LTR Visa is Now available for Long Term Residency

[Pib]

10 hours ago, anrcaccount said:

The WFTP category is linked to the criteria of being employed. At least at the time of application and again at the 5 year mark. I was told in writing employment status would not be checked after initial application approved-  until the 5 year mark.

 

But the point remains, that in theory,  if the employment ceases the visa ceases. 

 

Here’s comms(email) from BOI on this point.
 

Bolding is mine.

 

 

“Regarding your concern about employment, there is a requirement to stay employed for the Highly-Skilled Professionals and Work-From-Thailand Professionals category. Except for Wealthy Global Citizens and Wealthy Pensioners, there is no requirement to stay employed.

 

However for Wealthy Global Citizens and Wealthy Pensioners, if you need a work permit you need to have an employment contract. You will not be granted a work permit if you don't have an employment contract.

In the case an applicant is approved and ceases employment then your work permit will be terminated. Please be informed that in case you are a Highly-Skilled Professionals or Work-From-Thailand Professionals category, your LTR visa will be terminated as well. Meanwhile, if you move to another employer, you need to notify us so we can change your employment information accordingly”

Thanks for above crossfeed.   From the BoI response and looking at info at the BoI SMART visa website which is kinda list a 1st cousin to the BoI LTR visa it does seem clear when a person is no longer employed with the company your visa/work permit was based & approved on then the visa is terminated "unless" you changed employment to another BoI approved company which seems to allow continuation of the visa as long as the person does on the proper notifications.  Even the last sentence above implies that by saying BoI needs to be notified so they can change the visa employment info....and the SMART visa website talks the same thing.  So, it appears (at least to me) that just switching employers where you could be unemployed for a short period in the employment transition might not result in the LTR visa cancellation.  

 

 

[DrJack54]

This should really be a pinned topic.

Just ongoing posts about that concerns very few given the take up numbers for LTR.

 

[Pib]

Various earlier posts talk the BoI Certified Agent (CA) program BoI may be implementing soon.....or said another way, entities/companies/etc., that are blessed by BoI to assist people who want to apply for a LTR visa.  Maybe a more common term would be "visa agent" approved (blessed) by BoI.    Keep in mind that as of today/12 March 2023 BoI has not designated any LTR CA's per their website.....any entities advertising they can assist in getting an LTR visa are not a BoI CA (not to imply they may not be in the future once/if BoI does designate CA's).....and the BoI can not be held responsible for advice/service provided by any entity assisting an LTR applicant.

 

With above being said, today when googling an LTR issue I stumbled across a legal company that had a fact sheet on the LTR visa program and that sheet stated their fee to assist in getting a LTR visa.  I've' stumbled across other entities also advertising LTR visa assistance but this is the first time I've seen the entity identify their fee.  Their fee was Bt80K (excluding VAT)....and you would still have the other govt fees like the basic govt LTR fee of Bt50K...and if also needing a LTR digital work permit another govt fee of Bt15K for a 5 year permit.  

 

Boy, oh boy, the individual would still have to provide the CA all the key qualification documents like income/pension docs, employment doc, tax return, education data, health insurance, etc.  Seems the CA would pretty much just be someone who reviews/puts a bow on the document package that would be submitted to BoI for review/processing.   

 

Now I also seem to remember that any CA would need to get BoI blessing for the CA fee.  So, maybe once BoI does implement a CA program then maybe the CA fee will not exceed the basic govt fee.  

 

Link to fact sheet

https://silklegal.com/uploads/LTR-factsheet.pdf

 

Snapshot/partial quote from the fact sheet showing fees

[ThailandRyan]

9 hours ago, Pib said:

Various earlier posts talk the BoI Certified Agent (CA) program BoI may be implementing soon.....or said another way, entities/companies/etc., that are blessed by BoI to assist people who want to apply for a LTR visa.  Maybe a more common term would be "visa agent" approved (blessed) by BoI.    Keep in mind that as of today/12 March 2023 BoI has not designated any LTR CA's per their website.....any entities advertising they can assist in getting an LTR visa are not a BoI CA (not to imply they may not be in the future once/if BoI does designate CA's).....and the BoI can not be held responsible for advice/service provided by any entity assisting an LTR applicant.

