dickyknee

I renewed my license today and was pleasantly surprised. Previously they wouldn't issue a 5 year license with an elite visa, was specifically told when renewing 2 years ago it had to be a non-imm visa only (oddly enough told it had to be a long term visa to get a 5 year license???)

I was expecting another 2 year temporary. Anyways I don't have to go back for 5 years now :)


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

As an Australian, does anyone know if a stat-dec from the Australian honorary consul is accepted in lieu of a residence certificate?

 

I have used one before, but maybe 4 years ago and at the time he wasn't sure how much longer it would be accepted as proof of residency for a drivers license.

Hello!

I used PE Visa about 6 or 7 times already in and out this year. The first time direct to Chiang Mai airport the officer appeared like he had never seen PE visa before. Chiang Mai does not have Thailand Elite staff for greeting.He asked another agent guy something and I got 90 days. Another time when I flew BKK the IO asked me How long you stay? I got 30 days entry. Maybe he did not want to change his stamp? Thailand Elite said it was a mistake and I should check the stamp before leaving but I work outside Thailand and never stay long anyway.

I've had similar experiences. The visa remains a bit outside of passport controls status quo and I continually get met with confusion. I recon the thaielite meet and greet people are there just as much to assist immigration as they are to assist you.

At CNX, I recommend to only go through the Thai only queue (even though it's the furthest from the escalator and the baggage carousel), it has the thaielite placard on the counter and the IOs at that counter seems to be more aware. A few days ago I went through the Thai only queue, and besides the initial confusion because I'm not Thai, the IO was very helpful and was all done correctly. Unlike 6 weeks back, I went through a standard foreigner queue closer to the baggage carousel and the IO wouldn't recognise the visa and began interrogating me about why I had so many stamps and what I was doing in Thailand and that I needed a proper visa blah blah blah. I had to ask to speak to his supervisor, after a few words my passport was stamped.

Do they keep your residence certificate? Im going in tomorrow for a first time license and got the certificate but will need it to buy a bike soon so would be quite annoying to get a new one.

And thanks everyone for all the information here, I would have gone in without the medical exam :-)

sorry to say, they need the original and they keep it. you're going to need to get another cert to purchase a bike.

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?

btw my tourist visas, I got them with no problems... I just show I have 500'000 bahts invested or on a bank account , and I got my tourist visa double or triple entries in no time. one after one.

7 years tourist, no questions asked.

(and people carry my luggage for 20 bahts and my visas is processed first Because I offer 50 bahts to I/O). I can not wait for my next visa run.

you seem guys (elite member? , what a dumb name btw! ) to be stuck with too much money in hand . some of your comments are ridiculous and infantile . maybe it s time to grow up than being brainwashed by Thai people and their ridiculous cards which is just lot of money for little nothing.

Thai government have a good laugh at you.

Who in the airport takes care of your luggage for 20thb lol

This is a troll post...

The guy made the username for the sole purpose of trolling thaielite threads.

I think he's actually employed by thaielite, he does such a good job of selling the card for them.

thanks for all the replies, what is a the Thai Elite visa programme?

demonstrate you have a whole bunch of cash and are prepared to spend it in Thailand - by handing over a bunch of cash :-) and they'll give you a no-frills long-term visa.

5 year and 20 year options exist.

See:

www.thailandelite.com

Edit:

Joe beat me to it.

As noted earlier, I entered on a 60 day tourist visa. I did have a letter of residency. This was not a renewal but a first-time application, which yielded a 2 year temporary. My cost was, as I recall, ฿ 360 for two licences (auto and motorcycle).

you also noted earlier you showed your Malaysian licences which are recognised in all ASEAN countries, I suspect it may have not been considered a first-time application... If you held a valid Malaysian licence, you probably didn't need to apply for a Thai one.

Won't get you a visa though.

Marry her

Or

Get her pregnant

Or

Get 50 years of age

Or

Get in school

Or

Get a job

Or

Hand over some cash for an elite visa.

How does it work for Visa - getting getting girl friend pregnant?

non imm based on dependant child.

Won't get you a visa though.

Marry her

Or

Get her pregnant

Or

Get 50 years of age

Or

Get in school

Or

Get a job

Or

Hand over some cash for an elite visa.

http://www.thailandelite.com/tpc_news_view.php?id=36

A ques, i just got a 1year temp. motorbike licence, have house in sankhaemphang, wife thai, but still reside aus, I used my tourist visa with a letter from imigration, what happens in a years time ,can I apply for 5 year licence same as someone with resident visa, or am i stuck on yearly basis?

on a tourist visa /exempt stamp they only issue temporary licences, though it appears the renewal of a temporary now scores you a 2 year temporary rather than a 1year.

