LTR Visa is Now available for Long Term Residency

[Pib]

16 hours ago, K2938 said:

FYI

I wonder if the genesis of this disclaimer is caused by visa agents, lawyers, scammers, etc., beginning to advertise they can hand-walk a person thru the LTR application for a fee?  

 

[K2938]

10 minutes ago, Pib said:

I wonder if the genesis of this disclaimer is caused by visa agents, lawyers, scammers, etc., beginning to advertise they can hand-walk a person thru the LTR application for a fee? 

I am sure that is the reason.  Also maybe not only "hand-walk", but also more "advanced" services...  And since the target group is more wealthy it can be charged more so this probably can be quite a profitable business for whoever is doing it.

 

[Pib]

And I wonder if Boi is considering outsourcing "part or all" of the LTR application process to include LTR website management.   I could easily see where part of the process could be outsourced like website management and doing the "initial" processing/review of applications.  And then at the tail-end of the application process BoI would then take the baton to do a final review, provide final coordination with other govt agencies like Immigration/Dept of Employment, and final approval.  Kinda like a 10 lap track race....maybe the first 9 laps would be run by a contracted third party who has a contract with BoI and then BoI takes the baton to run the final/10th lap.

 

I think the probability of BoI outsourcing the entire process is very remote but "partially" outsourcing some of the process like the initial review of applications and website management should be quite doable, but I'm also sure there are a lot of laws/regulations/policies/rice bowls which might not make such a move easy.   

 

It sure would be nice if the BoI could improve the application efficiency to where they could routinely meet their 20 working days goal of reaching a final decision (approved or disapproved).  Right now that 20 working day goal seems to be the exception vs the norm.  

 

 

[aublumberg]

1 hour ago, Misty said:

On returning, there was again a short discussion among the IOs.  Then a passport stamp that says "Admitted until 25/12/2027".  So it seems I'm being admitted on a rolling 5 year basis.  Not sure this is the way it is supposed to work ...

 

Am curious if others who have re-entered with an LTR visa are getting rolling 5 year stamps like this?

 

Definitely not they way is supposed to work ???? but who am I to argue. Mine is fixed date every time, 5 years from first entry. It may be due to the fact that you traveled via DMK and not BKK so maybe less LTR expertise.

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

2 hours ago, Misty said:

Trip report - leaving/re-entering Don Muang airport with the LTR e-visa:

 

Took a short trip to Penang to see friends over the holidays and flew in and out of Don Muang airport.  There's no "fast track" lane that I could see but it really didn't matter as there were no lines at the IO desks.  Leaving Thailand produced a very short discussion among the IOs about what an "LTR e-visa" is, and then a passport stamp saying "Departed 23 Dec".  Nothing was changed to the original "Admitted until 09/11/2027" LTR e-visa stamp.

 

On returning, there was again a short discussion among the IOs.  Then a passport stamp that says "Admitted until 25/12/2027".  So it seems I'm being admitted on a rolling 5 year basis.  Not sure this is the way it is supposed to work, but wasn't going to argue with the IO! (BTW, for those with theories on this sort of thing, she was a woman who smiled as she handed back my passport).

 

Am curious if others who have re-entered with an LTR visa are getting rolling 5 year stamps like this?

 

When I returned to BKK from the Philippines trip I took to completely close down my business (had to cancel the business permit I had) my passport was stamped again with my original end date (Admitted until) of 7 Oct 2027, so it appears that immigration is doing things differently than they should.  I mean with the end date (Admitted until) rolling as you say @Misty one would never ever need to update to the second 5 year period........just very strange.

[Misty]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

And I wonder if Boi is considering outsourcing "part or all" of the LTR application process to include LTR website management.   I could easily see where part of the process could be outsourced like website management and doing the "initial" processing/review of applications.  And then at the tail-end of the application process BoI would then take the baton to do a final review, provide final coordination with other govt agencies like Immigration/Dept of Employment, and final approval.  Kinda like a 10 lap track race....maybe the first 9 laps would be run by a contracted third party who has a contract with BoI and then BoI takes the baton to run the final/10th lap.

 

I think the probability of BoI outsourcing the entire process is very remote but "partially" outsourcing some of the process like the initial review of applications and website management should be quite doable, but I'm also sure there are a lot of laws/regulations/policies/rice bowls which might not make such a move easy.   

 

It sure would be nice if the BoI could improve the application efficiency to where they could routinely meet their 20 working days goal of reaching a final decision (approved or disapproved).  Right now that 20 working day goal seems to be the exception vs the norm.  

 

 

I asked the BoI folks who walked us through receiving the digital work permits how long they'd been at the BoI and where they'd come from.  They explained that their employment firm had been contracted to be in the LTR unit to work with the applicants.  So outsourcing at this level appears to be happening already.

