I applied for my LTR while I was still in Thailand and selected Bangkok as the pickup location. However, due to the lengthy processing time, I had to leave Thailand in the meantime. If my application is approved, can I re-enter Thailand on a visa exemption and then switch to the LTR visa, or will I need to obtain the LTR visa from the local embassy first? The embassy is about a five-hour drive away, and I would prefer to avoid that trip if possible.

15 hours ago, Thomas4628 said:

I applied for my LTR while I was still in Thailand and selected Bangkok as the pickup location. However, due to the lengthy processing time, I had to leave Thailand in the meantime. If my application is approved, can I re-enter Thailand on a visa exemption and then switch to the LTR visa, or will I need to obtain the LTR visa from the local embassy first? The embassy is about a five-hour drive away, and I would prefer to avoid that trip if possible.

Enter Visa Free and go to Chamchuri Square for your LTR Visa.  Especially if you are going to stay long term on arrival.  Good Luck and Merry Christmas.

On 12/24/2024 at 10:59 AM, Thomas4628 said:

I applied for my LTR while I was still in Thailand and selected Bangkok as the pickup location. However, due to the lengthy processing time, I had to leave Thailand in the meantime. If my application is approved, can I re-enter Thailand on a visa exemption and then switch to the LTR visa

Thats exactly what I'm doing. I got approved already. In a few weeks I will enter with visa exemption, upload my passport and hotel address and make an appointment to pick up my visa. 

Hi All,

 

Happy New Year to everyone.

 

My situation is as such. I am working for 2 companies, 1 in Thailand and 1 in UK. I have submitted my new application under the "Work-From-Thailand-Professional" scheme on the 25 Nov morning. 

 

Documents which I have submitted:

1. Passports (Both old and new) with all the Thai stamps and my Non-B visa

2. Detailed CV detailing out my career and my work experiences over the last 24 years

3. Employment contract from my UK-based company issued back in Oct 2018, signed by my HR, stating my position as a Director of the company, my salary back in 2018, my term of employment till my official retirement age of 63. It was also indicated on the contract that I actually started working with the UK-based company back in Jun 2016.

4. Certificate of employment with my UK-based company registration, stating my annual salary package, my position as a Director, on my company's letterhead, signed by my Regional CEO.

5. Audited Financial Statements audited by Deloitte for the last 3 years, showing that my company is generating a revenue of USD193M (Using the rate of exchange from BOI's website)

6. Authorisation letter, signed off by my Regional CEO, stating that I am authorised and supported by my UK-based company to work remotely from Thailand or any country within Asia.

7. Tax returns form the IRAS Singapore, showing that I am earning more than USD80K per annum for the last 2 years.

8. Payslips and bank statements showing that I am still earning more than USD80K a year for 2024 and I am still working for the same UK-based company.

 

On the 3 Dec, BOI asked me if I have a Thai Work Permit. I have sent them a copy of my work permit. They proposed that either I applied as Highly Skilled Professional and retain my work permit or I resign immediately and provide them a confirmation letter that my last day of work will be on 29 Jan. I do not need the job in Thailand to earn that USD80k per annum and certainly, I do not want to pay any taxes for the next 10 years of my stay here. Therefore I firmly told BOI that I will resign from the Thai company immediately and stick to  the "Work-From-Thailand-Professional" scheme. I have uploaded the cancellation letter on the same day and gave them a courtesy call to inform them that I have uploaded the document as requested.

 

On the 9 Dec, BOI requested for the insurance policy with a minimum coverage of USD50k. Initially, I have sent them the letter from AXA, showing that I have an insurance policy with minimum 12 months of validity from thee date of application and it covers me for THB8M. 30 mins after uploading the letter, BOI asked for a full schedule of the insurance coverage which I have uploaded almost immediately.

 

I have not heard from BOI since the 9 Dec. The current status still shows "Considerations by Government Agencies". I have given them a call last Thursday to see where it stands. I have explained to them politely that BOI has instructed me to cancel my work permit and Non-B visa which I have already done so. I have up till  29 Jan and I have 3 school-going children here with me in Thailand. I hope to receive some positive news from them as soon as possible so as to minimise any potential disruptions to my children's studies. The officer from BOI said that most of the government agencies have already cleared me, waiting for a response from immigration. I do not have any bad records with immigration. No overstay, no ED visa or anything which stands out as a red flag to the immigration. I asked the BOI officer if anything else is missing, anything that I could submit to show that I ticked all the boxes to the requirements of the LTR. The BOI officer said "Nope, all good".

 

I am wondering if it is normal to take this long for the application to be reviewed and approved?

  

 

 

14 minutes ago, Desmond77 said:

I am wondering if it is normal to take this long for the application to be reviewed and approved?

 

 

I don't know if normal ... but it myself 5-months to get an LTR-WP visa.  I made my initial application in January-2023 and did not actually get the Visa until June-2023. Of course my case was very different from yours.

 

One thing I suspect is there can be an interaction between the 'screener', their 'management' and 'immigration' and I suspect dependent on the presentation of the 'screener' of one's application to 'management' or to 'immigration' can change the approval/processing time.

 

Still, my suspicion, is if what you were told is true, then I would not think it would take immigration too long.  I assume this is only for you?  Or is it in parallel an LTR for your family?

1 minute ago, oldcpu said:

 

I don't know if normal ... but it myself 5-months to get an LTR-WP visa.  I made my initial application in January-2023 and did not actually get the Visa until June-2023. Of course my case was very different from yours.

 

One thing I suspect is there can be an interaction between the 'screener', their 'management' and 'immigration' and I suspect dependent on the presentation of the 'screener' of one's application to 'management' or to 'immigration' can change the approval/processing time.

 

Still, my suspicion, is if what you were told is true, then I would not think it would take immigration too long.  I assume this is only for you?  Or is it in parallel an LTR for your family?

