Elite visa is a glorified tourist visa. So is LTR visa. There is only 2 visas in thailand, tourist visas + work permit. That's it. If you have a work permit you are working towards residency + citizenship, if not, it's purely a tourist visa. So to start just get the cheapest/simplest one possible. Which right now is: 1. Retirement visa over 50 2. Destination Thailand Visa for first year under 50: 180 day visa twice. 3. 60 + 30 day extension tourist visa: Just have 3 holidays a year to Malaysia, Vietnam etc. I don't think are great, but maybe: 3. Student Visa - studying thai for like 40,000 baht per year: Do this 2nd or 3rd year if you have checked out every other country around and really want to live in Thailand. 4. LTR visa if you can. Why maybe? Because it's just delaying getting residency. If you instead set up a company, or setup a work permit some other way, you're actually making a long term plan leading somewhere. You have four options for that: 1. Get a job: Defeats the purpose of the cheap expenses of Thailand. 2. Start a company: Kind of insane because of the 49% ownership, but can setup voter rights so you control, buuuu Thailand. So I think this is insane. 3. Invest in a Thai company, with work permit as a return. 4. Come up with some arrangement with a local business so they can give you a work permit. This is the ONLY way to residency/citizenship, so the sooner you start the better. Your first year or two though, there is absolutely no incentive to get a long term visa, just get a tourist 90 day visa and check out 3 other places around as maybe you like better. Da nang is good, cambodia has beaches, people like philippines + malaysia. Only like a $100-$200 flight and forces you to have a holiday once a quarter. The main benefit of staying on a tourist and not making a bank account and instead making a revolt and wise account, is completely avoiding tax in Thailand. So if you're not going for residency/citizenship, why the f would you pay the ten's of thousands for a tourist visa?
@@stephencirving I have no interest in Thai citizenship. The pensioner LTR, glorified tourist visa or not, is easier and cheaper than residency and has tax benefits.
Great conversation and Forrest really made a complicated subject matter very simple. His ability to explain things in a very basic manner was excellent. Please have him back when changes are made to the visa process. Great Job…..
I’m currently applying for a non immigrant OA visa from England. Yes it’s an annoying process as you can only upload one document per section and you can’t include text for the person reading the application. I included my P45 for my pension which showed my yearly income but they wanted a monthly statement that was annoying. But I am only coming to Thailand for the winter sun from October till April returning for the cricket season. I’ve had to get a health certificate from a Thai insurance company but that is straight forward and easy. Also the police check is easy, and there is a health certificate that depending on your doctor is easy or hard mine refused so I had to find one online which I did. So cost is £75 police check £65 Doctors health report on download Thai form and visa application £150. The Thai health certificate varies on the amount you require mine £178. So for me it’s been a better process than coming to Thailand and visiting an agent and paying a lot more for something one can do if you are patient.
I understand it is ‘ a pain in the ass’, but understand that for the most Thai it is never possible to apply for a long stay visa in a western country. So be happy for the possibility and be submissive to the institition. Love your video’s.
Characterizing the Thai Privilege visa as $5,000/year is not quite the whole story. It is a 900,000 baht fee for 5 years. You pay the whole 900,000 baht fee upfront. You are not paying 180,000 yearly. You want to be sure that you will stay in Thailand for the whole 5 years.
Well, hopes are dashed from the sounds of the complexity... which I've heard in the past. Philippines I guess which truly is more user friendly. Seems for 50 plus and retirement Thailand still prefers those with $$$. I want relaxation in golden years, not jumping through hoops.
It's tuff. Especially if, as a foreigner, you support a Thai partner with finances. The thanks you get from Thailand government is a visa that requires more effort than it should for someone that gives so much to Thailand. Foreigners are a big source of social security for many Thais. Please support that.❤❤❤ Love and peace to Thailand and all in it.
There is a mistake, if you have the Thai Elite visa and live in Pattaya, Phuket or Chinag Mai, you do not need to do yourself the 90 days report, each of these cities have a agency who works with That Elite and can do for you ( for free ) the 90 days report
Great conversation, I'm still a few years away from the real move and things are always changing, but a great glimpse (and very understandable) into longer term visas.
It occurs to me that under the LTR wealthy pensioner visa, income from overseas is exempt from tax, which could be a major factor. Whereas for permanent residents, the tax law could be amended to include tax on worldwide income.
Another very informative and immensely helpful tips for me considering retiring in Thailand for LTR visa. Keep it up and would love to meet up with you in Bangkok and go for a meal since I am there few times a year staying in my Bangkok condo.
How and where to find reliable agency for visa application, for me is retirement visa, non O or OA, when we're still outside Thailand and have no ties there?
Great timing on this topic! I am currently hustling to stay in the Kingdom; too many options and each one is complicated. If you go for an Ed visa that will screw you out of any chance of an elite in the future
I gather that its cheap to do a Bachelors Degree in Thailand. That is four years for a start. Then a Masters, perhaps. Realistically, how long could you string this out?
90% of digital nomads don't have 500,000 baht of cash lying around so it's sort of good in the sense that Thailand won't be inundated with them going forward
I'm not sure what is meant as Spouse for the purpose of DTV I have been married to a Thai lady 18yrs and had a visa based on marriage I.e Spouse On that basis would I be entitled to this visa ?
