Did my LTR visa every 1 year address report today at the BOI LTR Office/Immigration new location in the One Bangkok complex.

 

Went to their facility on the 6th floor...went to Immigration Information window to get a queue number for address reporting...literally 2 seconds later the address reporting window called my queue number....I handed them my simple paperwork....about 2 minutes later they handed me a completed address report receipt...out the door I go....I'm done with address reporting for another year.

 

 

8 hours ago, oldcpu said:

 Others (on this forum and also Thailand's BoI in their statements) and myself (for example) disagree, and we believe it applies to all remitted forum income (if on LTR-WP/WGC) and not just exempt for strictly one year of income.

That is incorrect.  BOI - at least to me - has stated that "the exempted income must be earned and brought into Thailand in different calendar years"

1 hour ago, K2938 said:

Quote

 Others (on this forum and also Thailand's BoI in their statements) and myself (for example) disagree, and we believe it applies to all remitted forum income (if on LTR-WP/WGC) and not just exempt for strictly one year of income.

That is incorrect.  BOI - at least to me - has stated that "the exempted income must be earned and brought into Thailand in different calendar years"

 

As I note , there is dispute on this.

 

Some still maintain the foreign remitted income (to be tax exempt for LTR-WP/WGC visa holders) must be remitted to Thailand  the following tax year only, and ONLY that year, No other relative year.  And they claim any other year (such as current year or 2 years later, when remitted, is not exempt tax if on LTR-visa).  And they point to wording in Royal Decree 743 which they claim backs up their interpretation - where they claim there is one relative year, and only one relative year (relative to income earning year), that the tax exemption applies.  

 

I don't interpret the Royal Decree wording on LTR-WP/WGC tax exemption that way (where I see such an interpretation as incorrect), but rather I am more in line with with BoI.

 

My view is that the phrase “derived in the previous tax year” in Royal Decree 743 refers to how Thai tax returns are always based on the prior year’s income, not to a restriction on which year’s foreign income qualifies. I believe the Decree is intended to be consistent with the normal tax assessment cycle (where it references the Thai tax law) rather than creating a one-year limitation for an exemption. My opinion is foreign income brought into Thailand while holding an LTR Wealthy Pensioner visa is treated as exempt as long as the visa is in effect. The alternative interpretation, which limits the exemption only to income from one single prior year (when filing a tax return), does not (in my view) align with the timing in how annual tax reporting assesses income for a tax return.

I received the email below from BOI regarding the tax exemption on remitted income. It does not state remitted income needs to be earned in the previous year. If anyone received an email that's different from this, please post.

11 hours ago, oldcpu said:

The alternative interpretation, which limits the exemption only to income from one single prior year (when filing a tax return), does not (in my view) align with the timing in how annual tax reporting assesses income for a tax return.

I am not debating what your personal opinion is.  You can have whatever opinion you want.  I am disagreeing with your statement about the current position of the BOI and that - for the benefit of the wider group - is what I said, not what you said.

I quote the BOI from as recently as a few weeks ago:

"According to the latest information received from the Revenue Department, the tax exemption privilege still applies to holders of the Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner, and Work-from-Thailand visa categories.

 

However, the exempted income must be earned and brought into Thailand in different calendar years. 

 

For example, if the income is earned in 2024 (2567), it can be transferred to Thailand in 2025 (2568) without being subject to tax. If the income is both earned and brought into Thailand in the same year, such as 2025 (2568), normal taxation will apply."

 

 

9 minutes ago, K2938 said:

I am not debating what your personal opinion is.  You can have whatever opinion you want.  I am only disagreeing with your statement about the current position of the BOI and that is what I said, not what you said.

I quote the BOI from as recently as a few weeks ago:

"According to the latest information received from the Revenue Department, the tax exemption privilege still applies to holders of the Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner, and Work-from-Thailand visa categories.

 

However, the exempted income must be earned and brought into Thailand in different calendar years. 

 

For example, if the income is earned in 2024 (2567), it can be transferred to Thailand in 2025 (2568) without being subject to tax. If the income is both earned and brought into Thailand in the same year, such as 2025 (2568), normal taxation will apply."

 

 

Interesting. 

 

Was this a direct one-on-one email reply to you, or is it from some BoI public link that can be shared?

