Optician shop - REALLY BAD

[Cocon]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

No education papers required for a LTR pensioner visa.   

 

Pensioner required docs here:

https://ltr.boi.go.th/documents/Required-docs-Wealthy-Pensioners-14-05-2024.pdf

Thanks Pib

[mickflick]

So far, I find the processing of my LTR visa application to be a complete disaster. The official was obviously unable to interpret my pension notice and requested a lot of other documents such as my deposit statement. When I sorted that out, the issue of my health insurance began. I have internationally valid private health insurance. A current insurance certificate that I presented did not prevent the official from asking for a receipt from the health insurance company that I had paid contributions. When I provided this, he now wants written confirmation from my health insurance company that they will not cancel my contract or change the tariff while I am in Thailand. The official had already requested the insurance terms and conditions and everything is in there. I referred to this but they only replied that they would check it when I presented the letter from the health insurance company. I could go mad. No insurance company puts up with such a kindergarten drama. I can no longer believe that this is all pure incompetence. I am slowly beginning to suspect that this is being blocked on purpose.  Of course I can use one of these agencies for 81,000 Baht. Then it will probably be sorted out very quickly, as everyone can imagine. But I don't see that as a good idea, because my case is really simple and there are no doubts about it. Has anyone had similar experiences?

[oldcpu]

31 minutes ago, mickflick said:

So far, I find the processing of my LTR visa application to be a complete disaster. The official was obviously unable to interpret my pension notice and requested a lot of other documents such as my deposit statement. When I sorted that out, the issue of my health insurance began. I have internationally valid private health insurance. A current insurance certificate that I presented did not prevent the official from asking for a receipt from the health insurance company that I had paid contributions. When I provided this, he now wants written confirmation from my health insurance company that they will not cancel my contract or change the tariff while I am in Thailand.

 

I concede it can seem like you are going around in circles ... but I think if you stick with it you will succeed. 

 

My experience in different countries around the world when dealing with bureaucracy is that there can be 'hidden reasons for the delays'.  If I had to guess I would say the individual who is handling/screening your case at BoI ran into issues in the past with another applicant, that has irritated that BoI individual screener's boss ...  where the boss is pushing his employee to get more info than normal ... and you being the 'low man on the totem pole' here means it all ends on your lap.

 

I went the $100K US equivalent in the Bank route for self health insurance instead of using my European Cigna (as their paperwork about coverage are simply too massive for BoI to find the very precise information they want to see) and this took me some time to prove (as some of my accounts were not accepted as it was possible to trade equities with them). What some have done is asked their Health Insurance company to write a letter saying one has a health insurance contract with $50K US coverage that expires on such and such a date (or maybe it is open ended with no expiry date).  I did not go that route so I do not know the exact wording in the letter (from insurance company) that was acceptable to BoI.  But when I go for my 5-year re-proof, I think I will try the 'letter' from the Insurance company approach.

 

I took me ~5 months to have my LTR approved, but I succeeded in the end.  Perhaps part of that long duration was my fault, as I only fed BoI the bare minimum for financial proof (as I didn't want to share the entire scope of my finances with them) and maybe that complicated things.

 

Good luck !

[Pib]

13 hours ago, mickflick said:

So far, I find the processing of my LTR visa application to be a complete disaster. The official was obviously unable to interpret my pension notice and requested a lot of other documents such as my deposit statement. When I sorted that out, the issue of my health insurance began. I have internationally valid private health insurance. A current insurance certificate that I presented did not prevent the official from asking for a receipt from the health insurance company that I had paid contributions. When I provided this, he now wants written confirmation from my health insurance company that they will not cancel my contract or change the tariff while I am in Thailand. The official had already requested the insurance terms and conditions and everything is in there. I referred to this but they only replied that they would check it when I presented the letter from the health insurance company. I could go mad. No insurance company puts up with such a kindergarten drama. I can no longer believe that this is all pure incompetence. I am slowly beginning to suspect that this is being blocked on purpose.  Of course I can use one of these agencies for 81,000 Baht. Then it will probably be sorted out very quickly, as everyone can imagine. But I don't see that as a good idea, because my case is really simple and there are no doubts about it. Has anyone had similar experiences?

