Thailand to tax residents’ foreign income irrespective of remittance

[Pib]

Misty, Thanks...my LTR work permit curiosity now totally satisfied.  

[lexxy]

On 6/24/2023 at 6:02 PM, oldcpu said:

Thanks for that image of the entry/exit stamps.

 

My understanding is on an LTR visa, each time one re-enters Thailand their date for an annual report is restarted, starting from the date of their re-entry ... so based on that image,  if you were still in Thailand, you wouldn't need to do an annual report until 15-April-2024.

 

But I note you left Thailand on 15-June-2023 with no corresponding (yet) re-entry stamp. That has me puzzling a bit - are you then required to enter Thailand again by 15-April-2024 to do an annual report  (or possibly enter Thailand again by 15-June-2024  to do an annual report ?  )

 

I assume not (as I assume one does not have to live in Thailand to keep the LTR visa) , but I am curious to confirm my assumption is correct.

I really have zero idea, I just show up and leave. I did think you only need to report once you are in the country continually for a year as when you land you fill in the tm30.. Not sure tho

[ThailandRyan]

4 hours ago, lextsy said:

I really have zero idea, I just show up and leave. I did think you only need to report once you are in the country continually for a year as when you land you fill in the tm30.. Not sure tho

That's the way I understood it. If you leVe before tge end of the year and then return after you would end up getting a restart on the 1vyear, much like a 90 day

[BritTim]

Recent discussions raise one question in my mind that no one has yet encountered, and may not even have been considered by the BOI. What happens if you want to be outside Thailand at the end of the initial five-year period? Can you deal with all the paperwork and other requirements remotely without needing to be present in the country?

[Pib]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

That's the way I understood it. If you leVe before tge end of the year and then return after you would end up getting a restart on the 1vyear, much like a 90 day

Yeap, I expect it works just like the multiyear BoI SMART visa which has 1 year reporting.   After issue of the visa, the reentering of Thailand resets the 1 year address reporting clock.

 

https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/pages/how-to-manage.html

[Misty]

22 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Recent discussions raise one question in my mind that no one has yet encountered, and may not even have been considered by the BOI. What happens if you want to be outside Thailand at the end of the initial five-year period? Can you deal with all the paperwork and other requirements remotely without needing to be present in the country?

It's an interesting question.  Not sure if this is an indication of the possible answer, but I dealt with all the paperwork and other LTR visa requirements remotely without being in the country for the initial application.  And the LTR visa itself has a 10 year date on it.

[ThailandRyan]

27 minutes ago, Misty said:

It's an interesting question.  Not sure if this is an indication of the possible answer, but I dealt with all the paperwork and other LTR visa requirements remotely without being in the country for the initial application.  And the LTR visa itself has a 10 year date on it.

When I obtained my LTR Visa, as one of the first in the country, I asked this question when they handed me the 2 LTR documents (Letter and sheet indicating the Visa Dates) and told me to hold on to them as they would be needed at the end of the 5th year in order to recertify the Visa for another 5 year stamp.  The BOI folks advised me that when the time came to recertify I would just have to upload the same documents, updated ones of course, as well as what they gave me, back into the system when they requested them.  I was told it could be done from outside of the country and the system would be updated so when I re-entered I would have the needed documents for Immigration to stamp me in for another 5 years.

[Pib]

It will be interesting as to what BoI and Immigration agrees to on the mid term/5 year extension process.   I'm sure 99% of the administrative type stuff could be done online setting behind a keyboard anywhere on Earth like how the initial application was handled. 

 

BUT my question also is how will BoI/Immigration handle the "inking" of the 5 year Permitted to Stay stamp into your passport after approval of the 2nd 5 years.   

 

Will BoI/Immigration give a person a maximum of 60 days to finalize the approval by getting the stamp inked in the passport via an actual inking or using the evisa system...OR, will a BoI mid term approval letter just say to provide the letter to Immigration on your next entry and immigration will ink the new 5 year period into your passport.   Like Misty pointed out, the LTR Visa is initially issued for a 10 year period.  However, only a 5 year permitted to stay stamp is provided because 5 years is the maximum period immigration provides for any type of visa. 