 

All of the folks at the LTR unit front end whom I've been in contact with have been professional and helpful. They all have spoken excellent English. I'd say this was a successful outsourcing.  Perhaps more can follow.

[Saraburi121]

Applied November 21 for the Wealthy Pensioner and was approved December 23rd.  BOI appointment in early January.  Used US Military retirement pay, VA disability pay and local insurance.  No issues with the process.  No more trying to hit a moving goal with my provincial immigration!  

[ThailandRyan]

5 minutes ago, Saraburi121 said:

Applied November 21 for the Wealthy Pensioner and was approved December 23rd.  BOI appointment in early January.  Used US Military retirement pay, VA disability pay and local insurance.  No issues with the process.  No more trying to hit a moving goal with my provincial immigration!  

Congratulations and enjoy.

[K2938]

1 hour ago, Saraburi121 said:

Applied November 21 for the Wealthy Pensioner and was approved December 23rd.

Record short time, but amazing how uneven processing times are.  There are people who do not hear anything for several months and there are others where everything gets done in record time.  So the "pensioner visa get processed very slowly, Work-from-Thailand professionals have it better" theory also does not seem to be valid any longer.  Just seems to be pretty unpredictable.

[Boomer6969]

34 minutes ago, K2938 said:

Record short time, but amazing how uneven processing times are.  There are people who do not hear anything for several months and there are others where everything gets done in record time.  So the "pensioner visa get processed very slowly, Work-from-Thailand professionals have it better" theory also does not seem to be valid any longer.  Just seems to be pretty unpredictable.

@Saraburi121Used a local insurance.

[User3847385]

I received my work-from-Thailand professional visa a couple of weeks ago (applied sep 1st, inked it in on dec 14th) , when I received my visa  at BOI in Bangkok I asked about getting a work permit for a “second” job in my Thai company and was told that it would be possible. 
 

Yesterday I sent an email to LTR asking for some more information about this and received a reply today stating that

 

“Work-from-Thailand Professionals category cannot request for digital work permit because the main intention for this category is to work for company outside Thailand, not for company inside Thailand.”

 

So I wonder who is correct, the agent at BOI that I met with or the person who replied to my email. 
 

this also raises some questions:

 

1st: potential pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, because from what I’ve read there is a requirement to hold a work permit to be eligible.

https://www.belaws.com/thailand/thailand-ltr-visa/

 

“Can you achieve Thai citizenship with the LTR visa?

 

The LTR visa is a resident visa, therefore it is possible to apply for permanent residency or citizenship. Applicants are subject to the same application requirements as other visa types.“

 

 

2nd: where can I find the law that says that I can legally work for my foreign employer on my computer holding a LTR visa when I’m in Thailand because I’m pretty sure I’ve read that you can do that with LTR, whereas previously it was said that you can not work online in Thailand without a work permit, ie. making remote work illegal?

 

Also some other things you need a work permit for, 5 year driving license for example, so that will also not be available for those of us who have the WFTP category. 
 

If one reads under the “WHAT PRIVILEGES WILL BE OFFERED TO LTR VISA HOLDERS” on the LTR webpage it doesn’t say that WFTP are excluded from exemption of 4 Thai to 1 foreigner or permission to work in Thailand (digital work permit)

 

[anrcaccount]

1 minute ago, User3847385 said:

I received my work-from-Thailand professional visa a couple of weeks ago (applied sep 1st, inked it in on dec 14th) , when I received my visa  at BOI in Bangkok I asked about getting a work permit for a “second” job in my Thai company and was told that it would be possible. 
 

Yesterday I sent an email to LTR asking for some more information about this and received a reply today stating that

 

“Work-from-Thailand Professionals category cannot request for digital work permit because the main intention for this category is to work for company outside Thailand, not for company inside Thailand.”

 

So I wonder who is correct, the agent at BOI that I met with or the person who replied to my email. 
 

this also raises some questions:

 

1st: potential pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, because from what I’ve read there is a requirement to hold a work permit to be eligible.

https://www.belaws.com/thailand/thailand-ltr-visa/

 

“Can you achieve Thai citizenship with the LTR visa?

 

The LTR visa is a resident visa, therefore it is possible to apply for permanent residency or citizenship. Applicants are subject to the same application requirements as other visa types.“

 

 

2nd: where can I find the law that says that I can legally work for my foreign employer on my computer holding a LTR visa when I’m in Thailand because I’m pretty sure I’ve read that you can do that with LTR, whereas previously it was said that you can not work online in Thailand without a work permit, ie. making remote work illegal?

 

 

WFT P category holders are not eligible for work permits and logically do not require them. 

 

As the email reply, stated work permits are only for employees of Thai based companies.

 

Interestingly dependants of  LTR WFTP holders can apply for digital work permits and work for a Thai employer. But the WFTP holder cannot as logically their  whole visa status is based on being employed by a foreign employer.