 

With above being said, today when googling an LTR issue I stumbled across a legal company that had a fact sheet on the LTR visa program and that sheet stated their fee to assist in getting a LTR visa.  I've' stumbled across other entities also advertising LTR visa assistance but this is the first time I've seen the entity identify their fee.  Their fee was Bt80K (excluding VAT)....and you would still have the other govt fees like the basic govt LTR fee of Bt50K...and if also needing a LTR digital work permit another govt fee of Bt15K for a 5 year permit.  

 

Boy, oh boy, the individual would still have to provide the CA all the key qualification documents like income/pension docs, employment doc, tax return, education data, health insurance, etc.  Seems the CA would pretty much just be someone who reviews/puts a bow on the document package that would be submitted to BoI for review/processing.   

 

Now I also seem to remember that any CA would need to get BoI blessing for the CA fee.  So, maybe once BoI does implement a CA program then maybe the CA fee will not exceed the basic govt fee.  

 

Link to fact sheet

https://silklegal.com/uploads/LTR-factsheet.pdf

 

Snapshot/partial quote from the fact sheet showing fees

It does seem insane to pay someone the amount qouted to wrap it in a bow only to have the BOI keep asking the applicant for more uploads of additional documents. Over double the price as well as what it costs to do it yourself and you only pay upon being approved and not before

[Misty]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

It does seem insane to pay someone the amount qouted to wrap it in a bow only to have the BOI keep asking the applicant for more uploads of additional documents. Over double the price as well as what it costs to do it yourself and you only pay upon being approved and not before

Definitely agree that this type of service might not be worth it for someone with a relatively uncomplicated situation or who already lives in Thailand.  But I'm guessing that the intermediary would do all the chasing up with the BoI, as well as handle other details such as helping get a bank account, helping invest in a Thai gov't bond, etc.  Might be worth it for someone overseas, relatively unfamiliar with Thailand, and maybe can't easily do these things themselves. 

[Pib]

And there are those who will almost always opt to pay a service provider to handle as much of the paperwork as possible, hand-walk the applicant through the application process even when the application process is not really hard.   That's OK....it's the applicant's choice & money...to each his own.    

[MPoll]

If you are looking for another name for the list, I got my pensioner LTR on January 5th. I applied around the first of October. My financials were very simple, a work pension, Social Security and I submitted my 2021 tax return. They did not ask anymore about my financials. I did have a couple of emails back & forth about photos of my passport but it really wasn't a problem. Everything went smoothly at the BOI. They were very friendly and helpful. 

 

I just moved to Sisaket province and I made a point of introducing myself to the immigration office there. They had never seen an LTR before (I think) but the officer had a long document describing it. 

[Pib]

On 3/2/2023 at 12:13 PM, 8X5ZD said:

I did shoot off an email to BOI.  Hope to hear back before I depart or else I'll be at their office on the day I arrive in Bangkok.  

 

Initial pensioner application was submitted on Jan 9th.  Uploaded documents were (1) HMO health insurance coverage letter and  (2) monthly pension and annuity statements in lieu of a tax return, which BOI okayed prior to applying. 

 

Come Jan 19th, only 10 days after applying, BOI requests additional docs - a copy of my HMO ID card and a 2022 form 1040.  ID card, no problem.  As for the 2022 tax return, I was still waiting for all the 1099's to come in so I hadn't started on it.  Even the IRS wasn't accepting tax returns for another few more days. Not wanting to wait to complete the 1040, I uploaded a pension verification letter from my former employer instead.  Seemed just as good, if not better than a 1040.  Then I waited and waited. Did not  receive a single response to any of the emails sent after Jan 9th.  Religiously logged in and the same status appeared again and again - "consideration by government agencies".  Frustration level started to build.  BOI then unexpectedly sends me an email on Feb 28th stating that my LTR visa application was endorsed by the relevant government agencies.  Still haven't reached the finish line though.  I need to figure out how to answer the supposed currently held visa, which I don't have.   

1 hour ago, MPoll said:

If you are looking for another name for the list, I got my pensioner LTR on January 5th. I applied around the first of October. My financials were very simple, a work pension, Social Security and I submitted my 2021 tax return. They did not ask anymore about my financials. I did have a couple of emails back & forth about photos of my passport but it really wasn't a problem. Everything went smoothly at the BOI. They were very friendly and helpful. 

