@Jeff ******

It is an insurance option.

@Ruth ******

That sounds like it might be correct. I was switching from an OA to an LTR so I already had the insurance and still have it. Another option is having $100,000 in a bank account anywhere.

Yes it is best to contact them. I have a pensioner LTR. It is 80k gross before taxes.

You can submit an application and you don’t pay unless you are approved first.

At CW the bank letter and bank statement can be up to 7 days old. There are bank branches in the building to update your bank book same day

@John *********

My understanding is that it exempts us from taxes on money remitted into Thailand. What is left in the US should be taxable in the US. If Thailand decides next year to tax worldwide income then I assume the Dual Tax treaty comes into play and then we will probably have to wait an see what that means to LTR visa holders.

@Michael ******

Yes, I don’t think we are exempt from filing but I will know better early next year. From what I have seen so far, no one has seen the 2024 tax forms yet. I will file through a tax firm this for year and if I have to file then I will. If I don’t then I won’t.

It’s up to you. It doesn’t matter how long you intend to leave your home country. You choose the visa that you can qualify for and that meets your needs to reside in the foreign country.

You can buy a condo in your name but not a house. Condo or house, don’t buy anything you aren’t willing to walk away from.

@Ruth ******

I have an LTR. plan to use a tax firm this year to see what the form looks like. If it is easy enough then I can try to do it myself in the future. The cost of paying someone to prepare a tax return is going to be much less expensive than paying taxes if you didn’t have the LTR. The LTR is still a great benefit.

@Joe ******

The standard advice is to get an O in your home country. That gives you more time to open a bank account. Otherwise I would think that is best to use the immigration office where you plan to live long term. Bangkok immigration is big but professional. That is where I started. The same time I moved to Kantharalak I switched from my OA visa to an LTR visa so I don’t have any direct experience getting an O at the Sisaket office. I have been there for other things though.