 

As oldcpu recommended continue to provide as much info as you can, but obviously you are probably not going to be able to provide documentation from your insurance company that they will not cancel your policy or change the tariff while in Thailand.

 

And to give honest feedback when I first read you post (especially the part where I bolded above) I got the impression that BOI feels the policy may not be genuine....kinda like a fake college degree diploma and BOI is asking for additional documentation (i.e., like payment info, etc) to help confirm whether the policy is real or not.  Now of course a person could always submit more fake paperwork to support the initial fake paperwork, but that can get harder to do. 

 

Now the part where BOI asked for paperwork which says the policy will not be cancelled or tariff increased I think that may be a miscommunication...a misworded request....etc., as I can't see any insurance company specifically saying such.  The most they might say is the already stated possible reasons for cancellation which would surely already be documented in the current policy/related policy paperwork.   Or maybe in your case BOI has real concern your policy could be easily cancelled and the premium you already paid pretty much fully refunded...and you might do this right after you get they LTR visa approved.   Maybe BOI has had others do this already....maybe with policies from the same insurance company you are using.   But the more I think about it BOI probably has concerns the policy will provide "continuous" coverage while in Thailand and may instead be a policy that would only provide temporary coverage say for example 30-90 days....many policies are like that where they provide excellent coverage in your home country/certain countries but if you move to another country or saying travelling for a few months the coverage is very limited or non-existent.   You need to show BOI the policy is basically worldwide coverage....coverage that don't stop simply because you are in another country temporarily OR full time.

 

In closing, I DO NOT mean to imply your policy is fake or questionable....no, no, no....I'm not saying that!   But maybe BOI is thinking that based on their past experience with some other applicants.  From looking at the old stats on LTR visas where BOI only reported "applications" whether approved or disapproved "compared" to now where they only report  "approved" applications it's obvious a LOT of applications do not meet requirements for various reasons but applicants still gave it shot, launched a hail mary, etc., to see if their application might get approved especailly since they have nothing to lose like a non-refundable application fee.  And in those cases where BOI asked for additional documentation one or more times it's because the documentation/proof submitted to date is not satisfying BOI.  So, "if possible" submit the requested additional doc and/or include a signed memo from yourself to BOI explaining/clarifying the situation.   Sometimes these personal memos go a long way in clearing things up and satisfying folks.

 

Good luck.

 

[JohnnyBD]

15 hours ago, mickflick said:

Of course I can use one of these agencies for 81,000 Baht. Then it will probably be sorted out very quickly, as everyone can imagine. But I don't see that as a good idea, because my case is really simple and there are no doubts about it. Has anyone had similar experiences?

Why not just buy the insurance from one of the LTR approved providers. It only took 6 weeks to get my LTR visa approved. I used AXA Thailand, which is one of the LTR providers, and it wasn't expensive. I have insurance with Aetna through my company, but after reading about the problems people were having trying to use their existing policies, I decided to do it the easy way, even if it cost me a little extra.

[Pib]

Buying a local insurance policy can work for some but depending on age and/or preexisting conditions it might not be possible or expensive (plus practically useless) for some.  It can really  PO a person when  they have excellent/worldwide insurance but can't satisfy BOI regarding the policy.

[mickflick]

