LTR Visa is Now available for Long Term Residency

[ThailandRyan]

35 minutes ago, Alotoftravel said:

 I did forget to  ask whether or not the annual visit to Immigration for reporting can be negated by exiting the country just prior to year end and then returning just after the end of the first year and so on......
/—-//-//—//——

i did ask, yes it is negated if you exit the country but I forgot to ask if i can use the current 90 days online for yearly visit if we do not exit the country.

 

never ending questions

 

 

I did ask about the 90 day system, and we will no longer be able to use it as it is no longer needed.  Would be nice if they would allow us to use it for that annual report if we do not leave the country.  I know my 90 day always reset upon my exiting and re-entering every 6 months.

[pepper402]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Congratulations as well @Alotoftravel

 

Yes my Visa start date for the 10 years started on October 7 2022, and ends on October 5 2032.  The 5 year portion shows my admitted date as October 7th with an Until date of October 6, 2027.  The Multiple re-entry permit stamp is Vaid Until October 6, 2027 as well.  I did forget to ask whether or not the annual visit to Immigration for reporting can be negated by exiting the country just prior to year end and then returning just after the end of the first year and so on......It is a question I wished I had asked.  They did staple the notice in my PP.

Congratulations, Ryan.  I know this will sound really petty and lame but that piece of paper they stapled to your passport looks really lame - and is poorly written.  I am hoping that at least the Visa is cool and high tech with a hologram and color shifting ink - or something like that  ???? 

[ThailandRyan]

22 minutes ago, pepper402 said:

Congratulations, Ryan.  I know this will sound really petty and lame but that piece of paper they stapled to your passport looks really lame - and is poorly written.  I am hoping that at least the Visa is cool and high tech with a hologram and color shifting ink - or something like that  ???? 

lol....the Visa is just an ink stamp placed into the passport which fills up almost the entire page. It would have been nice if it was a true sticker like I have for the Original O-A visa from 2017 and 2019.  Alas it is just a stamp and a stamp of poor quality  which you can just barely read......Maybe those getting them from outside of Thailand at the Consulates or Embassies will get the nice Sticker with the Kingdom of Thailand across the top and the holograms.

[ThailandRyan]

Just noticed this handwritten notice on another page for the LTR. Strange I did not see it until now. I believe it's an entry from the LTR unit and not immigration.

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

I did forget to ask whether or not the annual visit to Immigration for reporting can be negated by exiting the country just prior to year end and then returning just after the end of the first year and so on......

It also seems to be simply an address notification. I wonder if they might tweak the existing 90-day address notification app to support this yearly notification.

[JimGant]

On 10/7/2022 at 3:46 PM, ThailandRyan said:

In about 10 minutes or so they will call you back up and you will be given your passport with the 10 year Visa Stamp on one side and on the other You will see you have been stamped in for 5 uears, and also have a stamp indicating that you have a multiple re-entry stamp also good for 5 years. 

Any chance of showing those? Not exactly sure what I'm seeing when I look at the one stamp picture, above, that you provided, not being able to read Thai. Thanx.

[JimGant]

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

I wonder if they might tweak the existing 90-day address notification app to support this yearly notification.

No!No!No! When they attempted to tweak the system several years ago, it was out-of-order for years to come. No, IT is not mature in Thai gov't organizations.

 

What if you just kept doing 90 day reports? For most of us, they now work just fine online, and only take 5 minutes. Might be simpler than visiting your Imm office once a year, although they did say "notify," which means maybe using the mail system will suffice.... Going in person is certainly not a great selling point for the LTR.

 

Anyway, like with the rest of these early teething pains, this will sort out. I'm just curious about the first LTR holder's reception at Swampy -- hopefully, escorted to Fast Track,where the IOs there have been fully briefed on the LTR visa. Then, what will the 'permission of stay' stamp say -- good for one year? good for five years? good for the remaining time of your five year visa? Or maybe no permission of stay stamp needed, as you already have a five year permission of stay authorization stamped in your passport...... Ryan, go take a trip and let us know. ????

[Misty]

4 hours ago, pepper402 said:

Congratulations, Ryan.  I know this will sound really petty and lame but that piece of paper they stapled to your passport looks really lame - and is poorly written.  I am hoping that at least the Visa is cool and high tech with a hologram and color shifting ink - or something like that  ???? 