 

In the past, going back 18 months,  BoI were saying very different things, noting all foreign remitted income tax exempt.

 

Thailand being Thailand, things do change.

 

However given what you advised,  that you state you heard from BoI,  is not consistent with what BoI claimed in the past, a public link showing such is their new changed assessment would be helpful. 

 

37 minutes ago, K2938 said:

I am not debating what your personal opinion is.  You can have whatever opinion you want.  I am disagreeing with your statement about the current position of the BOI and that - for the benefit of the wider group - is what I said, not what you said.

I quote the BOI from as recently as a few weeks ago:

"According to the latest information received from the Revenue Department, the tax exemption privilege still applies to holders of the Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner, and Work-from-Thailand visa categories.

 

However, the exempted income must be earned and brought into Thailand in different calendar years. 

 

For example, if the income is earned in 2024 (2567), it can be transferred to Thailand in 2025 (2568) without being subject to tax. If the income is both earned and brought into Thailand in the same year, such as 2025 (2568), normal taxation will apply."

 

 

Assuming such is the new BoI interpretation,  I suspect it matters little to most LTR-WP/WGC, as we do not by any stretch live month to month on our income, but rather most of our assets,  investments and cash are outside of Thailand. It makes massively more sense for our income to be deposited outside of Thailand where there are better investments  Hence its a simple matter of book keeping to show money brought into Thailand was earned many years in the past.

 

Only those who barely qualified for a LTR visa may be affected and need to pay close attention. 

 

I suspect if the remittance timing is as you suggest and state is a BoI assessment, it merely gives more support to a more financially sound strategy, to not bring one's money into Thailand immediately ( given superior investments are available outside of Thailand).

 

Still, I would like to see a link showing this change in BoI assessment of RD tax policy for LTR-WP/WGC holders.

 

If these LTR holders do not bring their money into Thailand in the year it is earned,  IMHO, that will do less service to Thailand than it would otherwise would if they brought their money into Thailand right away.

1 hour ago, oldcpu said:

Was this a direct one-on-one email reply to you, or is it from some BoI public link that can be shared?

One-on-one email.  But just drop them an email and I am sure they will say the same.  I think their email replies usually consist of pre-formulated text modules

1 hour ago, K2938 said:

One-on-one email.  But just drop them an email and I am sure they will say the same.  I think their email replies usually consist of pre-formulated text modules

 

Its not so relevant to me directly - but something rather to note when others ask questions (and when I am tempted to answer).

 

While I am on an LTR-WP, I keep most of my money outside of Thailand, and for years I have been living off money brought into Thailand when I was a non-tax-resident to Thailand. 

 

Further, I am lucky that my passive income (from outside of Thailand) greatly exceeds my ability to spend it, and hence i am always dipping into money saved years back - which could be relevant if and when the time comes to restart remitting funds to Thailand.

 

But I know there are many others not as fortunate, there are others who live from passive income pay-check to pay-check,  and its useful to know how the Thai RD (and how BOI interpet) the tax rules regarding the LTR visa  - perhaps more out of  my curiosity and my desire to very accurately assist.

 

I am thou, tempted to contact BoI.  I note in the past, they have not always been 100% consistent in detailed aspects ... and they will at times change an assessment when they eventually see such in a different 'light'.

.

 

 

3 hours ago, oldcpu said:

4 hours ago, K2938 said:

I am not debating what your personal opinion is.  You can have whatever opinion you want.  I am only disagreeing with your statement about the current position of the BOI and that is what I said, not what you said.

I quote the BOI from as recently as a few weeks ago:

"According to the latest information received from the Revenue Department, the tax exemption privilege still applies to holders of the Wealthy Global Citizen, Wealthy Pensioner, and Work-from-Thailand visa categories.

 

However, the exempted income must be earned and brought into Thailand in different calendar years. 

 

For example, if the income is earned in 2024 (2567), it can be transferred to Thailand in 2025 (2568) without being subject to tax. If the income is both earned and brought into Thailand in the same year, such as 2025 (2568), normal taxation will apply."

 

Expand  

 

Interesting. 

 

Was this a direct one-on-one email reply to you, or is it from some BoI public link that can be shared?

The above interpretation seems to conflict with the email I received from BOI (see below). it would be beneficial to all if one could post an official link or an email regarding BOI's & TRD's position on this issue, if it's different than below. Best regards.