 

As for your second question- that's the entire point of the WFTP category with all the associated directions and laws on the LTR site.

 

This category is in fact, the only truly legal and fully legitimate way of working online for a foreign employer from Thailand. 

[Misty]

14 minutes ago, User3847385 said:

I received my work-from-Thailand professional visa a couple of weeks ago (applied sep 1st, inked it in on dec 14th) , when I received my visa  at BOI in Bangkok I asked about getting a work permit for a “second” job in my Thai company and was told that it would be possible. 
 

Yesterday I sent an email to LTR asking for some more information about this and received a reply today stating that

 

“Work-from-Thailand Professionals category cannot request for digital work permit because the main intention for this category is to work for company outside Thailand, not for company inside Thailand.”

 

So I wonder who is correct, the agent at BOI that I met with or the person who replied to my email. 
 

this also raises some questions:

 

1st: potential pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, because from what I’ve read there is a requirement to hold a work permit to be eligible.

https://www.belaws.com/thailand/thailand-ltr-visa/

 

“Can you achieve Thai citizenship with the LTR visa?

 

The LTR visa is a resident visa, therefore it is possible to apply for permanent residency or citizenship. Applicants are subject to the same application requirements as other visa types.“

 

 

2nd: where can I find the law that says that I can legally work for my foreign employer on my computer holding a LTR visa when I’m in Thailand because I’m pretty sure I’ve read that you can do that with LTR, whereas previously it was said that you can not work online in Thailand without a work permit, ie. making remote work illegal?

 

Also some other things you need a work permit for, 5 year driving license for example, so that will also not be available for those of us who have the WFTP category. 
 

If one reads under the “WHAT PRIVILEGES WILL BE OFFERED TO LTR VISA HOLDERS” on the LTR webpage it doesn’t say that WFTP are excluded from exemption of 4 Thai to 1 foreigner or permission to work in Thailand (digital work permit)

 

Some great questions - some of the answers may be found in the legal documents downloadable at this link:  https://ltr.boi.go.th/page/laws-regulations.html

 

Would be good if there was also an English language FAQ including answers to your questions.

 

[Pib]

1 hour ago, User3847385 said:

I received my work-from-Thailand professional visa a couple of weeks ago (applied sep 1st, inked it in on dec 14th) , when I received my visa  at BOI in Bangkok I asked about getting a work permit for a “second” job in my Thai company and was told that it would be possible. 
 

Yesterday I sent an email to LTR asking for some more information about this and received a reply today stating that

 

“Work-from-Thailand Professionals category cannot request for digital work permit because the main intention for this category is to work for company outside Thailand, not for company inside Thailand.”

 

So I wonder who is correct, the agent at BOI that I met with or the person who replied to my email. 

 

Sounds like you need to bounce the question off BoI again since one BoI rep said yes but another BoI said no.  You need to politely point out the conflicting answers.   Note: before I applied for my LTR Pensioner I asked BoI via email a medical insurance question and their reply weeks later ended up being completely wrong.  Kinda like they initially answered with a firm "Yes" but when applying it turned out to be a "No."   If I was you I would call BoI to ask your question again and see if you can talk to someone who is just not the "all purpose customer support rep" which might answer as such reps may not be inexperienced on some questions/issues. 

 

I don't see anything on the LTR website that says a LTR Work from Thailand Professional could not be issued a digit work permit....in fact the Work from Thailand Professional application has a Work Permit area for completion "if" you plan to or are currently working in Thailand.

 

Link to application

https://ltr.boi.go.th/documents/Work-From-Thailand-Professional.pdf

 

 

Partial snapshot from the application regarding work permit

[Pib]

1 hour ago, User3847385 said:

I received my work-from-Thailand professional visa a couple of weeks ago (applied sep 1st, inked it in on dec 14th)...

 

When was your LTR "approved?"  You said you got it "inked into your passport" on 14 Dec which means the Approval would have been sometime earlier.   Since having the LTR actually put in/inked into your passport depends on when a person makes an appointment at BoI or applies at an embassy which could be up to 60 days after approval, knowing the "approval" date gives folks a better picture of how long your application took from submission to approval.  Thanks.

[JimGant]

On 12/28/2022 at 10:26 AM, ThailandRyan said:

my passport was stamped again with my original end date (Admitted until) of 7 Oct 2027, so it appears that immigration is doing things differently than they should.

If I recall correctly, you got a reentry permit stamp when you went to BoI to get your LTR visa. And Imm is programmed to look for a reentry stamp, then use its "until" date as the same "until" date on your new permission of stay stamp. Misty has no reentry stamp (or any stamps), having gone the out-of-country route. Thus, Imm reaches for the stamp commensurate with type of visa: Non Imm O, 90 days; Tourist, 60 days; Non Imm OA, one year. Thus, as long as visa hasn't expired, Imm has a rote procedure. Now added to this procedure is a five-year stamp for a non expired LTR visa.

