LTR Visa is Now available for Long Term Residency

[John207]

Does anyone know if it's possible for an accompanying passenger to use the LTR visa's fast track option in Suvarnabhumi for both arrivals and departures when flying in economy class, or is it only available to the visa holder?

[tautomerica]

On 11/25/2024 at 12:52 PM, Thomas4628 said:

I believe my application might be rejected. I work for a large international corporation with numerous subsidiaries worldwide. My employment contract is with one of these subsidiaries based in Switzerland. I submitted the consolidated financial statement, but they are insisting on seeing the financial statements for the specific subsidiary I work for. Unfortunately, this subsidiary, being a small part of the global group, does not meet the $150 million threshold. They seem to be focusing on this issue now. Does anyone in this forum have experience dealing with a similar problem? Any help would be appreciated. 

I was in a similar situation when I applied for a LTR-WP around June of last year. My employer's parent company is a large and publicly traded US company with many subsidiaries around the world. I was able to resolve various other queries they had, but they insisted on receiving the subsidiary company's financial statements and I was not able to provide them. I ended up abandoning the application and instead took a DTV visa in September of this year. The DTV was far easier and suits my situation almost as well as the LTR-WP. The only reason I may consider going for the LTR again would be if Thailand starts taxing worldwide income and the LTR remitted income exemption turns out to remain valid after the tax code update. I wonder if under a literal interpretation of current law all global income may have to make a roundtrip through a thai bank account in the first few months of the year after it was earned in order to remain exempt? If so it could become awfully cumbersome. Hopefully BOI/TRD would amend the code to strengthen and clarify the tax exemption if worldwide income tax becomes law.

[ashkale]

So I managed to exhaust the pages of my passport and did the LTR visa transfer to the new passport the other day. Emailed LTR Visa Unit to get the requirements and they send me as below- fairly painless except no special window for LTR holders so had the mandatory 3 hours queuing the window 14/15. Also the new stamps have already taken up 3 pages of the new passport!

Please note that no appointment is required to transfer your LTR Visa to a new passport. You may visit us during working hours, any time before 3:30 PM. To complete the visa transfer process, kindly follow these steps:

 

1. Please visit the Immigration One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit (OSS). You don't need to appear in person; instead, you can authorize a representative or someone you know to bring your passports for the visa transfer. There is no additional fee for this service.

 

2. Bring the following documents:

   - Original former and new passports

   - Transfer stamp to new passport form, download here: https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Transfer-Stamp-to-New-Passport-Form.pdf

   - Certificate of visa transfer from your embassy (Your passport will require this document, when getting a new passport, please make sure to request for passport transfer certificate as well)

   - Copies of former and new passports with your photo

   - Copy of the last arrival stamp in your passport

   - Copy of the LTR Visa stamp in your passport

   - Copy of the last extended visa in your passport

   - Copy of T.M. 6 Card (if applicable)

   - Notification letter of qualification endorsement addressed to the Immigration Bureau (found within your LTR Visa account under the check status tab)

   - 1-Year notification card (if applicable)

 

Please ensure that you transfer the visa before your current passport expires. If not, the LTR visa will become invalid and unusable.

[khunjeff]

12 hours ago, John207 said:

Does anyone know if it's possible for an accompanying passenger to use the LTR visa's fast track option in Suvarnabhumi for both arrivals and departures when flying in economy class, or is it only available to the visa holder?

 

It's not officially permitted, but I've read accounts on these forums from people who asked politely if their spouse or friend could join them and were told, sure, go ahead. This is similar to the Thai citizens line, which officially is only for Thais, but which accompanying foreign spouses are almost always permitted to use as well. Just give it a try - the worst that can happen is that they say no.

[khunjeff]

2 hours ago, ashkale said:

Also the new stamps have already taken up 3 pages of the new passport!

 

I was hoping that particular idiocy might be different with the LTR than it was with the Non-O, but apparently not. I don't understand why immigration seems to think of a passport as a sort of free-form notepad where they can jot down your entire visa history, rather than just keeping most of those details in their own computer system 🤷

[ashkale]

I dont unserstand the need to stamp resident permits on passports, just issue a nonCitizen ID card to all long term residents like most of the "first" world. Singapore a decade ago got rid of it and now the visa/rep transfers are a click away from the comfort of your  home!  There has to be a better way than this amount of unproductive use of time.

[1tent42]

19 hours ago, John207 said:

Does anyone know if it's possible for an accompanying passenger to use the LTR visa's fast track option in Suvarnabhumi for both arrivals and departures when flying in economy class, or is it only available to the visa holder?

