BritTim

The last time the required financials was increased (in 1998) it went from 200,000 baht to 800,000 baht. No one can predict the future with any certainty. An increase to 3,000,000 baht is the most probable change (though it could be less) along with mandatory health insurance. With luck, they might also decide to implement changes only for new applicants, leaving the requirements unchanged for those already on retirement extensions (though they did not do so when changes were made for those who entered Thailand on Non O-A visas). In the end, we do not know. It is the uncertainty that should, in my view, make people nervous, and prompt people to at least think about taking out insurance.

Thailand is very much a third world country where the rule of law is fragile. However, Thailand failing to honour a Thailand Elite visa would be an awful hit to its credibility among the kinds of well heeled foreigners it seeks to cultivate. It is possible that Thailand Privilege Card Co. Ltd might go bankrupt (something akin to that actually once happened) and that could affect your additional benefits from a Thailand Elite membership. However, it is vanishingly unlikely that the Thai authorities would refuse to honour their commitments with respect to the Easy Access visas.

Absolutely. As an example, the lifetime membership has long been unavailable, and the prices for membership are subject to change (as happened recently for the 5-year membership). When Thailand Elite changes its price and other conditions, this does not affect existing members. That is why I think the current 20-year membership deal is attractive for some. It may not be available in the future when and if other options to stay become onerous.

While very rare, it has been known for someone to enter Thailand without getting the stamp in their passport. An example I remember was with someone flying through Savarnabhumi and and continuing to Chiang Mai on the same plane. It has also happened when arriving at land crossings. Any error of this nature needs to be addressed immediately.

That might just be possible if using a Laos e-visa to enter Laos. It would be iffy to fit the full page Non O visa, plus Thai and Laos entry and exit stamps onto the two available pages. All it would take is one uncooperative immigration official to potentially leave you in trouble. A 60-day extension of stay or further border bounce would almost certainly not be possible until a passport replacement could be acquired.

The older you are, the less likely you are to be hassled by Immigration. That is because they are less inclined to suspect you of illegal working. However, no matter what age you are, if you spend a lot of time in Thailand as a tourist, especially on visa exemptions, you are vulnerable to being hassled by the wrong official. Some officials simply dislike long stay tourists.

Perhaps so. It depends, I think, on the importance you place on staying in Thailand. If unconcerned about the very real possibility that you might be forced to move to another country in a few years, there is little incentive to pay the insurance premium of a Thailand Elite membership. However, someone in normal health who is 55 years old, and feels a strong connection to Thailand would be pessimistic to fear dying before age 75. In the end, 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account is dead money as much as 1,000,000 baht for a 20-year Elite is dead money. For those convinced they want to stay in Thailand, the cost is nearly the same.

There is one major consideration that is almost never mentioned in all these discussions. Neither an agent arranged extension, nor doing a retirement extension yourself, is a secure long term solution. It deals with your immediate need for the next 12 months, but no one can predict what will be available next year. I am actually pretty surprised that the requirements for a retirement extension with money in the bank have remained unchanged for 25 years. The requirements for a Non O-A visa were changed to include 3,000,000 baht health insurance (possibly with the ability to self insure by placing this amount in a Thai bank) but the requirements for a retirement extension are little changed since 1998. It is highly likely that the requirements will change in the next few years, possibly in a way that makes compliance by most expat retirees very difficult to comply with. Even agent organised extensions may either become unavailable, or far more expensive. That is where a 20-year Thailand Elite membership becomes attractive. It provides certainty. You know that conditions for entering Thailand and getting in-country extensions will not change for the duration of your membership.

It is possible that you might be able to get a multiple entry Non O based on retirement from the UK. If you travel frequently, that might be the way to go. Otherwise, the simple solution is probably to get a "conversion" Non O visa (90-day permission to stay) followed by one-year extensions from the immigration office in Thailand.

Visa exemption by air: No explicit limits. Officials are instructed to deny visa exemptions to those trying to use them in a manner that is not consistent with regular tourism. In particular, back-to-back visa exempt entries in combination with long periods in Thailand as a tourist carries a high risk of a denied entry. In the end, it is immigration official dependent. Visa exemption by land (almost all crossings): Limited to two visa exempt entries per calendar year, but otherwise very safe. [When you read embassy websites claiming there are rules like 90 days per six months; or 180 days per calendar year; or three entries per year; or whatever, these may simply be rules that were rescinded 10-20 years ago, or may simply be a figment of the website author's fevered imagination.]

It is a recurring theme. Thailand's visa policy is atypical, and people simply do not understand the distinctions between the "visa" and the "permission to stay". For the future ... Once your visa (what an embassy/consulate outside Thailand provided) has expired, examine your options as though the visa never existed. On entry into Thailand, Immigration places an entry stamp in your passport that represents your permission to enter and stay in Thailand for a specified period of time. Your permission to stay has an expiry date that is separate from the expiry date of any visa you previously possessed. You can stay in Thailand until the expiry of your permission to stay or, under appropriate conditions, apply for your permission to stay to be extended. Regardless of the expiry date of your permission to stay, if you leave Thailand, your permission to stay ends, and will no longer be valid for your return to Thailand. To protect your current permission to stay, you can purchase a re-entry permit before leaving.