 

Now, there might be some head scratching when the IO sees both a non expired visa AND a related reentry stamp. I guess in Ryan's case, the reentry stamp took precedence. But I could see where the other way might prevail....

 

Anyway, more a curiosity than a problem, as I'm sure whatever permission of stay stamp is in your passport at the 5 year point, you'll still need to show up somewhere to validate your bonafides. Hopefully by then they'll have satellite offices scattered around Thailand, particularly in Chiang Mai, in my case.

[JimGant]

34 minutes ago, Pib said:

I asked BoI via email a medical insurance question and their reply weeks later ended up being completely wrong.  Kinda like they initially answered with a firm "Yes" but when applying it turned out to be a "No." 

Pib, maybe I missed it in this long thread, but did they completely shut down the option to use Tricare? If so, what was their reason(s)?

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

If I recall correctly, you got a reentry permit stamp when you went to BoI to get your LTR visa. And Imm is programmed to look for a reentry stamp, then use its "until" date as the same "until" date on your new permission of stay stamp. Misty has no reentry stamp (or any stamps), having gone the out-of-country route. Thus, Imm reaches for the stamp commensurate with type of visa: Non Imm O, 90 days; Tourist, 60 days; Non Imm OA, one year. Thus, as long as visa hasn't expired, Imm has a rote procedure. Now added to this procedure is a five-year stamp for a non expired LTR visa.

 

Now, there might be some head scratching when the IO sees both a non expired visa AND a related reentry stamp. I guess in Ryan's case, the reentry stamp took precedence. But I could see where the other way might prevail....

 

Anyway, more a curiosity than a problem, as I'm sure whatever permission of stay stamp is in your passport at the 5 year point, you'll still need to show up somewhere to validate your bonafides. Hopefully by then they'll have satellite offices scattered around Thailand, particularly in Chiang Mai, in my case.

This, makes complete sense now when I actually sit back and think about it, and does create an anomaly and inconsistency for LTR Visa Holders from inside the country who were actually stamped in their PP and did not receive an e-visa

.

 As you wrote:

"Misty has no reentry stamp (or any stamps), having gone the out-of-country route. Thus, Imm reaches for the stamp commensurate with type of visa: Non Imm O, 90 days; Tourist, 60 days; Non Imm OA, one year. Thus, as long as visa hasn't expired, Imm has a rote procedure. Now added to this procedure is a five-year stamp for a non expired LTR visa."

[Pib]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

Pib, maybe I missed it in this long thread, but did they completely shut down the option to use Tricare? If so, what was their reason(s)?

Jim, 

 

My Tricare was not accepted but no specific reason(s) was given. 

 

About 5 weeks in to my application I checked my application status one day (I was checking it multiple times per day)  and the Status had changed from Pending to Request for Add'l Docs.  There was no online notification nor did I get an email stating why.  So, I started looking around my submitted application and noticed there were now a red text comment in the Income upload area stating evidence of income/tax return was required....it was just a one sentence statement saying income evidence can be provided by providing income evidence or providing a tax return.  That's not the exact wording, but it's pretty close.  It was just a short comment and not phrased as a request.  Nor did it say the income evidence I had already provided in my pensions annuity monthly/annual statements which exceed $80K was inadequate.  So, I uploaded my latest income tax return (redacted a little to partially mask my SSN) in the Income upload area.  I figure the BoI wanted to see my income tax return to provide further proof of my income. 

 

And in the medical coverage area a comment in red text that was simply a quote from LTR website saying: "Provide a health insurance policy covering medical expenses in Thailand of at least USD 50,000 with a remaining coverage period of at least 10 months as of the date of the letter of qualification endorsement issuance; or evidence of social security benefits insuring medical expenses in Thailand; or a deposit balance of at least USD 100,000 in a bank account in Thailand or abroad retained for at least12 months as of the date of application."   Once again, just that comment....not phrased as a request...nothing saying my Tricare evidence I had already uploaded was not good enough, etc.  To me BoI was indirectly saying my military Tricare coverage did not meet the requirements probably because it did not have an "end-date" as most civilian policies have both a specific start date for the current annual coverage and also a specific end date 12 months down the road.  I had also seen posts in other forums talking LTR applications where applicants with "open-ended, group" type policies which typically do not have an end date reflected on the policy also not being accepted by BoI.   Opened ended, group type policies many times do "not" have a policy end date as long as you are still kicking and paying the premiums (if any premiums are needed). Typically these are government-provided/sponsored policies. Although these open-ended, group type medical coverage policies provide outstanding worldwide coverage (like Tricare), unfortunately, the lack of the policy showing an end-date at least 10 months down the road is probably why it failed to satisfy BoI.    So, I went the self ensure route...uploaded self insure  band/financial docs.

