New LTR - 10 Year - Visa Process For Retirees

Thought people might be interested in the process for these new visas.
1. Register and submit online an application for qualification endorsement for LTR Visa and supporting documents. These documents are submitted to the Bureau of Investment for endorsement.
2. Within 30 working days after having received complete documents, applicants will be notified of the result.
3. Qualified applicants may proceed with applying for LTR Visa issuance at the Royal Thai Embassies/the Royal Thai Consulate Generals overseas or Immigration offices in Thailand within 60 days from the issuance date of the endorsement letter. The official government processing fee for the 10-year visa with multiple entry is THB 50,000 per person.
4. Applicants who work in Thailand, can collect digital work permits at the Department of Employment at One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit, Chamchuri Square Building, Bangkok or provincial labour offices. The official government processing fee is 3,000 Baht per year to maintain the digital work permit.

Left out is the fact you will also need to get a 90 day visa to stay in Thailand during the process; that is, if you don't already have a visa.

Also, you will need health insurance with at least $50,000 USD in coverage for a year. You don't have to have the insurance at the time of application, but will need to submit it within the first 30 days to get your initial authorizations.

The legal fees for completing the process were THB 53,000.

Hope this helps.
-@erawan2020

You do now that the minimum required pension income per month is 250,000 baht?? The standard annual income pension requirement is 65,000 baht and it cost only 1,900 baht/year. Only *** will go for the LTR.

Wow, apparently, you are incapable of expressing your opinion without insulting somebody. I feel sorry for you. That must be a tough way to live.

Hello everyone,

Thanks for your message.

Just a reminder that insults are not tolerated.

Even if members bring information that may be disputed by others, please be respectful of each other.

Have a nice day,

Mickael

Expat.com - Team

We are in the process of applying for wealthy 10 years retirement visa, only thing left for us is to purchase local health insurance of $50k USD per year, although I have my own health insurance from USA, but they don't accept it.  We will be traveling to BKK to collect the visa in person sometime this summer.  Overall process is strictly online and relatively reasonable fees compared to Elite visa.  No agent needed.

What type of health insurance do you have that they won't accept?  You are not referring to Medicare, correct?  For returning to Thailand during covid they accepted my US Health insurance.  I hope they do the same when I apply for my LTR Visa later this year.

@mdgolfer2003 We have BlueCross/BlueShield, coverage worldwide and unlimited, as long as I meet the minimal annual limit. BC/BS had written a disclosure of coverage on my behalf.  Medicare can be use only in the States.

There are many reasons why the LTR Visa is not something that I would obtain, and given many people have indicated that they will soon be doing that, I will put forward my main reasons in case someone was not aware of a few things.

1. It is not a 'Resident' Visa - as in there is a 'Permanent Resident' Visa in Thailand that Expats who have lived in Thailand full-time for over 3 years can apply for - lots of requirements (including speaking some Thai).
2. It is a 'Long Term Residence' Visa - meaning it is just a standard Non-Immigrant 12 month renewable Visa (they renew it) that is 5 years plus another 5 years.
3. You still have to do 90 day reporting and get 'permission' to leave the country and re-enter. etc. etc.
4. The annual health insurance requirement is mandatory, and in the annual premiums (once over 65) will increase a lot. Once you are over 75 the annual premium will skyrocket.  That is a cost that most Expats dont take into account.  Without the annual health insurance the LTR Visa is invalid.

Those are the main reasons I will not be taking up the LTR Visa - and I have another reason.

All these new Visas that the Junta/Govt have been creating over the last few years show they are trying to attract more Expats - some of that is to make up for all those they drove out.  But as in all things with this Junta/Govt they totally screw it all up and create disasters.  IMO after the election, and assuming that the Junta people are despatched to history, the new Thai Govt will be changing many things. One of those will  be a revamp and massive change in the Visas for long term Expats living in Thailand - especially those who marry Thais and live with them in Thailand - and that aint the Chinese. IMO there will be much more realistic and attractive options for Expats looking to retire and live in Thailand. At the moment the choice is the 'Cheap Charlie' option, or a messy variety of disjointed Visas targetted at Foreigners with lots of money. Just look at what is happening with the Elite Visa program that is run and controlled by a private organisation - they have been 'selling' their Visas to criminals (mainly China) and IMO that one will eventually be 'nationalised' and brought back under the control of the Thai Department of Foreign Affairs.

