Expats in Thailand turning to the Elite Card to avoid visa hassles - Bloomberg

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, ukrules said:

Try doing that when you're 40 years old and see how it turns out

Yes your right, I was referring to those over 50, and should have said so.

[Magenta408]

This is ironic. Elite card holders were rubbished when they couldn't get into the country whereas migrant workers could. Go figure.

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Even if I was a billionaire several times over I would not get an Elite Visa, just get an agent, then you will have no running about for anything, a damn sight lot cheaper than an Elite, and forget the "scared of your own shadow" brigade, you will not be doing anything illegal.

If you were a billionaire several times over you likely wouldn't be in Thailand anyway so the point is moot.

[JulesMad]

ELITE-class in stupidity ???? More money than brains...

[scoupeo]

I feel more "elite" in my brand new benz than those people paying 500k to stay here...

 

 

[gamini]

The people that promote this card make a lot of false claims like it is such a hassle to get retirement visas. For most of us its a half hour visit once a year to immigration. The only people for whom it's a hassle are those don't qualify or have the necessary financial requirements. They dont mention that the 90 day report can be done by anyone and that's a three-week window to do so and it can also be done by post and online It also doesnt mention that the Visa agent could do everything including 90 day reports for a Fraction of the cost.I don't know why Thai Visa runs this misleading advertising.

[gamini]

8 hours ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

seriously ?

 

it is because IMMIGRATION is making it impossible for a part of foreigners to live here a peaceful life with their family and thus pushing them into either scammer AGENTS in bed with corrupted immigration officers for a lot of money, or  this fake card elite scam that gives you not much for your money, as it is GONE after 5 years...

 

 

"I am quite Sure that most foreigners have no problem getting visas and living a peaceful life here. But I guess you're referring to "part of foreigners" as being those who do not qualify or have the financial requirements. A very tiny minority

[Tom9999]

Why do so many here not understand that the Thai Elite Visa is not for People married or over 50 years old?

If you are in those groups obviously the Elite Visa has not much to offer you. 

Why insult people who are not married and still young (and wealthy) enough so that this Visa is one of the only alternative there is?

Maybe some posters should look 8n the mirror before the call others stupid. 

[DrTuner]

8 minutes ago, Tom9999 said:

Why do so many here not understand that the Thai Elite Visa is not for People married or over 50 years old?

If you are in those groups obviously the Elite Visa has not much to offer you. 

Why insult people who are not married and still young (and wealthy) enough so that this Visa is one of the only alternative there is?

Maybe some posters should look 8n the mirror before the call others stupid. 

Even when married and under 50 it does offer one thing: you don't have to see the sour face of an IO trying to make your life a bureaucratic hell when extending the permit to stay. That was why I got it. Maybe they should pay a kickback to counter #6 at Jomthien.

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

If you were a billionaire several times over you likely wouldn't be in Thailand anyway so the point is moot.

At that time 14 years ago I would, I had enough of Farang women and wanted to meet oriental women, but today I wouldn't.

[Scouse123]

At this moment in time the Elite visa holders are not getting through to Thailand and facing the same difficulties as those with marriage visas with wives, families and children. Not enough flights, only guaranteed to get here if on a repatriation flight and priority given to Thai nationals.

 

A load of problems at the Embassies as the Ambassadors and staff manning the desks don't seem to have got the memo or cannot find seats to accommodate the amount of applicants. Also, standard email responses coming from the Embassies that are not addressing peoples queries. Furthermore, ASQ hotels are in short supply and some are having difficulties in that area as well.

 

There has also been accusations of ' sharp practice ' by airlines trying to sell business class seats when economy seats are available. I am unsure if that is true or not.

 

It's all well and good Prayut and his committees saying they are doing this, that and the other but it is not filtering down into concrete action, much to the frustration of many.

 

Many expats on here saying ' keep the borders shut ' purely because they are inside already and unaffected by the Corona virus and it's the simple case of ' I am alright Jack! ' without even considering the plight of those separated from families and the severe hardship, (that is only just beginning), to affect the poor in the wider economy.