Thank you very much for all the good advice. I have an excellent international health insurance with unlimited cover. So I don't see any reason why I should take out an additional policy just because the BOI is unable to interpret my insurance documents correctly. They also have extensive insight into my (comfortable) financial situation and for that reason alone they shouldn't treat me like a criminal. The BOI also requested my insurance terms and conditions, which state the cancellation terms. I referred to the relevant paragraphs and said that this would explain it better than an insurance letter. They only replied that they would only check it once they have the letter from the insurance company. You have to wonder why they even requested the insurance terms and conditions. What is going on here is so crazy and illogical. My insurance certificate also shows that I have been insured with this insurance company since 1999, so the BOI should also take this into account in their considerations. Furthermore, the insurance policy was up to date and it is actually clear that you do not receive an insurance confirmation if you have not paid the premiums. In this respect, all of this is incomprehensible. The health insurance issue had also been dealt with in the meantime and further confirmation was requested. When I had submitted all of this, the health insurance issue was brought up again with a request for the confirmation letter described above. Just getting confirmation that you had paid the premiums for the last 6 months was extremely difficult because something like that is completely unusual. I had also sent the BOI my bank statements with the deductions for the insurance premiums, but that was not enough for them. It was only through good contacts with my local insurance advisor that I finally got a stamp confirming that I had paid the premiums.  If I now arrive back and want another confirmation letter confirming that the insurance company cannot cancel my policy, everyone will think I am no longer of sound mind. I have written a corresponding letter and asked the BOI official to confirm that it contains all the information that is important to him. I also wrote to him that I am having extreme difficulty getting this type of confirmation letter from the insurance company and that he should please state all the questions he still has about my health insurance now because no further confirmation letters will be possible. Only when I have this confirmation will I bother my health insurance company with this letter. However, I have not received a response from the BOI for 5 days, which is absolutely unusual. Perhaps I worded the letter in such a way that someone has lost face. Who knows. In any case, I have had enough of this whole drama. I'm not particularly spoiled by german authorities, but I've never experienced the way the boi acts here. Communication, if it takes place at all, is very monosyllabic and unfriendly. On the one hand, I don't need the LTR visa and on the other hand, the whole procedure leaves such a bad impression that I am really looking for other destinations.  I have been thinking about Malaysia for a while now and will look into it more closely.

[oldcpu]

8 hours ago, mickflick said:

Thank you very much for all the good advice. I have an excellent international health insurance with unlimited cover. So I don't see any reason why I should take out an additional policy just because the BOI is unable to interpret my insurance documents correctly. They also have extensive insight into my (comfortable) financial situation and for that reason alone they shouldn't treat me like a criminal. The BOI also requested my insurance terms and conditions, which state the cancellation terms. I referred to the relevant paragraphs and said that this would explain it better than an insurance letter. They only replied that they would only check it once they have the letter from the insurance company. You have to wonder why they even requested the insurance terms and conditions. What is going on here is so crazy and illogical. My insurance certificate also shows that I have been insured with this insurance company since 1999, so the BOI should also take this into account in their considerations. Furthermore, the insurance policy was up to date and it is actually clear that you do not receive an insurance confirmation if you have not paid the premiums. In this respect, all of this is incomprehensible. The health insurance issue had also been dealt with in the meantime and further confirmation was requested. When I had submitted all of this, the health insurance issue was brought up again with a request for the confirmation letter described above. Just getting confirmation that you had paid the premiums for the last 6 months was extremely difficult because something like that is completely unusual. I had also sent the BOI my bank statements with the deductions for the insurance premiums, but that was not enough for them. It was only through good contacts with my local insurance advisor that I finally got a stamp confirming that I had paid the premiums.  If I now arrive back and want another confirmation letter confirming that the insurance company cannot cancel my policy, everyone will think I am no longer of sound mind. I have written a corresponding letter and asked the BOI official to confirm that it contains all the information that is important to him. I also wrote to him that I am having extreme difficulty getting this type of confirmation letter from the insurance company and that he should please state all the questions he still has about my health insurance now because no further confirmation letters will be possible. Only when I have this confirmation will I bother my health insurance company with this letter. However, I have not received a response from the BOI for 5 days, which is absolutely unusual. Perhaps I worded the letter in such a way that someone has lost face. Who knows. In any case, I have had enough of this whole drama. I'm not particularly spoiled by german authorities, but I've never experienced the way the boi acts here. Communication, if it takes place at all, is very monosyllabic and unfriendly. On the one hand, I don't need the LTR visa and on the other hand, the whole procedure leaves such a bad impression that I am really looking for other destinations.  I have been thinking about Malaysia for a while now and will look into it more closely.

 

I believe a few (who have posted on this Asean Now forum) have explained their experiences in obtaining BoI approval of their foreign (non-Thai branch) insurance company health insurance.  

 

My understanding from their posts is that they all noted they obtained a letter from their foreign health insurance company, that stated certain things in the letter.  I believe it would be helpful if a sanitized copy of the letter of these successful LTR applicant individuals (with personal info from the letters removed) were posted on AseanNow, such that we could see the exact content that was acceptable to BoI.