See comment below.

@Corkyboy Thank you for responding to my question. I have Blue cross blue shield as well. Thailand accepted it for the infamous Thai Pass in 2021 even though my attempt to purchase Thai insurance was rejected due to a preexisting condition.

****What reason did they give to you for turning you down? ****

Did you try to work with them to show that you are covered. For example, in my case, BCBS paid 1.3 million baht for my bypass surgery at a plan participating hospital in Bangkok.

I plan on applying soon as I return to the USA in late May and would like to take advantage of some of the LTR Visas travel features. (i.e. no rentry permit required and special lanes at the airport)

I see someone else here mentioned that the 90 day reporting is still a requirement. It is my understanding that it is not. Also, if you leave the country at least one time per year, you don't have to set foot in an immigration office until your 5 year anniversary. Hip Hip Hooray!

It's a once a year reporting, not every 90 days.  That is according to the BoI lady who was interviewed in youtube. 

The main items that stood out for me:

• Age 50 at least AND must have pension of x amount.  In country like US, the earliest age of pension without meeting a 10% penalty is 62 (early retirement).  So I do not see why they would say at least 50 AND then require a retirement pension as source of income. 
• Work From Thailand route requires a letter from employer stating the employee can work from Thailand.  Why is this a requirement?  Most foreign companies are not yet updated on their HR policies of defining "work from home" as outside of the country.   
• The LTR can all family members to join.  What would be their visa then?   Surely, a relative would have to show a visa at the airport.  Or are they saying just provide a list of names of all 100 relatives and the visa holder can get them through?

There are many reasons why the LTR Visa is not something that I would obtain, and given many people have indicated that they will soon be doing that, I will put forward my main reasons in case someone was not aware of a few things.

It is not a 'Resident' Visa - as in there is a 'Permanent Resident' Visa in Thailand that Expats who have lived in Thailand full-time for over 3 years can apply for - lots of requirements (including speaking some Thai).
It is a 'Long Term Residence' Visa - meaning it is just a standard Non-Immigrant 12 month renewable Visa (they renew it) that is 5 years plus another 5 years.-@AussieBob99

Can you kindly expound?  To obtain a "permanent resident" visa, the requirement is a non-immigrant visa for 3 continuous years at least.

a) You stated yourself that 'Long Term Residence' Visa - is just a standard Non-Immigrant" visa so it ment the first requirement of having a non-immigrant visa

b) The LTR is 5 years to begin with, so it meets the 2nd requirementn of at least 3 continous years.

My interpretation of LTR is you can still apply for a Permanent Resident visa after 3 years.  As you know applying does not mean getting due to the limit of 100 visas.  Who knows, it could take 7 more years before one gets lucky. By the 10th year, the LTR > annual hassle of renewing 1 year non-immigrant 0. 

The main items that stood out for me:
Age 50 at least AND must have pension of x amount. In country like US, the earliest age of pension without meeting a 10% penalty is 62 (early retirement). So I do not see why they would say at least 50 AND then require a retirement pension as source of income.
Work From Thailand route requires a letter from employer stating the employee can work from Thailand. Why is this a requirement? Most foreign companies are not yet updated on their HR policies of defining "work from home" as outside of the country. 
The LTR can all family members to join. What would be their visa then?  Surely, a relative would have to show a visa at the airport. Or are they saying just provide a list of names of all 100 relatives and the visa holder can get them through?
-@Bigrad Wolf

A family is normally husband,wife and kids. How hard is that to understand? If you are the LTR-visa holder, then your family will have dependency visas.

There are many reasons why the LTR Visa is not something that I would obtain, and given many people have indicated that they will soon be doing that, I will put forward my main reasons in case someone was not aware of a few things.

It is not a 'Resident' Visa - as in there is a 'Permanent Resident' Visa in Thailand that Expats who have lived in Thailand full-time for over 3 years can apply for - lots of requirements (including speaking some Thai).
It is a 'Long Term Residence' Visa - meaning it is just a standard Non-Immigrant 12 month renewable Visa (they renew it) that is 5 years plus another 5 years.-@AussieBob99

Can you kindly expound? To obtain a "permanent resident" visa, the requirement is a non-immigrant visa for 3 continuous years at least.
a) You stated yourself that 'Long Term Residence' Visa - is just a standard Non-Immigrant" visa so it ment the first requirement of having a non-immigrant visa
b) The LTR is 5 years to begin with, so it meets the 2nd requirementn of at least 3 continous years.