Together with my application, I have my wife and my 3 children as dependents. None of us have had any issues with the Thai immigration in the past. Like what I have mentioned before. No ED, no overstay, not even an extension on a visa exempted entry.

On 1/7/2025 at 8:10 AM, Desmond77 said:

Hi All,

 

Happy New Year to everyone.

 

My situation is as such. I am working for 2 companies, 1 in Thailand and 1 in UK. I have submitted my new application under the "Work-From-Thailand-Professional" scheme on the 25 Nov morning. 

 

Documents which I have submitted:

1. Passports (Both old and new) with all the Thai stamps and my Non-B visa

2. Detailed CV detailing out my career and my work experiences over the last 24 years

3. Employment contract from my UK-based company issued back in Oct 2018, signed by my HR, stating my position as a Director of the company, my salary back in 2018, my term of employment till my official retirement age of 63. It was also indicated on the contract that I actually started working with the UK-based company back in Jun 2016.

4. Certificate of employment with my UK-based company registration, stating my annual salary package, my position as a Director, on my company's letterhead, signed by my Regional CEO.

5. Audited Financial Statements audited by Deloitte for the last 3 years, showing that my company is generating a revenue of USD193M (Using the rate of exchange from BOI's website)

6. Authorisation letter, signed off by my Regional CEO, stating that I am authorised and supported by my UK-based company to work remotely from Thailand or any country within Asia.

7. Tax returns form the IRAS Singapore, showing that I am earning more than USD80K per annum for the last 2 years.

8. Payslips and bank statements showing that I am still earning more than USD80K a year for 2024 and I am still working for the same UK-based company.

 

On the 3 Dec, BOI asked me if I have a Thai Work Permit. I have sent them a copy of my work permit. They proposed that either I applied as Highly Skilled Professional and retain my work permit or I resign immediately and provide them a confirmation letter that my last day of work will be on 29 Jan. I do not need the job in Thailand to earn that USD80k per annum and certainly, I do not want to pay any taxes for the next 10 years of my stay here. Therefore I firmly told BOI that I will resign from the Thai company immediately and stick to  the "Work-From-Thailand-Professional" scheme. I have uploaded the cancellation letter on the same day and gave them a courtesy call to inform them that I have uploaded the document as requested.

 

On the 9 Dec, BOI requested for the insurance policy with a minimum coverage of USD50k. Initially, I have sent them the letter from AXA, showing that I have an insurance policy with minimum 12 months of validity from thee date of application and it covers me for THB8M. 30 mins after uploading the letter, BOI asked for a full schedule of the insurance coverage which I have uploaded almost immediately.

 

I have not heard from BOI since the 9 Dec. The current status still shows "Considerations by Government Agencies". I have given them a call last Thursday to see where it stands. I have explained to them politely that BOI has instructed me to cancel my work permit and Non-B visa which I have already done so. I have up till  29 Jan and I have 3 school-going children here with me in Thailand. I hope to receive some positive news from them as soon as possible so as to minimise any potential disruptions to my children's studies. The officer from BOI said that most of the government agencies have already cleared me, waiting for a response from immigration. I do not have any bad records with immigration. No overstay, no ED visa or anything which stands out as a red flag to the immigration. I asked the BOI officer if anything else is missing, anything that I could submit to show that I ticked all the boxes to the requirements of the LTR. The BOI officer said "Nope, all good".

 

I am wondering if it is normal to take this long for the application to be reviewed and approved?

  

 

 

Yes, that is normal. Don't worry, if you don't hear anything it is a good sign. Then they are just waiting for other government agencies to confirm your information (ex. Revenue Dep.). I waited around 4 weeks for the final approval.

On 7/8/2022 at 11:19 PM, CrossBones said:

First Cannabis was legalized.

 

Now, form September 22nd a new kind of visa is available for long stayers.

 

It seems if you make $80k a year or have assets worth $1m you can stay here for 5 - 10 years.

 

I am wondering why there isnt much talk about this on this forum.

sometimes many exchanges sometimes quiet.  Literally thousands have taken advantage of this visa - they cut the price by 50%, now only 50,000 and like they say 10 years, no 90-day reports, can go in and out of country as you please.   Can do everything literally from your own computer without having to go to banks or get any other documents.  Just upload to the BOI and their staff are really helpful.  Some feel they are too demanding, but they only need certain data that the screeners can pass to those approving them.  For mine earlier last year, less than 3 weeks to get it!  I believe those that have it think it is the best for the least cost.  Fits me to a tee so to speak.

On 10/29/2024 at 8:33 PM, stat said:

Did you try the following certificate:

 

https://www.thaiembassy.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/foreign_insurance_certificate.pdf

 

 

when I was applying for my LTR and submitted several pages of the current insurance for over seas customers, it stated that for hospitalization the coverage was "unlimited" but BOI wouldn't accept that and I asked the insurance company for an email stating that the coverage was at" least 50K USD for hositalizaton" and the insurance co wrote back immediatey that very quote.  Also as it is a govt sponsored insurance co, there is no end of policiy written until one leaves and they explained that too in the letter so the BOI put the expiration date 10 years from the beginning of the visa.  WIth those insurance questions satisfied, it took 2 weeks to get final approval.

On 1/7/2025 at 2:10 PM, Desmond77 said:

Hi All,

 

Happy New Year to everyone.

 

My situation is as such. I am working for 2 companies, 1 in Thailand and 1 in UK. I have submitted my new application under the "Work-From-Thailand-Professional" scheme on the 25 Nov morning. 

 

Documents which I have submitted:

1. Passports (Both old and new) with all the Thai stamps and my Non-B visa

2. Detailed CV detailing out my career and my work experiences over the last 24 years

3. Employment contract from my UK-based company issued back in Oct 2018, signed by my HR, stating my position as a Director of the company, my salary back in 2018, my term of employment till my official retirement age of 63. It was also indicated on the contract that I actually started working with the UK-based company back in Jun 2016.