 

Once again, I did not receive any specific reason why Tricare was not accepted.  I just received some quoted requirements that to prove medical coverage I can do so by providing a policy that has at least 10 months remaining on it OR show I have Thai social security coverage OR self insure.   

 

After uploading the income tax return and self insure docs about 3 weeks later my application was approved and I now have the LTR Golden Ticket stamped in my passport.

 

[User3847385]

2 hours ago, Pib said:

When was your LTR "approved?"  You said you got it "inked into your passport" on 14 Dec which means the Approval would have been sometime earlier.   Since having the LTR actually put in/inked into your passport depends on when a person makes an appointment at BoI or applies at an embassy which could be up to 60 days after approval, knowing the "approval" date gives folks a better picture of how long your application took from submission to approval.  Thanks.

2022-09-01 applied for WFTP without work permit 

 

2022-09-01 received a request for additional documents.

 

“We found that your company is a subsidiary of *** (company name). Consequently, your company is not qualified as a listed company.”

 

Instead they requested an “audited financial or annual report”.

 

2022-10-29 I was not able to produce an audited annual report so after much thought I uploaded a letter informing them of my company’s approximate yearly revenue and that it should basically be considered a listed company even though it’s through a parent company. 

 

2022-12-01 Received a email that my application had been approved and that I should log in to my account and follow the required steps: choose if I wanted to have my visa issued in Bangkok or abroad. I chose Bangkok so I also needed to provide them with my entry details and current address in Thailand, that was filled in to a form on my LTR account page.

 

2022-12-06 I got a bit stressed because I hadn’t heard from BOI in almost a week and I would have to leave the country by the 14th. so I sent them and email and explained that to them. 

 

2022-12-08 In the morning I received a request to upload a file with pictures of all my passport pages containing stamps relating to Thailand. 

Of course I should have done this on the 1st of December when I filled out my entry details but somehow I forgot that step.

 

In the afternoon same day I received email that “Your Notification Letter for Qualifications Endorsement for your LTR Visa has been successfully issued.” and I was asked to book an appointment for visa issuance.

 

2022-12-13 I had my LTRWFTP inked in to my passport at BOI/immigration at Chamchuri square.

[Pib]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

This, makes complete sense now when I actually sit back and think about it, and does create an anomaly and inconsistency for LTR Visa Holders from inside the country who were actually stamped in their PP and did not receive an e-visa

.

 As you wrote:

"Misty has no reentry stamp (or any stamps), having gone the out-of-country route. Thus, Imm reaches for the stamp commensurate with type of visa: Non Imm O, 90 days; Tourist, 60 days; Non Imm OA, one year. Thus, as long as visa hasn't expired, Imm has a rote procedure. Now added to this procedure is a five-year stamp for a non expired LTR visa."

But regarding when will a person be required to apply for the 2nd 5 years of the 10 year visa although a person might end up with rolling, conflicting permitted to stay until stamps in their passport from traveling in & out of the country, I fully expect a person's renewal window to get the 2nd 5 years will be based on when the LTR visa was actually "issued" at BoI or an embassy.   I'm fully expect the clock will start ticking based on the LTR issued date (not the approval date but the issued dat) and we'll see more guidance regarding that on the LTR website.  

 

Right now the BoI is probably still developing the exact procedure/process for that 2nd 5 years which will not come due until Sep 2027 since the first LTR visa issued only just occurred staring a few months ago in Sep 2022.  Plus I expect BoI knows there could be LTR policy changes (for the better or worst) between now and Sep 2027 which could alter the 2nd 5 years procedure/policy.

 

 

[K2938]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

 To me BoI was indirectly saying my military Tricare coverage did not meet the requirements probably because it did not have an "end-date" as most civilian policies have both a specific start date for the current annual coverage and also a specific end date 12 months down the road.  I had also seen posts in other forums talking LTR applications where applicants with "open-ended, group" type policies which typically do not have an end date reflected on the policy also not being accepted by BoI.   Opened ended, group type policies many times do "not" have a policy end date as long as you are still kicking and paying the premiums (if any premiums are needed). Typically these are government-provided/sponsored policies. Although these open-ended, group type medical coverage policies provide outstanding worldwide coverage (like Tricare), unfortunately, the lack of the policy showing an end-date at least 10 months down the road is probably why it failed to satisfy BoI. 

@PibTwo questions I would like to ask you if I may:

1) Did you try to explain this to the BOI supporting your statements about the open-endedness of the policy with appropriate documentation and this was futile or you did not really bother to further go down this route since you had the bank deposit alternative?

2) I think you called the BOI several times.  So I take it you never actually managed to talk to the person doing your case, but just generic people who really do not know much more than what is shown on their process status screen?