 

Heck, even for a 20 year Elite visa although the paid membership is for 20 years each Elite visa is only issued in 5 year increments and each entry only for a 1 year Permitted to Stay before requiring an exit/reentry or going to immigration for a 1 year extension.  Now when an Elite Visa 5 year stamp expires I do not think the Elite member has to get a new stamp before it expires if he happens to be outside Thailand for an extended time.  Instead, he just communicates with the Elite Visa Company that his 5 yr Elite visa stamp is expired, he will need a new one as he's arriving in Thailand o/a a certain date, and when he arrives the Elite Visa Company has already provided Airport Immigration with the required paperwork to immediately issue a new 5 year Elite visa covering a 5 year period.  I'm no expert on Elite visa but that's how I understand the info given on the Elite visa website.

 

Time will tell.  Since the first LTR visas were issued in Sep 2022 which means it will not be until mid 2027 that BoI/Immigration needs to publish definitive rules on the mid term renewal process I expect BoI/Immigration has decided they have plenty of time to formalize the mid term procedure especially if they think the LTR visa might mutate over the coming years as it grows from crawling to walking to running. 

 

[MPoll]

Regarding what happens in 5 years I am saving tax forms and insurance certificates for the first 5 years with the expectation that they may ask whether I met the initial terms throughout the first 5 years. When I applied in Oct I only needed to supply my most recent tax return. My understanding is that applicants now have to supply the 2 previous year tax returns. In 5 years will they ask for the previous 5 years tax returns? I remember asking them if they will check whether I have insurance and they said no at the time but will they check to see if I maintained my insurance? I don't have to worry about my pension income. That won't change.

[JimGant]

On 6/26/2023 at 9:53 AM, Pib said:

Yeap, I expect it works just like the multiyear BoI SMART visa which has 1 year reporting.

That reference to SMART Visa reporting that Pib posted had reporting restricted to in-person (or by someone you designate) at OSS Center, Bangkok. But if you do a little more research on that SMART link, you'll see that you can also report by registered mail. This is probably the route they'll follow for LTR reporting -- and since I used to do all my 90 day reporting by mail, this certainly is no hassle, particularly if it's only required once a year -- a situation for us non-travelers.

[Pib]

A friend asked about the mid term LTR extension process just a few days ago.....below is the response he got from BoI.  He did ask if 5 years of docs, 1 year of docs, etc., would be required, but BoI just said the process would be "similar" to the initial application process so I expect they will only need 1 to 2 years of docs.  But it appears BoI/Immigration have an extension process planned but probably feel it's too early to post a specific procedure on the LTR website right now as things could change over the coming years as no one needs to extend before Sep 2027 when the very first LTR visas issued in Sep 2022 will require the mid term extension. 

 

Quote

Currently, once the remaining duration of your visa is less than 90 days, you will receive a notification in your LTR account and via email to remind you.  In your account, you will find a button for visa extension. The visa extension process will be similar to when you initially applied for the LTR Visa online.  You will need to submit the required information and documents according to the requirements of your specific visa category.  Please ensure to follow the instructions and provide all the necessary documentation for a smooth visa extension process.

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Pib

[Ben Zioner]

Got this today from friendly BOI (ignore if redundant):

 

LTR Visa holders staying in Thailand for a period longer than 1 year consecutively are required to report the current address to the Immigration at One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit (OSS) either in person, or by authorizing someone to report for you on your behalf. This report must be done on a yearly basis counting from LTR Visa issuance date (15 days before or 7 days after the date specified on 1-year report notification card). However, in the case of re-entering the Kingdom, the report will be due in 1 year from the date of the latest arrival.

 

The documents required to be submitted to the immigration are as follows.

- TM.91 Form (completely filled out and signed) (Download here: https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/document/related/คำสั่งสำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง_ที่_234-2561_ปรับปรงุแนวทางปฏิบัติ_smart_visa.pdf

- Passport

- T.M. 6 Card (arrival/departure card)

- 1-Year report notification card (if any)

- T.M. 61 Form (For authorized person reporting on behalf of LTR visa holder who lives in Bangkok) (Download here: https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/document/related/Report_of_residence_TM61.pdf

 

*T.M. 61 Form (For authorized person reporting on behalf of smart visa holder who lives in Bangkok)

[Pib]

27 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Got this today from friendly BOI (ignore if redundant):

 

LTR Visa holders staying in Thailand for a period longer than 1 year consecutively are required to report the current address to the Immigration at One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit (OSS) either in person, or by authorizing someone to report for you on your behalf. This report must be done on a yearly basis counting from LTR Visa issuance date (15 days before or 7 days after the date specified on 1-year report notification card). However, in the case of re-entering the Kingdom, the report will be due in 1 year from the date of the latest arrival.