4. Certificate of employment with my UK-based company registration, stating my annual salary package, my position as a Director, on my company's letterhead, signed by my Regional CEO.

5. Audited Financial Statements audited by Deloitte for the last 3 years, showing that my company is generating a revenue of USD193M (Using the rate of exchange from BOI's website)

6. Authorisation letter, signed off by my Regional CEO, stating that I am authorised and supported by my UK-based company to work remotely from Thailand or any country within Asia.

7. Tax returns form the IRAS Singapore, showing that I am earning more than USD80K per annum for the last 2 years.

8. Payslips and bank statements showing that I am still earning more than USD80K a year for 2024 and I am still working for the same UK-based company.

 

On the 3 Dec, BOI asked me if I have a Thai Work Permit. I have sent them a copy of my work permit. They proposed that either I applied as Highly Skilled Professional and retain my work permit or I resign immediately and provide them a confirmation letter that my last day of work will be on 29 Jan. I do not need the job in Thailand to earn that USD80k per annum and certainly, I do not want to pay any taxes for the next 10 years of my stay here. Therefore I firmly told BOI that I will resign from the Thai company immediately and stick to  the "Work-From-Thailand-Professional" scheme. I have uploaded the cancellation letter on the same day and gave them a courtesy call to inform them that I have uploaded the document as requested.

 

On the 9 Dec, BOI requested for the insurance policy with a minimum coverage of USD50k. Initially, I have sent them the letter from AXA, showing that I have an insurance policy with minimum 12 months of validity from thee date of application and it covers me for THB8M. 30 mins after uploading the letter, BOI asked for a full schedule of the insurance coverage which I have uploaded almost immediately.

 

I have not heard from BOI since the 9 Dec. The current status still shows "Considerations by Government Agencies". I have given them a call last Thursday to see where it stands. I have explained to them politely that BOI has instructed me to cancel my work permit and Non-B visa which I have already done so. I have up till  29 Jan and I have 3 school-going children here with me in Thailand. I hope to receive some positive news from them as soon as possible so as to minimise any potential disruptions to my children's studies. The officer from BOI said that most of the government agencies have already cleared me, waiting for a response from immigration. I do not have any bad records with immigration. No overstay, no ED visa or anything which stands out as a red flag to the immigration. I asked the BOI officer if anything else is missing, anything that I could submit to show that I ticked all the boxes to the requirements of the LTR. The BOI officer said "Nope, all good".

 

I am wondering if it is normal to take this long for the application to be reviewed and approved?

  

 

 

 

Are you in Bangkok, and can you go to the LTR unit's office in person?  It may help you get answers and possibly move the process along, especially if the situation is a bit more complicated.  Certainly did in my case, as well as a couple of other folks I know. 

 

 

9 hours ago, Misty said:

 

Are you in Bangkok, and can you go to the LTR unit's office in person?  It may help you get answers and possibly move the process along, especially if the situation is a bit more complicated.  Certainly did in my case, as well as a couple of other folks I know. 

 

 

I live in Hua Hin, 3 hours drive away from Bangkok and therefore, a walk-in is little challenging for me.

 

However, there was a turn in my situation yesterday. Being really desperate as my current visa is going to expire in 20 days' time, I looked into BOI's website and found the contact details of the the top person, sitting right on top of the hirarchy of the BOI. I wrote a very detailed email to the person, detailing my application and sent it out. Had mixed feelings about sending that email. On one hand, I hope that this person would help me to expedite my application as I ticked all the boxes on the requirements for the LTR-WFTP scheme and on the other hand, I was thinking that Government Officials sitting high up on the hirarchy may not have the time to entertain me. 

 

This Senior Government Officer of BOI whom I have sent the email to, has actually responded back to me. She has shared that she has informed the team to put my application on top priority and she will monitor my application personally. She also said that she is committed to minimise the disruptions to our stay and the well being of me and my family here in Thailand. She has informed the team that any movements to my application, she wants to be the first person to know.   

 

Now that I have the attention of the Top Government Official on my application, I really do hope that with her assistance and dedication, she will be able to move my application pass the finishing line before the 29 Jan.

That's good to hear.....I expect your application will now be expedited....wouldn't be surprised if good news arrives within days.

 

But one thing is still unclear to me from your initial detailed 7 Jan post and that is why "29 Jan" is such a key date....why did BOI recommend you last day of work be before "29 Jan?"   Why not 15 Dec, 10 Jan, 20 Jan, 10 Mar, etc.   Just trying to figure out why 29 Jan seems to be a key date....maybe a date that is key to BOI and for whatever reason they (or another govt agency) is waiting until at least 29 Jan before giving the final stamp of approval.

 

As FYI, back in late 2022 when I got my LTR Pensioner visa it took almost 60 days "calendar" days from submission to endorsement/approval (on a Friday)....and then it was actually stamped into my passport the following Monday as I didn't waste no time in making an appt on that Friday for a Monday morning appt.  Fortunately I live in Bangkok and the BOI is only a 45 minute Bangkok traffic jam away.  During the first approx 30 days or so all I could hear was crickets.....practically no movement thru the process--or at least it appeared that way from monitoring my online LTR acct.  I did start making calls  around the 30 day point...made calls around twice a week trying to find out what might be delaying things since BOI's goal to fully process a LTR application is 20 "business" days which is about 28-30 calendar days.   BOI did ask for additional docs one time regarding the medical coverage which I provided/uploaded within hours same day...this was around the 35-45 day point if memory  serves me right.   Once again, crickets for about a week....then the damn broke one day period where they asked via email for the latest copy of my passport...I provided such via email....then a few hours later I then got the endorsement/approval notification...I could now make an online appt....immediately made an appoint on that Friday afternoon for the following Monday when I got the visa stamped into my passport....a nice Christmas gift.   Since the LTR program first started accepting applications on 1 Sep 2022 mine was processed during the early months when the program was still going thru growing pains...BOI/govt agencies getting MANY applications and also adding and/or taking away some flexibility like exactly what they would accept to prove medical coverage, etc...this surely slowed things down somewhat as "actual applications with all kinds of docs generated in different countries" surely caused BOI to do some adjustments in what was acceptable prove and what was not.   When a person's application seems to just be Lost in Space, not moving, etc., it's quite understandable that it creates worry and frustration when critical dates are approaching like maybe a person's current visa expiring, etc.  Good luck...hope the coming few days results in LTR approval.  And if deciding to go to BOI as you exit the elevator on the building's16th floor turn left to the BOI office...if turning right out of the elevator you go to the BOI/Chamchuri Sq Immigration Office.  BOI and their immigration office are side by side...only a few steps apart on the 16th floor.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Pib said:

