phlampson

Just saw this posted at aseannow.com earlier this week. This would be good news if it turns out to be true, and it does confirm your experience. I am speculating that the BOI is trying to find ways to get their numbers up, as they are massively trailing the estimates they gave at the start of the program.

Off-topic, but I really miss Hitch.

Just out of curiosity, do you need a Thailand-based email address for this sort of thing (and in general)? Or can everything basically work through your home-country email? I'm thinking about bank statements, 2FA notifications, utilities, immigration notices, shopping, etc.

Yeah, I don't remember really. I kind of recall getting a ticket because I was aware not to trust a taxi driver without one. But maybe I just inquired and declined the ticket because I had already checked the grab fare. Anyway, it worked out fine for me and I tipped the grab driver 40 baht or something.

I think it was 2 or 3 numerals, but the Thai characters still made it a little difficult. Airport pickups are difficult enough if there's a lot of traffic.

I used grab on my very trip from dmk to asok. Used it many times in MY so very used to the process. However the thing I wasn't prepared for was the fact that the license plates are in Thai. Made for a bit of difficulty finding my car. I don't know if it would have been worse at BKK. I think I looked at the official taxi stand and they were quoting around 900 baht. The grab ride was around 350 plus maybe 50-100 for the toll.

Pure uneducated speculation on my part, but I imagine it might change the calculus a little bit and discourage some illegal foreign workers.

Good point, but aren't there many people currently doing exactly that? Still, you're probably right that it may not be worth the risk.

I suspect that they consider wives/families an impediment to capturing you as a sponsor. Single guys have unfettered access to their bank accounts. Married guys, not so much.

Thanks for your insights. I would agree with you on the traditional retirement visa if my intent was not to get the LTR within a few years. The LTR will remove any potential tax headaches and has some other benefits to boot (travel privileges, work permit, etc). I'm also slightly concerned that the 800k requirement could jump significantly before I pull the trigger on my move. The traditional retirement visa is certainly an option. I just dislike the idea of unnecessarily paying an agent 50k+ for the initial visa and then possibly needing to use an agent again for renewals. The other benefit of the DTV is up to 180 days without having to do a check-in, so there's the convenience aspect as well.

So I'm planning to retire in the next 12-18 months or so to LOS. Not surprisingly, I am constantly thinking about the prospect and the logistics of making the move, and the following thought just occurred to me. I'm over 50 so I'm eligible for the retirement visa. I can easily do the traditional method of 800k and agent to facilitate the process. However, would this alternate sequence work? Get 90-day Non-O retirement visa before leaving US. Arrive in LOS, get settled with condo lease, bank account, driver's license, etc. Before 90 day visa expires, take a trip to Vietnam/Malaysia/whatever and sign up for a DTV using soft-power activities (medical/dental treatment, language classes, etc). I could initiate one or more of those activities during the initial 90 days. Re-enter on DTV and live in LOS for 2-3 years with occasional travel (1 week or so) a few times a year to reset the DTV. During this period, manage my finances to qualify for the LTR-WP visa. Should take ~2 years to get the required tax returns filed for documentation. Would be living off non-assessable savings so taxes are not a concern. Convert to LTR from within LOS. The main appeal for me would be to avoid needing an agent and the 800k tied up in a Thai bank for those 2-3 years. I'm not categorically opposed to using an agent, but I kind of like the Do-It-Yourself approach as it often helps in the long run to learn how to navigate the bureaucracies. I can also be something of a cheapskate at times, but that's because I tend to look at saving money as a game more than anything else. Just interested in thoughts about this plan. I think the risk would be in step 4 because the DTV program could change at any time and I'm not too familiar with the on-the-ground restrictions associated with that visa. It occurs to me that the bank account might get cancelled, but I could probably live on a cash/credit card basis in the interim. It also occurs to me that I could mitigate this risk a bit by opening multiple bank accounts. Alternatively, I could try applying for a retirement visa on my own since there would be minimal urgency once I have the DTV.