 

44 minutes ago, JohnnyBD said:

The above interpretation seems to conflict with the email I received from BOI (see below). it would be beneficial to all if one could post an official link or an email regarding BOI's & TRD's position on this issue, if it's different than below. Best regards.

Are you looking for consistency and certainty?
The Thai law is conveniently made to be interpreted in multiple ways in order that the authority is eventually always right, serving purposely to neutralize any "face loss" issue.

12 minutes ago, Yumthai said:

Are you looking for consistency and certainty?
The Thai law is conveniently made to be interpreted in multiple ways in order that the authority is eventually always right, serving purposely to neutralize any "face loss" issue.

No, I am not looking for consistency or certainty. Someone posted that one's income needs to be from a previous year in order for it to be tax exempt. I posted the email I received from BOI which doesn't say anything about having to remit income from a previous year for it to be tax exempt. If someone else received a different email reply from BOI, it would be beneficial to all if they would post their email also.

On 12/11/2025 at 3:38 PM, CFC said:

Thanks for the great reply. Lots of good information. Last article I read said the tax laws are going to be changed again in Feb 2026. I wont be applying for my LTR visa before then. I will wait to see what happens in Feb 2026 and then go from there. Will  speak to tax specialist when I am next in Thailand.

The new Government will be elected mid-end of Feb 26 so I wouldn't expect any changes to the Tax Laws to come in before May 26, could take a lot longer as the Government probably has higher priorities.

 

2 hours ago, JohnnyBD said:

 If someone else received a different email reply from BOI, it would be beneficial to all if they would post their email also.

I posted the email I received.  So yours was probably much earlier than mine which was just a few weeks ago.  And as you see in the text, the BOI also specifically refers to "the latest information received from the Revenue Department".

What is the date of your email?

17 hours ago, K2938 said:

I posted the email I received.  So yours was probably much earlier than mine which was just a few weeks ago.  And as you see in the text, the BOI also specifically refers to "the latest information received from the Revenue Department".

What is the date of your email?

Sorry, I thought your info was from one of the tax firms since it didn't have the BOI LTR Visa Unit letterhead attached. They always responded to me using their letterhead and never in that much detail. I will email BOI on Monday just to get a 2nd confirmation. My email from BOI was from last year. For such a significant change from what they originally told people, BOI should have sent out notices to us. They have all our email addresses on file. I will post their reply when I get it. Have a good weekend!

I just received the following reply from the BOI LTR Visa Unit regarding the tax exemption for LTR WP visa holders.

 

On 12/11/2025 at 9:43 AM, K2938 said:

That is incorrect.  BOI - at least to me - has stated that "the exempted income must be earned and brought into Thailand in different calendar years"

The provincial TRD (in Chonburi) told me "exempt full stop". Nothing about "different calendar years" and such. To be on the safe side, doing one big transfer in early January is not a problEm. On the other hand, if the Baht shows sudden weakness, say in May, not being able to capitalize on that is annoying.

 

Note that this "brought into the country in a subsequent year" charade was supposed to be a thing of the past, LTR or no LTR.

The following is the email reply I received today from the BOI LTR Visa Unit (on their letterhead) regarding the tax exemption for LTR WP visa holders. The previous one I posted was a snapshot from my phone without the letterhead. Have a good day!

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, JohnnyBD said:

I just received the following reply from the BOI LTR Visa Unit regarding the tax exemption for LTR WP visa holders.

 

 

Thanks for asking ...

 

It does read there has been a shift in the BoI tax assessment that is important for LTR-WP and LTR-WGC to be told about.  I am a bit surprised BoI have not gone public about this, but instead only discretely advise if, and only if, they are questioned.   I guess one could say, this is Thailand.

 

As noted previous, I find it interesting.  

 

It suggests that those on an LTR-WP or LTR-WGC, if their current year foreign income remitted to Thailand is not Thai tax exempt due to a DTA, then they likely need to do a small amount of book keeping to show to Thailand RD (if ever asked)  that any money they remitted to Thailand was earned in a tax year different than the remitted tax year.

 

I speculate that most LTR-WP and most LTR-WGC visa holders will have no issue in investing ALL of their CURRENT year income OUTSIDE of Thailand, ... keeping that money OUTSIDE of Thailand for at least 1 year (and likely more) prior to remitting the money to Thailand. There are great investments outside of Thailand.