 

I just moved to Sisaket province and I made a point of introducing myself to the immigration office there. They had never seen an LTR before (I think) but the officer had a long document describing it. 

Update: Known LTR Visa Approvals as of 15 Mar 2023 "based only on posts in this thread I saw." 

 

Added in bold text "MPoll" and "8X5ZD" who received their LTR Pensioner visa approval or had it inked to their passport 5 Jan 2023 and 28 Feb 2023, respectively.  See their posts above for more details.  Congrats!!! 

 

Poster & Date Final Approval Notice Rec'd

1.   BKKNono  -  15 Sep 2022

2.  ashkale  - 28 Sep 2022

3.  ThailandRyan  - 28 Sep 2022

4.  pepper402  - 29 Sep 2022

5.  gajah  - 30 Sep 2022

6.  Alotoftravel  - 4 Oct 2022

7.  James7  - 4 Oct 2022

8. & 9.  Misty (and family member)  - 4 Oct 2022

10.  mudcat  - 4 Oct 2022

11. & 12.  stuarty (and wife) - 4 Oct 2022

13.  Boomer6969  - 5 Oct 2022

14.  aublumberg - 12 Oct 2022

15.  JJJJJJJJ  -  8 Nov 2022

16.  F Groenen - 22 Nov 2022

17.  smic - 28 Nov 2022

18.  Paul3456 - 30 Nov 2022

19.  anotherexpat4444 - 7 Dec 2022

20.  User3847385 - 8 Dec 2022

21. & 22.  Zuman - 16 Dec 2022 (and Mrs Zuman on 27 Dec 2022) 

23. lextsy - 21 Dec 2022

24. Pib - 23 Dec 2022

25. Saraburi121 - 23 Dec 2022

26. khunjeff - 26 Dec 2022

27. TaiMaiTai - 4 Jan 2023

28. MPoll - 5 Jan 2023

29. digitalnotmad - mid Jan 2023

30.  Oorinara - mid Jan 2023

31. & 32.  Ramilf (and family) - 20 Jan 2023

33. OneZero - 17 Feb 2023

34. pablo el sueco - 20 Feb 2023

35.  8X5ZD - 28 Feb 2023

[khunjeff]

On 3/15/2023 at 11:45 AM, MPoll said:

My financials were very simple, a work pension, Social Security and I submitted my 2021 tax return. They did not ask anymore about my financials.

Congratulations on getting your visa! May I ask what type of insurance (or in-lieu-of-insurance) documentation you submitted? 

[MPoll]

16 hours ago, khunjeff said:

Congratulations on getting your visa! May I ask what type of insurance (or in-lieu-of-insurance) documentation you submitted? 

I was previously here on an OA visa and extensions. I have Pacific Cross insurance. Before applying for the LTR I purchased my next year of insurance, got the insurance certificate, and submitted that insurance certificate as part of the LTR application. I did not get any additional questions about insurance. They accepted the certificate. The process to get the LTR though took several months and for a while there I was concerned I might have less than 10 months remaining on my policy. 

[Alotoftravel]

Is tm6  still required for LTR holders after returning from overseas  ? 

I want to confirm that the only requirement is to do the annual  instead of the 90 days .which can be avoided if we leave Thailand .Thanks 
 

 

[Pib]

29 minutes ago, Alotoftravel said:

Is tm6  still required for LTR holders after returning from overseas  ? 

I want to confirm that the only requirement is to do the annual  instead of the 90 days .which can be avoided if we leave Thailand .Thanks 
 

 

I expect the LTR visa follows the same rule it's sister SMART visa which also only requires annual address reporting "AND that annual reporting date resets every time you re-enter Thailand"....that is, it's not due for another year from date of entry.

 

https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/pages/how-to-manage.html

 

[Alotoftravel]

Hi Pib,
thanks for the reply about the 1 year reporting. 
does anyone know if we still need to do the tm 6 like the o/a visa? 
 

[Pib]

57 minutes ago, Alotoftravel said:

Hi Pib,
thanks for the reply about the 1 year reporting. 
does anyone know if we still need to do the tm 6 like the o/a visa? 
 

