Confused about Elite Visa.

[jak2002003]

My Thai Elite Visa will expire middle next year.  When I fly out and return to Thailand I will get another 1 year stamp.

 

However, the Thai Elite Visa people informed me that I will be overstayed if I stay in Thailand, even though the immigration officer stamps another fully 1 year stay permission.

 

Why would this be the case?  Anyone else had experience regarding this?  

 

 

[jacko45k]

This was discussed not so long ago but I can't find the relevant thread/ posts. Perhaps @ubonjoe can respond as I believe he did last time.

IIRC you will be stamped in for a further year and would not be on overstay, although you will lose all other Elite privileges. If you leave Thailand, a Re-Entry permit would be a required.

[jackdd]

It depends on the details. These two cases could theoretically cause problems, but nobody is enforcing it, so in reality there is no problem:

- If you would get an extension of stay instead or re-entering the country, then this extension would technicially end on the day your elite membership expires and you would be on overstay if you stay after that, because the reason for your extension is not given anymore.

- If your elite membership should end before your visa ends, and you would enter Thailand in this time frame, this would technically not be allowed. Because somewhere in the rules regarding the elite visa they write that you are only eligable to get the 1 year if you are a member, but the IO only sees the visa, so if this is valid he will stamp you in.

 

If you enter while your elite membership is still active you can stay for the whole year, even if this is longer than the validity of your membership, i'm not aware of any rule which would forbid to do this.

Edited August 29, 2019 by jackdd

[dabhand]

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1118059-elite-visa-pe-expiration-date/

[JohnnyBKK]

The Elite sticker is just a visa that allows you to enter, not to stay.

The thing that allows you to stay is the stamp, if the officer stamps you 1 year then you are allowed to stay 1 year.

Edited August 29, 2019 by JohnnyBKK

[elviajero]

TE don’t want people doing this for obvious reasons, and my opinion on the validity of the stay permit is evolving.

 

There is nothing stopping TE instructing immigration that you are no longer a member and to cancel your permit to stay. Time will tell if that becomes reality as more of the schemes original members hit 5 years.

 

If a condition of having the visa is valid membership then immigration should only be stamping someone in for the remainder of the 5 years. But as it stands they are giving a full 1 year, which IMO is valid (dependent on the TE membership small print) unless cancelled by immigration.

 

That said; if you’re stamped in for 90 days instead of 30 days when entering under visa exemption you are considered on overstay if you stay beyond 30 days. Immigration put the onus on us to know how long we can stay for any given visa/reason. A similar attitude might be taken towards TE members.

 

And, if you have a permit to stay based on marriage or work and they end, your stay permit is cancelled. IMO the principle could equally apply to TE membership ending.

 

Time will tell on this one. I think if too many members try squeezing out another year and don’t join again, or rejoin after the final stay permit expires, TE and immigration will clampdown.

[Mas4568]

I have an Elite card.

 

Did you know the 'Elite Visa' is nothing of the kind. Your Visa is simply a normal TOURIST Visa that allows a 90 day entry only, with the bonus of being able to send Elite staff to go and do your 90 day report. You can confirm this at the Elite office.

 

So effectively once you leave Thailand and your Elite card has almost expired, you would only be able to get at least one more 90 day entry, not 1 year. I know this because I asked at the head office.

 

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, Mas4568 said:

Did you know the 'Elite Visa' is nothing of the kind. Your Visa is simply a normal TOURIST Visa that allows a 90 day entry only, with the bonus of being able to send Elite staff to go and do your 90 day report. You can confirm this at the Elite office.

90 day reports have nothing to do with your permission to stay stamp. If you look at a 90 day report receipt, it clearly states 

THIS IS NOT AN EXTENSION OF STAY PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR ADDRESS AGAIN ON

If an IO has stamped you in for 12 months, you or someone does need to make 90 day reports, (or if you leave Thailand then it is not necessary,) but you do have a 12 month valid permit to stay.

[G950]

6 hours ago, Mas4568 said:

I have an Elite card.

 

Did you know the 'Elite Visa' is nothing of the kind. Your Visa is simply a normal TOURIST Visa that allows a 90 day entry only, with the bonus of being able to send Elite staff to go and do your 90 day report. You can confirm this at the Elite office.

 

So effectively once you leave Thailand and your Elite card has almost expired, you would only be able to get at least one more 90 day entry, not 1 year. I know this because I asked at the head office.