 

So for those LTR visa holders , I suspect just keep an end of the year (31-Dec) record of ones money/assets in their appropriate foreign international institute,  so to prove any remitted money to Thailand was from a previous year.  ie. simple booking keeping.

 

Having typed this, "other" year interpretation for no tax on remitted income is puzzling to to me if the BoI intent managing LTR visas, is to have money invested in Thailand. This 'other' year interpretation, simply encourages LTR visa holder foreigners to invest their current year income outside of Thailand (which is likely a good thing to do anyway, but it simply re-inforces such, to the detriment of less investment in Thailand). ie.... from a desire to invest in Thailand perspective - that interpretation is cutting off one's nose to spite one's face .. or shooting one's self in the foot .  But again, as the saying goes, This is Thailand.

 

As I noted before, I believe this 'other' year interpretation, will likely only impact those who barely qualify for the LTR-WP/WGC and whose remitted income is not covered by a DTA.

 

 

Seems to just follow the "old rule" of previous year money brought into Thailand during the current year is not assessable/taxable.  And of course don't forget any DTA exclusion that may apply.

30 minutes ago, Pib said:

Seems to just follow the "old rule" of previous year money brought into Thailand during the current year is not assessable/taxable.  And of course don't forget any DTA exclusion that may apply.

Yes, it seems so. My guess is TRD reviewed Royal Decree 743 and came up with a more strict interpretation of the tax exemption than BOI's original interpretation.

4 hours ago, oldcpu said:

I speculate that most LTR-WP and most LTR-WGC visa holders will have no issue in investing ALL of their CURRENT year income OUTSIDE of Thailand, ... keeping that money OUTSIDE of Thailand for at least 1 year (and likely more) prior to remitting the money to Thailand. There are great investments outside of Thailand

You will probably not leave this income in cash, but invest it further.  Then the same year investment income of this will still be taxed (which it seems you do not currently fully appreciate). 

3 hours ago, K2938 said:

You will probably not leave this income in cash, but invest it further.  Then the same year investment income of this will still be taxed (which it seems you do not currently fully appreciate). 

 

Not really. Not at all. I suspect you are making inaccurate assumptions. 

 

Only Thai tax on profits if remitted in same year.  So don't remit the profits in same year earned.  Only remit other year income with out the profits they incurred for past year or two or more.  

 

Also, it depends on size of one's portfolio ..  with regard to investment liquidity,  ie high interest account or other higher yield non liquid investment. ie type of reinvestment were DTAs may come into play in regards to the reinvestment.  I prefer not to go into details nor size of my investments in a forum such as this. I suspect I am not alone in that regard.

7 hours ago, oldcpu said:

It does read there has been a shift in the BoI tax assessment that is important for LTR-WP and LTR-WGC to be told about.  I am a bit surprised BoI have not gone public about this, but instead only discretely advise if, and only if, they are questioned.   I guess one could say, this is Thailand.

My guess is TRD reviewed Royal Decree 743 and came up with a more strict interpretation of the tax exemption than BOI's original interpretation. BOI could have easily notified us. They have our email addresses on file.

7 hours ago, oldcpu said:

It suggests that those on an LTR-WP or LTR-WGC, if their current year foreign income remitted to Thailand is not Thai tax exempt due to a DTA, then they likely need to do a small amount of book keeping to show to Thailand RD (if ever asked)  that any money they remitted to Thailand was earned in a tax year different than the remitted tax year.

Yes, it would probably be wise to start keeping income from previous years separate from the current year income again. I did this in early 2024 (prior to my LTR visa). I opened new accts for my 2023 income, 2024 income & SS gov't income (exempt by DTA). I remitted the 2023 & 2024 monies earlier this year, so it worked out well. I have a very good paper trail.

7 hours ago, oldcpu said:

I speculate that most LTR-WP and most LTR-WGC visa holders will have no issue

I agree. I'm sure many LTR WP visa holders can easily keep previous year's income/savings separate from their current year's income. For those who need to remit their current year income for living expenses (if not exempted by DTA), it may be a problem.

32 minutes ago, JohnnyBD said:

My guess is TRD reviewed Royal Decree 743 and came up with a more strict interpretation of the tax exemption than BOI's original interpretation. BOI could have easily notified us. They have our email addresses on file.