At renewal time, to get a 5 year, you'll need a non-imm visa.

I'm interesting to be a member.

What are the benefits on the airport?

Thank you for asking the question.

It has already been explained several times, but I take this opportunity to do it once more

When arriving on an international flight:

- Smiling and elegant Thailand Elite girls await you at the gate.

- They ask you if your flight was ok, and direct you to an electric cart.

- You give them your passport and arrival card.

- Your electric cart departs, faster than the other First Class passengers (in the case you like to fly First), and you are on your way to immigration.

- You arrive at the immigration counters before any other passenger of your flight (including fellow First Class passengers).

- The Thailand Elite girls accompany you to the diplomatic lane, and hand over your passport to the immigration officer.

- You, of course, bypass the hundreds of people queuing at the regular counters. No waiting time.

- After you receive your one year stamp, another Thailand Elite attendant takes care of your checked-in luggage, if any. If needed you can wait in the Thailand Elite arrival lounge.

- The Thailand Elite girls also check your passport again to be sure that there is no error in your 1 year stamp.

- Once your checked-in luggage is ready, if any, you are accompanied through customs and then to your limousine, which is already waiting for you.

- You are then on your way to your hotel, home or wherever you need to go in the Bangkok area.

Extremely fast service, especially pleasant after a long flight.

That Thailand Elite assistance is not only efficient and elegant, it is also making you feel welcome back in the country. Great feeling.

Similar service on departure, in case of connecting flight, at other airports, as well as if you need to receive your PE visa at the airport.

If you don't like to queue... you will quickly become addicted to the Thailand Elite assistance at the airport

Of course, there are also those who don't mind to queue at immigration, stay in line for an hour, face a grumpy immigration officer, and don't need any assistance or limo to reach their final destination.

For those people, Thailand Elite is not an option, of course.

Is this immigration fast track work also in Don Muang Airport (departure and arrival)?

Is it working also if you don't require the limo services?

Is it working for connecting flights? I mean by that i have a Phuket-Mandalay flight. Would they offer their services for the transit domestic / international in Don Muang?

Why don't you call Thailand Elite?

All your questions will be answered in a record time

Hi Gerry, ok, I can and I will. I saw that you seems to know well about TE program and thought it would be an easy questions for you. But I will ask them directly.

Following all these discussions about TE, I feel more and more interested. Actually, I am already convinced. The fact is that I am working in a neighbor country and I am using the non o multi one year option as I have a child in Thailand. It is actually convenient for me as I am re-applying for this type of visa every year. It is of course a cheapest option as it cost me only 200usd /year. I am also very frequent traveler as i am going back to Thailand every week (for the weekend). So what attract me about the TE option is the fast track. But also, a year is going very fast for me and sometime i feel when it is time for me to schedule my trip to re-apply for my visa in the embassy that if i could do it every 5 years, it will be easier.

Of course, some might debate on that, especially cost wise, but since i heard about TE, I have always said to myself that the day when i will re-apply for my non o visa and for whatever reason i am ask to come back because of a missing documents, photocopy of whatever, I will just cancel this application and go straight to TE option. This is of course according to my situation and finance status as for me time is money.

The Thailand Elite option is perfect for frequent travelers: As many in/out trips as you want, no question at immigration when coming back, and superb assistance at the airport.

Just take care about one thing, if you travel a lot.

For the Easy Access membership (5 years), I believe that the number of assistance at the airport is limited.

For the full membership (20 years), I don't think it is limited. But check directly with Thailand Elite, or on the official website.

the cost of the visa is relative as is the definition of frequent. 24 limos per year on the limited 5 year option.

Airport service is advertised the same for all memberships, I doubt I'll ever test the limits.

you seem to be more adept to the laws pertaining to being a citizen of your home country than to those of being a foreigner.

What is without real reason, can be questioned. Wherever that is. Whatever that is.

Thais seem to look down on Cambodia,

but the Cambodian Immigration and Visa laws are much more easy

and convenient, also some have higher costs.

Important, all the money runs in the pockets of the Cambodian Authorities.

With the Visa runs and border runs,

Thai Immigration laws require, the Thai neighboring countries win a good part

of the revenue of that Thai - Visa-travelling.

the logic behind some of the Thai ways perplexes me sometimes too.

The 90 day report is there as a way to keep track of foreigners, there is reason, effective or not is another matter.

I don't think they are going to have a sitting of parliament to debate the 90 reports purely because it's a nuisance to foreigners. Especially in the current political environment.

Do they care if you're clearly living in Thailand full time and clearly intend to use the 5 year visa to live in Thailand full time?

My impression is their target market is jet setters who just travel to Thailand a lot. Of course it's not an important distinction unless they screen out those using it to live in Thailand.

