Will Thailand’s Long Term Resident Visa work for you?

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, redwood1 said:

Its simple really.......

 

If your 65 years or older and you want a upgraded less hassle visa, than the 1 year O visa.....

The 20 year Elite visa would absolutly be the way to go.....

The Elite would have you covered for a most of if not all the rest of your life.....With a lot lot lot less bureaucratic nonsense and requiremets to meet........

 

I really dont see why this visa has any cheerleaders at all....Or why anyone would want it...

Why spend 1 million or 2 million Baht for an Elite visa. 50k for 10 years is fine by me....no issues either in qualifying. Some folks, like you, just can't understand something that's cheaper is what this is and has better benegits for those that dont golf, that is if you qualify for it.

[Pib]

And here I went and spent Bt50K to get a 10 year LTR Pensioner visa...do that again in 10 years and my cost is now up to Bt100K..... when I could have gotten a 20 year Elite visa for Bt1M or Bt2M.  What the heck is wrong with me!!!!??? 

 

Wait a minute!!!!....on second thought I definitely made the right decision!....and saved Bt900K or Bt1.9M.

 

Fact is, a LTR visa is a very, very good deal if you qualify.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Pib

[Misty]

2 hours ago, Bim Smith said:

The elite vise would be way cheaper. 1 million baht would give her 20 years.

Great idea, as long as she doesn't plan to work.

[wealthychef]

On 3/13/2023 at 8:43 AM, sqwakvfr said:

If I made $80,000 in my pension Thailand would never be on my radar. 

Oh yeah, where would you go?  I make $80k in my pension and I don't qualify because I can't prove to the Thai government that my pension is real.  But I love the culture and people here. 

 

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, wealthychef said:

Oh yeah, where would you go?  I make $80k in my pension and I don't qualify because I can't prove to the Thai government that my pension is real.  But I love the culture and people here. 

 

Las Vegas, San Antonio, Manila.  My pension is from the California Pubic Employees Retirement Fund based out of Sacramento.  This agency has a unit just dedicated to verify retiree pensions and amounts.  So far I have discovered that only the Thai Embassy in DC and the consulate in Los Angeles will accept this kind of proof.  

[ThailandRyan]

15 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Las Vegas, San Antonio, Manila.  My pension is from the California Pubic Employees Retirement Fund based out of Sacramento.  This agency has a unit just dedicated to verify retiree pensions and amounts.  So far I have discovered that only the Thai Embassy in DC and the consulate in Los Angeles will accept this kind of proof.  

Not true if your in the country here. The LTR BOI unit accepted the CALPers letter of verification for my pension which I downloaded from the CALPers website after requesting it. That verification letter layed out when my defined benefit pension started and how much per month my pension was for. I uploaded my Health insurance from PCH, here in Thailand, as my CALPers HI plan, even though it is a lifetime plan, runs from January 1 to December 31st, and at the time would not cover the required 10 months. Since my PCH plan is always renewed in October that plan was fine.  Uploaded my photo and passport info and within 3 weeks my LTR-P was approved.  Pretty sure they gerufued the pension letter by contacting PERS as the letter says to do on the bottom if any questions need to be answered.

Edited March 15, 2023 by ThailandRyan

[sqwakvfr]

3 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Not true if your in the country here. The LTR BOI unit accepted the CALPers letter of verification for my pension which I downloaded from the CALPers website after requesting it. That verification letter layed out when my defined benefit pension started and how much per month my pension was for. I uploaded my Health insurance from PCH, here in Thailand, as my CALPers HI plan, even though it is a lifetime plan, runs from January 1 to December 31st, and at the time would not cover the required 10 months. Since my PCH plan is always renewed in October that plan was fine.  Uploaded my photo and passport info and within 3 weeks my LTR-P was approved.  Pretty sure they gerufued the pension letter by contacting PERS as the letter says to do on the bottom if any questions need to be answered.

Wow.  Thanks for letting me.  I never thought a governmental agency in Thailand would accept a letter from Pers.  OF course the US Embassy and Consulate will not.  That fact is amazing.

[ThailandRyan]

28 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Wow.  Thanks for letting me.  I never thought a governmental agency in Thailand would accept a letter from Pers.  OF course the US Embassy and Consulate will not.  That fact is amazing.

I used it in 2019 at the Los Angeles Consulate when I obtained my O-A visa as well as proof of income slong with the DOJ clearance and the medical certificate. I have never shown a bank account statement except when I needed it for the extension of stay and then I just needed the letter from Kbank as I had a 800k Fixed deposit savings.

 

I know that some of the folks have needed a Tax return since then, but I don't know if they had the letter I provided.

[Gknrd]

10-1,  90% of the applicants are retiree's. Thailand is not exactly the place to raise a family and work in.