They could also have updated their official media spreading all the same inexplicit "Tax exemption for overseas income" statement.

It's almost misleading advertising, which is illegal in Thailand.

4 hours ago, JohnnyBD said:

BOI could have easily notified us. They have our email addresses on file.

They probably thought this is bad for business.  So why spreading the news?🤣

One thing I both like and dislike about this forum is that unexpected news often comes up that makes my heart race for a minute! This time, it's the news about having to remit funds earned in a different tax year in order to be tax-exempt. I thought that was something that belonged to the past but it seems it’s not and just came out at the 11th hour for me! I’ve just rejigged my portfolio, and with only a couple of weeks left until the end of the year, I don’t have the $30,000 or $40,000, whatever the annual amount is that I typically remit to Thailand, sitting in an account to use solely for remittances throughout 2026. I would need to sell some assets, which would come at a high cost right now. Then I thought about the Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) between Thailand and the UK, and the income I remit is already taxed at the 40% rate which would far outweigh the Thai tax portion. So, do I still need to worry?

1 hour ago, John207 said:

Then I thought about the Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) between Thailand and the UK, and the income I remit is already taxed at the 40% rate which would far outweigh the Thai tax portion. So, do I still need to worry?

 

If you have already paid tax on the income in the UK at the rate you noted, and if it is covered by a DTA, then IMHO the worst aspect might be having to file a Thai income tax return, which means get a tax credit (?) from the UK.  If so that would be a PIA (but only cost time , not money).

 

But I am not certain on that.

 

Nor am I certain that even it necessary for you to file a Thai tax return for the money you remitted (where it reads to me that you assess its not protected by LTR / Royal decree 743 but you claim is addressed by a DTA). 

 

If it were me, my focus would be on assessing if a Thai tax return needed, and if it is necessary,  focusing on how does one get tax credits. Study carefully what the UK-Thai DTA says in regards to your income.

 

Having typed that, as I noted, i don't know the answer.

.

27 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

If you have already paid tax on the income in the UK at the rate you noted, and if it is covered by a DTA, then IMHO the worst aspect might be having to file a Thai income tax return, which means get a tax credit (?) from the UK.  If so that would be a PIA (but only cost time , not money).

 

But I am not certain on that.

 

Nor am I certain that even it necessary for you to file a Thai tax return for the money you remitted (where it reads to me that you assess its not protected by LTR / Royal decree 743 but you claim is addressed by a DTA). 

 

If it were me, my focus would be on assessing if a Thai tax return needed, and if it is necessary,  focusing on how does one get tax credits. Study carefully what the UK-Thai DTA says in regards to your income.

 

Having typed that, as I noted, i don't know the answer.

.

Thanks for your thoughts! That's right, going down the DTA route may well nullify the Royal decree 743 protection good point! Something more to really look into.

 

That said, my girlfriend just said she can help me by transferring $20,000 from her $ account to my $ account  for a year (money I gave her a few years ago, just in case), giving me time to build up the cash reserve for the next tax year. With that, I could easily set aside another $15/20,000 right now to make up the total I normally spend annually.

 

However, I’m wondering: in 2026, can I remit new money earned that year instead of using the dollars my girlfriend transferred to me? Or does it have to be the very money earned in the previous year and stored in a specific account that must be remitted? Does money sitting in accounts (both in Thailand and abroad) from previous years, but not remitted, still count toward the tax exemption?

 

To simplify: If I deposit $50,000 in an account in 2026, either in Thailand or elsewhere, and willingly don’t use it, whether it sits there or, if allowed, is tied up in a 12-month fixed deposit with the principal accessible anytime, could I remit new money earned in the UK in 2027 instead and still meet the tax exemption requirements? Or does it have to be the actual money earned the previous year that must be remitted and only from the account it sits in?

33 minutes ago, John207 said:

To simplify: If I deposit $50,000 in an account in 2026, either in Thailand or elsewhere, and willingly don’t use it, whether it sits there or, if allowed, is tied up in a 12-month fixed deposit with the principal accessible anytime, could I remit new money earned in the UK in 2027 instead and still meet the tax exemption requirements? Or does it have to be the actual money earned the previous year that must be remitted and only from the account it sits in?

The only correct answer will be from the Thai Revenue Department. Be aware that answer is official/location/time dependent.