 

In my case, not knowing a letter approach would work, and knowing the documentation of my superb European coverage was massive - I did not try to ask BoI to wade through the MANY DOZENS of pages explaining my health insurance coverage.  It was simply too much documentation provided by the insurance company and frankly, I can not see ANYONE wanting to wade through such Insurance company documentation. I don't blame BoI for one second for NOT wanting to wade through a foreign language document.

 

The BoI approach of wanting a letter from the Health Insurance company, stating exactly what BoI want, makes sense.  The problem is (from my view) is it is not clear exactly what should be in the letter, which is why it would be helpful to read of some example Health Insurance company letters that were acceptable to BoI.

 

In my case, I did not know of such a letter approach, so I went the $100K US$ equivalent in a bank route for self health insurance.

 

As for asking your insurance company for another letter. Why not? The worst that will happen is that they will say no.  What are you afraid of there?  Do you think the insurance company will deny your health insurance because you ask for a different letter?  You are not making up the requirements.  BoI is asking for such and you can explain to the insurance company this request does not originate from you.

 

One suggestion I have, is when you communicate via writing to BoI (as a cover page to a document you submit), DO NOT PUT IT ALL IN ONE LARGE PARA (like you did in the quoted post).  Its unpleasant to have to wade through one long paragraph - especially in a foreign language.  

 

Instead, split up the content to multiple relevant subparagraphs which is MUCH easier to read and review.

 

Note - if you are unsure of the status of your BoI application, and if it has been a long time since you have heard from them, you can always phone BoI and very politely ask for a status and very politely ask if there is any other documentation you can provide.

 

As noted - it took me about 5 months, ... but I was VERY polite with BoI through the entire process.

 

Good luck in your efforts.

[oldcpu]

8 hours ago, mickflick said:

Only when I have this confirmation will I bother my health insurance company with this letter. However, I have not received a response from the BOI for 5 days, which is absolutely unusual. Perhaps I worded the letter in such a way that someone has lost face. Who knows. In any case, I have had enough of this whole drama. I'm not particularly spoiled by german authorities, but I've never experienced the way the boi acts here. Communication, if it takes place at all, is very monosyllabic and unfriendly.

 

As I noted - you can call BoI on the phone, and (if you have an English language speaker or a Thai language speaker with you) then you can obtain clarification.  The BoI screeners all speak Thai and English.

 

My experience, having lived in Canada and Germany, is that German authorities are pretty efficient.  Canadian, on the other hand, are NOT as efficient.  So I would be very surprised to see BoI matching Germany efficiency.

 

This is a very long thread ... so likely you did not see my post where I posted on the effort I went through to get my LTR visa (but I succeeded in the end).  I posted about it here (below).

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

Good luck

Edited 6 hours ago by oldcpu

[JimGant]

1 hour ago, oldcpu said:

I believe it would be helpful if a sanitized copy of the letter of these successful LTR applicant individuals (with personal info from the letters removed) were posted on AseanNow, such that we could see the exact content that was acceptable to BoI.

Here's what I submitted -- successfully:

 

[Ben Zioner]

23 minutes ago, JimGant said:

Here's what I submitted -- successfully:

 

Well, this leads me to think that BOI did their homework by researching "Tricare", just as they researched UN ASHI which have been submitted by dozens of applicants. 

 

Evidently they can't do that for every isolated case, and shouldn't be blamed for that.

[oldcpu]

2 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

Well, this leads me to think that BOI did their homework by researching "Tricare", just as they researched UN ASHI which have been submitted by dozens of applicants. 

 

Evidently they can't do that for every isolated case, and shouldn't be blamed for that.

I tend to agree. 

 

Others who posted about such a letter specifically noted the letter stated over $50k US dollar equivalent coverage.

[Presnock]

On 10/11/2024 at 8:28 AM, Ben Zioner said:

Actually I don't know yet. But it may be worth to err on the side of caution, as they will apply full taxation for every year where you didn't "follow the rule(s)". And as this is Thailand they see benefit in not spelling our the rule(s).

Well the rule about meeting the qualifications during the period of the visa has been around and is for ALL visas.  The rules are spelled out in English too on the revenue dept web site.

[Ben Zioner]

1 hour ago, Presnock said:

The rules are spelled out in English too on the revenue dept web site.

So you know for certain whether you have to file an income tax return?  I don't. 

Edited 10 minutes ago by Ben Zioner