 

Of course, Prayut, Prawit and co in their little bubbles have all the time in the world as they will always have food on the table.

 

There may never be a vaccine for this virus and it is well documented that it is mutating into different and more infectious strains. So, they will have to deal with it, do the best to protect the country, and at the same time get the country open or it will be devastated.

 

Headlines in Thai newspapers stating people are queuing up to come to Thailand as its the number 1 destination and holiday of choice for ASEAN travellers, is just pure propaganda to give them hope that the worst is behind them. They carry about as much weight as TAT with their tourist arrivals and spending forecasts. All pure drivel.

 

So at this given point in time, the Elite visas are not the way forward to a rapid return to Thailand.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Scouse123

[AgentSmith]

7 hours ago, Tom9999 said:

Why do so many here not understand that the Thai Elite Visa is not for People married or over 50 years old?

If you are in those groups obviously the Elite Visa has not much to offer you. 

Why insult people who are not married and still young (and wealthy) enough so that this Visa is one of the only alternative there is?

Maybe some posters should look 8n the mirror before the call others stupid. 

Simple. It's because the majority here is retired and can't even fathom that others chose to move here well before retirement. They probably had the same 9 to 5 job and life for 40 years or longer and they can't stand finding out now that other people are making different life choices. I think it's envy. They're also quick to tell tourists on this website to hop on a plane and go back to their home countries even when the Thai authorities are much more lenient and are clearly allowing these people to be here. They want to feel special without paying top dollar for it, even though we're all guests here and NON-immigrants at best.

 

I am still well below 50, don't want to get married to a Thai just for the convenience and I don't have a work permit. I do have honorable reasons to stay in Thailand (which I won't get into here) and if an elite visa is the solution to not having to leave the country then sure why not. If that 500k buys me stability and peace of mind in darker times then it's well worth it. And at least I won't depend on someone or something else for my visa, whether it's a Thai national or a business. I'll be standing on my own 2 feet with no one but the authorities in a position of power over me.

 

My current stay is valid for another 5 months or so and I will definitely visit a local office here that I know and trust to be an official elite agent. Paying 500k won't feel easy but 100k per year in the end isn't that much money when you factor in I won't need to travel anymore for all those years. Bottom line is that it probably won't even cost me a baht extra in the end. But it saves a lot of worry and that's what this is all about.

Edited August 15, 2020 by AgentSmith

[ThailandRyan]

If you have the funds and means to buy it then go ahead. Just don't rant on and on about your honorable reasons for wanting to stay here. Even when I was below the age for my retirement visa and extensions, I still played by the rules to stay here. Having money does not mean you just throw it wherever you want like the 2 week millionaires who come and go. Enjoy life. I sure as hell am and I won't be leaving any money on the table for the vultures....lol

Edited August 15, 2020 by ThailandRyan

[LomSak27]

14 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Advertorial probably sponsored by the Thai government who are desperate and running out of money. 

 

There would not be more than a tiny number of expats that would waste money that way. 

 

I reckon more of a advert /  PR gimmick. There are certainly no mobs of expats busting down doors, running in a pack up to Immigration for this visa. Not much use for one right now. If you leave the country, your passport matters as much as your Visa. Might wait a year, until Thailand opens back up again, say in July of 2021   to run an ad campaign. 

BTW I won't buy on principal one due to the association with the evil T Man.

[Pattaya Spotter]

15 hours ago, ronaldo0 said:

I thought you still need to do 90 day report even with elite visa ?

I believe that is the case but if you live in Bangkok, the TPCC will do it for you. (Or you can slum-it with us non-Elites and do it online.)

[mikey88]

The figures are wrong.

[TopDeadSenter]

Does anyone know how much commission Thai Elite pays to agencies reselling the card? Last year I met a guy that said he had sold a few of these elite cards from his shop, and that he could offer a much better price for the card than buying direct from Thai Elite. Wish I went into more detail with him.

[BigC]

 Not  a bad price

 So many people  love tk shows off they have money then they say a 10 or 20 year visa is too expenisve

 Better than retirement visa 

 

 

[realfunster]

16 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Advertorial probably sponsored by the Thai government who are desperate and running out of money. 