 

I departed and arrived using fast track with my wife a month ago at BKK.  No issues, no one even asked what's her relation was to me.

 

I'll probably never depart using the fast track at BKK again, much easier and quicker to go through the e-gates.

[stat]

10 hours ago, 1tent42 said:

 

I departed and arrived using fast track with my wife a month ago at BKK.  No issues, no one even asked what's her relation was to me.

 

I'll probably never depart using the fast track at BKK again, much easier and quicker to go through the e-gates.

Can you please elaborate how to use the e-gates? Do you get an exit stamp? Thanks!

 

"Foreigners with ordinary passports and children and the disabled, although holding e-passports, must still go through manned immigration gates." from a newspaper.

 

[ashkale]

2 hours ago, stat said:

Can you please elaborate how to use the e-gates? Do you get an exit stamp? Thanks!

 

"Foreigners with ordinary passports and children and the disabled, although holding e-passports, must still go through manned immigration gates." from a newspaper.

 

Egates are in the center departure area. Much much faster and nicer experience. And you dont get a stamp. The arrivals egate planned for non-citizens has been postponed to "sometime in the future"..was supposed to start in December 2024.. The news snippet is most likely for arrivals.

[SHA 2 BKK]

3 hours ago, ashkale said:

Egates are in the center departure area. Much much faster and nicer experience. And you dont get a stamp. The arrivals egate planned for non-citizens has been postponed to "sometime in the future"..was supposed to start in December 2024.. The news snippet is most likely for arrivals.

There are also E Gates at the Fast Track.   I used them the other week.  One less Stamp in the Passport.   Arrival still has a staffed booth.

[oldcpu]

1 hour ago, SHA 2 BKK said:

There are also E Gates at the Fast Track.   I used them the other week.  One less Stamp in the Passport.   Arrival still has a staffed booth.

 

I find it interesting that there is no stamp if in the passport in the case of an E Gate.

 

I assume the Thailand arrival will have a staffed booth for the foreseeable future in order to stamp one's passport.

 

That arrival stamp is likely necessary (at least for now) as it indicates the timing of one's permission to stay in Thailand.

 

And I also find the arrival stamp handy as a 'marker' to me, by which I can check the date in which I re-entered Thailand, where I find that useful for my determining when my LTR visa annual report is due (ie 1 year later). 

 

The world is changing with all these 'on-line' possibilities, gradually replacing the paper world I was raised in.

.

[SHA 2 BKK]

6 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

I find it interesting that there is no stamp if in the passport in the case of an E Gate.

 

I assume the Thailand arrival will have a staffed booth for the foreseeable future in order to stamp one's passport.

 

That arrival stamp is likely necessary (at least for now) as it indicates the timing of one's permission to stay in Thailand.

 

And I also find the arrival stamp handy as a 'marker' to me, by which I can check the date in which I re-entered Thailand, where I find that useful for my determining when my LTR visa annual report is due (ie 1 year later). 

 

The world is changing with all these 'on-line' possibilities, gradually replacing the paper world I was raised in.

.

Agree cobber agree.

[Presnock]

On 11/28/2024 at 8:08 PM, tautomerica said:

I was in a similar situation when I applied for a LTR-WP around June of last year. My employer's parent company is a large and publicly traded US company with many subsidiaries around the world. I was able to resolve various other queries they had, but they insisted on receiving the subsidiary company's financial statements and I was not able to provide them. I ended up abandoning the application and instead took a DTV visa in September of this year. The DTV was far easier and suits my situation almost as well as the LTR-WP. The only reason I may consider going for the LTR again would be if Thailand starts taxing worldwide income and the LTR remitted income exemption turns out to remain valid after the tax code update. I wonder if under a literal interpretation of current law all global income may have to make a roundtrip through a thai bank account in the first few months of the year after it was earned in order to remain exempt? If so it could become awfully cumbersome. Hopefully BOI/TRD would amend the code to strengthen and clarify the tax exemption if worldwide income tax becomes law.

UNTIL the law eventually finds itself in the GAZETTE, BOI will not know enough about the royal decree to "GUESS" how it might be interpreted  this is not a Thai issue but common sense with any new laws.  I don't understand how people can blame the BOI for not being able to see the future and the LTR benefits at THAT time.

[Ben Zioner]

15 minutes ago, Presnock said:

UNTIL the law eventually finds itself in the GAZETTE, BOI will not know enough about the royal decree to "GUESS" how it might be interpreted  this is not a Thai issue but common sense with any new laws.  I don't understand how people can blame the BOI for not being able to see the future and the LTR benefits at THAT time.