 

The documents required to be submitted to the immigration are as follows.

- TM.91 Form (completely filled out and signed) (Download here: https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/document/related/คำสั่งสำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง_ที่_234-2561_ปรับปรงุแนวทางปฏิบัติ_smart_visa.pdf

- Passport

- T.M. 6 Card (arrival/departure card)

- 1-Year report notification card (if any)

- T.M. 61 Form (For authorized person reporting on behalf of LTR visa holder who lives in Bangkok) (Download here: https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/document/related/Report_of_residence_TM61.pdf

 

*T.M. 61 Form (For authorized person reporting on behalf of smart visa holder who lives in Bangkok)

BOI is basically quoting from paragraph 4.1 of below BoI SMART visa webpage.   But there is also an alternate method which is the "report by mail option" also spelled out in paragraph 4.1 just below where they talk reporting in person/authorized rep.

 

https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/pages/how-to-manage.html

[oldcpu]

On 6/24/2023 at 4:45 PM, TerraplaneGuy said:

Very helpful report, thanks.  Two questions about the bonds:  Do they have to have a term of at least 5 years?  And roughly what interest rate were you able to get (I'm seeing a 5-year Thai rate of 2.35% online this week, compared to around 4% for U.S. treasuries - is that about right?)

Further to this ...

 

An update on a bit about the Thai Government bonds and one's Thai tax number (in case any are interested). 

 

Recall I purchased 2-million Thai Baht worth of Thai government bonds as part of my $250K US$ equivalent investment in Thailand, to successfully obtain the 10-year LTR Wealthy Pensioner visa.  

 

Tax ID number:

 

When applying to purchase the bond, Bangkok Bank requested my Thailand tax ID number, where I had no such number.  So I gave Bangkok Bank my "pink ID card" number which they entered in the tax field.  The bond purchase then successfully continued.  (I note also this same number from my "pink ID card" is on my "Yellow Book" for my Thailand foreign freehold condo that I own).

 

Today I received in the postal mail a notification from the "Bank of Thailand" stating the interest I had received to date and also the amount of withholding tax they kept.  In addition, on the notification was listed (translated to English by me with Google) my "Citizen ID number/Tax ID number", which was the same number as the number on my Pink-ID that I had provided.

 

Further, there was an additional field in this "Bank of Thailand" notification, which (after translating by Google from Thai to English) called my "tax payer identification number".  This is a new number and it does not correspond to any number on my "Yellow Book" nor on my "Pink ID" number.  So it appears I now have a Thailand taxpayer identification number ???? which my wife thought was funny that I now have a Thai taxper ID #.  I was less amused.  ???? However given I don't nominally earn much money in Thailand (nor, relatively speaking, do I have much else in Thailand in regards to money gaining interest), having a Thai taxpayer ID# is not an issue for myself at present time (... noting that currently I do pay taxes in Canada (file income tax return to Canada every year) and Germany (money kept by Germany as withholding tax)).

 

Interest rate

 

As I have noted elsewhere, I don't see purchasing these Thai government bonds as much of an "investment" for myself (given my money is nominally invested elsewhere), where I suspect buying 2-million THB of bonds is VERY IMPORTANT to those who barely meet the Wealthy Pensioner requirements.   Fortunately for me, the BoI do see this as an investment (in Thailand).

 

Myself - for this amount, I really could not care less about the interest rate (as long the interest rate is not a large negative amount) for I plan to hold these bonds to maturity (and I have other investments outside of Thailand that are more important to me). 

 

Still - I note the bond interest rate for 2-million THB is VERY important to others.

 

SO for those who do care about this small bond purchase amount, in case curious, some details:
* The Thai government bond purchase was for 2-million baht, maturity 7 years, interest rate 3%
* The Bank of Thailand notification noted that (for 92-days) the bond gave 15,123.28 THB interest, of which 2,268.49 was withholding tax, and hence I received 12,854.79 THB in interest.  That's about only a very small 15% withholding taxation rate.  I wish my Canadian and German withholding tax rates were that low.

 

Perhaps a mute point, but if I had purchased an equivalent amount of bonds in Canada instead, I would be paying >35% tax (for my case) to Canada (ie I would pay more than the 25% Canadian withholding tax after I filed my tax return to Canada).  So to make the same (after tax) interest from bonds in Canada (given my Canadian tax rate) I would have to buy equivalent amount of Canadian bonds with an interest rate of about 4% (instead of Thailand at 3%).  OK - a mute point for me as I don't care about the interest, but I did the calculation as I thought others may be interested.