 

There would not be more than a tiny number of expats that would waste money that way. 

Indeed, my first thought. Pretty sure there a similar recent advertorial posted as ‘news’ on a foreign website and in the small print the massive COVID fleeing momentum in Elite Card growth was a whopping 6 people.

[ThailandRyan]

16 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Does anyone know how much commission Thai Elite pays to agencies reselling the card? Last year I met a guy that said he had sold a few of these elite cards from his shop, and that he could offer a much better price for the card than buying direct from Thai Elite. Wish I went into more detail with him.

Not sure about that, back when I did apply in March of this year, I was approved in 2 weeks. The letter I received gave me Thai elites information for depositing in their account directly. I even dropped into the Thai Priveledge office on Silom Rd to confirm this and was given the same bank info. I decided not to pull the plug and do it as I would rather spend the money elsewhere.

[Bender Rodriguez]

11 hours ago, gamini said:

"I am quite Sure that most foreigners have no problem getting visas and living a peaceful life here. But I guess you're referring to "part of foreigners" as being those who do not qualify or have the financial requirements. A very tiny minority

funny, as I have 400k for the last 10 years parked for immigration only

 

never a problem when married

 

problems stared when ex-wife tried to F. me over by leaving 1 month before my extension (well planned, right)

 

you know what immigration say in that case:   no VISA

 

even with a child I am taking care for ... that was present when demanding help from said immigration

 

when you are married, you cannot change your type of visa

 

when you are divorcing, no need to ask anything from immigration

 

when you are divorced and trying to get a new visa as being a parent of a thai child, they come up with landlord documents & landlord having to show up ....  court divorce gave me the right to stay in the house with my child till age of 20 (gave up the house for the false promise my ex would help), but ex does not provide demanded documents, so immigration says: GO F. yourself and get a tourist visa or one better: GO BACK TO YOUR HOME COUNTRY, not caring my child will be left alone, as mother don't give a f. and my ex does not allow my child to go to home country with me !

 

so if I sound bitter towards immigration, crooked agents that can fix "my problem" for 55.000 baht while immigration does have ZERO mercy or empathy or make an exception ... you know why

 

I was thinking about Elite, but than I red their 8-10 pages of rules.

 

If I threw away 500k for elite, the next step my ex would take is, defame me in court till I was bankrupt, aka small letters in Elite say, if you get suddenly bankrupt, bye bye ELITE visa or a criminal conviction, and they women are know that for money, they get witness for things that never happened

 

my ex-wife is/was very violent, went to police for VIOLENCE she started, I only defended myself, but go tell police/court  that your wife is the violent monster...

 

clearly that immigration is either pushing some people to crooked agents with corrupted immigration officer involved or elite worthless piece of paper

 

when I decided not to go further with elite (500k deposit) I was even told, I can only, 1 more time in the rest of my life, try to apply for it...  yes I was approved, background check and all the stuff, but they can go stuff themselves

 

only a few years away from 50, my money goes to child education

Edited August 16, 2020 by Bender Rodriguez

[Big Joke]

When comparing the Elite visa with a marriage or retirement extension you are assuming that there will be no changes to the marriage or retirement requirements in the future. I know a guy on the original Elite and he still gets all the perks after all those years. Ok he doesn't get ferried round Thailand in the BWM now, he has to make do in a Camry. The point i am making i would feel more comfortable that Elite will honer their commitments to their visa holders more than immigration would not change their extension requirements.  

[DrTuner]

18 minutes ago, Big Joke said:

When comparing the Elite visa with a marriage or retirement extension you are assuming that there will be no changes to the marriage or retirement requirements in the future. I know a guy on the original Elite and he still gets all the perks after all those years. Ok he doesn't get ferried round Thailand in the BWM now, he has to make do in a Camry. The point i am making i would feel more comfortable that Elite will honer their commitments to their visa holders more than immigration would not change their extension requirements.  