[khunjeff]

As @Pibhinted at in a recent post, I did indeed get the LTR-WP visa stamped into my passport on Tuesday, two days ago. Here's how the process unfolded (it's long, so I won't be offended if you skip around):

 

Oct 7: uploaded my initial application, with a pension letter, 12 monthly pension statements, five years of income tax transcripts (only showing gross income and tax owed), and a letter from my insurer (a group policy under the US Government's Federal Employees Health Benefits program (FEHB))

 

Nov 11: having heard nothing after 22 workdays, I called BoI, and finally got through on the 8th try over two days. The woman who answered said she would check with the person handling my case, and came back to say that there were questions about my pension, and it came to $75k, right? Since that was completely wrong, I assume that no one had ever set eyes on my case until I called, and had misread the numbers.

 

She asked if I could provide a tax return, and I said yes, but I had already done so. She asked if I had a version that showed all income categories so that they could see I wasn't including wage income (which was weird, since my pension already exceeded 80k), and I said yes, I can upload that. She only wanted the most recent year.

 

A few minutes later, I received the document request for the tax return, but they had also included the medical insurance boilerplate that Pib quoted above - again, with no explanation of why my lifetime policy with unlimited coverage wasn't unacceptable.

 

That same day, I uploaded my full 2021 tax return along with the last 12 bank statements showing a cash balance of over $100k every month. (I just happened to have kept that high balance for reasons unrelated to the LTR, which was lucky.)

 

*** Time passes...and passes...***

 

Dec 23: To my surprise, I suddenly received an email with my "Qualification Endorsement" (that's what I posted a few days ago). It asked me to upload all of my passport pages with Thai stamps (I had traveled three times since the initial application, so these were actually different from what I originally provided), along with any TM-6 (I don't have one) and 90 day report receipt. I did have a receipt from May, the last time I spent 90 days in Thailand, so I included that in my submission. Based on Pib's experience, I bundled the passport pages and receipt into one PDF.

 

Bizarrely, there was also a note in red on the documents page on the website saying to submit health insurance. Pib had seen an identical note on his page, so I decided that it was probably just an artifact of the November request - otherwise, why would they have approved my case? - and just ignored that section.

 

Dec 26: Now things are speeding up! At 9:30 Monday morning, I received the final approval email that told me to print out the various forms and letters and make an appointment. I ran out to get photos taken (I hadn't done that earlier for fear of jinxing the process!), and when they said the pictures would be ready at 2pm, I made an appointment for the next day at 11am (not wanting to get up early).

 

BTW, I'm not sure why they even ask us to print the documents, since they could just provide all of them at BoI, but it wasn't a big deal. One thing I noticed was that on the TM-94 form, the pre-populated data was all correct except for the last part of my address, which was shown (in Thai only) as Amphoe Muang, Krabi, instead of Watthana, Bangkok! I know I didn't make an error, since you have to choose the province first before the other drop down menus activate, so I can only think it's a software bug. I corrected it with a PDF editing app and attached the photo. 

 

Dec 27: I took the MRT to Chamchuri, since the station feeds directly into the building and I live only a short walk from Sukhumvit station - the trip was under 30 minutes door to door and cost less than a buck. 

 

At the BoI office, I waited about five minutes for someone to come take care of me. Unlike the experience that seemingly everyone else had, the young lady assigned to me had pretty poor English, and didn't seem to know quite what she was doing. After she came back and had me sign on the various rubber stamps and (inexplicably) write my phone number and email address on the approval letter, she led me off to get my photo taken.

 

While we were crossing the hall to immigration, I heard someone giving her instructions in Thai. I looked around and there was a young Muslim woman following her and telling her what to do, which cemented my feeling that "my" minder was either a trainee or an intern. The "trainer" did speak excellent English, and clearly knew what she was doing. She asked how long I had been in Thailand, and when I told her I had been here on and off for 30 years, she asked if I spoke any Thai, so I started speaking to both of them in Thai instead, which delighted her.

 

Got the photo taken, and signed on an electronic pad at the photographer's desk (why? No idea), then was told to go chill out on the nice leather sofas at BoI while they submitted my papers and got a queue number.

 

(Oh, I also had to stop before the photo to download and fill out a bizarre immigration "survey", which somehow prevented international crime and human trafficking - that's really what they said! - by asking me for the exact same biographic and address info that I had already provided multiple times - there were no "survey" questions at all. It also asked for the GPS coordinates of my apartment, which I was trying unsuccessfully to search for on Google Maps when I found out that the trainee actually had written them down, but hadn't told me.)

 

I played with my phone on the comfy sofa for more than half an hour, and was beginning to wonder whether I would finish before the lunch break. Eventually, at maybe 11:40 or so, the trainee came back to take me to the immigration window, where the officer kind of threw my papers at her. From there to the cashier (why do they have a uniformed police captain acting as cashier rather than hiring a clerk? No idea), where I paid by bank app and got a receipt (hand written, unlike the machine printed one that the person ahead of me got).

