FlyingThai

I heard Grace from TVC is "free" again and ready for service. ????

Kidding aside, not sure if a lawyer can really do a lot more here than an agent.

Worst case an agent can bribe you out of the situation you're in [and passes the fee on to the customer]. Something a legitimate lawyer isn't going to do.

The school can apply for the visa change now since there have been modifications made to the regulation. The HR department should know this if the school is any good.

9 hours ago, Bluetongue said:

You cannot use existing Thai Airways credit to purchase a seat. They are over subscribed at present but may not be fully booked at the end I don't know. Return from BKK via Singapore is now possible however this looks sold out already for September and maybe October, however is flying to all the majors except Melbourne.

You can use existing credit / tickets to be rebooked on these flights. Thai Airways has even written so on their website for the previous flights to London and Frankfurt.

1 hour ago, merijn said:

Thai Also cancelled my domestic flight for 30 October.

Highly doubt if i will see the money ever back.

This is my second Thai cancellation for which i'm still waiting for the refund.

What route? They can rebook you on Thai Smile.

2 hours ago, dbrenn said:

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-looking-at-options-to-help-australians-stranded-overseas-20200821-p55o4g.html

I don't get their approach about this. 18,800 Australians are currently abroad and want to go back. Australia can currently handle 4000 a week (IF there are flights) per quota. The issue would regulate itself in 4-5 weeks.

And then there is the question: Why now? The pandemic has been going on for 6 months and now these remaining 19k people all of a sudden want to go home?

I'd also think twice about going back to Australia where the government is one of the most extreme when it comes to Covid measures and is planning to lock their citizens in for the foreseeable future. That would be my very last choice.

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

There's no mention of the period of insurance required.

I would suggest checking with Thailand Elite to see what they say about this.

 

The pdf makes no sense. How can you provide a fit for fly at the time you apply for the COE. It says "issued 72 hours before departure" but the application has to be lodged well in advance. Then this appears again on the list of documents that you have to present at the airport.

Yet another document that was put together by someone who doesn't have a brain.

1 hour ago, HerewardtheWake said:

One bit of good news about the Elite appears to be  that apart from the health insurance requirement now needed for entry, subsequent renewals don't call for health insurance. Obtaining health insurance when one is over 75 is a problem, so for such people Elite may be a solution.

Is it really a wise thing to stay in Thailand as a senior (anyone really) and NOT have health insurance?

I couldn't sleep properly in such a situation. I'm 36 now and health insurance was the first thing I got when I moved to Thailand back in 2013. Too many horror stories of people ending up destitute after being ripped off and most importantly not being treated immediately until payment is secured. Sure if you're wealthy enough that you can say worst case I pay $100k out of pocket that's fine.

The renewals don't require the insurance but I'd say each entry for the foreseeable future does and the discussion about mandatory insurance for foreigners was already discussed in the last few years before Covid was even an issue.

5 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

Well, that you have booking with them but due to their own incompetence you're not able to leave the country

You don't need a letter for that. Usually you get a cancellation email and the cover letter from the bankruptcy court is sufficient for American Express to run the chargeback.

At the moment I don't even think it has much to do with incompetence but that there is no point operating any flights. They would just continue to burn money.

1 hour ago, tomazbodner said:

Can you get Thai Airways to write you a letter? Technically they're mostly owned by Thai government (Finance Ministry)!

A letter regarding what? They recent sent a huge pdf file with bankruptcy court documents to all customers.

8 minutes ago, charlesw said:

Regarding the free transportation to and from airports, anyone know if you are allowed to bring your Wife?  any surcharge?
Also, do they let the wife go through the same fast track lane at immigration as you?

The transfer buggy to the immigration is usually for the member only and so is the benefit for the Immigration Counter. Never had a problem with a second person for the car transfer in the past as long as there is no stop in between to drop the second person off elsewhere.

If you have a Thai partner she is much faster through the electronic gates compared to the Priority Lane.

On 8/19/2020 at 7:44 AM, DrJack54 said:

When I needed a residence certificate for drivers licence I approached well know agent in Bangkok (fatboys).....I asked them to do all and they replied that there is no way around the RC and I need to provide that.

You can obtain one at your embassy but you most likely don't want to go their either.

Unfortunately many embassies don't issue these certificates anymore. There have been many updates in what documents local embassies and consulates are able to provide and income affidavits as well as residency certificates have been culled by most.

SEP 26th is five weeks away.

