@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.

If he is in the very first year of the OA visa then he cannot cancel it. He has to wait until that first year runs out. The original visa has to expire. After that you have options.

Many people maintain a separate bank account for the 800,000. I assume that is what an agent would be doing.

@Nathan *****

This is true. It is very hard to buy ingredients for Mexican food. I really stocked up on chili powders on my last trip to the US.

Unless it is one of a kind or has sentimental value I wouldn’t ship anything. Anything for day-to-day living you should replace in Thailand. Six years after moving here I shipped some artwork made by my father who died 20 years ago. The shipping was expensive but it has sentimental value.

@Patricia ******

Google LTR BOI