Look for the FBAR website online. You can easily file it yourself. It only takes a couple of minutes. You need to have a yearlong bank statement and find the largest balance over $10,000 during the year. That is the number you will enter into the FBAR online form. I’ve done it myself for 7 years.

Once you get an account at a branch then that is your branch. I got my Kasikorn account at a BKK branch. Then I moved outside Bangkok. I couldn’t just move the account to my countryside branch. I even had to come to Bangkok to close the account

My pensioner LTR was a long time ago (2023) but yes, they continued to ask for more documents. In my case they wanted copies of additional pages in my passport. The email back & forth will add a few more days to your wait time.

@Bob *********

OK yes. I have an LTR. If he qualifies for an LTR then we can discuss that.

@Randy ******

Sorry, to get a DTV you have to be earning income outside Thailand. The foreign earned income exclusion only applies to money made outside the US.

The LTR has nothing to do with this.

US citizens also get a $120,000 foreign earned income tax exclusion with the IRS.

@Stuart **********

Mostly what I’ve heard is that they are getting a better rate of return on the $23,700 in their home accounts and that they don’t trust Thai banks. Everyone has their wants and needs.

@Stuart **********

I’ve heard that some people do that. I didn’t do that because I live in Thailand full time. I would never be in the US long enough to complete the OA application process which is a bit of a pain. It’s a peculiar visa and some people benefit from the peculiarities.

It also benefits people that don’t want to open a Thai bank account because you can keep applying using funds in your home country bank.

I did get 18 months on my OA visa because of a trip to Cambodia but I really didn’t care about the extra months. Yearly extensions is where most people want to be.

@Jan *****************

I switched from my OA to a 10 year pensioner LTR IN 2023. In my case my OA insurance could be used for the LTR.