Lol ok i agree with him but if you go to the amphoe 90% thai people are wearing flip flops. As long as what you are wearing is not offensive it really doesnt matter and doesnt help the slightest. Its how you talk and conduct yourself that really matters
On the DTV visa, as a freelancer, What if you don't have a registered company or contracts with anyone but just work online as a freelancer taking payments through wise etc? I am a recruiter so I don't have any portfolio apart from messages on various platforms organising interviews. Is that enough evidence?
I’m a content creator/RU-vidr from the UK & I’ll be moving to Thailand in early sept. Since I make all my money online I’m looking to move there long term but I doubt I’d quality for the LTR visa. The DTV seems like a more reasonable choice & I’ll happily pay the 10k baht fee twice a year but i don’t think it’s out yet. Should I just go for a tourist visa & keep renewing it?
At this point apply for a 6 month visa and do your border run a couple days before it runs out. Then apply for a 60-day tourist visa and extend it for 30 days to stay for 9 months. Assuming the DTV visa is not out yet. If it isn't then apply for an ED visa for one year. I know they typically extend ED visas for Americans for one more year after the first one so you being from the UK might be the same. The reality with Thailand is unless you have deep pockets or are married, they make it really hard for you to stay in the country. I was planning on buying the 20-year elite visa when it was 28k USD then they shot that price up to 130K I believe. With this being said there is a huge reason people are relocating to Vietnam and giving up on Thailand. I was in Vietnam in 2022 and met so many older expats who relocated for this reason. I am in the same position as you and the DTV visa seems to be the answer if they allow us to reapply for another 5-year visa at the end of the year.
i contacted the agency through LINE app twice after watching your video Forrest .. they dont reply to either one ...i even stated in the second text 3 days later i watch the utube with a mark .. pathetic customer service i will go use Siam Legal instead ..
**WARNING I was Charged $650 CAD for the official DTV application and denied over a name typo. The application form has some unclear fields, including the NAME field which I entered my first and last name but should have put in my middle name. They flat out cancelled the application. I called in about the simple error and spoke with the fella that cancelled it in the Vancouver Embassy, he was a stone wall about how simple the error was. I also Asked why it was double the price as all other embassy and he said that is just the way it was setup from Thailands side and they had no control. I'm going to have to try again but from Vietnam next where its actually only 10,000Baht.
One of the English language Thai news websites said today or yesterday that it begins on Monday, July 15th. That is not the same as a government announcement but check on Monday anyway.
LTR is far the best because no taxes at all from abroad and probably will stay even if Thailand want to tax all income from abroad which will impact permanent residence and all other visas than LTR. I am surprised he seems not to know that .... quite deception
Me and my Thai wife have been married for 12 years now. Im 45 and under the age of 50. We have no kids but planing to move back to live in Thailand. Is there a visa for people who want to imigrate/move to Thailand and live there? Been there on a ED visa before. And the 3 months extention and in and out to renew the visa every 2 years is exhausting.
@@theaverageguy3884 There is a difference. Marty has the correct option for you, that is first a non-O 90 days visa, with yearly extensions based on marriage. You need 400.000 in a Thai bank, OR 40.000 baht income a month. The visa extension is valid for a year, and can easily be renewed every year for as long as you are married. I am surprised you never heard about that, since you`ve been married to your Thai wife for 12 years. Just google it, check your embassy, or check every visa site online, and you`ll find out all about it.
expats and retiree peoples help Thailand economy and local busines lot lot more than any tourist ewer, need be expats lot easy visa system than tourist. tourist visa have ok but not help long term economy and local busines maak, if marry Thai wife or stay live end life in retiree sbend lot lot money in Thailand, buy house,buy car, many million baht and use own pension salary all in Thailand live here, thats have lot more than any tourist sbend money /year in Thailand. this have important point why expats and retiree need be lot easy than all other visas.
Poor Forrest - he releases this vid and then a day later there is an update to the Dedtination Thailand Visa 😂 Nonetheless, a fantastic video! Ill be making my way back to Thailand soon!
It seems like the majority of ppl going to Thailand are not wealth pensioners and retirees or highly skilled worker in a publicly traded company. Isn’t that group going to places like Singapore and Portugal? The majority of people coming are making $1500, 2500, 5000 . People that cannot afford places like UK , US need $500/800 rent. Affordable food, healthcare, etc. Most women aren’t coming there to find a Thai spouse to get that visa either. I see alot of men keep talking about it and seem to think it’s the easiest way to go. 😊
I see plenty of wealthy retirees here in Thailand. Our money goes further here too. And by wealthy I don’t mean American billionaires but retired professionals and business owners. I’m not sure why people think Thailand is only for poor people. Thailand is not a hardship post. It’s actually a nice place to live.
@@martypoll I m not sure people think it’s for poor people. At least I hope not. I think what I’m saying is most of the content we see is young folks, teachers, digital nomad alike people that are making less than $5k a month not the $80k crowd with investment and rental property and pension money. Those that have a regular even monthly retiree income and go marry a Thai women and love a simple life. That’s what it’s giving.