The limo service is from the TE company itself, even if the PE visa you get as a member ceased to exist, the extras would still be valid. Of course the ability to get the PE visa is the main selling point, the others like the golf cart at swampy are just nice extras.

[SteveK]

If you know that you're always going to be eligible for the 1-year extensions, and don't mind the headaches at immigration then yes the Elite visa would seem to be absolutely pointless and expensive. But there are people for whom it would solve a lot of headaches and provide some benefits. But even most people in this category who can afford it would surely resent the sky-high cost. And there's no guarantee that your visa wouldn't be voided if something bad happened to you.

[crazykopite]

It doesn’t exempt you from the 90 day reporting !  for 500,000 baht you can get a 10 year visa in Malaysia which allows you to import a tax free car free of import duties . Import a car into Thailand there is up to 200% charge in import duties.

[Scouse123]

7 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

If you have the funds and means to buy it then go ahead. Just don't rant on and on about your honorable reasons for wanting to stay here. Even when I was below the age for my retirement visa and extensions, I still played by the rules to stay here. Having money does not mean you just throw it wherever you want like the 2 week millionaires who come and go. Enjoy life. I sure as hell am and I won't be leaving any money on the table for the vultures....lol

 

 

Good post and straight to the point.

[Scouse123]

7 hours ago, AgentSmith said:

Simple. It's because the majority here is retired and can't even fathom that others chose to move here well before retirement. They probably had the same 9 to 5 job and life for 40 years or longer and they can't stand finding out now that other people are making different life choices. I think it's envy. They're also quick to tell tourists on this website to hop on a plane and go back to their home countries even when the Thai authorities are much more lenient and are clearly allowing these people to be here. They want to feel special without paying top dollar for it, even though we're all guests here and NON-immigrants at best.

 

 

 

 

 

Although I agree with your content, it is a bit rude to throw us all in the same boat. The foreigners that post on here ' Go home if you don't like it '  as though they have some power to make that happen annoy the hell out of me as well.

 

However, I am 25 years here, I did have a business visa and work permit in younger years. I came to this country in younger years with plenty of cash and did a project which was successful. I was not a 9 to 5 man, and never have been by any stretch, I have been self employed all my life.

 

I am on retirement extensions. Nothing to do with being able to afford it, I can afford it. I CHOOSE to spend my money differently.

 

The very same reasons I usually, (but not always by any means), fly economy class. When I weigh up the price of a ticket and then think ' I can buy my son new doors and windows for his house, for the sake of 15 hours travelling  ' or similar types of purchases,things like that, are a no brainer to me.

 

I use cash to fund my Thai niece in university, then I still financially assist my partners family, I help my sons in England, they both have decent employment but things are expensive there, especially on the housing ladder. Sp, it's all really about personal choices.

 

If I was well under 50, without a Thai or UK family, and footloose and fancy free, I might very well have opted for an Elite visa.

 

If the Elite suits you, go for it and enjoy the privileges it affords and take no notice of others, you aren't asking them to pay for it.

[laughfingmyassoff]

On 8/15/2020 at 1:02 PM, 4MyEgo said:

1,900 baht Vs 470,000 for 5 years, I have money, can afford to get one no problem, but who wants to pay 25,000% extra, hmmm, maybe some with more zeros in their account but less brain cells up top, each to their own, of course ????

 

I'm 41, retired and living in Thailand. Elite visa is a no brainer for me. Comes out to less than 7k baht a month, way cheaper than marrying a girl that would talk me into buying a house on her name.

[from the home of CC]

On 8/15/2020 at 12:42 PM, Rancid said:

Mind you, for those with the spare cash, it probably does look more appealing than the dehumanizing long stay visa process.

went for my extension (marriage) in HH this week (no issue and never been an issue in 18 years). If you think going into an office for an hour and a half for a year's extension makes you feel less than human perhaps you should be remaining home in these trying times..

[SteveK]

16 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

went for my extension (marriage) in HH this week (no issue and never been an issue in 18 years). If you think going into an office for an hour and a half for a year's extension makes you feel less than human perhaps you should be remaining home in these trying times..

Mine took seven hours last year and was extremely frustrating.