But, as it stands, RD 743 exempts income "brought into Thailand". So for now we are exempt, and if it still stands once WW IT comes into effect WW income not "brought into Thailand" will be taxable.

 

And, to me, this would make perfect sense from BOI's point of view: build incentives to attract overseas money, talent, etc. 

[Presnock]

2 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

But, as it stands, RD 743 exempts income "brought into Thailand". So for now we are exempt, and if it still stands once WW IT comes into effect WW income not "brought into Thailand" will be taxable.

 

And, to me, this would make perfect sense from BOI's point of view: build incentives to attract overseas money, talent, etc. 

I sure don't have any idea, but have heard several senior lawyers saying that the arguments were still going on a month ago.  Too many fat cats are also being caught up, possibly one of the main targets but rest assured, they know that they have control of the expats so I ass u me that we might be targetted too.,..,especially since I heard that LTR processing was backlogged big time as many folks are joining, hoping like us, that all foreign income is exempt from Thai taxes.  ...

[stat]

14 hours ago, ashkale said:

Egates are in the center departure area. Much much faster and nicer experience. And you dont get a stamp. The arrivals egate planned for non-citizens has been postponed to "sometime in the future"..was supposed to start in December 2024.. The news snippet is most likely for arrivals.

Thanks for the explanation! So Thai Immigration is OK that I do not get an exit stamp at all? Are IOs not utterly confused if one arrives again in TH without an exit stamp? Thanks!

[SHA 2 BKK]

50 minutes ago, stat said:

Thanks for the explanation! So Thai Immigration is OK that I do not get an exit stamp at all? Are IOs not utterly confused if one arrives again in TH without an exit stamp? Thanks!

No.  They are actually encouraging exit through the E Gates.  No confusion when you return.  A sneaky look at my immigration screen on return last time showed some history so I guess they can easily tell you exited using the gate. 

[stat]

46 minutes ago, SHA 2 BKK said:

No.  They are actually encouraging exit through the E Gates.  No confusion when you return.  A sneaky look at my immigration screen on return last time showed some history so I guess they can easily tell you exited using the gate. 

The big downside is that you can no longer prove how long you stayed in Thailand to the IRS in your home country, but otherwise a big plus I agree. Not sure if IRS would accept a boarding pass proving when you left.

[stat]

4 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

But, as it stands, RD 743 exempts income "brought into Thailand". So for now we are exempt, and if it still stands once WW IT comes into effect WW income not "brought into Thailand" will be taxable.

 

And, to me, this would make perfect sense from BOI's point of view: build incentives to attract overseas money, talent, etc. 

I see eye to eye with Ben here, there is at least the risk that ww income could become taxable if not remitted for LTR holders if ww taxation came into place. As usual there will be no explanation or warning from BOI or TRD for the LTR visa holders and they COULD start enforcing years after ww taxation comes into place and then go back several years.

[SHA 2 BKK]

8 hours ago, stat said:

The big downside is that you can no longer prove how long you stayed in Thailand to the IRS in your home country, but otherwise a big plus I agree. Not sure if IRS would accept a boarding pass proving when you left.

 

Easy for me I just have to prove I wasn't in Australia for 183 days or more (check) and have no substantial economic or social ties with Australia anymore.  Whilst my Pension is still paid in Australia, the family home including pets and children are firmly established in Thailand and I received a ruling from the Australian Taxation Office over a decade ago when we left that I was no longer a tax resident.

 

Hell, they even took my wife and I off the electoral rolls so we can no longer vote in any elections!

[oldcpu]

16 hours ago, stat said:

As usual there will be no explanation or warning from BOI or TRD for the LTR visa holders and they COULD start enforcing years after ww taxation comes into place and then go back several years.

I think that depends on one's definition of a warning .. and what warning indicators one might ignore.

 

I don't have that concern re LTR visa holder's foreign income ever being taxed, but I note some individuals do have such a concern.

[stat]

12 hours ago, SHA 2 BKK said:

 

Easy for me I just have to prove I wasn't in Australia for 183 days or more (check) and have no substantial economic or social ties with Australia anymore.  Whilst my Pension is still paid in Australia, the family home including pets and children are firmly established in Thailand and I received a ruling from the Australian Taxation Office over a decade ago when we left that I was no longer a tax resident.

 

Hell, they even took my wife and I off the electoral rolls so we can no longer vote in any elections!