Thailand will never attract talented educated workers period. 

 

[K2938]

On 3/13/2023 at 11:10 AM, mudcat said:

I did delete my application support documents after approval - not a bad idea with any Thai site.

How did you manage to do this? 

[zzaa09]

On 3/12/2023 at 6:29 PM, RichardColeman said:

They seem to be addressing every single visa variant possible, other than the one 99.99% of this forum want 

And that's what they do.

Nothing like ignoring or minimalizing the real and greater market - why don't they improve/upgrade the 99.99% firstly and then work on the very special variety that no one is pursuing. 

[JimTripper]

On 3/12/2023 at 8:05 PM, wensiensheng said:

For those who prove to the satisfaction of the authorities that they are very wealthy and/or have a high income, why the need for insurance? They can clearly afford to pay for their medical expenses 

Not really, there is no way to know what those expenses could be. It could be a million or zero. With insurance they can set a bar to measure by. 
 

There is also no way of knowing if the funds will be there all year. Some people overspend and go bankrupt, others make more.

[mudcat]

In terms of insurance and substitution for insurance.  You must understand that the group of applicants they are considering are solidly middle or upper class with income and assets they have earned saved over a lifetime or are currently employed here or from overseas.  Of course the vicissitudes of life can change most of that rapidly, but requiring pension income for wealthy retirees, stringent requirements for overseas employers, or a large hostage investment seemed to give assurance to the bodies that approved the program that the class of applicants would be a net benefit to the Kingdom.  The requirement for health insurance is much more reasonable than the requirement for OA visas and there is the option for 'self-funding' as many here maintain they choose to utilize. I, like most middle-class people, have always had private health insurance through work or privately (as a U.S. citizen there is no public health plan as in Europe or the U.K.).  Even with insurance in place, I chose to demonstrate assets in my retirement accounts well in excess of their $100,000 requirement both because of their now waived 10-month validity and because Thai insurance companies faced with large claims are liable to constructively cancel by large increases in rates or cancel outright.  As a U.S. senior who has maintained my Medicare premium payments I always have the option of returning to the U.S. and establishing coverage immediately.

 

I understand the frustration with the two-track process - wealthy under BOI and Hoi Polloi  under the immigration laws and officer.  This is the world we live in both here and in our countries of origin.  BOI can make a case that their applicants present no risk of becoming a burden on the Kingdom unlike many who barely qualify for a spouse or retirement visa based on a bank deposit and survive the pittance of a pension from their working years and possibly some savings for retirement.  There is a wide band of persons in the middle who feel aggrieved by the laws they need to comply with and who do not qualify or choose not to apply for one of the LTR visas because of age or income source. 

 

I applied and received a LTR visa for personal reasons and lack of faith that I could remain in the Kingdom over the medium to long-term given that the current requirements are subject to arbitrary changes that might trap me into actions I may not choose to take such as moving more money into the Thai financial system or changing my health insurance to their idea of adequacy.  

 

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by mudcat
minor edits

[mudcat]

11 hours ago, K2938 said:

How did you manage to do this? 

I don't remember - I think after my visa was in my passport I went through and deleted everything I could.  I brought this up with my BOI Sherpa and I remember him telling me that they would do that as well.  When I just logged in there was no personal data to be seen, so I am pretty certain that external snooping directed towards me or other applicants is secure.  The real exposure is a system hack or the months between application and either granting or denying - during that time anyone who has access to your username/password has access to a lot of your personal data.

[Pib]

7 hours ago, mudcat said:

I don't remember - I think after my visa was in my passport I went through and deleted everything I could.  I brought this up with my BOI Sherpa and I remember him telling me that they would do that as well.  When I just logged in there was no personal data to be seen, so I am pretty certain that external snooping directed towards me or other applicants is secure.  The real exposure is a system hack or the months between application and either granting or denying - during that time anyone who has access to your username/password has access to a lot of your personal data.

I don't think you can now after LTR approval.   I just tired removing/deleting some of my LTR docs....they would appear to be removed/deleted but once leaving he screen and coming back to it the docs that you thought got removed/deleted are back again.   

[mudcat]

On what screen or tab?

[Pib]

1 hour ago, mudcat said:

On what screen or tab?

Check Status, View, Step 4 Upload and then clicking Remove where allowed.   When clicking Remove the file disappears but when leaving the Step 4 Upload area and then coming back to it the file has reappeared.

[ThailandRyan]

43 minutes ago, Pib said:

Check Status, View, Step 4 Upload and then clicking Remove where allowed.   When clicking Remove the file disappears but when leaving the Step 4 Upload area and then coming back to it the file has reappeared.

