In April 2024 I was granted an LTR-P visa.  My current passport expires in Dec 2027.  

 

I entered Thailand in Sep 2024 and was granted permission to stay until Sep 2029.  I departed in Oct 2024.  I then returned in Feb 2025, but when I went through immigration I was only granted permission to stay through the date of expiration of my passport, Dec 2027.    

 

I have two questions:

 

1) Was it incorrect for me to be granted permission to stay for the full five years when I arrived in Sep 2024, or was it incorrect for me to be denied five years permission to stay when I arrived in Feb 2025?  Or, is this a case of "discretion of the immigration officer"?

 

2) My visa is valid for 10 years from April 2024.  The visa letter states it must be used by 07 April 2034, and the "Length of Stay" is 5 years.  Does that mean if I enter Thailand on 06 April 2034 (say, with a valid passport that has an expiration date of 6 April 2039 or later), that I should be granted five years permission to stay?  This would be a similar scenario to the O-A visa which can be used to obtain two years permission to stay if one re-enters Thailand on a date close to the end of the Visa's expiration date.

 

2 hours ago, jcates29 said:

1) Was it incorrect for me to be granted permission to stay for the full five years when I arrived in Sep 2024, or was it incorrect for me to be denied five years permission to stay when I arrived in Feb 2025?  Or, is this a case of "discretion of the immigration officer"

Yes.  Your entry stamp can only ever be until the expiration date of your passport.  There should be a little stamp somewhere on the LTR 5-year stamp page in your passport that states something about the expiration date of your passport (This is assuming you received the visa from Bangkok inside of your passport, if you got it through e-visa, you can disregard that sentence).  My passport was also not valid for the full 5 years so my entry stamp is always until the expiration date of my passport.

 

2 hours ago, jcates29 said:

2) My visa is valid for 10 years from April 2024.  The visa letter states it must be used by 07 April 2034, and the "Length of Stay" is 5 years.  Does that mean if I enter Thailand on 06 April 2034 (say, with a valid passport that has an expiration date of 6 April 2039 or later), that I should be granted five years permission to stay?  This would be a similar scenario to the O-A visa which can be used to obtain two years permission to stay if one re-enters Thailand on a date close to the end of the Visa's expiration date.

LTR is a 10-year visa, yes.  But it's only valid for 5 years.  So you can only get a stamp until September 2029.  When you get a new passport and enter on that, it will only let you be stamped in until September 2029.  A few months before then (no one knows what the process is yet because it has not been published), you will need to re-qualify to receive the 2nd 5-year endorsement.  The assumption is that you will basically apply again, providing all the same information to show that you are still eligible. You just won't need to pay another fee.

5 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

LTR is a 10-year visa, yes.  But it's only valid for 5 years.  So you can only get a stamp until September 2029.  When you get a new passport and enter on that, it will only let you be stamped in until September 2029.  A few months before then (no one knows what the process is yet because it has not been published), you will need to re-qualify to receive the 2nd 5-year endorsement.  The assumption is that you will basically apply again, providing all the same information to show that you are still eligible. You just won't need to pay another fee.

 

So, since I entered the first time and activated this visa in September 2024 (which started the five-year clock running), if I depart and return, say, in January 2026, and come back with a fully valid passport, they will provide a permission to stay until Sep 2029, and not to Jan 2031 (5 years from the latest entry)?  I think that is what you are saying, but just want to make sure. 

29 minutes ago, jcates29 said:

  I think that is what you are saying, but just want to make sure. 

Yes. When you obtain the new pp you will be stamped in (next entry) as you outlined. 

33 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Yes. When you obtain the new pp you will be stamped in (next entry) as you outlined. 

 

Thanks very much for your prompt replies, gentlemen.

 

4 hours ago, jcates29 said:

 

So, since I entered the first time and activated this visa in September 2024 (which started the five-year clock running), if I depart and return, say, in January 2026, and come back with a fully valid passport, they will provide a permission to stay until Sep 2029, and not to Jan 2031 (5 years from the latest entry)?  I think that is what you are saying, but just want to make sure. 

The 5-year clock did not start when you used the visa the first time.  The 5-year clock started when the visa was issued.  I just assumed that was September, but if it was issued earlier, then it would be 5 years from the date of issuance.

On 12/3/2025 at 9:34 PM, BrandonJT said:

The 5-year clock did not start when you used the visa the first time.  The 5-year clock started when the visa was issued.  I just assumed that was September, but if it was issued earlier, then it would be 5 years from the date of issuance.

 

Well, unless the immigration officer screwed up when I entered in Sep 2024, that can't be correct.  My visa was issued in April 2024, and the first time I used it was Sep 2024, at which time I was granted permission to stay until Sep 2029. If the 5-year clock started when the visa was issued, then the permission to stay would have ended in April 2029.  It would make sense for the five years to start when one uses the visa for the first time, though.