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by oldcpu

[TaoNow]

Just a footnote:  Anyone who is paid locally in Thai baht by an official instition or business should (must?) have a Thai tax ID#.

 

Nothing strange about that.

 

[Pib]

@oldcpu

 Keep in mind you can recover that withholding tax by filing an Thai income tax return/refund request each year during the Jan-Mar timeframe.  In the past I did this for around 3 or 4 years when I was investing in some Thai bank "fixed savings" accounts.   Not hard at all...full refund came in about a month.

[Misty]

16 hours ago, oldcpu said:

* The Bank of Thailand notification noted that (for 92-days) the bond gave 15,123.28 THB interest, of which 2,268.49 was withholding tax, and hence I received 12,854.79 THB in interest.  That's about only a very small 15% withholding taxation rate.  I wish my Canadian and German withholding tax rates were that low.

I wish my US marginal tax rate were that low too.  The only silver lining is that the 15% Thai withholding tax can be used as a foreign tax credit against US tax owed.

 

[Pib]

16 minutes ago, Misty said:

I wish my US marginal tax rate were that low too.  The only silver lining is that the 15% Thai withholding tax can be used as a foreign tax credit against US tax owed.

 

Actually you can not take the credit if you do not exercise available remedies to reduce the amount "like filing a Thai tax return where you claim and receive a refund of the tax withheld.  See below IRS info.

 

https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1116

 

[Misty]

2 hours ago, Pib said:

Actually you can not take the credit if you do not exercise available remedies to reduce the amount "like filing a Thai tax return where you claim and receive a refund of the tax withheld.  See below IRS info.

 

https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1116

 

Good point for those it applies too.  Sadly I do file a Thai tax return, but am not due a Thai tax refund.

[Pib]

9 minutes ago, Misty said:

Good point for those it applies too.  Sadly I do file a Thai tax return, but am not due a Thai tax refund.

Cool...then you can indeed file for the U.S. tax return credit since you did attempt a remedy.

 

But I've seen posts from some U.S. folks over the years who have tax withheld from Thai savings accts who don't file a Thai tax return/refund request (i.e., make no attempt to recover the withholding tax) say they just file for a credit/deduction on their U.S. tax return which is not allowed per IRS instructions as posted earlier. 

[tai4de2]

Submitted my application for WGS today.

 

Compared to the eVisa application site I used a few months ago for a different kind of visa, the LTR site is pretty easy to deal with. No need to coalesce PDFs because multiple documents are accepted, and I didn't encounter any size limits on the documents either.

 

...and now I wait!

[Pib]

8 hours ago, tai4de2 said:

Submitted my application for WGS today.

 

Compared to the eVisa application site I used a few months ago for a different kind of visa, the LTR site is pretty easy to deal with. No need to coalesce PDFs because multiple documents are accepted, and I didn't encounter any size limits on the documents either.

 

...and now I wait!

Good luck.   By WGS I guess you meant Wealthy Global Citizen....if so, if you don't mind me asking how are you meeting the $500K investment in Thailand requirement?  Maybe a Thai residence you have bought in the past and still own, etc.

 

Regardless of which LTR type you are applying for, be sure to check your email inbox, the LTR online acct "Notifications" box, "AND" your online acct Check Status, Action View, Step 4 Upload area for messages/comments/requests for additional docs.   

 

Check all three locations as based on my personal experience last year communications from the BoI in the processing of your application can appear in one to all three areas.   For me there was one time that a request for additional docs only appeared in the Check Status, Active View, Step 4 Upload area in the form of very brief Comments in red text relating to income and health insurance....I did not get any email or Notification that the request had been made or more detailed comments. 

 

Yea, watch above mentioned three areas closely....and again, good luck.

[tai4de2]

Thanks, yes WGC. 
 

And yes, condo.  

[JimGant]

Report on getting a Wealthy Pensioner LTR visa at OSS Bangkok:

Applied 30 May, providing all requested documents.

All accepted, except my Tricare medical insurance:

            Sent an email pointing out that the Tricare document I submitted was the same as that accepted from previous applicants. I even provided some quotes from this forum to that effect. Was told to resubmit, which I did – this time with a cover letter pointing out BoI’s previous acceptance of the DoD letter from other applicants, plus highlighting the operative sentence on that letter:

            “This letter may be used as proof of current coverage under a Tricare administered program.”