I did notice that as well, must have been one of the later updates they did to ensure the information obtained was still there......for the 5 year review.  Waiting on the missus's paperwork to be reviewed now as a dependent after the fact.  They did not like that her last name was not the same and she has a Myanmar PJ passport, but what can you do when that's the cards you have been dealt in life.  They want a copy of her Myanmar National card and it's translation, which is being completed hopefully soon, as the US NVC wants it as well for her US Visa.....

[zzaa09]

22 hours ago, Gknrd said:

10-1,  90% of the applicants are retiree's. Thailand is not exactly the place to raise a family and work in.

Thailand will never attract talented educated workers period. 

 

And they've never gone out of their way to recruit talented/skilled/specialized foreign employees of any variable class. 

[mudcat]

My check status tab gives my application date, visa type and number, staff, and complete.  Speak to your contact at BOI when your process is complete

 

[Pib]

50 minutes ago, mudcat said:

My check status tab gives my application date, visa type and number, staff, and complete.  

Mine is exactly the same...status says Complete.   

 

Now, next to where it says Complete mine has two icons of Print and View.  When clicking View you can see your application....then Click Step 4 Upload....this is where all your upload/submitted docs are located.  Some docs will have a "Remove" icon next to them....if clicking Remove it "does" Remove them "until you leave the screen" and then go back into the Step 4 Upload area...then that previously removed doc(s) "has reappeared."  

 

[humbug]

On 3/13/2023 at 2:13 PM, ThailandRyan said:

This is a Visa issued by BOI and is not anything that Big Joke or the Chinese grey markets are involved in.  This is not a Thai Elite Visa and an agent or lawyer can not, I repeat can not walk your application through the door and into the BOI offices and then over to the immigration side to get the Visa stamped into it.  You must be confusing this visa class with another visa type/scheme as I stated above..  Your friend would have to appear himself for his photo with Immigration and to have the visa placed into his passport as well as paying the 50K Thb. Nothing a lawyer can do......not yet

 

You and Pib, seem to be the aseannow sales promoters of this LTR, BOI is a government department like the tourism/sports who own Elite and the immigration/police who out visa stickers in passports

 

It seens this present government is going out of it's way to push and promote this programnme before the elections

 

Because when a new government comes into power, it can eliminate bad policies and programmes from the previous government

 

Agents/Lawyers, online positive sales reps like you guys, agents/lawyers can and will help people as BOI is just another government agency under tbe control of any present government= fact

[ThailandRyan]

9 hours ago, humbug said:

You and Pib, seem to be the aseannow sales promoters of this LTR, BOI is a government department like the tourism/sports who own Elite and the immigration/police who out visa stickers in passports

 

It seens this present government is going out of it's way to push and promote this programnme before the elections

 

Because when a new government comes into power, it can eliminate bad policies and programmes from the previous government

 

Agents/Lawyers, online positive sales reps like you guys, agents/lawyers can and will help people as BOI is just another government agency under tbe control of any present government= fact

Your confused. I am stating facts about how the LTR visa can not be obtained using an agent or lawyer, it must be applied for by the individual only at this point in time and can not be processed any other way than applying through the website.

 

You think it's a government scheme being done to assist the government currently in power and will be removed by the next government. In reality any Visa class could be. The LTR is a Visa Class much like the SMART Visa, and only issued through the BOI.  I am not a sales rep either.

[redwood1]

14 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Your confused. I am stating facts about how the LTR visa can not be obtained using an agent or lawyer, it must be applied for by the individual only at this point in time and can not be processed any other way than applying through the website.

 

You think it's a government scheme being done to assist the government currently in power and will be removed by the next government. In reality any Visa class could be. The LTR is a Visa Class much like the SMART Visa, and only issued through the BOI.  I am not a sales rep either.

Well I am glad this visa it working for you guys........But you got to admit the interest in this visa is minimal.....Not many posts in this thread......

 

If there was not so much hoop jumping, high requirements and BS to get this visa, this thread would already be  north of 50 pages long........Everyone would love a 10 year visa...

[ThailandRyan]

18 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

Well I am glad this visa it working for you guys........But you got to admit the interest in this visa is minimal.....Not many posts in this thread......

 

If there was not so much hoop jumping, high requirements and BS to get this visa, this thread would already be  north of 50 pages long........Everyone would love a 10 year visa...

Your right the interest has definitely been minimal because they set the bar too high for the other 4 types of Visas in this LTR class, in my view. 

 

They wanted foreign workers, such as digital nomads and people who could work anywhere around the world for there companies to come here, and unfortunately they created a visa which can only be obtained by someone whose company is very profitable.  The onus for those individuals is they have to supply the BOI with paperwork showing the companies Financials, which to me is way to onerous. Whike some have succeeded with this Work from Thailand LTR class, others have not because the company does not meet the requirements laid out.  To me its about the taxes needed to be paid to Thailand.