27 minutes ago, jcates29 said:

 

Well, unless the immigration officer screwed up when I entered in Sep 2024, that can't be correct.  My visa was issued in April 2024, and the first time I used it was Sep 2024, at which time I was granted permission to stay until Sep 2029. If the 5-year clock started when the visa was issued, then the permission to stay would have ended in April 2029.  It would make sense for the five years to start when one uses the visa for the first time, though.

Okay.  I dug into it and found an infographic from the BOI that clarifies it.  It's actually quite weird the way it works for LTR.

 

So the visa itself is valid for 10 years.  The start date and expiration date should be on your e-visa PDF document.

But the first 5-year period does not start until you enter Thailand the first time.  After that, every time you leave and return, your entry stamp would be until that same 5-year date from the first time you entered.  I'm not actually sure why they do it like that, as that's not how any other visa in Thailand works.

 

22 minutes ago, BrandonJT said:

But the first 5-year period does not start until you enter Thailand the first time.  After that, every time you leave and return, your entry stamp would be until that same 5-year date from the first time you entered.  I'm not actually sure why they do it like that, as that's not how any other visa in Thailand works.

 

Maybe internally they treat it like a multi-entry re-entry permit that keeps your original entry alive for its duration. Very unusual in any case. 

A quick update, which could prove useful for LTR visa holders:

 

I applied for and received my new passport through the US Consulate in Chiang Mai, and went to Chiang Rai immigration this morning to have my visa transferred to the new passport. I explained the situation outlined in my original post above. The immigration officer was very helpful, but she told me (erroneously, it turns out) that she could not extend my permission to stay until Sep 2029, but I would have to depart and re-enter.  The transferred visa permission to stay date reflected the one on my old passport (passport expiry date).  When I asked a few questions, including what would happen upon reentry - that is, would the immigration officer grant me 5 years from the date of first entry?  She admitted it was very confusing.  She went to the regulation and consulted with others via text and phone, and in the end, she amended the stamp in my new passport and granted me permission to stay until Sep 2029.  She recommend I carry both my old and new passport when re-entering, in case questions arose.  She agreed it was likely, had she not extended it, that a subsequent immigration officer at re-entry could miss the fact I should be granted permission to stay until Sep 2029.

 

I also asked about the LTR visa requirement to report annually - specifically is the date for me to report tied to the date of first entry, or if I depart and re-enter does the date reset (similar to 90 day reporting).  After much consulting she advised I should report near the date of 1 year continuous stay in Thailand and it resets if I depart and re-enter.

 

The most important lesson is one should ensure one's passport is valid for the entire length of stay, when either initially activating one's visa or extending it.  In the case of an LTR visa, that means if your passport expires in less than five years, you should get a new one before entering Thailand or extending it.  Otherwise, they will let you enter, but grant permission to stay only until the expiry date of the passport, and then you may encounter the same issues I experienced.

1 hour ago, jcates29 said:

A quick update, which could prove useful for LTR visa holders:

 

I applied for and received my new passport through the US Consulate in Chiang Mai, and went to Chiang Rai immigration this morning to have my visa transferred to the new passport. I explained the situation outlined in my original post above. The immigration officer was very helpful, but she told me (erroneously, it turns out) that she could not extend my permission to stay until Sep 2029, but I would have to depart and re-enter.  The transferred visa permission to stay date reflected the one on my old passport (passport expiry date).  When I asked a few questions, including what would happen upon reentry - that is, would the immigration officer grant me 5 years from the date of first entry?  She admitted it was very confusing.  She went to the regulation and consulted with others via text and phone, and in the end, she amended the stamp in my new passport and granted me permission to stay until Sep 2029.  She recommend I carry both my old and new passport when re-entering, in case questions arose.  She agreed it was likely, had she not extended it, that a subsequent immigration officer at re-entry could miss the fact I should be granted permission to stay until Sep 2029.

 

I also asked about the LTR visa requirement to report annually - specifically is the date for me to report tied to the date of first entry, or if I depart and re-enter does the date reset (similar to 90 day reporting).  After much consulting she advised I should report near the date of 1 year continuous stay in Thailand and it resets if I depart and re-enter.

 

The most important lesson is one should ensure one's passport is valid for the entire length of stay, when either initially activating one's visa or extending it.  In the case of an LTR visa, that means if your passport expires in less than five years, you should get a new one before entering Thailand or extending it.  Otherwise, they will let you enter, but grant permission to stay only until the expiry date of the passport, and then you may encounter the same issues I experienced.

You really should NOT have gone to your local immigration office for this.  This is something you need to do with the BOI, and they are very specific and very particular about this.  It's incredibly easy to lose your LTR if this is not done correctly. They make posts about this often on their social media.

 

Please take note of the wording in the 3rd image: This process can only be completed at the Immigration Bureau at the Thailand Investment and Expat Service Center (TIESC)

 

I would advise you to contact the BOI IMMEDIATELY and find out what your next step is so you do not lose your LTR.