Something like this?

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

No!No!No! When they attempted to tweak the system several years ago, it was out-of-order for years to come. No, IT is not mature in Thai gov't organizations.

 

What if you just kept doing 90 day reports? For most of us, they now work just fine online, and only take 5 minutes. Might be simpler than visiting your Imm office once a year, although they did say "notify," which means maybe using the mail system will suffice.... Going in person is certainly not a great selling point for the LTR.

 

Anyway, like with the rest of these early teething pains, this will sort out. I'm just curious about the first LTR holder's reception at Swampy -- hopefully, escorted to Fast Track,where the IOs there have been fully briefed on the LTR visa. Then, what will the 'permission of stay' stamp say -- good for one year? good for five years? good for the remaining time of your five year visa? Or maybe no permission of stay stamp needed, as you already have a five year permission of stay authorization stamped in your passport...... Ryan, go take a trip and let us know. ????

Upcoming trip in December when I hop over to the Philippines.   Will report back then. Hopefully someone getting the LTR visa from outside of Thailand and arriving can give an update.

[ThailandRyan]

 

2 hours ago, JimGant said:

Any chance of showing those? Not exactly sure what I'm seeing when I look at the one stamp picture, above, that you provided, not being able to read Thai. Thanx.

You want my visa stamp and the stamped in page....why? Here it is with the dates on the stamped visa etc. Just in case you were doubting I received it.

 

Redacted numbers but here you go.

 

 

[Misty]

45 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Upcoming trip in December when I hop over to the Philippines.   Will report back then. Hopefully someone getting the LTR visa from outside of Thailand and arriving can give an update.

Not sure there will be many getting an LTR e-visa outside of Thailand.

 

I'm outside Thailand and my initial plan was to apply for the LTR e-visa from my US consulate.  However the BoI staff tells me it would be easier/faster if I arrive in Thailand Visa exempt and then come to the BoI office for the visa stamp and digital work permit. Meanwhile, my US consulate says it will take 15 working days after I get the BoI letter (still waiting for that) for them to issue an LTR e-visa. 

 

So I'm planning to as BOI suggests: arrive Visa exempt, and forget the LTR e-visa.

[khunjeff]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

 

You want my visa stamp and the stamped in page....why? Here it is with the dates on the stamped visa etc. Just in case you were doubting I received it.

 

Redacted numbers but here you go.

 

 

Wow, that's incredibly unprofessional looking even by Thai immigration standards - but it does look the way they said it would (albeit with much poorer print quality...) ????

 

https://www.hlbthai.com/thailands-ltr-visa-process-explained/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thailands-ltr-visa-process-explained

[khunjeff]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Just noticed this handwritten notice on another page for the LTR. Strange I did not see it until now. I believe it's an entry from the LTR unit and not immigration.

Actually, it's signed by an immigration officer ("Female Police Captain Rachanee Sukkasem").

 

I had trouble reading her handwriting, but after getting some assistance in decoding it, it basically says that you ("this alien") want to use an LTR visa, so she is noting for the record that she permitted your previous status to be cancelled. 

 

I guess that's their way of dealing with the fact that normally you can't switch to a new status unless the previous one was either officially cancelled or expired, but a handwritten scrawl in ballpoint pen doesn't seem like the most professional way of recording that. 

[ThailandRyan]

23 minutes ago, khunjeff said:

Wow, that's incredibly unprofessional looking even by Thai immigration standards - but it does look the way they said it would (albeit with much poorer print quality...) ????

 

https://www.hlbthai.com/thailands-ltr-visa-process-explained/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thailands-ltr-visa-process-explained

They could have used more ink on the stamp....

[ThailandRyan]

15 hours ago, khunjeff said:

Actually, it's signed by an immigration officer ("Female Police Captain Rachanee Sukkasem").

 

I had trouble reading her handwriting, but after getting some assistance in decoding it, it basically says that you ("this alien") want to use an LTR visa, so she is noting for the record that she permitted your previous status to be cancelled. 

 

I guess that's their way of dealing with the fact that normally you can't switch to a new status unless the previous one was either officially cancelled or expired, but a handwritten scrawl in ballpoint pen doesn't seem like the most professional way of recording that. 