That's good to hear.....I expect your application will now be expedited....wouldn't be surprised if good news arrives within days.

 

But one thing is still unclear to me from your initial detailed 7 Jan post and that is why "29 Jan" is such a key date....why did BOI recommend you last day of work be before "29 Jan?"   Why not 15 Dec, 10 Jan, 20 Jan, 10 Mar, etc.   Just trying to figure out why 29 Jan seems to be a key date....maybe a date that is key to BOI and for whatever reason they (or another govt agency) is waiting until at least 29 Jan before giving the final stamp of approval.

 

As FYI, back in late 2022 when I got my LTR Pensioner visa it took almost 60 days "calendar" days from submission to endorsement/approval (on a Friday)....and then it was actually stamped into my passport the following Monday as I didn't waste no time in making an appt on that Friday for a Monday morning appt.  Fortunately I live in Bangkok and the BOI is only a 45 minute Bangkok traffic jam away.  During the first approx 30 days or so all I could hear was crickets.....practically no movement thru the process--or at least it appeared that way from monitoring my online LTR acct.  I did start making calls  around the 30 day point...made calls around twice a week trying to find out what might be delaying things since BOI's goal to fully process a LTR application is 20 "business" days which is about 28-30 calendar days.   BOI did ask for additional docs one time regarding the medical coverage which I provided/uploaded within hours same day...this was around the 35-45 day point if memory  serves me right.   Once again, crickets for about a week....then the damn broke one day period where they asked via email for the latest copy of my passport...I provided such via email....then a few hours later I then got the endorsement/approval notification...I could now make an online appt....immediately made an appoint on that Friday afternoon for the following Monday when I got the visa stamped into my passport....a nice Christmas gift.   Since the LTR program first started accepting applications on 1 Sep 2022 mine was processed during the early months when the program was still going thru growing pains...BOI/govt agencies getting MANY applications and also adding and/or taking away some flexibility like exactly what they would accept to prove medical coverage, etc...this surely slowed things down somewhat as "actual applications with all kinds of docs generated in different countries" surely caused BOI to do some adjustments in what was acceptable prove and what was not.   When a person's application seems to just be Lost in Space, not moving, etc., it's quite understandable that it creates worry and frustration when critical dates are approaching like maybe a person's current visa expiring, etc.  Good luck...hope the coming few days results in LTR approval.  And if deciding to go to BOI as you exit the elevator on the building's16th floor turn left to the BOI office...if turning right out of the elevator you go to the BOI/Chamchuri Sq Immigration Office.  BOI and their immigration office are side by side...only a few steps apart on the 16th floor.

 

 

 

Thank you so much, Pib, for sharing your valuable experiences with me. I have just received another update from BOI this morning. Below is the message which I have received from BOI:

 

"Regarding your application, before moving forward to finalizing you current application for WFTP. There are some details we hope to confirm with you via a zoom meeting to ensure that the process could go smoothly. Given the situation of your side we understand that this need to be done as soon as possible."

 

So we will be having a chat later this after at 3pm. Looks like the Top Government Official is certainly making my application flying at rocket speed right now, especially these words in the message "... to ensure that the process could go smoothly."

Awesome...good luck...hopefully approval (endorsement) on Friday.  Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

3 hours ago, Pib said:

Awesome...good luck...hopefully approval (endorsement) on Friday.  Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Finally, after having a nice chat with the BOI officers, the conversation ended with "Look out for the update on your endorsement approval tomorrow. We will see you at Chamchuri Square very soon."

7 minutes ago, Desmond77 said:

Finally, after having a nice chat with the BOI officers, the conversation ended with "Look out for the update on your endorsement approval tomorrow. We will see you at Chamchuri Square very soon."

Welcome to the club mate - good work and the best advice was to get on the phone or send an email.  They are top bunch at the BOI LTR and without a doubt the best Bureaucrats in Thailand.

15 minutes ago, SHA 2 BKK said:

Welcome to the club mate - good work and the best advice was to get on the phone or send an email.  They are top bunch at the BOI LTR and without a doubt the best Bureaucrats in Thailand.

Thank you SHA 2 BKK and everyone. I noticed that there aren't many successful applicants here under the LTR-WFTP scheme. The conversation I had with the BOI officers was such an enlightenment. For the benefit of those who intend to apply for LTR under WFTP, I will share my entire experiences here and what are the things that BOI officers are looking out for once I have done my LTR stamping some time closer to 29 Jan.

Hi everyone,

 

As mentioned yesterday, I noticed that most of the success cases in this forum are mostly Wealthy Pensioners, merely a handful of successful cases coming through under the Work-From-Thailand-Professionals. I have just finally moved my application forward yesterday after a zoom session with the BOI officers and I have received my endorsement approval today. The zoom call was very helpful and I have learnt alot from the 2 BOI officers whom I have spoken to. So for the benefit of anyone who wish to apply for the LTR under the WFTP scheme, here are the things which you need to do, upload and also to take note of when you do your submission.