 

 

 

 

It is not uncommon to ask someone in power a question to be told totally the wrong answer. 

 

You do in fact get a further 1 year. Multiple people have already done this. 

[Jingthing]

It is not uncommon to ask someone in power a question to be told totally the wrong answer. 
 
You do in fact get a further 1 year. Multiple people have already done this. 

Yep. For dogs years. But they can always change the enforcement later.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, G950 said:

It is not uncommon to ask someone in power a question to be told totally the wrong answer. 

 

 

This is precisely the reason for much of the confusion and varying experiences debated amongst us foreigners here in Thailand....  More often than not those who should know, don't. Face prevents those in any positions of decision making power from asking and finding out resulting in the multitude of inconsistencies we are subject to. 

[jak2002003]

Thanks for the replies.  Still unsure what to do. 

 

My membership card expires April next near, but I will get the 1 year stamp.  

 

So my membership will be expired, but the visa stamped for another year.  

 

Seems that people have used that extra year (and no longer being a member) and had no problems?  

 

 

[JohnnyBKK]

On 8/30/2019 at 10:48 AM, Mas4568 said:

I have an Elite card.

 

Did you know the 'Elite Visa' is nothing of the kind. Your Visa is simply a normal TOURIST Visa that allows a 90 day entry only, with the bonus of being able to send Elite staff to go and do your 90 day report. You can confirm this at the Elite office.

 

So effectively once you leave Thailand and your Elite card has almost expired, you would only be able to get at least one more 90 day entry, not 1 year. I know this because I asked at the head office.

 

 

 

 

This is true only for the old elite visas, the new ones gives you a 1 yr stamp each time. You are allowed to stay until the last day of the stamp, the membership means nothing.

 

The elite sticker gives you the right to come to Thailand for 5 years and get a stamp of 1 year each time. Even if you come the last day of the sticker. 

[gk10002000]

well, since 90 day reporting is still required, it seems like a possible scenario is the man would be allowed in, but when he submits the 90 day report , the immigration people would then peruse his visa status and possibly or probably say he has to do a new visa of some type as his TE visa has expired.  So, while he may get stamped in and start that extra year, he may have trouble after in Thailand.

[Jingthing]

46 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

well, since 90 day reporting is still required, it seems like a possible scenario is the man would be allowed in, but when he submits the 90 day report , the immigration people would then peruse his visa status and possibly or probably say he has to do a new visa of some type as his TE visa has expired.  So, while he may get stamped in and start that extra year, he may have trouble after in Thailand.

Doubtful. Never had a report like that and the Elite thingie has been around for a long time already. 

[gk10002000]

7 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Thanks for the replies.  Still unsure what to do. 

 

My membership card expires April next near, but I will get the 1 year stamp.  

 

So my membership will be expired, but the visa stamped for another year.  

 

Seems that people have used that extra year (and no longer being a member) and had no problems?  

 

 

I have not read any posts of anybody actually doing that "extra year".  Many posts on being able to do it, but I don't recall any posts where somebody actually did it

[Jingthing]

21 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

I have not read any posts of anybody actually doing that "extra year".  Many posts on being able to do it, but I don't recall any posts where somebody actually did it

I have. Chill out. It works unless the authorities decide at a later date to make it not work. 

[gk10002000]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I have. Chill out. It works unless the authorities decide at a later date to make it not work. 

you.  Don't tell me to chill out just because I asked a question,  Jesus you people make stupid assumptions

[gk10002000]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I have. Chill out. It works unless the authorities decide at a later date to make it not work. 

you have TE Visa?  I doubt you ever had the money to purchase that

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

...  I doubt you ever had the money to purchase that

To directly quote you -- Jesus you people make stupid assumptions. 

Again, there have indeed been reports here of people successfully getting an extra year stamp with the Elite. 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

50 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

To directly quote you -- Jesus you people make stupid assumptions. 

Again, there have indeed been reports here of people successfully getting an extra year stamp with the Elite. 

 

 

 

Respectfully - I think the comment was... Have YOU done that with a Thai Elite Visa JT?

Do you hold a Thai Elite Visa JT?... it does seem that you are attempting to dodge that very specific question after you claimed 'I have' [done it] i.e. Stayed for a 6th year on a Thai Elite Visa.