The LTR Unit I believe may also be Immigration officers albeit they are BOI, board of Investment folks, just were not wearing any uniforms, instead they were in nice dress clothes, The gentleman wore a suit and the lady who had all of the stamps wore a nice outfit.  Looking Hi-So they did.  Of course the offices are plush and not like the immigration side. Tried not to be to obvious with my photos. Last year at Chaeng Wattana they made me stop and delete the photos. I always try to get photos to help folks.

[ThailandRyan]

54 minutes ago, Misty said:

Not sure there will be many getting an LTR e-visa outside of Thailand.

 

I'm outside Thailand and my initial plan was to apply for the LTR e-visa from my US consulate.  However the BoI staff tells me it would be easier/faster if I arrive in Thailand Visa exempt and then come to the BoI office for the visa stamp and digital work permit. Meanwhile, my US consulate says it will take 15 working days after I get the BoI letter (still waiting for that) for them to issue an LTR e-visa. 

 

So I'm planning to as BOI suggests: arrive Visa exempt, and forget the LTR e-visa.

I never received the letter or the 2nd sheet which gives the LTR Visa information.  They gave that to me during my appointment and it went over to Immigration with me and then I was given it back in a nice brown envelope. I am to hold onto that for the next 10 years in my files in case something arises.....no cash...lol...it was I who gave up the dosh on a bank transfer.....sigh.  All is good, and I can say I am happy.  Just a few headaches during the process as you all saw...

[JimGant]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

You want my visa stamp and the stamped in page....why? Here it is with the dates on the stamped visa etc. Just in case you were doubting I received it.

Why would I doubt you received it? How the stamps look, and how filled in, might answer some questions I had, and one did:

 

The square "permission of stay" permit looks like a typical one, with an 'admitted' date and an 'until' date, and a 'signed' block. However, that you got a five year permission of stay is the question I've had all along, as some earlier discussion seemed to indicate us non-travelers would have to go to Imm every year to get a new one-year permission of stay. Your example shows otherwise.

 

And the other guidance you got says we non-travelers will only have to "notify" Imm every year of our address, which, if by mail, is no hardship (and if online, even better). So, thanx for providing the pictures, as it now suggests that, if I don't have to visit Imm every year, even tho' I don't travel, an LTR might be worth it.

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

16 minutes ago, JimGant said:

Why would I doubt you received it? How the stamps look, and how filled in, might answer some questions I had, and one did:

 

The square "permission of stay" permit looks like a typical one, with an 'admitted' date and an 'until' date, and a 'signed' block. However, that you got a five year permission of stay is the question I've had all along, as some earlier discussion seemed to indicate us non-travelers would have to go to Imm every year to get a new one-year permission of stay. Your example shows otherwise.

 

And the other guidance you got says we non-travelers will only have to "notify" Imm every year of our address, which, if by mail, is no hardship (and if online, even better). So, thanx for providing the pictures, as it now suggests that, if I don't have to visit Imm every year, even tho' I don't travel, an LTR might be worth it.

 

 

Jim, good luck with the process as I think and hope it should only get easier for those that are going after those of us beginning LTR Applicants. With the way my PP is now stamped, and the way you view the annual notification, I would have to agree with your view as far as the ability to not visit Immigration yearly, and yes the visit can be done at your local office and not here in Bangkok

 

For myself, as someone who travels in and out at least twice a year to visit family, the multiple entry permit makes it almost equal, in overall total fee's, to doing my annual extension of stay.  Yet now there will be no annual visit for the extension, no going to the bank to get the bank letter, nor having to update the bank book, nor will there be 90 day reports.  That, to me at least, makes it worth the 50K Thb, and the initial hassles and problems with the system glitches.  Standing firm and not getting upset when I made my phone calls also seemed to help the situation, and they seem to have fixed the glitches I reported. 

 

I will be removing the almost 1 MThb I have in my fixed deposit account, and re-investing it in order to build it up further, since it does not have to just sit in order for me to obtain the annual extension of stay.

[pepper402]

16 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

 

You want my visa stamp and the stamped in page....why? Here it is with the dates on the stamped visa etc. Just in case you were doubting I received it.

 

Redacted numbers but here you go.

