Caldera

I have a hard time believing that to be honest. First you said you didn't know what you signed, so it didn't sound like you even had a copy to peruse to check. Now you're saying you actually got one but binned it? Come on.

Funny you should say that. You obviously haven't been around very long, because one million was EXACTLY their target, to be reached within a few short years, when the program was launched. They've become more realistic in the meantime, but out of necessity, not because they wouldn't just love to take a million people's money for the privilege.

I'm just guessing but maybe the OP wasn't yet 50 years old at the time? That's typically the reason for getting a Non-ED visa first.

You shouldn't have a problem, your previous stays weren't anywhere near consecutive, you spent significant time out of Thailand in between. As you plan to stay less than 30 days, it would be a good idea to book your outbound ticket before re-entering. In case you get questioned, that will be helpful.

Another lost year would mean a lost decade of "returning happiness".

It's a pointless exercise. Those who want to come will come despite the visa fee. Those who don't want to come won't be lured by a free visa either.

That looks like an insanely risky approach at age 79. It's also unnecessarily stressful. Wouldn't you sleep better (both at night and during your afternoon nap 555) if you simply kept 400,000 baht in a Thai bank for immigration purposes?

It's available again, in K-Plus. Banking > Debit Card

Are there any other countries within the region that don't require a minimum of 6 months passport validity though? Entering or transiting another country within the region might well be a problem.

As you're talking about the LTR visa, all those amounts are USD, not THB.

You can't apply for a non-immigrant visa in-country, because you already have one. You should be able to change the reason of your stay from studying to retirement and get a retirement extension.

Current age gap 27 years and that seems pretty ideal. Once I'm 50+ I would probably tolerate a somewhat larger age gap, but I wouldn't actively chase it.

If they raise prices too aggressively, it might well end in tears. It would not be the first time that their projections are way off and based on nonsensical assumptions. I think they'll have a hard time sustaining demand at the current level anyway, as it's mostly due to special circumstances like Covid and Russian warmongering. Marketing-wise they've done what they could, so the target group is long aware it exists amd either bought one already or wasn't interested. Also, a good number of 5-year packages came up for renewal in the last few years, which created demand and generated revenue without leading to any net gain in members. Then there's new visa schemes like Smart and LTR. While flawed in their own way, for those who qualify they are usually more attractive than the Elite visa.

This thread is in desperate need of a cleanup, with all those dumb and irrelevant discussions of tax residency etc. Focus on immigration.

How about respecting the courts and whatever they will rule with regards to Trump? It's called the rule of law, and THAT is what's best for the country. I do take note that he seems convinced that Trump will be found guilty. And so am I. Where I disagree is that I think he should go to prison if he's being sentenced to a prison term.

It doesn't hurt to ask. No guarantees, but if they're feeling lazy and you present it well, it could work.

It's been a while since reading the last denied entry report, but from memory, people are usually asked to sign a form titled "Notice of Expulsion" or similar and get a copy of this form as well as a denial of entry stamp in their passport. As always with Thai officials who are notoriously sloppy and inconsistent, nothing surprises me. Hard to tell if they "forgot" to stamp your passport or if they deliberately didn't do that for whatever reason. You may even see that as them doing you a favor; at least immigration in other countries won't get to see anything that would otherwise have been visible in your passport

What did immigration in Malaysia do, did they give you a new entry permit? Interesting that you didn't get a Thai denial of entry stamp. Did you sign and/or get an expulsion form from Thai immigration?

Elites 555

In fairness, the OP was due to be detained overnight and has explained that he wasn't in possession of his passport. That isn't unusual when someone is denied entry, in fact his passport might be given to the crew of the flight he departs on and he might not get to see it again until he's back in Penang.

That isn't hypocritical at all. Advice needs to be given based on what actually happens, and those denials do happen, whatever their legal basis may be.

The question that you and others that read it the way you do can never answer is this: If IOs in fact have the discretion that you claim they have and exercise it lawfully, then why do they see the need to pick a bogus reason from section 12 for their denial of entry stamp? They could just write something like "None, denied using my discretionary powers" instead. That never happens. For me, that's proof enough that you're wrong.

Like what?

If possible, post a picture of your denial of entry stamp, to help determine which specific reason they denied you entry for. They typically claim a lack of funds. In that case, when making your next attempt to enter elsewhere, make sure to take along the requisite amount of cash (the equivalent of 20,000 baht) to be able to produce it if challenged or asked about the previous denial of entry.

Denial of entry as such doesn't mean you're banned from Thailand, so you can re-attempt to enter right away. To ensure that the outcome will be any different, however, you need to understand and address the underlying reason of your denial of entry. You haven't given us any details that would help us give you advice.