 

There is the very real possibility that after being stamped in for a year, someone does their 90 day report and finds themselves in a tricky situation - The question was asked of 'First Hand' experience which I think is a reasonable question considering the amount of spurious claims often made on this forum. 

 

 

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

I have not read any posts of anybody actually doing that "extra year".  Many posts on being able to do it, but I don't recall any posts where somebody actually did it

I’m pretty sure I was the first to point out the possibility of getting 6 years out of the visa 5 years ago when the scheme was launched. But I also advised at the time that I also spoke with TE who made it clear it wasn’t their policy.

 

As the first 5 years is now up it will be interesting to see what they do — if anything — to stop ex-members. I think it will depend entirely on how many members don’t renew and keep using the visa, or renew after six years instead of five.

 

There are plenty of PE visa holders that have been given permits to stay beyond the expiry of the visa, but TE will presumably be expecting those members to renew membership at the end of the 5 years.

 

At the end of the day the visa is meant for TE members. Your money buys membership and the visa is a benefit of that membership, like the golf, limos etc are. You wouldn’t be allowed to ride in a limo after the membership expires, so logically neither should you be able to use the visa.

Edited August 31, 2019 by elviajero

[ukrules]

On 8/29/2019 at 11:37 AM, jackdd said:

If you enter while your elite membership is still active you can stay for the whole year, even if this is longer than the validity of your membership, i'm not aware of any rule which would forbid to do this.

Correct, I'm 4 months into my 6th year after entering the country a few months before the expiry of my 5 year visa.

 

I also did a 90 day report recently and there were no problems. My visa had already expired at the point of the 90 day report - it's the stamp that counts and that's good until next year. They asked about the visa and I told them I would probably just get another one next year as I'm still a few years away from 50.

[ukrules]

On 8/30/2019 at 10:48 AM, Mas4568 said:

 

So effectively once you leave Thailand and your Elite card has almost expired, you would only be able to get at least one more 90 day entry, not 1 year. I know this because I asked at the head office.

Maybe you have one of the real old versions which only allowed 90 day entries, you get a 1 year stamp with the newer versions, see my post above.

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

I have not read any posts of anybody actually doing that "extra year".

You have now.

[elviajero]

7 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Correct, I'm 4 months into my 6th year after entering the country a few months before the expiry of my 5 year visa.

 

I also did a 90 day report recently and there were no problems. My visa had already expired at the point of the 90 day report - it's the stamp that counts and that's good until next year. They asked about the visa and I told them I would probably just get another one next year as I'm still a few years away from 50.

How would immigration know, or why would they check that you were still member?

 

Yes the stamp counts, but it was issued based on TE membership and that membership has ended.

 

I hope you/others get the 6 years, but you should be prepared for the possibility that TE/IB have other ideas. It’s a loophole that might get closed.

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, elviajero said:

so logically neither should you be able to use the visa.

But you aren't using the Visa, just the ensuing permit to stay. 

If the policy is to give one-year Permits for every entry, I do not see how this can be restricted. Everything you say could be applied to an O-A, and O-X.

[Jingthing]

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Respectfully - I think the comment was... Have YOU done that with a Thai Elite Visa JT?

Do you hold a Thai Elite Visa JT?... it does seem that you are attempting to dodge that very specific question after you claimed 'I have' [done it] i.e. Stayed for a 6th year on a Thai Elite Visa.

 

There is the very real possibility that after being stamped in for a year, someone does their 90 day report and finds themselves in a tricky situation - The question was asked of 'First Hand' experience which I think is a reasonable question considering the amount of spurious claims often made on this forum. 

 

 

Stop lying. I never said I had an Elite Visa. What inspired you to tell such a blatant lie? Don't bother answering. Not interested in engaging with members that play games like that. GOODBYE. 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2019 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

But you aren't using the Visa, just the ensuing permit to stay. 

If the policy is to give one-year Permits for every entry, I do not see how this can be restricted. Everything you say could be applied to an O-A, and O-X.

Yes it's exactly the same "loophole" that people have been regularly using with O-A visas for dog years. Never one report that hasn't worked either!

[Jingthing]

7 hours ago, ukrules said:

You have now.

You are hardly the first.

There have been a number of such reports.

What we have never seen here is a report of it not working. 

I do recall though one report of a land border officer not knowing how to stamp an Elite entry but that wasn't on a sixth year entry.

Edited September 1, 2019 by Jingthing