 

[How to get this DoD letter is discussed earlier in this thread.]

 

Didn’t hear anything for several days, so pinged them again as to status, and advised that I could self insure, if that’s what it came to (probably bad move, as this could give them an out to deny Tricare).

 

Finally, on 14 June, received a “Qualification Approved (endorsed).” Obviously, then, my Tricare had been accepted – but I heard nothing more about that decision.

 

Told to submit passport data again; plus latest travel info (stamps); where you want to get the Visa (OSS or embassy); and various requests for other submissions (actually, resubmissions, like a TM47). Also, fill out an online form, with info such as your address, phone, blah blah. When I hit “submit,” nothing happened, except a return to top of page. Realized this probably meant the submission failed – so I queried LTR via email about, did they receive it, or what might I be doing wrong. They immediately replied that, don’t leave any of the blocks on the online form blank. If not applicable, at least fill in with a dash. So, I went back and put a dash in my “street name” block (my gravel street has no name), and presto – I got the “success” when I submitted.

 

On 15 June, all the submissions in the “Document Review for Visa” step, above, must have passed muster, as I went to the next step: “Visa Issuance Pre-approved.” Here’s where you make your appointment to come into OSS. This appointment date will be inserted at applicable locations in the four documents you’ll later download.

            The appointment calendar has hourly selections. It was almost empty, so I could have gone the next day, had I been in Bangkok. But I wasn’t – so I opted for three weeks later, on 5 July, at 11:00 AM. Bad choice of time (I’ll elaborate later).

            The four documents to download are: TM94; STM8;Confirmation of Appointment; and Notification of Qualification Endorsement. The buttons to click  on for the first three are apparent; however, for the fourth one, you’ll need to go to the “check status” category, click on “print,” and then you’ll be taken to the downloads (one English, one Thai). Check carefully the filled-in fields on your TM94 and STM8; they really screwed up my address, but easily correctable with Adobe.

 

Other application facts:

For income, I submitted last year’s tax return, with 1099’s; and this year’s projected income, using pay statements. Both submissions had cover letters explaining what all the numbers meant, translating the monthly figures into a yearly projection.

 

When I queried them as to what exactly they wanted, I got: "You will only have to submit the income of previous year or the last 12 months." Hmmm. Sounds like last year's tax return could stand by itself..... Or you could submit pay stubs for the first 6 months of this year, plus pay stubs from last 6 months of last year. Anyway, what I submitted sufficed.

 

They don’t specifically ask for an upload of that six page “Application for Qualification Endorsement,” but I uploaded it in the “Other Documents” section. Don’t know if it was needed, but it seemed like an important enough document…..maybe not.

 

All communications were via email ([email protected]). Didn't use the contact button, as reports have that as buggy. Never had a phone conversation, as the email correspondence answered all my questions and was very responsive.

 

Appointment Day, 5 July:

Not knowing traffic situation, showed up at OSS early, like, 9:30 for my 11:00 appointment. A few customers there, but apparently none for LTR visas. So, they immediately took my paperwork, assigned a minder, and had me sit down. Minder came back from Immigration, requesting the original TM6 (which I had, as it had been recently attached to my passport). And also requesting my original TM47. After explaining I do it online, thus an original is impossible, she went back to Immigration with this explanation. Apparently accepted, as she came back to lead me to Immigration to have my photo taken (polo shirt acceptable).

 

Still in Immigration, she had me sit while she dealt with the next step. She came back, saying it will be about an hour’s wait (the place was really packed) – thus we went back to the comfortable chairs in the LTR office.

 

So after about an hour, we went back to Immigration, where I paid my 50000 baht. Then, to another part of Immigration, where I sat among the masses, inwardly smiling, knowing I’d never have to do this again at CM Immigration. Fifteen minutes later, got my passport, with its new stamps, and returned to the LTR office, where they went over the stamps with me, then said goodbye.

 

All in all, it took about one and a half hours. Thus, if I’d showed up at my appointed time of 11:00, I would have bumped into Immigration’s lunchtime, and thus would have to wait for them to open up again. So, I suggest you don’t use 11:00 as an appointment time.

 

Now, to call LMG insurance and cancel that worthless requirement for OA extensions. The renewal premium I’ll save more than covers the cost of the LTR visa. And the cost of the five star hotel, air fare, gourmet dinners, and limos to and from airport.

 

Good experience. Will probably have to do again in five years, as I doubt the Immigration Bureau will farm this out to provincial offices (except maybe the one year reporting). But, hey, no complaints.