 

 

This is very disappointing, unprofessional, and mostly illegible, and the ink will smudge and fade after a few years.  I guess I was hoping for something like these (but even nicer with holograms and color shifting ink).  I can't imaging it would have cost very much to have nice visas

[khunjeff]

8 hours ago, pepper402 said:

This is very disappointing, unprofessional, and mostly illegible, and the ink will smudge and fade after a few years.  I guess I was hoping for something like these (but even nicer with holograms and color shifting ink).  I can't imaging it would have cost very much to have nice visas

Developing secure travel documents like the ones in your message is actually quite time consuming and expensive. It is surprising, though, that BoI couldn't have at least forked over a few thousand baht for some better quality rubber stamps (and adequate ink for the ink pads, if nothing else), especially since they supposedly believe there will be a million applicants. But then again, they may have offered and immigration might have said no...! 

[Northwest87]

On 10/9/2022 at 7:27 AM, ThailandRyan said:

Spread thin, and working on over thousands of applications, I was told when I met them on Friday.  As I said I was only the 15th one so far to be processed all the way through in actually obtaining the Visa.  They indicated to me they have approved so many more, but with the system glitches folks are calling in and the staff is working as fast as they can in getting the folks appointments processed who are calling in who received the approval e-mail.  I wonder how the Consulates and Embassies outside of Thailand are doing in assisting with the processing. 

Thanks for the precisions. It's good news that some of the categories of the visa are popular (I have no doubt that the WFTP is not and cannot, as currently designed), so they will hopefully assign more staff to process applications.

 

NW

[Northwest87]

17 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Congratulations as well @Alotoftravel

 

Yes my Visa start date for the 10 years started on October 7 2022, and ends on October 5 2032.  The 5 year portion shows my admitted date as October 7th with an Until date of October 6, 2027.  The Multiple re-entry permit stamp is Vaid Until October 6, 2027 as well.  I did forget to ask whether or not the annual visit to Immigration for reporting can be negated by exiting the country just prior to year end and then returning just after the end of the first year and so on......It is a question I wished I had asked.  They did staple the notice in my PP.

If all that is needed at the yearly check-in is an address update, then yabadabadoo! The question of exiting/re-entering the country and thus resetting the yearly checking was asked and positively answered during the BOI seminar, if memory serves.

[Northwest87]

9 hours ago, Misty said:

Not sure there will be many getting an LTR e-visa outside of Thailand.

 

I'm outside Thailand and my initial plan was to apply for the LTR e-visa from my US consulate.  However the BoI staff tells me it would be easier/faster if I arrive in Thailand Visa exempt and then come to the BoI office for the visa stamp and digital work permit. Meanwhile, my US consulate says it will take 15 working days after I get the BoI letter (still waiting for that) for them to issue an LTR e-visa. 

 

So I'm planning to as BOI suggests: arrive Visa exempt, and forget the LTR e-visa.

Hi, did you get any indication of how long the visa is valid, once issued by the consulate; that is, how long you have to enter Thailand with it to "activate" it before it expires? I assume it works like that.

 

NW

[JimGant]

6 hours ago, Northwest87 said:

The question of exiting/re-entering the country and thus resetting the yearly checking was asked and positively answered during the BOI seminar, if memory serves.

Makes sense, that if you never spend an entire year in Thailand, you don't have to do a one-year report. Same concept as with 90 day reports, i.e., never spend 90 days in Thailand, never do a 90 day report. Thus, only us non-travelers will be submitting the new TM95 one-year forms.

[Alotoftravel]

On 10/9/2022 at 8:44 AM, ThailandRyan said:

PP.

Ryan,

I am thinking above will be updated upon your return from Philippines .

 

(entry date plus a year )

thus we will never ever to go into immigration office until 5 years later for renewal .

 

I think your new entry stamp will state your stay permit will till October 7, 2027

If someone can confirm. 

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

Just now, Alotoftravel said:

Ryan,

I am thinking above will be updated upon your return from Philippines .

 

(entry date plus a year )

thus we will never ever to go into immigration office until 5 years later for renewal .

 

I think your new entry stamp will state your stay permit will till October 7, 2027

If someone can confirm. 

 

 

I believe you are right with the annual notification being the only date that will change based up re-entry into the country.  I do know that my ending date for the 5 years will never change as that is what the LTR folks I talked with indicated as well as I am allowed to stay until the end date shown in 2027.  2 months before the ending date the LTR Unit advised me they would be in contact with me to arrange for a resubmission of certain documents to arrange for the next 5 year stamp.