It's my understanding that TM 6 Arrival/Departure card is now only required when arriving by air and not by land.   So, depending on how/where a person enters Thailand would determine if you must complete a TM6 for their latest entry. 

 

Seems if required to fill out a TM6 "if you have a visa" like a LTR, OA, O, B, or whatever kind of visa, you would enter that visa number in the Visa Number block.   "And if you do not have a visa like entering on a visa exempt you leave visa number blank." 

 

The TM6 is really not about having or not having a visa....it's really just for immigration to help track entries and exits that a person does.  And if you do complete a TM6 for an entry, be sure to keep it in your passport for your next exit and/or other Thai immigration administrative purposes.   Gosh knows Thai immigration just love forms like the TM6, TM30, etc.  

 

 

[Alotoftravel]

My Mistake, the form is tm 30, not tm 6. Sorry 

do we need to do tm 30 when we returned to Thailand from an overseas trip with our LTR.

 

[OneZero]

2 hours ago, Pib said:

It's my understanding that TM 6 Arrival/Departure card is now only required when arriving by air and not by land.   So, depending on how/where a person enters Thailand would determine if you must complete a TM6 for their latest entry. 

Pib,

I thought it was just reverse:

It's my understanding that TM 6 Arrival/Departure card is now only required when arriving by LAND and not by AIR.   So, depending on how/where a person enters Thailand would determine if you must complete a TM6 for their latest entry. 

[Pib]

9 hours ago, OneZero said:

Pib,

I thought it was just reverse:

It's my understanding that TM 6 Arrival/Departure card is now only required when arriving by LAND and not by AIR.   So, depending on how/where a person enters Thailand would determine if you must complete a TM6 for their latest entry. 

Yea...you are right.  Brain fart on my part.

[tomm12]

 I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for posting your information regarding applying for the ltr p visa. I started the process on 18 January and it was completed 14 March.

Regards

[ThailandRyan]

40 minutes ago, tomm12 said:

 I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for posting your information regarding applying for the ltr p visa. I started the process on 18 January and it was completed 14 March.

Regards

That is great to hear, enjoy.

[Pib]

1 hour ago, tomm12 said:

 I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for posting your information regarding applying for the ltr p visa. I started the process on 18 January and it was completed 14 March.

Regards

Congrats!! 

 

Where you said "completed" 14 March do you mean that's when you got the endorsement approval notice/email from BoI "or" later on when you paid the fee/got the visa actually issued since a person has up to 60 days after endorsement notice to actually pay the fee/get the visa issued.

 

Any other details you might want to share like method used to satisfy medical coverage, any request for additional docs, etc., would be appreciated as such details can add insight to the LTR approval process.

 

Again...congrats!!

[Northwest87]

Hi all. I have a question on non-O visas, but it's related to making the bridge to an LTR visa, while I wait for my income to reach BOI requirements.

 

I retired at the end of December and got my LTR visa application snuffed out earlier when the BOI pulled the "only passive income for WP visas" rule from its proverbial hat, since most of my income was salary or assimilated at that time. Anyhow, I will be in a position to apply with the required income type/amount around this coming August/September. I will be coming to Thailand at the end of May on a non-O E-visa; that gives me 90 days but clearly does not cover me properly time-wise for the LTR application.

 

Getting the one-year extension on the non-O is the obvious solution, while I wait for the LTR; however I don't want to pay an agent in the circumstances if I'm going to get an LTR within a few months. I qualify under the monthly income rule for the non-O, but I wonder how all of this works in practice for someone who shows up at immigration to do the paperwork himself on the initial extension of stay.

 

Any informed advice and experiences welcome,

 

NW

 

[Pib]

2 hours ago, Northwest87 said:

Getting the one-year extension on the non-O is the obvious solution, while I wait for the LTR; however I don't want to pay an agent in the circumstances if I'm going to get an LTR within a few months. I qualify under the monthly income rule for the non-O, but I wonder how all of this works in practice for someone who shows up at immigration to do the paperwork himself on the initial extension of stay.

