@Thomas ******

The $80,000/yr can be a combination of sources. They just looked at my US tax returns. Besides pension and Social Security I don’t know what other sources of income qualify as passive. I know other sources do qualify. I’m pretty certain 401k withdrawals won’t count

@Peter ***********

The pensioner LTR is about passive income. The Elite visa is about cash on hand. The pensioner LTR is incredibly easy to apply for and get if you meet the insurance and $80,000/yr passive income requirements. The staff at the Thailand Board of Investment office are very helpful and friendly. I’m sure the Elite visa people are helpful too but you have to have the cash and be willing to pay the Elite fee.

As I’ve said elsewhere in this thread, the Elite Visa is a good option for people under 50 who have few options to stay long term. For expats over 50 there are other options and you need to weigh the details of each visa type with your own individual circumstances.

@Kim *********

Ah! Now I remember. There is an option to have $40,000/year passive income + investments. I didn’t have to do that. I have a pension that meets the $80,000/yr retirement

@Kim *********

I got my pensioner LTR in January, 2023. You might want to go the the Thailand Board of Investment website and review the requirements for the four categories of LTR. Better to go to website of the office that issues the LTR visa, the BOI, rather than a visa agent.

@Kim *********

. Both the LTR and the Elite visa are targeted toward wealthier Expats. Yes, the pensioner LTR requires a passive income of $80,000/yr but it does not require any investments. Really the only requirements for the pensioner LTR are the $80k/yr and insurance.

@Kim *********

As I said, the Elite is great for expats under 50 years old. The pensioner LTR does not require a bank deposit of 800,000 baht. The LTR is multiple entry. The LTR requires one year reporting. If you travel outside Thailand then the 1 year clock resets on return. The LTR is a one time fee of 50,000 baht for 10 years. (Thai Elite is 1.5 million baht for 10 years)The LTR does require insurance but it is a little more lenient than the OA requirement by allowing a $100,000 bank deposit in your home country to qualify as insurance coverage.

There are several categories of LTR. I am only commenting on the pensioner category for those over 50 years of age.

I have had a pensioner LTR since January, 2023. If your finances are simple then applying yourself online is very easy. As far as travel goes, you don’t need re-entry permits and you can use the fast track lane at the airport but no one will meet you and drive you around. One year reporting, not 90 day reporting but if you are traveling often you would never report. Obviously much much less expensive. If you are over 50 I don’t see how the Thai Elite makes much sense. For the few interactions you will have with them, you will find the staff at the Thailand BOI to be friendly and a pleasure to deal with.

There is a Facebook group called, Thai citizenship group. They also talk about PR.

I bought a new car in Bangkok in 2022. The only deposit was 10,000 baht to secure my name on the list of customers waiting for a car to become available. At that time I waited 4 months. Once the car arrived I just transferred the full price using my banking app. I was on an OA visa and I needed a residency certificate and my passport. I think that was all there was to it. A year later I moved to Sisaket province.

As long as you are here on the proper visa then I wouldn’t think you should have any problem switching from one visa to another. Sometimes people staying in Thailand on educational visas as students have future problems but it sounds like you are pursuing a work visa at a university.