My interpretation of LTR is you can still apply for a Permanent Resident visa after 3 years. As you know applying does not mean getting due to the limit of 100 visas. Who knows, it could take 7 more years before one gets lucky. By the 10th year, the LTR > annual hassle of renewing 1 year non-immigrant 0.
-@Bigrad Wolf

FYI, the whole idea about introducing the LTR-visa was to make money. It's already a big failure with very few applicants. For a lot of people applying for an Elite Visa is actually cheaper and easier.

@mdgolfer2003  We are finally got approval for the W. Pensioner visa, currently on step #4.  AXA has a policy designed for LTR, O and OA visa applicants, just with exclusion of preexisting diseases.  we purchased a joint policy anyway, it was about $1,450usd for both of us.  I had bypassed on 2018 also, we are 65 and 78yo.  I planned to use my BC/BS as health care needs as primary anyway.  I think the clerk as a gate-keeper and follow the rules when we initially applied, USA has a different health care reimbursement approach, just takes time for them to understand.  BC/BS sent me a support statement, stated we are covered as long as premium paid and meeting the annual requirement, I am not sure which item has convinced them to approve us.  They wanted 1040 taxes x 2 years and 1099-R as proved of income, we are in the >$150k range annually, just hope this disclosure help you and others, keep trying and start early.  Good luck.

@mdgolfer2003https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf9JkF5ltyY

Which comes first --

Non-immigrant visa OR Deposit in Thai bank?

I have read to get a non-immigrant visa, one must have deposit of x amount in a Thai Bank.

Then, the revers.  To be able to open a Thai bank account and deposit, one must show proof of residency in Thai, which meant one must have a non-immigrant visa.

Very confusing.

@mdgolfer2003 We are finally got approval for the W. Pensioner visa, currently on step #4. AXA has a policy designed for LTR, O and OA visa applicants, just with exclusion of preexisting diseases. we purchased a joint policy anyway, it was about $1,450usd for both of us. I had bypassed on 2018 also, we are 65 and 78yo. I planned to use my BC/BS as health care needs as primary anyway. I think the clerk as a gate-keeper and follow the rules when we initially applied, USA has a different health care reimbursement approach, just takes time for them to understand. BC/BS sent me a support statement, stated we are covered as long as premium paid and meeting the annual requirement, I am not sure which item has convinced them to approve us. They wanted 1040 taxes x 2 years and 1099-R as proved of income, we are in the >$150k range annually, just hope this disclosure help you and others, keep trying and start early. Good luck.
-@Corkyboy

Congrats!  What smart people you 2 are.   

A family is normally husband,wife and kids. How hard is that to understand? If you are the LTR-visa holder, then your family will have dependency visas.

-@Leeds forever!

It's just I don't assume things. It would be great if they write "dependency visa" in the LTR for family memers for certainty and clarity. 

There are many reasons why the LTR Visa is not something that I would obtain, and given many people have indicated that they will soon be doing that, I will put forward my main reasons in case someone was not aware of a few things.

It is not a 'Resident' Visa - as in there is a 'Permanent Resident' Visa in Thailand that Expats who have lived in Thailand full-time for over 3 years can apply for - lots of requirements (including speaking some Thai).
It is a 'Long Term Residence' Visa - meaning it is just a standard Non-Immigrant 12 month renewable Visa (they renew it) that is 5 years plus another 5 years.-@AussieBob99

Can you kindly expound? To obtain a "permanent resident" visa, the requirement is a non-immigrant visa for 3 continuous years at least.
a) You stated yourself that 'Long Term Residence' Visa - is just a standard Non-Immigrant" visa so it ment the first requirement of having a non-immigrant visa
b) The LTR is 5 years to begin with, so it meets the 2nd requirementn of at least 3 continous years.