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

I think it's a fair assumption that most of them will already have a health insurance policy.

 

I do and it does cover COVID, I'm not sure if I could get a certificate from them though but as I'm already here I don't care.

Do you have a local Thai insurance?

Mine is Aetna (former Bupa) and they issued me a certificate in June confirming coverage. I didn't need it but asked them for one just in case I do in the future.

FYI I was offered a 10% Discount on the official ASQ price from the Le Meridien Bangkok for having a Long Term Stay Permit including Thailand Elite Visa.

Rates:

90,000 Tax incl. for Standard Room

120,000 Tax incl. for Avantec Corner Suite

Minus 10% for TE

Rates include full board (choice of 3 different menus for Bf/Lunch/Dinner) and 2 pc of laundry per day

NO ALCOHOL PERMITTED FOR THE ENTIRE STAY OF ASQ!

7 minutes ago, yankee99 said:

1. wrong no thai needed if married and have 50 points 

 

2. correct but you would need permanent residency ency 1st if not married. 

 

if married you can bypass pr

So you suggest to get married to a random person to get the citizenship application on the way?

The OP is a 66 year old,  asset rich retiree on a retirement visa. Marriage is likely the worst option here.

On 8/19/2020 at 5:35 PM, KhaoYai said:

They will now only open accounts for foreigners with either a work permit or a retirement visa - I presume that also includes retirement extensions.  I was told this is firm and applies to all branches but somehow I doubt that.  I suspect there will be some 'flexibility' open to branch managers - as was the case before.

Absolutely not. Thailand Elite openly advertises that they will open an account at either Kasikorn or Bangkok Bank for you. Education Visa holders can also open accounts at various banks including KBank.

So much for firm.

17 minutes ago, how241 said:

Thanks.  I only recently started to think about this as Thailand now requires retirees to keep 400K  in the bank at all times. 800K  for about 6 months.  I can afford to do this but I like to keep my money 'working hard'  at all times.  Getting 1%  is not really working hard. I figure I lose about 4,500-5,000 baht monthly to maintain my retirement visa. I would never pay so much money up front just to get a Elite visa as I might get bored with Thailand and want to go elsewhere. I'm guessing that they don't give prorated Elite visa refunds if you decide to leave. haha

You can actually sell certain types of the expensive 20y Elite Visas if you get bored of Thailand or if you suddenly decide it's no longer for you. There is a fee though which you'd either have to pay or split with the buyer. No point of that, just buy 4x 5y or the cheaper version of 20y/1M without any of the hard benefits like transfers and golf.

From an ROI perspective I guess the approach to this investment relies largely on how much you hate dealing with bureaucracy and value convenience.

7 hours ago, Kelsall said:

I applied in Jan 2020 and was accepted in Feb.  Looks like TE needs to update their standard approval letter.

 

The list of authorized agents is on the TE website.

I think despite the website specifically offering it they don't try to to draw too much attention to the fact that you can pay by credit card because it costs them the processing fee of ~ 2% which is substantial considering the sums involved (500k-2M).

Thailand Elite is also notorious for lets say ambiguous correspondence. A lot of the emails and letters are vague and not to the point.

10 minutes ago, how241 said:

Thanks !!!   I have never worked in Thailand and I don't speak/write Thai. 

Your options went from none to minus 4000. ????

Sounds like you have a very decent financial background incl property so I wouldn't waste time on this. Enjoy your retirement and for a total piece of mind you could just get the Thailand Elite 20 year visa for 1 Mio and never think about this again. Unless you're planning to get older than 86 and still remain in TH. ????

The chance of you being able to obtain Thai citizenship at your age are zilch to none. It also requires paying taxes / social security for a long period of time and there is a scoring system.

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That kind of fee suggests/implies that they do a lot more then helping you to get a legal visa.

If an agent just confirms/advices about documents and goes with the client to the immigration that should be max 10% of that.

I think that's pretty obvious isn't it!? I mean you're acquiring a "visa" which usually comes with some strings attached such as actually participating in a volunteer program with a load of paperwork. The agent makes this go away or procures the papers one way or the other and officials get paid off to look the other way.

I have an Elite Visa now but this would be a decent choice for my gf who has a Japanese passport. If anyone has pointers for a reliable agent in BKK I wouldn't mind paying 50k for that service. My only worry is that once travel is possible again it would be impossible to go in/out of Thailand on this sham volunteer permit. Unless the agent can get a re-entry permit at the same time.