bim

I think the Government has done well so far in this period of drought and dont think Songkran which only lasts one day where I live will make much difference to the supply. I do hope they are aware that in a hot climate you can only survive less than a week without water. If it does run dry there will be chaos in this country and I hope they are aware of that. So far so good.

My local office told me there is no need to fill in a TM30 if the address on your arrival card is where your staying.

It is mainly supermarkets and 7elevens, a bit like the old halfpenny in the UK which took years to get rid of.

I have over 300 bahts worth, all bagged, but I do not have the balls to go into a 7eleven or supermarket, asking them if they want to exchange them, and certainly would not use them for a purchase !

Tesco and 711 would love them. Our local ones put out an appeal for people to bring them in as the banks would no longer supply them.

The BTU of your aircon is determined by the size of the room. We have the bottom of our stairs sealed off with a large blind as the aircon would not work properly if we didnt.

I had a tourist visa and changed it to elite in country easy

I did the same. The visa was issued in BKK.

I have the one in the OP photo with a blue light. As mossies like dark places it only attracts flies. Usless for mossies. If anyone has any other suggestions I would be all ears.

Correct the trip outside the country resets your 1 year visa (permission to stay).. No need for 90 day reporting

Your correct no need to do that initial 90 day report but once you come back into the country it resets the 90 days but you will need to report your address again 90 days after you arrive and yes 1 stamp when you come back in.

I also paid 300 THB in a Jomtien for the CoR,

However, considering what I have to pay for similar services in my home country -despite the huge tax burden - , it's more than acceptable. Just as example: my consulate here is charging European prices, the legislation / verification of just for 4 pages was 1900 baht ...

Imagine, from whom I felt exploitet - the Thai or my own home country?

ask for a letter from THE BRITISH EMBASSY and see how much they CHARGE.

That is a legal, if unjustifiably large amount, not the same thing at all as a corrupt illegal charge. Those paying for free services are fools that only encourage corruption.

Yes legal corruption the UK is full of it as the criminals legalise there corruption. 1900 bht is insane. Again why some moan about 300 bht is crazy. The residency letter at my local amphoe took 3 days and many visits. 300 bht to get it there and then is peanuts. We are not fools its what it is. These guys get paid peanuts. As long as there nice to me as I am to them which they are here than thats all one can ask.

I went to Nakhon Sawan for certificate of residency and its 500bht. Now I have no idea if its supposed to be free but 500 bht is nothing. I have no proof its going into some fund but we are blessed with a great office here and I would gladly contibute more if I knew it was as these guys and gals are great and deserve it as they maybe get paid peanuts anyway. Why some moan about a measly 300 bht is beyond me.

Worrying about tomorrow never mind what may happen next year is like paying interest on a debt you may never owe. Live for today. Wasted energy. Mai pen ria.

visa run is for people that have no money

explain me, you just lost 500k.

Its "explain TO me". I did loose 500k but let me tell you what I gained. To be able to come and go as I please and stay in the country I love with the people and dogs I love for less than I paid in council tax alone in the UK. I think I gained more than I lost. Dont you? Good luck with your visa runs.

I am able to do the same without Thai elite.

And good luck to you but I doubt it. Also you have two TV IDs and maybe forgot to log into the wrong account VIPinthailand. Maybe all those visa runs got your mind a little confused.

and in 5 years, you will lose another 500k plus interest...

I can afford to loose. Actually in 5 years I can get a retirement visa. But after all it is my choice.

visa run is for people that have no money

explain me, you just lost 500k.

Its "explain TO me". I did loose 500k but let me tell you what I gained. To be able to come and go as I please and stay in the country I love with the people and dogs I love for less than I paid in council tax alone in the UK. I think I gained more than I lost. Dont you? Good luck with your visa runs.

and what is my interest to troll.

1 visa run cost 200 dollars with visa.

1 visa run across border back same day 100 dollar

per year you will pay 2 visa 2 cross border = 600 dollars.

after 5 years=3000 dollars.

you save 12'625 dollars that you can invest.

visa run? What's that?

My PE visa is worth every satang not to have to do visa runs and have piece of mind. Yeah what are visa runs haha.

I can't believe some people still don't know about Thailand Elite...

The program is already 13 years old.

---------------------------------

The program is NOT the same program that was started 13 years ago.

That program effectively died years ago and went bankrupt, except that a different government and a different group of politicians revived it by pumping more public money into it.

I am not opposed to the program, I just think that on the basis of its history anyone depending on the program is walking on very thin ice.

I do believe that based on Thailand's spotty political history there is no way to be sure that 5 years from now this new program will have either he funds or the political support needed to keep it going.

From what I hear they are having financial problems again keeping it going even with the new "slimmed down" benefits package which is much less than the original package they announced years ago.

It is up to you, but based on history, I don't know if this new PE visa program will still be around in 5 years or not.

As the Thai bargirls say, "Up to You".

Not one visa was ever cancelled under this or the previous scheme. Thats all I got it for. I dont use the limos but did use there service once which was brilliant. Seams a no brainer to me if you have the funds.

I joined 1 year ago. I'm happy about the 5-year visa, but so far I'm not impressed with the service.

My first year of the visa was up and I asked Phuket Immigration if I could activate my second year of the visa at their office. No can do, I was told - they had never seen a 5-year Elite visa before and the officers took photos of it with their mobile phone. They told me to either go out and back from Malaysia on a visa run, or go to Chaeng Wattana.

