would always ask do we want one or two originals before starting the Kor Ror 2 generation process. Generating the 2nd original Kor Ror 2 only takes an extra minute of so due to the stamps & signatures involved.

And the pure joy of getting a "5 year permitted to stay" for a LTR visa entry stamp.....no need for the "annual" worry of getting another 1 year permitted to stay approval....and 1 year goes by so fast. Toss-in address reporting only once every 365 day vs every 90 days, a 5 year multi-reentry permit, 5 year work permit if desired, multiple ways to provide health insurance coverage to include self insuring if desired, etc. Since the LTR 10 year visa is really a 5 year plus 5 year visa when it comes time to the 2nd 5 year permit (no fee) that will probably be easy for most people since they have already learned how to ride the LTR bike when they got the 1st 5 years/initial approval.

ID.me website works fine from Thailand....can even your your Thai mobile phone for 2FA. No need to use a VPN U.S. IP connection. I have an ID.me acct and have used it to access my SSA online acct one time as a test, IRS online acct frequently, and a couple other U.S. govt websites from my Bangkok home on AIS Fibre internest. I've had a ID.me acct for around 18 months. Keep in mind that ID.me is really just a service that "verifies your identity" for any website like the SSA that uses ID.Me to verify a person's identity....AND MOST IMPORTANT, the Identity verification that ID.me uses "is based on requirements established by the website you are trying to get verified for." Some websites have strict requirements for identify verification; others less strict. When I first signed up for ID.me I got myself verified for IRS online acct which once accomplished also automatically allowed me to access other U.S. govt website using ID.me like SSA, etc. Now I've had my SSA online acct for many years...maybe around 10 years... and I still use the UserName and Password login for those who created an acct before 18 Sep 2021 "as recommended by SSA" (other than the one test via ID.me I mentioned earlier I did to ensure the logon to my SSA acct via ID.me did indeed work). Yes, ID.me works from Thailand. Keep in mind that ID.Me is just a "middle-man, logon portal" between you and the website you are trying to log onto. Once that logon connection is made by using the the ID.me portal you are then directly connected to/transferred to the website you were trying to reach like the SSA Online acct, IRS online acct, etc.