I was also suspicious of the post. However, it could be accurate. If previously on a Non Immigrant permission to stay for another reasons (such as marriage or working) it would be possible, albeit very rare, to apply for the retirement extension on your 50th birthday. (Yes, applying for the "conversion" visa from a tourist (or visa exempt) entry would be more likely.)

There is no official limit. It is up to the Thai embassy in your home country. It is very variable, with some embassies certainly seeming quite willing to issue you serial METVs. However, acquiring the visa is not the only issue you need to worry about. Although I have seen no recent reports of this, historically, there were cases where Immigration at Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang refused to honour newly minted METVs, apparently based on the fact that you had been in Thailand too much as a tourist, and they disagreed with the embassy's decision to grant you the visa. At the current time, the risk of this appears to be very low, but it is advisable to keep an eye open for reports of this practice reappearing. If it does, enter through airports that have historically invariably honoured visas (such as Chiang Mai) or enter via almost any land crossing.

Most often, the order is roughly (i) preliminary paperwork with Labour Department indicating conditional willingness to issue a work permit; (ii) Non B visa (90-day permission to stay); (iii) one or two year work permit; and (iv) one-year extension of permission to stay based on working. The last step, for most nationalities, requires a minimum salary of 50,000 baht per month. In the past, those with too low a salary for the extended permission to stay could get a one-year multiple entry Non B visa (at a consulate outside Thailand) provided they had enough time remaining on their work permit (maybe 8 months, but I cannot recall for certain). Of course, that necessitated border bounces every 90 days. The ME Non B based purely on work permit was discontinued some years back. The rules for teachers are quite different. For instance, the income requirements does not exist.

(The past may not be a reliable prediction of the future.) Usually, if you are convincing in stating that you are quite sure you will not be denied entry, the airline supervisor will believe you. At worst, if you appear financially stable, I have invariably found that the airline supervisor will waive the onward flight reservation if you are willing to sign an indemnity form guaranteeing to reimburse the airline for any and all costs they might incur if you were denied entry into Thailand. The only residual risk for the airline is that you are actually a deadbeat even though you look prosperous. Rely on this at your own risk.

Did you ask them for a receipt? I have often (not always) found this a successful way of avoiding extra unofficial charges.

The return with a single parent to home country should be no problem. The authorities are concerned about you removing a child from their mother, not returning them.

Immigration tend to be extremely cautious about allowing children out of Thailand with a single parent, especially when the child is under eight years old. If at all possible, do a day trip to Ubon (by air) to get the parental consent done. This will cost about the same as the lawyer, but be more reliable as a solution. In the alternative, I would not try buying throwaway international tickets for your wife, but I would arrange for her to be at the airport, just outside the immigration area, so the officials can talk to her directly. There would still be no guarantees.

To get a reliable answer to your question, use the resource for travellers provided by IATA. Start at https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/passport-visa-health-travel-document-requirements.htm In principle, you should be able to return to the UK on a UK passport, even if the passport has expired. However, as someone else mentioned, that will only be true if you are taking a direct flight.

There was a time when regular employees (not just company directors) could get multiple entry Non B visas if they had lots of remaining time on a work permit. That was important for those who had jobs that did not earn enough to meet the threshold for an extension based on working. ME Non B was stopped for regular employees. However, there were statements made that company directors and potential investors were eligible for multiple entry Non B visas under some circumstances, with or without work permits. I think it could be worth your while to discuss this with a specialist immigration lawyer.

It has been a long time since the original membership was introduced, and I seem to recall that the conditions on transferrable memberships changed quite early on. It is probably true that the very first memberships were lifetime with unlimited transfers. If so, it would unquestionably be more valuable than the later transferrable memberships (though the transfer fee is still something to be considered).

Turn up at the Friendship Bridge at Nong Khai with a print out of your METV, plus US$40 in clean notes for a Laos visa on arrival. It takes a little bit of time, but the process is extremely simple.

At most land crossings (and definitely Mukdahan) they do not require an onward flight ticket for a visa exempt entry.

If the remuneration as a company director is fairly nominal (which it might be, depending on the responsibilities) you might not qualify for a one-year extension. (The cost for a one-year extension is 1,900 baht; the multiple re-entry permit costs 3,800 baht.)

It is correct that a multiple Non B visa is possible if you are a director of a qualifying company. My understanding is that you may not need a work permit at all. The work permit is a different issue. If you will use the visa purely to fly in to attend meetings and sign documents, no work permit is necessary, and the multiple entry visa can still be issued. What is needed for you to qualify (size and nature of the company and supporting documents, your written role as a company director) I am unsure of. It has been a long time since I needed a Non B visa. My advice would be to pay a competent immigration lawyer to advise you. Historically, Penang has been a favoured location to apply for a Non B visa. Years ago, I did it in Savannakhet.