Edited July 8, 2023 by JimGant

[Pib]

Congrats Jim!   Must feel good to have your old OA visa now dead & buried....killed-off (cancelled) when the new LTR visa was issued without needing to leave Thailand or first let the OA visa die a natural death (expire).  Why didn't you include a picture of the OA Visa tombstone you put in your backyard?  Since you didn't include a picture I'm including it below....hope you don't mind.   ???? 

 

[HerewardtheWake]

On 7/8/2023 at 9:52 AM, JimGant said:

Now, to call LMG insurance and cancel that worthless requirement for OA extensions. The renewal premium I’ll save more than covers the cost of the LTR visa. And the cost of the five star hotel, air fare, gourmet dinners, and limos to and from airport.

Jim, does this sentence mean that no health insurance policy is needed once you get the LTR visa? Thanks.

 

[Pib]

47 minutes ago, HerewardtheWake said:

... does this sentence mean that no health insurance policy is needed once you get the LTR visa? Thanks.

 

Health insurance or self-insure is required.  The health insurance policy can be foreign or Thai.   And where it talks valid "social security" coverage they mean Thai social security medical coverage.   See below quotes/snapshots from the BoI LTR website.  

 

https://ltr.boi.go.th/index.html

 

 

Quote

2.2.3 Provide a health insurance policy covering medical expenses in Thailand of at least USD 50,000 with a remaining coverage period of at least 10 months as of the date of the letter of qualification endorsement issuance; or evidence of social security benefits insuring medical expenses in Thailand, or a deposit balance of at least USD 100,000 in a bank account in Thailand or abroad retained for at least12 months as of thedateof application

 

[JimGant]

1 hour ago, HerewardtheWake said:

Jim, does this sentence mean that no health insurance policy is needed once you get the LTR visa? Thanks.

Well, at least with the LTR visa you can medically self-insure, with $100k in a liquid, non investment, account. In my situation, I have Tricare (based on my US military service), which BoI has realized has a very substantial coverage, that meets all their requirements. Either way, LTR wants you to be insured -- but is flexible, and realistic.

 

Now, on my now-elapsed retirement extension off of a Non Imm O-A visa .. I was required to have one of 12 (maybe it's 14) Thai medical insurance policies. This is a complete scam, hosted by these Thai insurance companies. My LMG policy has a 1 million baht deductible, per procedure! Is anybody realistically covered under this scheme? And the annual premium is 69,000 baht (and this is the cheapest of the 12 (14) Thai insurance companies).

 

So, the LTR visa allows me to cut loose from the Thai insurance mafia. This would never happen while I was on a Non Imm O-A retirement extension -- just too much gravy for the insurance mafia -- and their government co-conspirators.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by JimGant

[OneZero]

15 minutes ago, JimGant said:

Well, at least with the LTR visa you can medically self-insure, with $100k in a liquid, non investment, account. In my situation, I have Tricare (based on my US military service), which BoI has realized has a very substantial coverage, that meets all their requirements. Either way, LTR wants you to be insured -- but is flexible, and realistic.

 

Now, on my now-elapsed retirement extension off of a Non Imm O-A visa .. I was required to have one of 12 (maybe it's 14) Thai medical insurance policies. This is a complete scam, hosted by these Thai insurance companies. My LMG policy has a 1 million baht deductible, per procedure! Is anybody realistically covered under this scheme? And the annual premium is 69,000 baht (and this is the cheapest of the 12 (14) Thai insurance companies).

 

So, the LTR visa allows me to cut loose from the Thai insurance mafia. This would never happen while I was on a Non Imm O-A retirement extension -- just too much gravy for the insurance mafia -- and their government co-conspirators.

 

 

 

 

In order to rid yourself of that "insurance mafia" why did you not just discuss with Immigration converting from that Non Imm "O-A" Visa to a Non Imm "O" visa" a long time ago?

[JackGats]

6 hours ago, Pib said:

Health insurance or self-insure is required.  The health insurance policy can be foreign or Thai.   And where it talks valid "social security" coverage they mean Thai social security medical coverage.   See below quotes/snapshots from the BoI LTR website.  

 

https://ltr.boi.go.th/index.html

 

 

 

 

 

So that's what this enigmatic sentence mean (point 2 B.)? I wondered how "benefits" could be an alternative to insurance. Benefits are revenue, insurance is an entitlement.

 

Why didn't they write "Thai social security coverage"?