Which is really what I'm asking.

the visa allows an uninterrupted stay in Thailand for 5 years. They don't screen people out if that's what they intend to do with it.

who's they? TE? ThaiVisa? Me?None of us can appease your demand to change the immigration act for the sole reason of your "comfort".

-dickyknee-

The responsible Authorities.

Would be the -comfort- for everybody, who does not have to make that -idiotic- 90 day reports.

You seem to like stupid laws.

you seem to be more adept to the laws pertaining to being a citizen of your home country than to those of being a foreigner.

by that logic, it's a 5 year visa, why not wait 5 years? Or just not get a visa at all!

I'm sure TE would do away with the reports and the yearly stamps if they could.

The elite visa had to fit within the existing Immigration Act, (mods correct me if I'm wrong) which means maximum grant of stay of 1 year with 90 day reports. To make it anything other than that, they'd need to change the immigration Act.

Sorry, your logic is not my logic.

They want to make it more comfortable so for me that would be more comfort.

If a law has to be changed, so change it.

who's they? TE? ThaiVisa? Me?None of us can appease your demand to change the immigration act for the sole reason of your "comfort".

What would happen if PE visa holders didn't bother doing 90-day reports and only left the country once a year to get another year's permission to stay?

Are there any reports of PE visa holders / Thai Elite members getting fined for not doing their 90-day reports?

Why would you do such a thing?

Just to break the rule?

For that kind of money, it should be, that I can either at least only one time a year show myself at the Immigration in Thailand or at a border leaving-entering the country.

That would be enough to, in my opinion.

by that logic, it's a 5 year visa, why not wait 5 years? Or just not get a visa at all!

I'm sure TE would do away with the reports and the yearly stamps if they could.

The elite visa had to fit within the existing Immigration Act, (mods correct me if I'm wrong) which means maximum grant of stay of 1 year with 90 day reports. To make it anything other than that, they'd need to change the immigration Act.

To get a motorcycle licence (no motorcycle endorsement on home country license) does one need to actually bring a bike to the Hang Dong facility for practical test?

yep.

You won't get anyone here to admit that that there is no visa for you. The Thailand Elite is a waste of money and could be reset at any moment like its last incarnation.

I'm not sure what you mean by reset. original members either still possess the original elite visa, or took the offer and changed to the current elite visa offering. that's very reassuring for those who purchased into the current program for the visa.

Been here over 7 years and paid nowhere near 500k!!

I'm 41, married to a Thai, don't have marriage visa, had a work permit half the time i have been here, come and go as i please and never had a re-entry permit!!

I don't think i have even spent 250,000 bht in that time in lawyers fees and tax for my house.

Everybody is happy for you.

You made some great savings there. Good.

However, not everybody needs to save money. Especially when we speak about such small amounts.

Also, not everybody is married. Hopefully I would say

And, most members never had to consider a "work permit". Thailand Elite is not a product aimed at those who still need to work.

Many members are under 50, but many members are above 50. Thailand Elite is about quality of life. It makes life comfortable for young and older people.

I was younger than you when I became a member.

12 years of membership and I can only be thankful to the program for allowing me such easy stays.

Well, in any case, we are all happy that you are happy with your cheaper option and made some savings. Great for you

Believe it or not, I, as a Thailand Elite member, am also very happy.

And I think all other members are happy too.

Happiness. That is what counts.

Got nothing to do with saving money!!

I certainly wouldn't be living here if i wanted to save money.

I just happened to find a lawyer that knew what he was doing.

But if you are happy then im sure that's all that matters!!

in confused, did you have a work permit because you were working or because you found a "good" lawyer?

If you exit and re-enter just before the visa expires and receive a permission to stay stamp for one year, can you effectively extend the life of the visa to six years, using a re-entry permit to keep that final year's permission to stay alive since your visa would have expired?

Also, has anyone had experience with TE in Chiang Mai? I'm on a retirement visa, but CM Immigration has become such a nightmare, I'm wondering if people with TE status get any special treatment. I suppose I could just hire a visa agent and get the same results. I wouldn't need to have that 800,000 baht tied up, would I? Hmm.... gotta do the math.

the limo is the holiday-inn airport shuttle, you still have to pay 500 baht for the express residence-cert. can use the Thai-national queue in the international arrival and departure halls. I've never had to do a 90 day report, so I can't comment.

All my mates call me sir at our Friday beer meet.

How long has Thailand elite had their own electrocart at Suvarnabhumi? Last time I utilised the service, It was a standard generic airport one.

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.

True enough, but that doesn't show up on a profit and loss statement and so is probably too nebulous a concept for Thai bureaucrats to appreciate.

it doesn't show up on a Thai bureaucrats personal profit loss statement so isn't an important consideration.