 

25 Nov 2024: Account created and uploaded all the documents.

 

The documents which I have uploaded include the following:

1. Old passport where I had my Non-B visa, re-entry permit and all the Thai immigration stamps.

2. New passport

3. Thai Work Permit ( I was holding 2 jobs, one with a foreign private company and another with a Thai company). If you are have a Non-B visa and a Thai work permit like me, you are required to submit the termination letter from your Thai company, stating when will your Non-B visa and Work Permit be cancelled. 

4. Employment contract from my foreign company, stating my position with the company, my salary, my term of employment and my role in the company allows me to work remotely.

5. A Certificate of Employment from my foreign company, stating the details of the registration of the company, again your position with the company, your monthly salary, your annual salary package and your term of employment with the company.

6. Insurance policy stating the coverage of your policy with minimum 10 months validity from the date you submitted your application. (On the 9 Jan, BOI requested for a full schedule of my insurance coverage which I have submitted within the same day)

7. An authorisation letter from the company, stating the company registration details, stating the reason why you are allow to work remotely form Thailand.

8. Tax returns from my home country for the past 2 years, showing that I am drawing a salary of more than USD80k per year

9. All payslips for all the months of 2024, showing that I am still drawing that amount of salary from my foreign company.

10. Monthly bank statements showing that the salary are being banked into my account

11. As I have a monthly deduction of x amount of dollars from my gross salary to my pension account, I was required to show that the amount deducted from my salary every month, did go into my pension account. Therefore, I have submitted a 12-month statement of my pension account.

12. A passport photo with white background taken recently.

13. 3 years of Audited statement of Accounts, signed off by the auditors and my Global Finance Director, showing the cumulative gross revenue of USD150M or more over the last years

14. Company profile to show that the company which I am working for is a well-established global MNC

15. A corporate hierarchy, showing that the person who are signing all your letters are authorised to do so.

16. A cover letter, explaining all the documents which you have submitted.

 

3 Jan 2025: Past the 20th work day mark, still no news. Made a call to BOI's general hotline, the person told me to wait.

 

7 Jan 2025: Still no news. Called, again told me to wait as delays were expected due to festive holidays in Dec and many applications to process. At this point, I have decided to escalate the application to the top guys on my own.

 

8 Jan 2025: BOI contacted me, reassuring me that my application will be expedite. She also mentioned that she is committed to minimise any potential disruptions that may be caused to me and my family.

 

9 Jan 2025: Another BOI Senior Officer contacted me to arrange for a zoom call within the same day. After approximately a 15-min chat with 2 questions being asked during the chat, the call ended with "Look out for the update on your endorsement approval tomorrow. We will see you at Chamchuri Square very soon."

 

Things to note:

1. All documents must be on your company's letterhead

2. The company letterhead that you are using for all documents must be the same company that is reflected on the audited statement of accounts, employment contract, certificate of employment and authorisation letter to work remotely in Thailand. BOI officers are sharp enough to pick up even just one wrong spelling in any of these documents, especially company names and registration details. This was the key reason to the hold up of my application which was clarified during the zoom call yesterday. 

3. All corporate letters and documents must be stamped.

4. Please do not hesitate to reach out to BOI, either via email or phone call, when you have passed the 20th day mark and yet, you have not received any updates. The BOI officers are very helpful. One very key important question to ask when you contact BOI is "Do you understand all the information / documents which I have submitted inn my application?" That question will prompt the BOI office to do a deep dive into your application immediately and set to clear all doubts once and for all.

 

During the zoom call, the Senior BOI Officer (She accidentally leaked the fact that she is one of the approving office in BOI for LTR) mentioned that among all the 5 categories of LTR, they are most strict with applicants under WFTP scheme and they have alot of documents to check and verify. That explains why applications under the WFTP will always take the longest.

 

Will be doing my LTR stamping on the 23 Jan. 

 

Hope that my learning experience will be helpful to anyone who intends to apply under the WFTP scheme. Wishing everyone all the best!! 

 

1 hour ago, Desmond77 said:

Hi everyone,

 

As mentioned yesterday, I noticed that most of the success cases in this forum are mostly Wealthy Pensioners, merely a handful of successful cases coming through under the Work-From-Thailand-Professionals. I have just finally moved my application forward yesterday after a zoom session with the BOI officers and I have received my endorsement approval today. The zoom call was very helpful and I have learnt alot from the 2 BOI officers whom I have spoken to. So for the benefit of anyone who wish to apply for the LTR under the WFTP scheme, here are the things which you need to do, upload and also to take note of when you do your submission.

 

25 Nov 2024: Account created and uploaded all the documents.

 

The documents which I have uploaded include the following:

1. Old passport where I had my Non-B visa, re-entry permit and all the Thai immigration stamps.

2. New passport

3. Thai Work Permit ( I was holding 2 jobs, one with a foreign private company and another with a Thai company). If you are have a Non-B visa and a Thai work permit like me, you are required to submit the termination letter from your Thai company, stating when will your Non-B visa and Work Permit be cancelled. 

4. Employment contract from my foreign company, stating my position with the company, my salary, my term of employment and my role in the company allows me to work remotely.

5. A Certificate of Employment from my foreign company, stating the details of the registration of the company, again your position with the company, your monthly salary, your annual salary package and your term of employment with the company.

6. Insurance policy stating the coverage of your policy with minimum 10 months validity from the date you submitted your application. (On the 9 Jan, BOI requested for a full schedule of my insurance coverage which I have submitted within the same day)

7. An authorisation letter from the company, stating the company registration details, stating the reason why you are allow to work remotely form Thailand.

8. Tax returns from my home country for the past 2 years, showing that I am drawing a salary of more than USD80k per year

9. All payslips for all the months of 2024, showing that I am still drawing that amount of salary from my foreign company.

