pepper402

Misty, I will certainly report back as soon as I can figure things out. Unfortunately, I am going to have to wait until I get my new Passport, which should hopefully be in four to six weeks. When I receive my new Passport, I will try to remove my old Passport from the BOI documents and submit a scan of my new one. Regarding the e-visa, I'm confused as to how this works. After I receive the LTR approval from the BOI, do I then apply for an e-visa on the Thai Los Angeles Embassy website? It doesn't look like this is functioning yet. Then what? What will I get from the e-visa? Will I need a "stamp" or something in my Passport?

I was also just approved. Unfortunately, I am no longer in Thailand and don’t have any plans to return within the next 60 days… I’ve tried calling the Thai Embassy in Los Angeles numerous times over the past several weeks and no one ever answers the phone. If I go to Los Angeles and walk in, I’m confident that they will turn me away and tell me that I have to first make an appointment. I will ask how I do that and I’m pretty sure they will tell me that I need to call them to do that.... I’ve also just sent my Passport in for renewal so the Passport on my LTR application is no longer valid - Is an E-Visa possible? How would I go about doing that? - How do I pay the 50,000 Baht. How much will the Embassy add as a surcharge via unfavorable exchange rate or other charges? - Can someone pay at the Chamchuri office for me, and then I can get the passport stamp at a later date? I have lots of questions.

I talked to the BOI today regarding my application and was told that “processing” means that all of the required documents seem to be in order and they have been sent to another department to authenticate, and to do a criminal background check. At least that is what I understood. Good luck to all applicants I also confess that I am concerned with all of my highly sensitive documents (Passport, Bank account numbers and asset information, Insurance information, Social security information, etc.) being passed around on possibly unsecured servers…

I am in the same status. I can add or remove items from #1 to #17 but can't "submit" (is that the bottom button you are referring to)? I wonder if I add a document will the bottom buttons reappear. I talked to a live person last week who told me that it would take 20 business days. I did not want to bring to his attention the fact that the website says "within 20 business days). I'm going to call again early next week. I'll post results.

It would be really nice if they had a chart which showed the stages of the process. Is processing ahead or behind pending? What comes next? They should be reading these forums, or have a feedback button. I was also one of the early Skytrain riders. It's a giant concrete monstrosity but great way to get around.

I have a feeling that 400 applicants is not what they expected - especially since they have been advertising this program for months. At this rate it will take 45 years to reach the 1 Million target. I also have a feeling that to save face, someone is going to give orders to get more applications approved. Anyone else have "processing" in their status? Is the next status update "approved" or "denied" ?

I was confused by this too. Did they mean to put a comma after income? A comma changes the definition. Think: Let's eat, grandma vs. Let's eat grandma. I couldn't understand why they would want evidence of income tax payments to another jurisdiction

My application now says "Processing" - sounds like progress, but who knows.

Thank you, Ryan. I obviously failed to read this carefully and I am not familiar with the E-visa. I presume I can pay with a credit card or check and don't need anything stamped in my Passport. I will be renewing my Passport in a few months so I'm guessing there will be some required paperwork to have them change the Passport number associated with my LTR visa (if approved).

This LTR seems to require an in-person visit. Visa Issuance Qualified applicants may proceed with applying for LTR Visa issuance at the Royal Thai Embassies/the Royal Thai Consulate Generals overseas or Immigration offices in Thailand within 60 days from the issuance date of the endorsement letter. The processing fee for the 10-year visa with multiple entry is 50,000 Baht per person in case of collecting LTR Visa in Thailand. In the case of collecting LTR Visa at the Royal Thai Embassies/the Royal Thai Consulate Generals overseas or E-visa, fee may vary depending on the currency exchange rate of each country.

"Final consideration process". I think they like you. I was able to reach someone by phone to ask if I can get approval (or not) by Sept 21 as I am in Thailand now and this would allow me to pay for the visa at Chamchuri Square office. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'll get this visa. The closest Embassy to me in California is seven hour drive each way and I don't think I will be back in Thailand within the prescribed 60 day window to consummate my visa. The guy I spoke with spoke English well and seemed like a nice guy but stated that approval takes 20 business days. On their website it states 'within 20 days"

I was able to get a letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield stating that my policy expires in 2099 but they would not write anything about my policy limits - since I don't have any. It took me four tries. The first letter detailed my copay and deductible which could have easily confused BOI staff. the LTR requirements state that my insurance will cover $50 K or more and I can't get that in writing so.... we'll see. I'm in "pending" status.

I had the exact same requests! I also checked "NO" for the work permit and was asked to complete a work permit request, and supply a photo. I scanned the exact same photo as my passport photo and hope they won't do the math and recognize that it's nine years old.

Mudcat, your pose a valid question (I have the same issue), and sent a very-well written letter. I can't help but wonder if simplifying the language and leaving out non-essential text would make it easier to get a response from a likely non-native English speaker. Just a thought.

The LTR is open for business! It's much better and easier to use than I expected (compared to the Thai Pass). Easy instructions, easy to upload documents, etc. . It seems that they added a new section "Evidence of income tax payment or annual personal income tax return" . I submitted a copy of my pension payment which shows taxes withheld (Hope that is sufficient). Unless I missed something, there wasn't anywhere for me to upload documents proving my income! I wasn't able to add children. The field was there but it was greyed out It already shows pending status and even shows the agent/analyst who is handling my application.

Congratulations, Ryan! How many pages total was your document submission? Did you attach monthly income statements for two years, or just submit one annual statement. Did you submit monthly asset statements? Did you attach copies of all Passport pages with a Thai entry stamp? Thanks!

Only about 35 hours until the official launch of the LTR on Sept 1. I submitted an application for prescreening about 10 days ago and never heard back. I think I'm going to just submit my formal application on the 1st unless anyone has a better suggestion. Thanks.

I have the same question. If they had just left this part off "in one year prior to the LTR Visa application."...

Dear BOI: Below is an email you could send to everyone who submits an LTR application for pre-screening. It takes 5 seconds to send and doesn’t require personalization (Dear Sir/Madam). You spent millions of Dollars on the Elite Visa program which has been in place for many years and attracted less than 9,000 applicants in total (program was introduced in 2003!). Small things like receipt acknowledgement, consistent practices and policies, timely review and replies, reduced paperwork burden, etc. will help make this new program a success. ---- Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for submitting your Long-Term Resident application for a pre-screening. We will review your application and get back to you with any errors that need to be corrected, or requirements for additional documentation. Thailand Board of Investment

I submitted my pre-screening request on Aug 19 and haven't heard back. Should I send them an email asking to confirm that they received it and for a status update? I don't want be a pest. It would be nice if they sent an email confirming receipt. It would also be nice if pre-screening doesn't find any issues with the application that the "official" review also doesn't find any issues.

My incentive (and I might be looking at this incorrectly) is to be able to visit Thailand as often as I like and stay longer than 30 or 45 days if I want to without headache or bureaucracy.

Thanks, Ryan. I submitted a draft application via email for review. I'll report back when I get a reply.

Ryan, how did you submit your application? I went through every link on the website and couldn't find anything. I got an error message when I tried to submit a question. Thanks