This was in October, 2022. It took them a couple of months to get to my application. Once they started looking at it then it took a couple of weeks to get the approval. I scheduled an appointment at the BOI office in Bangkok. They finished a few more documents and then walked me over to the immigration office across the hall. There Immigration cancelled my OA visa and entered the ink stamps for my LTR. I paid the 50,000 baht that day in the Immigration office.

I went to the BOI website and used their online application. I should say that my finances are simple. I qualify for the pensioner LTR with a single work pension. I submitted my US 1040 tax return. It shows that I have only two sources of income - work pension + Social Security. They never questioned my finances. I already had an insurance policy to maintain my OA visa. I uploaded the same insurance certificate that I used for my OA visa extensions. I uploaded a copy of my passport.

I switched from an extension of my OA visa to my pensioner LTR while inside Thailand.

No one has reached five years yet. They may look at all the first 5 years to check that you met the requirements.

@Peter *******

It is a Bangkok Bank policy. Not immigration policy.

@Francois *******

The OA is a 1 year visa. The LTR IS A 10 year visa. Two different visas.

@Michelle ********

The current consensus is to get an O visa that doesn't require health insurance. Keep your health insurance needs separate from your visa.

I am currently on a 10 year LTR visa (which does have an insurance requirement). If you

You should come on a long stay visa such as an O, OA, OX, LTR, or Elite. If you enter on a tourist visa or DTV you will probably not be able to open an account.

@Eric ******

It’s meant for whoever can meet the financial requirements.

@Eric ******

$80,000/yr is hardly wealthy in the US. You can live well in Thailand on that though.