LTR Investment Suggestions

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On 4/24/2025 at 4:11 PM, JB300 said:

Currently I “Earn” (Passive Income) approx $45K pa and would like to go for the LTR Visa. 
 

Feb next year I can add another $46K pa (Pension at 60)  so would be able to meet the $80K income criteria but I don’t want to wait 2 years until I have all the paperwork in place. 

 

In the early days of the LTR I read reports of guys being in a similar situation  & got their LTR based on previous income + future pension numbers rather than having “Earned” $80K for the past 2 years - is this true? 
 

If I can’t do that, what are my options for investing the 10Million I need to invest.
 

I’ve got my eye on a Condo that’s 14.5 Million but that would have to be in the GF’s name (16.5 in my name) so pretty sure it wouldn’t count. 

 

Any thought on what my options are?
I’ve seen another condo I can buy in “Foreign” name for 9M but what do I do for the other 1M? 
 

 

 

Yes, you are right - a foreign freehold condo is a good way to show you meet the $250k US$ equivalent investment in Thailand (about 8.345 THB as I type this).   When I went for my LTR about 2 years ago, I could only meet the $40 K US$ equivalent ( to day I meet the $80k - but that did not matter in 2023 from what I understand - although when I reprove finances in 2028 it should matter).

 

so I used one half of my condo purchase value from year 2016.  Although it was only 15-million (of which 50% in my Thai wife's name).  So since I could only claim a 7.5million investment in a condo, I managed to buy 2 million in Thai government bonds (the exchange rate was different in 2023 so 1-million was not enough then).  That made my investment 9.5-million THB, which together with the > $40k US$ equivalent, qualified me for the LTR-WP.  EDIT: I note my condo was worth 19-million THB based on resale values in the neighborhood when I applied in 2023 for LTR-WP visa (it is worth 22-million THB now), but BoI only want the purchase value, not current value - and purchase value was only 15-million THB.

 

Since I now can show (via tax returns from Canada) that I exceed the $80k US$ equivalent, in 2028 I won't buy any more bonds (to replace the $2-million I purchased) but rather will simply use the $80k.

 

I appreciate some who are just short of meeting the requirements (when applying) will be frustrated, .... but I assume it is called a LTR-WP (wealthy pensioner) for a reason.  

 

I also had issues proving self-health insurance (2 accounts with necessary amount in cash rejected as I could trade equities with those accounts). So in the end I did some minor restructuring and proved the $100k US$ equivalent elsewhere for self health insurance  (another account - money actually in Euros).  As it turns out, I did not know how to properly get a letter from my European Insurance company (CIgna) with precise wording to avoid having to go the self health insurance route.  ...  Hence in 2028 I won't have to maintain the $100k US$ equivalent, as I will then show the properly worded letter from Cigna Europe, to use that as my insurance, and I will exceed the $80k US$ threshold annual pension income (so I need not keep 2-million in THB).

 

Some would be shocked at such need - but I re-iterate, this is a "wealthy" pensioner LTR visa. Emphasis on 'wealthy'.  Restructuring one's money, IF one has the money, is not always a big thing.  Its a matter of priorities. Does one want the LTR, or does one want to keep their money structured as it is.

 

Fortunately in Thailand, there are many OTHER visas than the LTR.  The LTR is not the only visa to think of. There are visas for many different financial situations.