The easiest way to prove 183 days outside of AUS or GER is to show the passport stamps of another country which you no longer have 😉 

 

I agree in most cases you get an entry stamp from another country but in the case of an EU citizen you do not get an entry stamp for entering any EU country.

[stat]

8 hours ago, oldcpu said:

I think that depends on one's definition of a warning .. and what warning indicators one might ignore.

 

I don't have that concern re LTR visa holder's foreign income ever being taxed, but I note some individuals do have such a concern.

There will be no clear statement like ww income not remitted to TH is not exempted by the RD.

[JackGats]

On 11/28/2024 at 9:57 AM, John207 said:

Does anyone know if it's possible for an accompanying passenger to use the LTR visa's fast track option in Suvarnabhumi for both arrivals and departures when flying in economy class, or is it only available to the visa holder?

I'm sure if you get in with your elderly mother  they will not object. Now if you have just a "friend" in tow they might frown

[Millian]

As per the requirements for the 'remote workers working for well-established overseas companies' LTR visa:
 

Quote

Minimum average personal income of USD 80,000 / year in the past two years

Does this have to be from the salary from the company you are curranty working for. It can it also be from other sources?  e.g Consulting outside of you employment with the company?

[oldcpu]

3 hours ago, Millian said:

As per the requirements for the 'remote workers working for well-established overseas companies' LTR visa:
 

Does this have to be from the salary from the company you are curranty working for. It can it also be from other sources?  e.g Consulting outside of you employment with the company?

 

I suspect multiple sources.  Typically BoI will ask for your last 2 years of income tax returns which I believe they look at to confirm you are reporting on your income tax return a gross income in excess of the LTR visa required income threshold.

[Schorsch0815]

I have an BOI LTR visa "wealthy pensioners" with no income in Thailand.

 

When I got the visa early this year BOI explicitly informed me that I would not have submit a tax declaration to Thailand MoF for tax years 2024 (or following years).

 

Does that still hold true or has there be a change? 

[oldcpu]

2 hours ago, Schorsch0815 said:

I have an BOI LTR visa "wealthy pensioners" with no income in Thailand.

 

When I got the visa early this year BOI explicitly informed me that I would not have submit a tax declaration to Thailand MoF for tax years 2024 (or following years).

 

Does that still hold true or has there be a change? 

 

There has been no changes that I am aware of since early this year. 

 

Last year there was  PAW.161 and PAW.162 which does not mention the LTR visa, but rather  for all tax residents  in Thailand (ie anyone, including both Thai and foreigners, who spends a accumulated time of >180 days  in Thailand) will have to pay tax on any assessable income brought into Thailand after 31-Dec-2023. Money (income/savings) from prior to 1-Jan-2024 brought into Thailand will not be taxed if brought into Thailand. (EDIT: DTA with income source country also has to be considered here).

 

However there is ALSO the Royal Decree 743 in force.

 

As you  likely know the Royal Decree 743 states that for Wealthy pensioners and Wealthy global citizens, assessable income brought into Thailand is exempt taxation.   Note it refers to 'assessable' income.

 

... The Royal Decree 743 states nothing about tax returns (directly), although the Royal Decree does state (in section-6) that a foreigner must comply with rules, procedures, and conditions prescribed by the Director-General of the Revenue Department.  The concern here is that might mean having to file a tax return even if one is exempt paying tax on assessable foreign income.

 

The Royal Decree also states (section-7) that a failure to comply with the rules in section-6 will result in benefits suspended for that tax year.

 

When you were informed by BoI, did you talk at all about bringing or not bringing any assessable income into Thailand?  Did you talk about any Thai income you may have? EDIT: I assume not as re-reading your post you note no Thai income.

 

FOR CERTAIN for any (not you) who have Thai income over a certain amount, they MUST FILE A THAI TAX RETURN and what BoI stated does NOT cover that situation.

 

Its less clear to me if a tax return is required if the LTR wealthy pension visa holder's only income is assessable foreign income.

 

I ask because Phuket RD, specifically advised me that if I brought no money into Thailand (and if I had no Thai income), I did not have to file a tax return, nor would they provide me an 'active' tax-ID number (TIN). 

 

So if you told BoI you did not plan to bring money into Thailand when on your LTR visa, then that obscures the assessement as to the applicability of the BoI statement on tax return requirements  to all Wealthy Pensioners.

 

So what did you say to BoI about foreign income you planned to bring into Thailand. Did you say anything about that to BoI?