 

You say you qualify under the  monthly income rule.  This would mean your home country embassy still issues an income certification letter (keep in mind the U.S., U.K., and Auz embassies no longer issue such letters) "OR" you have had monthly income transfers of at least Bt65K going to your Thai bank account for 2 or 3 months (whether 2 or 3 seems to vary from immigration office to office although the rule is supposed to be 2 months) since your planned late May 2023 entry.  This would mean monthly transfers would need to have been arriving since around Apr/May 2023 (or earlier) since you'll probably apply for the extension in around late Jul 2023.....basically 2 or 3 monthly transfers under your belt before the day you apply for an extension if your home country embassy no longer issues an income letter.

 

Normally, immigration requires 12 months of transfers for annual extension "except for the first extension of your Non O visa after entry to Thailand" which will be your case.....so, you'll just need 2 or 3 months.   

 

So, if you meet above monthly income requirement you should be good-to-go to do a 1 year extension of stay. 

 

Otherwise, you'll need to go the Bt800K deposit method or try using an agent.   Or, maybe try getting a 60 day extension of your 90 day Non O visa....maybe those 2 extra months will help bridge the gap to getting a LTR....but it sounds like going a 1 year extension is probably the best thing to do considering you can't be sure as to how long it will take to process your LTR application....for most folks it takes 1 to 2 months even when all their ducks are lined up. 

 

 

[NickDm]

Hello, everybody

Maybe, somebody knows the following? I had my application in "Qualification Approved" status. I uploaded the needed documents (new passport which I changed) and filled all the information about last visit and address, etc., and submitted.

Application changed status to smth like "Document Review for Visa issuance". 

And today my application is in "Return Pre approved" status - and just it, I can see nothing else to proceed. And I don't see this status on the Information page.

Is that okay? Do I just need to wait a little more? 

[NickDm]

On 12/24/2022 at 2:26 PM, ThailandRyan said:

So my screen still shows Step 7, with Return, Pre-Approved.

I have this status now, after "Qualification Approved" status and uploading the needed documents for the next step. But I don't see this status on the Information page. If this Okay? Maybe it's some kind of transitioning status before "Issuance Pre approved"? I'm confused a little bit.

[Pib]

2 minutes ago, NickDm said:

I have this status now, after "Qualification Approved" status and uploading the needed documents for the next step. But I don't see this status on the Information page. If this Okay? Maybe it's some kind of transitioning status before "Issuance Pre approved"? I'm confused a little bit.

When you log onto your acct under the "Information" tab the flow diagram shows Qualification Approved as Step 4.   You are probably just fine. 

 

I know during the final days of my LTR approval the status changed very frequently/rapidly as I responded to Notifications/Emails where BoI asked for certain things to dot all the i' s and cross all the t's.  

 

Just be sure to monitor your online acct "Notifications" area (i.e., the little bell in the upper left hand corner) and your Email inbox because the BoI may ask for additional info via Notifications/Email although there is no apparently change in online status.   

 

Yea....I think you are close to the finish line.

 

[tomm12]

10 hours ago, Pib said:

Congrats!! 

 

Where you said "completed" 14 March do you mean that's when you got the endorsement approval notice/email from BoI "or" later on when you paid the fee/got the visa actually issued since a person has up to 60 days after endorsement notice to actually pay the fee/get the visa issued.

 

Any other details you might want to share like method used to satisfy medical coverage, any request for additional docs, etc., would be appreciated as such details can add insight to the LTR approval process.

 

Again...congrats!!

  The 14th of March was the final approval date from BOI. I then went to their website and downloaded the completed form needed for the submission to get my e-visa. I submitted my e-visa application on 15 March and received an email from the embassy with the e-visa approval on 23 March.

 I had trouble paying for it with my first credit card even while I had the bank on the phone. The bank said it was the visa company and then the visa company said it was the bank… So I tried another one of my cards while talking to the bank and it failed again but at least this time I was asked for pin from visa for a verification. While talking to the bank I asked why it had failed and they researched  it and said it was because my home address was incorrect. I could not figure this out as on the payment page it does not ask you for your address. I ended up going through creating another e-visa and where you put in your address it only asks for street and city. This time on the address line for city I put in city state and zip code on that line and my payment went through.

Regards

[NickDm]

50 minutes ago, Pib said:

When you log onto your acct under the "Information" tab the flow diagram shows Qualification Approved as Step 4.   You are probably just fine. 