10. Monthly bank statements showing that the salary are being banked into my account

11. As I have a monthly deduction of x amount of dollars from my gross salary to my pension account, I was required to show that the amount deducted from my salary every month, did go into my pension account. Therefore, I have submitted a 12-month statement of my pension account.

12. A passport photo with white background taken recently.

13. 3 years of Audited statement of Accounts, signed off by the auditors and my Global Finance Director, showing the cumulative gross revenue of USD150M or more over the last years

14. Company profile to show that the company which I am working for is a well-established global MNC

15. A corporate hierarchy, showing that the person who are signing all your letters are authorised to do so.

16. A cover letter, explaining all the documents which you have submitted.

 

3 Jan 2025: Past the 20th work day mark, still no news. Made a call to BOI's general hotline, the person told me to wait.

 

7 Jan 2025: Still no news. Called, again told me to wait as delays were expected due to festive holidays in Dec and many applications to process. At this point, I have decided to escalate the application to the top guys on my own.

 

8 Jan 2025: BOI contacted me, reassuring me that my application will be expedite. She also mentioned that she is committed to minimise any potential disruptions that may be caused to me and my family.

 

9 Jan 2025: Another BOI Senior Officer contacted me to arrange for a zoom call within the same day. After approximately a 15-min chat with 2 questions being asked during the chat, the call ended with "Look out for the update on your endorsement approval tomorrow. We will see you at Chamchuri Square very soon."

 

Things to note:

1. All documents must be on your company's letterhead

2. The company letterhead that you are using for all documents must be the same company that is reflected on the audited statement of accounts, employment contract, certificate of employment and authorisation letter to work remotely in Thailand. BOI officers are sharp enough to pick up even just one wrong spelling in any of these documents, especially company names and registration details. This was the key reason to the hold up of my application which was clarified during the zoom call yesterday. 

3. All corporate letters and documents must be stamped.

4. Please do not hesitate to reach out to BOI, either via email or phone call, when you have passed the 20th day mark and yet, you have not received any updates. The BOI officers are very helpful. One very key important question to ask when you contact BOI is "Do you understand all the information / documents which I have submitted inn my application?" That question will prompt the BOI office to do a deep dive into your application immediately and set to clear all doubts once and for all.

 

During the zoom call, the Senior BOI Officer (She accidentally leaked the fact that she is one of the approving office in BOI for LTR) mentioned that among all the 5 categories of LTR, they are most strict with applicants under WFTP scheme and they have alot of documents to check and verify. That explains why applications under the WFTP will always take the longest.

 

Will be doing my LTR stamping on the 23 Jan. 

 

Hope that my learning experience will be helpful to anyone who intends to apply under the WFTP scheme. Wishing everyone all the best!! 

 

9 hours ago, Desmond77 said:

During the zoom call, the Senior BOI Officer (She accidentally leaked the fact that she is one of the approving office in BOI for LTR) mentioned that among all the 5 categories of LTR, they are most strict with applicants under WFTP scheme and they have a lot of documents to check and verify. That explains why applications under the WFTP will always take the longest.

 

Just some FYI on LTR stats.  Below stats from the BOI page shows the number of "approved/endorsed" LTR visas since the LTR program began 1 Sep 2022 thru 30 Nov 2024.  BOI typically provides an updated chart every two months...next update will probably occur in Feb for the 1 Sep 2022 thru 31 Jan 2025 period.  

 

Anyway over the 27 months covered in below chart thru 30 Nov 2024 there have been 695 approved visas in the WFTP category...that averages out to a little less than 26 per month....a little less than 1 per business day.  Only 12% of all the various LTR categories.   

 

 

https://ltr.boi.go.th/img/info/Statistics-of-LTR-Visa.jpg

 

 

On 1/10/2025 at 10:57 AM, Desmond77 said:

Hi everyone,

 

As mentioned yesterday, I noticed that most of the success cases in this forum are mostly Wealthy Pensioners, merely a handful of successful cases coming through under the Work-From-Thailand-Professionals. I have just finally moved my application forward yesterday after a zoom session with the BOI officers and I have received my endorsement approval today. The zoom call was very helpful and I have learnt alot from the 2 BOI officers whom I have spoken to. So for the benefit of anyone who wish to apply for the LTR under the WFTP scheme, here are the things which you need to do, upload and also to take note of when you do your submission.

 

25 Nov 2024: Account created and uploaded all the documents.

 

The documents which I have uploaded include the following:

1. Old passport where I had my Non-B visa, re-entry permit and all the Thai immigration stamps.

2. New passport

3. Thai Work Permit ( I was holding 2 jobs, one with a foreign private company and another with a Thai company). If you are have a Non-B visa and a Thai work permit like me, you are required to submit the termination letter from your Thai company, stating when will your Non-B visa and Work Permit be cancelled. 

4. Employment contract from my foreign company, stating my position with the company, my salary, my term of employment and my role in the company allows me to work remotely.

5. A Certificate of Employment from my foreign company, stating the details of the registration of the company, again your position with the company, your monthly salary, your annual salary package and your term of employment with the company.

6. Insurance policy stating the coverage of your policy with minimum 10 months validity from the date you submitted your application. (On the 9 Jan, BOI requested for a full schedule of my insurance coverage which I have submitted within the same day)

7. An authorisation letter from the company, stating the company registration details, stating the reason why you are allow to work remotely form Thailand.

8. Tax returns from my home country for the past 2 years, showing that I am drawing a salary of more than USD80k per year

9. All payslips for all the months of 2024, showing that I am still drawing that amount of salary from my foreign company.

10. Monthly bank statements showing that the salary are being banked into my account

11. As I have a monthly deduction of x amount of dollars from my gross salary to my pension account, I was required to show that the amount deducted from my salary every month, did go into my pension account. Therefore, I have submitted a 12-month statement of my pension account.