 

The Visa class I have now is only 1 of 5 of the LTR visa types you can obtain. To me it was a no-brainer as I could qualify based upon pension alone, but the reality is they are seeking wealthy people and not the middle rung.

 

I am not wealthy by any means and in the US I would be just in the middle to upper middle class, but by Thai standards I am wealthy.  It is why I moved here to retire. 15 years ago the cost of living here made my money go three to four times further than it would in the US unless I tried to live a western lifestyle here, which I do not. Now not so much.  However, here I can save money where in the US I could save very little and needed to use my savings to help live along with my pension.  Here my savings are growing as my pension covers everything including putting money into savings.  Not yet at the age where I will have to take the mandatory annual withdrawals from my 401 plans. How I wish I truly was wealthy.....

Edited March 17, 2023 by ThailandRyan

[Misty]

1 hour ago, redwood1 said:

Well I am glad this visa it working for you guys........But you got to admit the interest in this visa is minimal.....Not many posts in this thread......

 

If there was not so much hoop jumping, high requirements and BS to get this visa, this thread would already be  north of 50 pages long........Everyone would love a 10 year visa...

The LTR visa does seem to be targeted at a relatively smaller group of people than a tourist visa, or the NonO retirement visa. A better comparison might be Permanent Residency. I've applied for both PR and LTR.  While PR should have been a good program, I think LTR is definitely better. With the LTR visa there's far less hoop jumping than PR, no "VIP service fees," no year long wait times or other nonsense.  Plus you can easily get a 5 year digital work permit with it (renewable for 5 years) - this is a huge benefit for people who work. There's no 90 day reporting, and if you get stuck out of the country for more than a year you don't lose the LTR visa (as some lost PR status during COVID).

 

It's early days for the LTR visa program. I think the BoI was heavily taxed in the initial roll out. But now that the program is in place, I hope things will be smoother and that it can be expanded to include more people.  Last week's Cabinet meeting supporting expanding the categories of industries that qualify under "Highly Skilled Professionals" is a good sign. In any event, it's still a great option for people who qualify. 

[Pib]

And the pure joy of getting a "5 year permitted to stay" for a LTR visa entry stamp.....no need for the "annual" worry of getting another 1 year permitted to stay approval....and 1 year goes by so fast. 

 

Toss-in address reporting only once every 365 day vs every 90 days, a 5 year multi-reentry permit, 5 year work permit if desired, multiple ways to provide health insurance coverage to include self insuring if desired, etc. 

 

Since the LTR 10 year visa is really a 5 year plus 5 year visa when it comes time to the 2nd 5 year permit (no fee) that will probably be easy for most people since they have already learned how to ride the LTR bike when they got the 1st 5 years/initial approval.  

[wealthychef]

On 3/15/2023 at 2:49 PM, sqwakvfr said:

Las Vegas, San Antonio, Manila.  My pension is from the California Pubic Employees Retirement Fund based out of Sacramento.  This agency has a unit just dedicated to verify retiree pensions and amounts.  So far I have discovered that only the Thai Embassy in DC and the consulate in Los Angeles will accept this kind of proof.  

Interesting, OK, yeah, I didn't leave the USA because I couldn't afford it, I left because it'a an authoritarian cesspool of ignorance.  ????  So LV and San Antonio sound dreadful to me.  

Manila vs. Bangkok:  I don't know why anyone might prefer Manila, with its horrible traffic and pollution.  Oh, wait... LOL. ???? 

[sqwakvfr]

11 minutes ago, wealthychef said:

Interesting, OK, yeah, I didn't leave the USA because I couldn't afford it, I left because it'a an authoritarian cesspool of ignorance.  ????  So LV and San Antonio sound dreadful to me.  

Manila vs. Bangkok:  I don't know why anyone might prefer Manila, with its horrible traffic and pollution.  Oh, wait... LOL. ???? 

Certainly none of these places are what many called  “paradise” but I have learned to always have a backup plan and a backup location.  In my case the main concern about life back in the US is the cost of health care and health insurance premiums(I dread the possibility of paying almost $800 per month for health insurance).  I prefer San Antonio because of my time in the USAF where I was stationed in Del Rio TX.  Del Rio certainly is a place I would prefer to forget. 

[wealthychef]

5 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Certainly none of these places are what many called  “paradise” but I have learned to always have a backup plan and a backup location.  In my case the main concern about life back in the US is the cost of health care and health insurance premiums(I dread the possibility of paying almost $800 per month for health insurance).  I prefer San Antonio because of my time in the USAF where I was stationed in Del Rio TX.  Del Rio certainly is a place I would prefer to forget. 

Interesting, thanks.  I'm still trying to figure out the place for me, so appreciate you sharing your ideas.