 

I know during the final days of my LTR approval the status changed very frequently/rapidly as I responded to Notifications/Emails where BoI asked for certain things to dot all the i' s and cross all the t's.  

 

Just be sure to monitor your online acct "Notifications" area (i.e., the little bell in the upper left hand corner) and your Email inbox because the BoI may ask for additional info via Notifications/Email although there is no apparently change in online status.   

 

Yea....I think you are close to the finish line.

Thank you.

The thing is that I've already been at Step 4 "Qualification Approved". On the Information page there was this button to proceed - upload actual documents and update address info, etc. So I did and submitted, and application moved to Step 5 (I guess). But now I have this strange "Return Pre approved" status which I don't recognize in the schema ))) So it worries me. Maybe it's OK ????‍♂️

 

Regarding notifications etc. - yeah, it's kinda not obvious. E.g., when I got my "Qualification Approved" status, I didn't get any emails from BoI - I just saw it in account )) In the Notifications area I still have only endorsement from 20th March.

 

 

[Misty]

56 minutes ago, NickDm said:

Thank you.

The thing is that I've already been at Step 4 "Qualification Approved". On the Information page there was this button to proceed - upload actual documents and update address info, etc. So I did and submitted, and application moved to Step 5 (I guess). But now I have this strange "Return Pre approved" status which I don't recognize in the schema ))) So it worries me. Maybe it's OK ????‍♂️

 

Regarding notifications etc. - yeah, it's kinda not obvious. E.g., when I got my "Qualification Approved" status, I didn't get any emails from BoI - I just saw it in account )) In the Notifications area I still have only endorsement from 20th March.

 

 

Hi, the phone screenshots above indicated that you've been notified that you can now make an appointment for a visa stamp.  If that's correct, I'd contact the BoI to do that asap.

 

There were a lot of IT glitches when I'd applied (Sep 2022) and often the website notifications were not accurate.  The only way to get resolution was for phone calls (for the visa) and in person meetings (for the work permit).  Sometimes things got stuck in never never land, and the only way to get resolution was in person contact.

 

Hopefully things have improved since then, but if you have any doubt definitely contact the BoI directly.  If you are in Thailand, consider going to their office in person.  For me, that turned out to be the best way to complete the process.

[NickDm]

2 hours ago, Misty said:

Hi, the phone screenshots above indicated that you've been notified that you can now make an appointment for a visa stamp.  If that's correct, I'd contact the BoI to do that asap.

Thanks, I will email them, or call.

For sure system is not perfect - I had 2 applications for my Dependands stuck in "Pending" status for 1.5 months. I wasn't sure if it's Okay or not, because they are kind of linked to mine, but in the end their IT fixed it. Anyways, thanks.

[Pib]

13 hours ago, NickDm said:

Thank you.

The thing is that I've already been at Step 4 "Qualification Approved". On the Information page there was this button to proceed - upload actual documents and update address info, etc. So I did and submitted, and application moved to Step 5 (I guess). But now I have this strange "Return Pre approved" status which I don't recognize in the schema ))) So it worries me. Maybe it's OK ????‍♂️

 

Regarding notifications etc. - yeah, it's kinda not obvious. E.g., when I got my "Qualification Approved" status, I didn't get any emails from BoI - I just saw it in account )) In the Notifications area I still have only endorsement from 20th March.

 

 

I expect since you uploaded a "new passport" your application had been endorsed/approved and since a passport is the core/central doc of the application that this has resulted in your application be set-back several steps in the process so BoI (and possibly relevant agencies) can take another look, update their system/internal paperwork to fully link you new passport to your application.   

 

To use an analogy, it might be like needing to change the hub of a spoked wagon wheel where the hub is the passport with the the spokes & rim being all the other docs submitted.....to replace that hub the spokes & rim must be removed and then connected back to the new hub......not a snap fingers process.  

 

As Misty recommended I would definitely contact BoI to talk your status if your status doesn't start moving "forward" in the steps process say by around the middle of next week.   Plus the LTR application IT system has went thru a lot of growing pains (and probably still has issues/glitches).  

 

 Good luck....all of this is surely just an administrative, reshuffle the paperwork thing that unfortunately will take some time.