12. A passport photo with white background taken recently.

13. 3 years of Audited statement of Accounts, signed off by the auditors and my Global Finance Director, showing the cumulative gross revenue of USD150M or more over the last years

14. Company profile to show that the company which I am working for is a well-established global MNC

15. A corporate hierarchy, showing that the person who are signing all your letters are authorised to do so.

16. A cover letter, explaining all the documents which you have submitted.

 

3 Jan 2025: Past the 20th work day mark, still no news. Made a call to BOI's general hotline, the person told me to wait.

 

7 Jan 2025: Still no news. Called, again told me to wait as delays were expected due to festive holidays in Dec and many applications to process. At this point, I have decided to escalate the application to the top guys on my own.

 

8 Jan 2025: BOI contacted me, reassuring me that my application will be expedite. She also mentioned that she is committed to minimise any potential disruptions that may be caused to me and my family.

 

9 Jan 2025: Another BOI Senior Officer contacted me to arrange for a zoom call within the same day. After approximately a 15-min chat with 2 questions being asked during the chat, the call ended with "Look out for the update on your endorsement approval tomorrow. We will see you at Chamchuri Square very soon."

 

Things to note:

1. All documents must be on your company's letterhead

2. The company letterhead that you are using for all documents must be the same company that is reflected on the audited statement of accounts, employment contract, certificate of employment and authorisation letter to work remotely in Thailand. BOI officers are sharp enough to pick up even just one wrong spelling in any of these documents, especially company names and registration details. This was the key reason to the hold up of my application which was clarified during the zoom call yesterday. 

3. All corporate letters and documents must be stamped.

4. Please do not hesitate to reach out to BOI, either via email or phone call, when you have passed the 20th day mark and yet, you have not received any updates. The BOI officers are very helpful. One very key important question to ask when you contact BOI is "Do you understand all the information / documents which I have submitted inn my application?" That question will prompt the BOI office to do a deep dive into your application immediately and set to clear all doubts once and for all.

 

During the zoom call, the Senior BOI Officer (She accidentally leaked the fact that she is one of the approving office in BOI for LTR) mentioned that among all the 5 categories of LTR, they are most strict with applicants under WFTP scheme and they have alot of documents to check and verify. That explains why applications under the WFTP will always take the longest.

 

Will be doing my LTR stamping on the 23 Jan. 

 

Hope that my learning experience will be helpful to anyone who intends to apply under the WFTP scheme. Wishing everyone all the best!! 

 

 

Congratulations, very glad to hear you got in touch with some top BOI folks and that you'll be getting the LTR visa soon. Thanks for posting the details on your experience - will certainly help other members in the future. 

 

5 hours ago, Misty said:

 

Congratulations, very glad to hear you got in touch with some top BOI folks and that you'll be getting the LTR visa soon. Thanks for posting the details on your experience - will certainly help other members in the future. 

 

Thank you Misty, for being extremely helpful and supportive throughout the application process. Your advices have helped me alot.

On 1/10/2025 at 10:57 AM, Desmond77 said:

Hi everyone,

 

As mentioned yesterday, I noticed that most of the success cases in this forum are mostly Wealthy Pensioners, merely a handful of successful cases coming through under the Work-From-Thailand-Professionals. I have just finally moved my application forward yesterday after a zoom session with the BOI officers and I have received my endorsement approval today. The zoom call was very helpful and I have learnt alot from the 2 BOI officers whom I have spoken to. So for the benefit of anyone who wish to apply for the LTR under the WFTP scheme, here are the things which you need to do, upload and also to take note of when you do your submission.

 

25 Nov 2024: Account created and uploaded all the documents.

 

The documents which I have uploaded include the following:

1. Old passport where I had my Non-B visa, re-entry permit and all the Thai immigration stamps.

2. New passport

3. Thai Work Permit ( I was holding 2 jobs, one with a foreign private company and another with a Thai company). If you are have a Non-B visa and a Thai work permit like me, you are required to submit the termination letter from your Thai company, stating when will your Non-B visa and Work Permit be cancelled. 

4. Employment contract from my foreign company, stating my position with the company, my salary, my term of employment and my role in the company allows me to work remotely.

5. A Certificate of Employment from my foreign company, stating the details of the registration of the company, again your position with the company, your monthly salary, your annual salary package and your term of employment with the company.

6. Insurance policy stating the coverage of your policy with minimum 10 months validity from the date you submitted your application. (On the 9 Jan, BOI requested for a full schedule of my insurance coverage which I have submitted within the same day)

7. An authorisation letter from the company, stating the company registration details, stating the reason why you are allow to work remotely form Thailand.

8. Tax returns from my home country for the past 2 years, showing that I am drawing a salary of more than USD80k per year

9. All payslips for all the months of 2024, showing that I am still drawing that amount of salary from my foreign company.

10. Monthly bank statements showing that the salary are being banked into my account

11. As I have a monthly deduction of x amount of dollars from my gross salary to my pension account, I was required to show that the amount deducted from my salary every month, did go into my pension account. Therefore, I have submitted a 12-month statement of my pension account.

12. A passport photo with white background taken recently.

13. 3 years of Audited statement of Accounts, signed off by the auditors and my Global Finance Director, showing the cumulative gross revenue of USD150M or more over the last years

14. Company profile to show that the company which I am working for is a well-established global MNC

15. A corporate hierarchy, showing that the person who are signing all your letters are authorised to do so.

16. A cover letter, explaining all the documents which you have submitted.

 

3 Jan 2025: Past the 20th work day mark, still no news. Made a call to BOI's general hotline, the person told me to wait.

 

7 Jan 2025: Still no news. Called, again told me to wait as delays were expected due to festive holidays in Dec and many applications to process. At this point, I have decided to escalate the application to the top guys on my own.