My interpretation of LTR is you can still apply for a Permanent Resident visa after 3 years. As you know applying does not mean getting due to the limit of 100 visas. Who knows, it could take 7 more years before one gets lucky. By the 10th year, the LTR > annual hassle of renewing 1 year non-immigrant 0.
-@Bigrad Wolf
FYI, the whole idea about introducing the LTR-visa was to make money. It's already a big failure with very few applicants. For a lot of people applying for an Elite Visa is actually cheaper and easier.
-@Leeds forever!

It's got holes.  The one they could fix right away is the WFT (work from Thailand)  removal of the provision of requiring company letter.  If they think about it, having that provision removed, means more LTR people paying  the upfront B50K.  When the company order the employeed back to US, what is the negative impact in Thailand?  I can't think of one.  The employee moves back to US.  Thailand already got their money.   So removing the provision is all benefit and no disadvantage.

@Bigrad Wolf how did you learn lessons on books when you went to school...?

By reading more and more times the subject and the details explained or just asking arround ?

Of course then you are confused.

Anyway the steps are:

1st go to a Thai embassy

2nd obtain a visa at Thai embassy in your country and they will ask you or fill a form, for what purpose it is.

3rd they will ask you your revenue certificates or UK bank statement to see the income or amount you have, cause they know you cannot have account in thailand, unless you came here for a tourist trip and opened one just in case with a deposit of minimum 100 € or £

4th At that point you can ask them to release the 3 month NON-IMM-O visa.

5th Then you come to Thailand and within the 1st month open an account and send the money (850,000 baht or more) from your bank to be here at least 65 days before the visa expire date.

6th update the bankbook showing money arrived with the date of arrival and don't go below 800,000 baht at any time.

7th after 60 days from money date but before visa's expire date, go to your bank and ask the bank garanty statement and go to local immigration, fill the form and remember to have hotel/condo room complete address to write on form knowing the area where you stay, make copy of passport, bankbook, visa page, entrance date stamp page, take the queue number and wait your call.

And present all this to the officer, provide cash to pay 1,900 baht to the officer and wait.

This is the procedure to get the RETIREMENT 1 YEAR STAY PERMIT based on NON-IMM-O.

If you want to leave Thailand make after also a re-entry visa stamp single or multiple.

If you leave Thailand without it the Retirement permit will be void and is not enough to re-enter next time.

Hope you not confused anymore now....

I got a lawyer who did all for me, much easier and painless. Yes, cost. But worth it.

I checked multiple lawyers and found huge variances in price, ultimately that paid off, the lowest cost worked well and saved quite a lot. I found it to be reasonable overall.

@Bigrad Wolf how did you learn lessons on books when you went to school...?
By reading more and more times the subject and the details explained or just asking arround ?
Of course then you are confused.
Anyway the steps are:
1st go to a Thai embassy
2nd obtain a visa at Thai embassy in your country and they will ask you or fill a form, for what purpose it is.
3rd they will ask you your revenue certificates or UK bank statement to see the income or amount you have, cause they know you cannot have account in thailand, unless you came here for a tourist trip and opened one just in case with a deposit of minimum 100 € or £
4th At that point you can ask them to release the 3 month NON-IMM-O visa.
5th Then you come to Thailand and within the 1st month open an account and send the money (850,000 baht or more) from your bank to be here at least 65 days before the visa expire date.
6th update the bankbook showing money arrived with the date of arrival and don't go below 800,000 baht at any time.
7th after 60 days from money date but before visa's expire date, go to your bank and ask the bank garanty statement and go to local immigration, fill the form and remember to have hotel/condo room complete address to write on form knowing the area where you stay, make copy of passport, bankbook, visa page, entrance date stamp page, take the queue number and wait your call.
And present all this to the officer, provide cash to pay 1,900 baht to the officer and wait.
This is the procedure to get the RETIREMENT 1 YEAR STAY PERMIT based on NON-IMM-O.
If you want to leave Thailand make after also a re-entry visa stamp single or multiple.
If you leave Thailand without it the Retirement permit will be void and is not enough to re-enter next time.
Hope you not confused anymore now....
-@Maxi Mari

I don't mind getting punched as long as I get what I need and you delivered! Thank you. Thai officials should copy and paste all the steps you wrote  to their official site. 