I called the Elite help line to arrange to visit Chaeng Wattana. No can do they told me. You should reactivate it at Phuket Immigration. Even if you were living in BKK, we need 1 week's notice to reactive your visa for the second year.

Frustrated, I decided to do a visa run to KL, and arranged for the Elite rep to meet me on my return to Phuket Airport with the limo to take me back to my home.

The limo turned out to be a minibus......

So... not impressed at all with the service and lack of knowledge of the reps.

My suggestions for Elite:

- Provide a 90-day report service for members. I still have to travel an hour in Phuket traffic every 90 days to do a 90-day report. Because of the queues at immigration, this takes at least half a day or more, (because the immigration guys like a long lunch). The online reporting system that they announced seems not to work....

- If you are going to provide a limo, then do not bait and switch for a minibus

- Provide the annual visa extension service at Phuket Immigration office. Better still, come to my home, collect my passport and do the annual extension for me.

I live in Nakhon Sawan and have the PE visa and it was so simple to do the extention of stay. Took all of 15 minutes.

What I can say is that the peace of mind that a PE visa provides is priceless.

Gerry, I don't mind you endlessly shilling for the PE program. After all, everyone's entitled to their opinion.

But, in everything you write, you seem to be able to blithely and repeatedly ignore the fact that a prior Thai government came very close to canceling the entire TE program. That's not rumor, that's a fact.

The government went that direction once before, and there's no guaranteeing that some future Tourism Minister and/or government won't revisit that same issue again at some future point, especially if the program continues to fail to meet its revenue targets.

If you want to pitch the program, that's fine. But at least be objective and accurate about it's history and status.

Im sure Gerry doesnt need me to defend him nor his opinion but the FACT is it that no visa was ever cancelled nor can it be. In addition one FACT thats missing from this topic is most western countries have this same type of Elite visa including the UK. Again since Thailand Elites inception no visa was ever cancalled and the well done to those like Gerry who "took the risk" in 2003 now enjoy a lifetime visa. Now if the PE visa is at risk at any point that would mean that everyone in Thailand on any type of visa would not be safe. The Elite programme regardless of its cost is bringing in high quality high spending people to this country. So I think my PE visa is a safer bet than any on ED or Retirement visas.

It's expensive compared to 1900 baht per year for retirement extensions. So it's relative to your other options here if you have any.

Well at 47 and retired its not only my only option but one I am more than willing to pay for the peice of mind in staying in a country I love.

I did my first one year extention on the PE visa today. It went so well. I was in and out of Nakhon Sawan office in less than 15 minutes. I love it and worth every penny. Reading the concerns here have to remember this scheme has been going since 2003 and not one visa has been cancelled. The breakdown of the costs where less than what we were paying in council tax alone in the UK. No brainer. To be in a country I love. I would reccomened it to anyone.

I think its a BS article. Looking at the bigger picture whether TE makes a profit or breaks even it brings high spending people into Thailand that benefits the wider economy. I and many other TE members are testiment to that. It should be expanded and advertised at every Thai consulate throughout the world.

first you can go to Cambodia for cheap. and come back same day for visa run. all depends where you live.

if you live near boarder you don't need a visa at all. just cross bridge or boarder every month until they ask you to get a visa.

second you can go to Lao for cheap with air Asia and stay in very good hotel for 320 bahts a night.

all you need is to be efficient and smart. I see too many guys who don't know to bargain and pay double price because they don't know they can.

once you have done a few visa trip you start to know how it works and where to stay.

you save lot of money if you book your flight in advance, in the middle of the week it s cheaper than a Friday or Sunday flights.

if you need to go to Don Muang, you can go to Bangkok airport and get free bus to Don Muang.

Bus ride will cost you 30 bahts for Don Muang to Mo chit bus station.

things is to ask info and try by yourself. getting a tourist is very easy as long you play by the rules.

But I wouldnt want to go to Cambodia or Loas. And I for sure would not stay in a 320 hotel. You see thats the difference. Im sorry you dont have the money for a TE visa but please dont keep on at those that see value in it and can afford it.

I was told by Thai Airways you can book a single ticket on a triple entry no need to show a return ticket.

Haha... $800 isn't a big deal. Like I said, I will eat the charge if I have to. I still think the Thai Elite Visa is worth it even with a gigantic currency transfer fee.

However, I recognize the value of a dollar and I would rather spend that $800 on something a little more gratifying than some random banker's pocket.

I honestly have no other reason to have a Thai Bank account, but I walked into a couple Bangkok Bank branches today as they have a US branch which accepts domestic ACH transfers and I read that they are still foreigner friendly. Unfortunately, both didn't want anything to do with me unless I had a work permit or a certificate of residence. I even brought my lease from my condo with me, but a no-go. That would've solved my problem.

I don't work in Thailand, and I've only got a week to make the deposit, so I don't have time to apply at immigration and wait for a certificate to be mailed to me. I'm going to try a couple more branches tomorrow, but if that fails it looks like I will just have to accept the huge fee. Getting 500k THB from a bunch of ATMS would be difficult at best. No biggie, I suppose.

Part of the TE service is they will help you open An account with Bangkok Bank. A bit late I know but worth it.

Can I ask why the Thai consulate in Melbourne has no reference to this option on its web page ? It has refer photo ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1431176210.480109.jpg

Google Thailand Elite and you will find there website. Im not sure why they so dont promote this on every consulate around the world. Maybe they should. Many are happy with this option including myself.