[JimGant]

13 minutes ago, Alotoftravel said:

I think your new entry stamp will state your stay permit will till October 7, 2027

Actually, his current permission of stay is "until" Oct 6, 2027. And in keeping with the way re-entry permits have worked, he should be stamped in with the "until" date reflecting that of the current permission of stay. But I think you're dead on with the concept.

 

And, yeah, the reporting notice is for aliens "staying in the Kingdom longer than one year." Ergo, if you stay in the Kingdom for less than one year, this notice doesn't apply to you.

 

My take, anyway.

[Robin]

Unlike many who have posted here, I have no objection to the 800KB in  a Thai bank rule for a retirement visa, nor do I rally mind the 90 day reporting,or havign to apply fro an extension every year.  

I simply want ot be ble o stay in Thailand with my Thai wife, and be able to visit Uk once or twice every year.

I can now do all this quite easily with a Non Imm. O visa.

Unless the Government changes the rules, I am not going to change this to get  LTR or any other sort of visa now on offer

if it is a case of making money from us pensioners, why not imple up the cost of the current visa?

I'll wait and see what happens when i go fro my annual extension in Dec.  IF nothing has changed, then I'll stay with that.  I am only going to look at alternative if I am forced to do so.

Anyone see anything wrong with this thinking?

[ThailandRyan]

15 minutes ago, Robin said:

Unlike many who have posted here, I have no objection to the 800KB in  a Thai bank rule for a retirement visa, nor do I rally mind the 90 day reporting,or havign to apply fro an extension every year.  

I simply want ot be ble o stay in Thailand with my Thai wife, and be able to visit Uk once or twice every year.

I can now do all this quite easily with a Non Imm. O visa.

Unless the Government changes the rules, I am not going to change this to get  LTR or any other sort of visa now on offer

if it is a case of making money from us pensioners, why not imple up the cost of the current visa?

I'll wait and see what happens when i go fro my annual extension in Dec.  IF nothing has changed, then I'll stay with that.  I am only going to look at alternative if I am forced to do so.

Anyone see anything wrong with this thinking?

In the end it is your decision Robin.  The cost savings if you travel in and out twice a year and then do your annual extension of stay as well as obtaining the bank letters is minimal as the cost breakdown for this visa is 5k a year for a 10 year period and you also get a multiple entry re-entry permit with the LTR.  Sure the 90 day reporting is easy now since it is on-line, but with the LTR you only need to update the 90 days now just once a year, and even that can be solved by traveling in and out.  The cost of my Non Imm O-A extension of stay I was doing had me locking up 800K Thb which was not making any true money, paying the annual 1900 Thb fee, as well as the 3800 Thb ME Re-entry permit fee and then paying the bank 200 baht for the letter.  So it was a total cost annually of 5900 Thb, or 900 Thb more than the 5k Thb this visa is running.  If just obtaining a single re-entry permit then the total price is 3100 Thb.  I look at it as being a win win in obtaining this visa as a Wealthy Pensioner, and I can utilize the 800K to actually make more money instead of it just sitting there and the bank using it.  At the end of the day as I said it is your choice.  I was tired of going back and forth yearly to immigration and was looking at using an agent, but if I had done that the cost would have been double what this LTR Visa is running me per year.  Unlike the Elite Visa where if you do not leave the country you have to pay 1900 baht every year, with this visa there is no annual fee if you do not leave the country, sure with the Elite Visa you get golf included, but since I do not golf anymore spending 600k Thb for a 10 year Visa was not worth it in my view.

[Misty]

11 hours ago, Northwest87 said:

Hi, did you get any indication of how long the visa is valid, once issued by the consulate; that is, how long you have to enter Thailand with it to "activate" it before it expires? I assume it works like that.

 

NW

No, unfortunately I didn't get that far with the e-visa application before learning that it would be better in our case if we entered visa exempt and received the visa in Bangkok.

 

Another poster (BritTim?) suggested an LTR e-visa holder should have a long time, perhaps up to 5-10 years to enter the country. That makes sense to me, since an e-visa is an issued visa.

 

Would you have access to FB?  The US consulates all seem to have FB sites and are good at answering DMs. My best suggestion would be to FB message your consulate and ask them directly.