Can you kindly expound?  To obtain a "permanent resident" visa, the requirement is a non-immigrant visa for 3 continuous years at least.

a) You stated yourself that 'Long Term Residence' Visa - is just a standard Non-Immigrant" visa so it ment the first requirement of having a non-immigrant visa

b) The LTR is 5 years to begin with, so it meets the 2nd requirementn of at least 3 continous years.

My interpretation of LTR is you can still apply for a Permanent Resident visa after 3 years.  As you know applying does not mean getting due to the limit of 100 visas.  Who knows, it could take 7 more years before one gets lucky. By the 10th year, the LTR > annual hassle of renewing 1 year non-immigrant 0.

@Bigrad Wolf  There is a Permanent Resident Visa available to non-Thai residents of Thailand. It means (if approved) that you never do any 90 days reporting (or have it done for you), there is no more annual extensions (or have it done for you), you can leave and re-enter Thailand as many times as you like (no need to apply/pay), and it is 'permanent' as long as you stay living in Thailand. There are a lot of benefits in getting the Permanent Resident Visa - it is not citizenship, but it is in that direction. Many people get the Permanent Resident's Visa on the path to getting Citizenship. But there are a lot of requirements before you can apply for the Permanent Resident Visa - including living in Thailand full-time for at least 3 years on a long term Visa, and many other things like speaking Thai. It involves using a Lawyer and/or Agent as far as I can ascertain. The Visa is open for applications once a year - processing and approval (or not) can take years. Very expensive but worth it.

The new LTR is NOT the same thing - which many people think it is. The very name 'Long Term Residence' Visa (LTR) has made people think they are 'buying' a Permanent Resident Visa for 10 years. Was that a 'mistake in translation' or a deliberate misleading name? You decide. The LTR was first 'released' in 2021 and was so unsuccessful that they redrafted it and re-released it in 2022. Demand has been 'underwhelming' - Elitre Visa gives the same and it is a lot easier and less complex and cheaper.

On a broader note - IMO anyone considering the LTR or Elite Visa etc etc, should wait until after the election and see whatever new Govt is formed is going to do about all the myriad of complex and confusing Visas for Foreigners living long term in Thailand - especially all of those released by the Junta and clearly targetted at 'wealthy foreigners' (criminals fleeing China with their money?).  The managers of Thai Visa Elite are pressure because they gave away far too much too easily and it was abused by a LOT of Chinese and Russian and other countries criminals. The Elite Visa is being managed by a private company - that was a big mistake - and that will probably change. The LTR is being 'managed' by a non-Departmental authority (Board of Investment) and they are not a part of the Immigration Department (policing) or the Foreign Affairs Department (policy).  IMO big changes are coming in the near future - hopefully Thailand will do what several other countries did and centralise all long term Visas under the direct control of the Prime Minister's Office (thereby over-ruling all the current competing and disjointed Organisations and Departments involved).

@Corkyboy Yes, thanks for sharing ... I saw that video from Greenie ... Useful for sure but he's obviously a Spartan and I'm a Badger. 555

@AussieBob99

Thanks.  What's the best option for me, 50+, still working in US but wants to get the 3 year started already?

I could do annual trips of nothing more than 1 month.

@AussieBob99
Thanks. What's the best option for me, 50+, still working in US but wants to get the 3 year started already?
I could do annual trips of nothing more than 1 month.
-@Bigrad Wolf

"50+, still working in US but wants to get the "3 year" started already?"

Are you talking about the PR-visa? You need 3

consecutive annual extensions,meaning 3 years in Thailand. Annual trips of one month,that's less than the current 45 days (the former 30 days) visa exempt. You have no other options than arriving on a visa exempt as a tourist if one month is the maximum time you can spend here.

Which comes first --
Non-immigrant visa OR Deposit in Thai bank?
I have read to get a non-immigrant visa, one must have deposit of x amount in a Thai Bank.

Then, the revers. To be able to open a Thai bank account and deposit, one must show proof of residency in Thai, which meant one must have a non-immigrant visa.

Very confusing.
-@Bigrad Wolf

It's not confusing at all. You can arrive on a 90 days Non-immigrant O and immediately find a place to stay, go for a bank account and then transfer let's 800k from your bank back home. You can also arrive on a 60 days tourist visa and then change that to a 90 days Non-immigrant O at the local immigration office after about 30 days. During those first 30 days you need to find a place to stay, open a bank account and transfer the money. A lot of people have been lucky and have been able to open bank accounts on tourist visas.It's just about legwork, going from bank to bank until you get lucky. Open a bank account at branches in big malls have always been a bit easier.