 

Back to the immigration window, where the trainee handed in the papers and the officer photographed me with her cell phone (why? No idea - maybe as evidence that I really came in person, rather than having some Chinese agent go in my place?).

 

The trainee then sat down with me in front of the window, until another obviously experienced BoI woman came to drop off papers and addressed her like she was an idiot, telling her to go back to the office and wait for me to come back with the visa. So I stayed, and a few minutes later I was called up by a very nice immigration officer who showed me the visa and explained about the one year reporting.

 

Back to the BoI side, where the reception desk told me to sit down again. Just a few minutes later the trainer and trainee were both back. They didn't make a copy of the visa, or even look at it very carefully (which is what the website instructions said would happen), but just repeated the information about the one year thing and confirmed that the count starts again every time I leave the country - they also said they would be in touch two months before the five year anniversary with instructions on what to do. (I hope they've figured out group insurance by then, because I don't want to put $100k back in the bank, or buy a Thai policy.) As they walked away, the trainer turned around and said (in Thai), "oh, and happy new year!"

 

The whole thing took just short of 90 minutes from arrival to departure, but most of that time was spent just hanging out in the nice BoI waiting room. I had been fearing/expecting the usual immigration "gotcha" where I would be scolded for some invented problem, but I never even spoke to the immigration folks, other than to ask the photographer if I should take off my glasses, and to say thank you to the nice woman who returned my visaed passport. My "handling" may not have been quite up to the level that other folks experienced, but it still totally insulated me from the madness of the immigration side of the floor - I was just a piece of meat being carted from place to place, which was fine with me. 

 

Oh, and they had no interest in the TM-30 I had brought along (afraid of that gotcha!), didn't want the English version of the approval letter, and didn't ask me for any marriage documents (they clarified that those are only for people changing from marriage-based visas or extensions). There was also no need for the additional photos I had brought along - only the one I had already glued to the form.

 

It still hasn't quite sunk in that I've reached the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I'm sure it will eventually. For now, I'm grateful that I have the visa, grateful that the ordeal is over, and very grateful for the assistance and encouragement that all of you have provided - especially the hard-working Pib, who made all those phone calls to BoI, nagging them so that the rest of us didn't have to! Many, many thanks.

 

Happy New Year to all from this newly minted Wealthy Pensioner! 

[Pib]

5 minutes ago, K2938 said:

@PibTwo questions I would like to ask you if I may:

1) Did you try to explain this to the BOI supporting your statements about the open-endedness of the policy with appropriate documentation and this was futile or you did not really bother to further go down this route since you had the bank deposit alternative?

2) I think you called the BOI several times.  So I take it you never actually managed to talk to the person doing your case, but just generic people who really do not know much more than what is shown on their process status screen?

1.  The Tricare evidence I submitted consisted of one page memo within my me explaining my outstanding Tricare coverage, a U.S. military benefits letter confirming I was enrolled in Tricare but this benefits letter only shows an enrollment date but no end date, a one page document from the Tricare website explaining how Tricare for Life works, and a chart consisting of around 4 pages showing Tricare outpatient, inpatient, pharmacy, etc., coverage/costs/etc.  But since Tricare provides basically "unlimited" worldwide coverage no max dollars are provided like saying inpatient coverage is $100K, $1M, etc.  These type of govt-provided/govt-sponsored open-ended/group type policies just look different and are written differently from a typical civilian insurance policy that comes with a policy sheet showing a start and end date, coverage amounts, etc.  Basically I patched together a policy resembling a civilian policy since Tricare does not provide a written policy like a civilian policy.  Instead, you pretty much just go to Tricare websites and/or your online Tricare acct to see generic docs/booklets explaining your Tricare coverage.  Very similar to how Medicare coverage works in that there is no civilian type policy but just an online acct, websites to get info, phone numbers to call customer service for more info, etc.  

 

2.  Although I called quite a few times starting after the 20 working days had passed I never got to talk to the specific BoI Screener/Agent that was actually reviewing my application....and actually I don't think it was just "one" Screener but several that may have been involved.  I usually ended up talking to "front desk customer service type" although two times I did get to talk to one of the actual application Screeners after I had uploaded the additional docs.  But at that time the Screener said the Screening (Reviewing Section) had not yet got around to taking another look at my application after I had uploaded the additional docs. 

 

But yea, I think I gave it the ol' college try to get BoI to accept Tricare to include explaining how it's an opened ended policy....has no end date unless I croak or stop paying the premium which is automatically deducted form my retirement pay.  But that try was not good enough most likely due to the "no end date showing at least 10 months left on the coverage" which the BoI seems to be firm on....a must-have at least for now.  I hope in the future they provide more flexibility to open-end policies (outstanding, basically unlimited coverage) as such coverage/policies are quite common with some groups of people such as govt retirees and even those still serving with the govt.   