 

8 Jan 2025: BOI contacted me, reassuring me that my application will be expedite. She also mentioned that she is committed to minimise any potential disruptions that may be caused to me and my family.

 

9 Jan 2025: Another BOI Senior Officer contacted me to arrange for a zoom call within the same day. After approximately a 15-min chat with 2 questions being asked during the chat, the call ended with "Look out for the update on your endorsement approval tomorrow. We will see you at Chamchuri Square very soon."

 

Things to note:

1. All documents must be on your company's letterhead

2. The company letterhead that you are using for all documents must be the same company that is reflected on the audited statement of accounts, employment contract, certificate of employment and authorisation letter to work remotely in Thailand. BOI officers are sharp enough to pick up even just one wrong spelling in any of these documents, especially company names and registration details. This was the key reason to the hold up of my application which was clarified during the zoom call yesterday. 

3. All corporate letters and documents must be stamped.

4. Please do not hesitate to reach out to BOI, either via email or phone call, when you have passed the 20th day mark and yet, you have not received any updates. The BOI officers are very helpful. One very key important question to ask when you contact BOI is "Do you understand all the information / documents which I have submitted inn my application?" That question will prompt the BOI office to do a deep dive into your application immediately and set to clear all doubts once and for all.

 

During the zoom call, the Senior BOI Officer (She accidentally leaked the fact that she is one of the approving office in BOI for LTR) mentioned that among all the 5 categories of LTR, they are most strict with applicants under WFTP scheme and they have alot of documents to check and verify. That explains why applications under the WFTP will always take the longest.

 

Will be doing my LTR stamping on the 23 Jan. 

 

Hope that my learning experience will be helpful to anyone who intends to apply under the WFTP scheme. Wishing everyone all the best!! 

 

 

 

Yes, a very good report and good visa to be granted. Numbers for this category very low, likely due to the requirements tricky to navigate for many, plus the concept of a 10 year visa tied to an employer - is also a bit difficult. 

 

OP, do you believe you'll stay in the same position and employer for many years? Reason I ask is (in theory) this visa is tied to your employer. 

 

If your employment ends, you either find another qualifying employer or another visa. I know of a case, where BOI was asked this  question  and confirmed the visa expires on employment cessation, but said "we won't check". 

 

Which means, you're safe, for 5 years at least,  in reality,  regardless of your employment status. At the 5 year mark you need to re qualify. 

 

Anyway, a good visa for someone in secure long term employment, but evidently, this category hasn't attracted anywhere near a fraction of hoped, new long term residents to Thailand. 

On 1/11/2025 at 9:54 PM, anrcaccount said:

 

 

Yes, a very good report and good visa to be granted. Numbers for this category very low, likely due to the requirements tricky to navigate for many, plus the concept of a 10 year visa tied to an employer - is also a bit difficult. 

 

OP, do you believe you'll stay in the same position and employer for many years? Reason I ask is (in theory) this visa is tied to your employer. 

 

If your employment ends, you either find another qualifying employer or another visa. I know of a case, where BOI was asked this  question  and confirmed the visa expires on employment cessation, but said "we won't check". 

 

Which means, you're safe, for 5 years at least,  in reality,  regardless of your employment status. At the 5 year mark you need to re qualify. 

 

Anyway, a good visa for someone in secure long term employment, but evidently, this category hasn't attracted anywhere near a fraction of hoped, new long term residents to Thailand. 

Hi anrcaccount, I can totally agree with you. Unless one is very sure that he is going to stake his life with the same company for the next 10 years upon receiving this LTR-WFTP visa, there is a certain amount of risk involved, especially reaching the 5-year mark. I am currently 47 years of age and I still have another 16 more years on that employment contract, which outlives the term of the LTR-WFTP visa. Therefore, it is definitely a good deal for me and my family. 16 years down the road, I can switch over to Wealthy Pensioner instead.

Question on payment for LTR wealthy pensioner:

 

Can I pay the 50000 Baht with my international credit card? Or is it better to bring cash? I don't have a Thai bank account yet and therefore no QR Code app.

 

 

17 minutes ago, Wagyu said:

Question on payment for LTR wealthy pensioner:

 

Can I pay the 50000 Baht with my international credit card? Or is it better to bring cash? I don't have a Thai bank account yet and therefore no QR Code app.

 

According to the BoI web page:  https://ltr.boi.go.th/page/visa-issuance-info.html

 

        "Acceptable payment options include Thai mobile banking (QR code scanning) and cash only."

 

You could phone BoI and ask them if you wish more confidence/confirmation.

 

 

1 hour ago, Wagyu said:

Question on payment for LTR wealthy pensioner:

 

Can I pay the 50000 Baht with my international credit card? Or is it better to bring cash? I don't have a Thai bank account yet and therefore no QR Code app.

 

 

Like in oldcpu post above Chamchuri Sq Immigration (a.k.a., BOI immigration) will only accept cash or Thai bank QR payment.  Can't use a debit or credit card whether Thai or international.

Thanks guys. Surprised that no card is possble. OK, cash is king. Not a big problem. 

Has anyone in here participated in the tax-related Carl Turner Zoom call that was held a few days ago? Regarding the taxing of LTR visa holders, I wonder whether anything significant was mentioned.

13 hours ago, Wagyu said:

Thanks guys. Surprised that no card is possble. OK, cash is king. Not a big problem. 

I had an appointment but my dad got sick so had to head back to Australia but would be great to hear any feedback.   For what it’s worth my Thai Friend who is a lawyer looked closely at the Thai version of the Royal Decree re LTR Visas.   His advice was to go nowhere near the RD as I have only remitted pre 2023 income.   Assuming there are no further changes, as long as I have evidence of “salting” funds offshore in the previous tax year no visit to the RD will be needed whilst I hold the Visa.