@Leeds forever! i disagree with you. The LTR visa is much cheaper than the Elite visa 10 years.The price for a LTR visa 10 years is 55.000 Thai Baht for you, your wife and up to four kids.. Elite visa 800.000 for 10 years and 700.000 for your spouse.

@Corkyboy

local health insurance is not a requirement. The insurance requirement is: a healthinsurance coverage $ 50.000 with a validity of 8 month.

I did get the LTR visa, wealthy foreigners very recently. Sumitted Cigbna, an US health insurance.

We are in the process of applying for wealthy 10 years retirement visa, only thing left for us is to purchase local health insurance of $50k USD per year, although I have my own health insurance from USA, but they don't accept it. We will be traveling to BKK to collect the visa in person sometime this summer. Overall process is strictly online and relatively reasonable fees compared to Elite visa. No agent needed.
-@Corkyboy

The insurance does NOT be a thai insurance. But the statement of the insurance has to be clear: healthinsurance , At least $50.000.

ask why they don't accept it. Often it is just the wording taht is required. Dutch people have a comparable problem. The dutch public health has no  financial limit  but most of the insurance refuse to write that there is no limit so if the costs are 50.000 they will pay that.

So my advice is, again, ask why your insurenace is not accepted. You can phone them, sometimes they are wary to provide written declkarations.

@boilsjer We also got the LTR WP approval.  We have BC/BS health insurance from the States, which I have used at The Bumrungrad in BKK.  I went ahead and purchased AXA insurance just to satisfied their request and requirement, we are planning to collect the LTR visa BKK in person this summer.  Happy traveling!   

^ Congrats Corkyboy.  I'm also getting my papers ready for submission and hopefully all gets taken cared of properly. 

@Corkyboy hey, I have a question about the tax returns. The instructions on their website has nonsensical English pertaining to this. It seems to want a notarized translation of tax returns. I'm not sure what it's asking for, specifically when it says translation.  I assume if the tax returns are not in English then they want an English translation and notarized.  If the tax returns are already in English, then it doesn't need to be notarized?  Did you submit notarized copies? If so, is any notary agent (e.g. a bank officer) sufficient? Thailand can be a stickler and I want to get it right the first time.

@Corkyboy hey, I have a question about the tax returns. The instructions on their website has nonsensical English pertaining to this. It seems to want a notarized translation of tax returns. I'm not sure what it's asking for, specifically when it says translation. I assume if the tax returns are not in English then they want an English translation and notarized. If the tax returns are already in English, then it doesn't need to be notarized? Did you submit notarized copies? If so, is any notary agent (e.g. a bank officer) sufficient? Thailand can be a stickler and I want to get it right the first time.
-@sflxn

I think they want the original tax return notarized by the tax agency (stamped and signed) and then translated to Thai by an approved translation service, and again notarized. I don't think they want copies. This is normal procedure in Thailand when it comes to notarizations/legalizations even if it's annoying and a bit time consuming.

@Guest7902 To be honest I am totally confused with all the options. I am not even sure I agree with my Thai lawyer. I will give my true circumstance and would love to hear real people give their opinions. Married to a Thai for 20 years, have enough cash for any of these visa's including elite. So which one? I think marriage sounds easy with insurance and cost! Would appreciate any replies. thanks

sflxn:  My USA tax return is in English and no need to be notarized.  They are looking for forms 1099R and 1040 for the past two years(21/22).  I use this email to direct communication with them, until they satisfied with the request.  Most trouble I had was the health insurance, systemically differ from every countries, I keep trying until I satisfy their requirements.  The person processing the document is in the business section, then later passes to the immigration for stamping, so they just looking for proofs of income documents.  Keep asking questions via this email. [email protected]

I hope this help you.  Michael

@sowo Please don't let it trouble you and keep trying, the business person acting as a gate keeper and don't really understand the whole income thing, other than requiring everyone to have the same format.  We are a same sex couple and well over qualified individually, we applied it at the same time too.  I don't give up easily!