Thanks. That's good info. In my personal case, I plan to live off cash savings for a few years while doing Roth conversions. My understanding is that Roth conversions qualify as unearned income for the purposes of LTR qualification. After that, social security and IRA distributions should take over. I guess there wouldn't be any harm in applying with just one year's worth of conversions. Worst they could do is reject the application, right?

The 800k really won't be a big deal for me. The 65k just would be a better option since I would plan to transfer more than that from my savings anyway. Just did the math. 800k would generate more than 750 usd of interest per year at current HYSA rates in the US. I do plan on buying insurance, but I'd prefer not to have my visa dependent upon it

Yes, but there are also many people in the middle that aren't old enough to collect SS and can't afford one of the elite visas. I am planning to move at 59 so I'd be in that situation. I guess 800k will be the default option for most then.

So if this is the case, then it's effectively not possible for someone to use the 65k method UNLESS you're on some type of pension? Even if you're independently wealthy? I know the LTR option exists for those people, but that would require much more than the 800k in a Thai bank. I presume an agent could get around this, but still...

Thanks. So I presume you were already retired and collecting SS/Pension in 2023, right? Did they ignore the 2023 and 2024 returns? Or were they ONLY interested in the final 2025 documents? By any chance, was your money market account a Fidelity Cash Management Account? I guess I could transfer to a dedicated money market account, but it would be easier to leave it in the CMA (with it's automated cash sweep into a MM fund)

Are you sure this is true? Why can't the money come from a savings/brokerage account?

Thanks for the detailed info. It's great intel. Couple questions: 1. How many years of passive income did you need to document? I'm planning to move to Thailand very shortly after retiring, so it might be close to 3 years before I have 2 years of tax returns to submit. I wonder if they might accept 1 year with combined earned/passive income. 2. Did your cash need to be in a traditional checking/savings account to qualify for waiving the insurance requirement? And for how long? My understanding is that they don't allow money/assets held in brokerage accounts. Just wondering if there's a workaround for that.

Whenever I travel, I usually make it a point to download the offline map for the region I'm in. There's no cost, and it can be done before you arrive or on hotel wifi. Saves on mobile data if you use maps a lot. This even saved me once when I went on a motorbike ride and ended up in a very off-the-beaten-path area. There was no mobile coverage, but I was still able to use google maps to find my way back to the city.

I've found some cheap esims on trip.com and mobimatter.com They seem to have worked fine in Malaysia and LOS.

Might have been wearing a jacket which might need to go through the scanner.

I would suggest a couple of days in Bangkok at least once. You may find that you like it better for whatever reasons and you can plan your next trip(s) accordingly. The environment is certainly different than Pattaya. I would agree that Bangkok first is preferable for logistics. I made the mistake of booking a 1 pm taxi from Pattaya to central Bangkok (Asok) and got stuck in traffic for an extra hour. I think I saved 15 minutes by getting out of the car early and walking the last 200m

Thank you. It's posts like this that make me excited about retiring to Pattaya. Before discovering Thailand just a little over 2 years ago, I was a little bit blase about my life prospects beyond just getting to retirement. There just didn't seem to be much more to look forward to. Pattaya it has actually provided me the inspiration to improve my health RIGHT NOW so that I can enjoy a (hopefully) long retirement in LOS. I'm just wondering how you so drastically improved your A1c when it seems like there's sugar added to everything and every dish centers around rice or noodles.

I am lucky enough to have never suffered from depression, but even I have had thoughts about something like this. Someone once explained to me that some suicidal people appear to be happier and more peaceful just before they take the final step. Apparently there's something about the planning process that gives them a sense of control about their entire life situation. I've often thought that I would like to go out on my own terms, at the time of my choosing. Ideally, I would be able to take the time to clean up (or not) any loose ends in my life. I sometimes hope that I will get diagnosed with a terminal disease (not now, obviously, but later) so that I don't have to deal with the uncertainty of just waiting to die. That said, Pattaya seems as good a place as any to enjoy life until you become tired of it.

I have to disagree on that. I've withdrawn cash a handful of times in Malaysia and never encountered a fee. I could understand a small fee, but even 250 was excessive. Fortunately I got reimbursed by my bank (Fidelity/Schwab), but it's the principle. EDIT: Sorry, I guess you and I agree on your last two sentences.