 

[Pib]

 

 

Update:   Known LTR Visa Approvals as of 29 Dec 2022 "based on posts in this thread I saw."  Added in bold text "User3847385, Saraburi121, & khunjeff" who got LTR visa Approved 8, 23, & 26 Dec, respectively.   Two were Pensioner visas and one Work from Thailand Professional visa.    See their posts above over the last day or so for more details.  Congrats!!!

 

Seems like December has turned out to be a good month for LTR approvals.  In below list 5 were approved in Sep, 9 in Oct, only 3 in Nov, and 8 so far in Dec.  Remember, this list only accounts for those who have announced an approval in this thread.

 

Happy Holidays To All.  I know the folks below who got their LTR Golden Ticket are probably feeling pretty happy.

 

Poster & Date Approval Notice Rec'd

1.   BKKNono  -  15 Sep

2.  ashkale  - 28 Sep

3.  ThailandRyan  - 28 Sep

4.  pepper402  - 29 Sep

5.  gajah  - 30 Sep

6.  Alotoftravel  - 4 Oct

7.  James7  - 4 Oct 

8. & 9.  Misty (and family member)  - 4 Oct

10.  mudcat  - 4 Oct

11. & 12.  stuarty (and wife) - 4 Oct

13.  Boomer6969  - 5 Oct

14.  aublumberg - 12 Oct

15.  JJJJJJJJ  -  8 Nov

16.  smic - 28 Nov

17.  Paul3456 - 30 Nov

18.  anotherexpat4444 - 7 Dec

19.  User3847385 - 8 Dec

20. & 21.  Juman - 16 Dec (and Mrs Juman on 27 Dec) 

22. lextsy - 21 Dec 

23. Pib - 23 Dec

24. Saraburi121 - 23 Dec

25. khunjeff - 26 Dec

 

 

[Pib]

21 hours ago, User3847385 said:

 

1st: potential pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, because from what I’ve read there is a requirement to hold a work permit to be eligible.

https://www.belaws.com/thailand/thailand-ltr-visa/

 

“Can you achieve Thai citizenship with the LTR visa?

 

The LTR visa is a resident visa, therefore it is possible to apply for permanent residency or citizenship. Applicants are subject to the same application requirements as other visa types.“

 

Regarding the Thai citizenship question it would indeed provide a pathway to Thai citizenship simply because it a way of staying in Thailand for at least 3 years and working on a work permit for at least 3 years which would meet the core requirements of applying for Permanent Residence (PR) if you are a single person.  Now if you are married to a Thai then the pathway to Thai citizenship is a little different but even that pathway requires some type of visa to stay in Thailand long enough to meet citizenship requirements.  

 

I think below website provides good info on "obtaining Thai citizenship" as each person's particular situation will affect the pathway to citizenship.

 

https://www.thaicitizenship.com/

 

 

[Pib]

22 hours ago, User3847385 said:

Also some other things you need a work permit for, 5 year driving license for example, so that will also not be available for those of us who have the WFTP category. 

 

You do not need any type of LTR visa and/or work permit for the initial 2 year driver's license and then after that a 5 year driving license.  You only need some type of 1 year visa like a 1 year Non B/O/OA visa.    Heck I got my initial driver's license (which was valid for 1 or 2 years...I forget which one) and then my 5 year license under my OA Retirement 1 year visa....and have renewed the 5 year license twice under a 1 year retirement/marriage extension of stays.   

[Boomer6969]

4 minutes ago, Pib said:

Now if you are married to a Thai then the pathway to Thai citizenship is a little different but even that pathway requires some type of visa to stay in Thailand long enough to meet citizenship requirements.  

Three years of continuous employment, backed by work permits and tax returns a required even when married to a Thai. So AFAIC LTR is just fine. I am 70, so it foots the bill just as well as PR as I don't think I'll ever need to renew it... Citizenship is out of question as I don't want to be Thai, Oz and EU is great. US wouldn't be bad though...

[aublumberg]

Has anyone with a LTR-T (WFTP) been able to get a proper credit card locally in Thailand? Normal requirement is to show local pay slips as one of the conditions to get one which obviously doesn't apply for us. We also don't have a traditional local work permit for reasons mentioned above in the threat.

 

I've got a couple debit cards with the major banks here and am aware you can have a 'credit' card that must be secured by a savings account ... which is like a debit card at the end of the day. They also tend to come with fairly low spend limits like THB100 - 150k a month.

[Karma80]

I did trawl a bit through this thread, but couldn't find if anyone had used regular dividend payments as proof of income, rather than pension.

 

In particular, if I own an overseas company and pay myself dividends that exceed the $80k per annum for 2 years, will that be meet the requirement for the Wealthy Pensioner plan?

 

As I approach 50, I am looking for to arrange my tax strategy and the LTR's advantages for both tax, convenience and certainly make it worth lining my ducks up for. TIA.