 

... and one last point, I believe the deciding criteria (re: tax return needed or not needed for an LTR Wealthy pension visa holder) is the Thai Revenue Department (RD) and not BoI - although obviously it is of interest to hear of the BoI opinion.

.

 

 

 

[Ben Zioner]

11 hours ago, Schorsch0815 said:

I have an BOI LTR visa "wealthy pensioners" with no income in Thailand.

 

When I got the visa early this year BOI explicitly informed me that I would not have submit a tax declaration to Thailand MoF for tax years 2024 (or following years).

 

Does that still hold true or has there be a change? 

No change.. for 2024. But you might have to file a tax return, this is an issue on which professional advice might be handy.

[Schorsch0815]

10 hours ago, oldcpu said:

 

There has been no changes that I am aware of since early this year. 

 

Last year there was  PAW.161 and PAW.162 which does not mention the LTR visa, but rather  for all tax residents  in Thailand (ie anyone, including both Thai and foreigners, who spends a accumulated time of >180 days  in Thailand) will have to pay tax on any assessable income brought into Thailand after 31-Dec-2023. Money (income/savings) from prior to 1-Jan-2024 brought into Thailand will not be taxed if brought into Thailand. (EDIT: DTA with income source country also has to be considered here).

 

However there is ALSO the Royal Decree 743 in force.

 

As you  likely know the Royal Decree 743 states that for Wealthy pensioners and Wealthy global citizens, assessable income brought into Thailand is exempt taxation.   Note it refers to 'assessable' income.

 

... The Royal Decree 743 states nothing about tax returns (directly), although the Royal Decree does state (in section-6) that a foreigner must comply with rules, procedures, and conditions prescribed by the Director-General of the Revenue Department.  The concern here is that might mean having to file a tax return even if one is exempt paying tax on assessable foreign income.

 

The Royal Decree also states (section-7) that a failure to comply with the rules in section-6 will result in benefits suspended for that tax year.

 

When you were informed by BoI, did you talk at all about bringing or not bringing any assessable income into Thailand?  Did you talk about any Thai income you may have? EDIT: I assume not as re-reading your post you note no Thai income.

 

FOR CERTAIN for any (not you) who have Thai income over a certain amount, they MUST FILE A THAI TAX RETURN and what BoI stated does NOT cover that situation.

 

Its less clear to me if a tax return is required if the LTR wealthy pension visa holder's only income is assessable foreign income.

 

I ask because Phuket RD, specifically advised me that if I brought no money into Thailand (and if I had no Thai income), I did not have to file a tax return, nor would they provide me an 'active' tax-ID number (TIN). 

 

So if you told BoI you did not plan to bring money into Thailand when on your LTR visa, then that obscures the assessement as to the applicability of the BoI statement on tax return requirements  to all Wealthy Pensioners.

 

So what did you say to BoI about foreign income you planned to bring into Thailand. Did you say anything about that to BoI?

 

... and one last point, I believe the deciding criteria (re: tax return needed or not needed for an LTR Wealthy pension visa holder) is the Thai Revenue Department (RD) and not BoI - although obviously it is of interest to hear of the BoI opinion.

.

 

 

 

Thank you, in particular for the comprehensive compilation of the relevant documents in one place.

 

With regard to my question to BoI on the requirement to submit a  tax declaration: I asked the question when I was in BoI office on the day the LTR was issued.

 

You get this minder and she goes through the documents with you and guides you through the different steps on that day. So she had all documents on my financial situation including (no) income in Thailand, foreign pension, assets abroad,..

 

I explicitly asked her 2 questions for confirmation: a) does the LTR "wealthy pensioner" exempt me from being taxed in Thailand and b) do I have to file a tax declaration.

 

The minder sat down with me and took her time and didn't rush it through. Her answer was on a) a clear "Yes" and on b) a clear "No". With regard to my question on the tax declaration there was no hesitation or constrains in , "like not for this year" or "as long as you don't bring funds into the country,..". 

 

That was in March this year.

 

Anyhow, for 2024 I didn't transfer any funds into Thailand and only used local credit cards. So there was/is no foreign income transferred into Thailand in 2024.

 

For the future I  planning to only  transfer funds that I owned pre-2024 to support my life in Thailand. As most of my assets are investments in stock markets it's a bit of a nuisance to distinguish between assets owned pre-2024 and assets bought from income that I earned later on, in particular if I buy/sell share. 

 

If someone has guidance on how to prove/document that money transferred into Thailand comes from "old (pre-2024 assets)" versus "new" income, please let me know.