Applied for elite visa and I received it few weeks ago.  Then applied for COE was sent email from embassy.  EMAIL  Dear Sir  for elite card members normally we will get list from TPC through the Ministry. Have you contacted the PTC. We can only approve your COE when we have the list. What is TPC or PTC.

Next was email from TEMQ. I thought they booked the ASQ hotel as they had asked me to choose 5 hotels from a list of 30 they had sent me previously.

Copy of Covid insurance. No problem.

 

Copy of flight itinerary RTE say need COE to book flight they can’t give me COE feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Now up to 30 WORKING days for application to be processed.

Is anybody else having the same problems any advice is welcome 

 

Next w

you already paid the 500k ?

Yes unfortunately 

5 minutes ago, Peeba boy said:

Yes unfortunately 

There should be a concierge service that can help you, isn't there?

@ubonjoe

Hope to hear from Ubonjoe on this matter

Doesn’t appear to be any service they don’t even reply to emails

do you have the elite visa affixed on your passport? or new member?  14- 30 day for approval? or flights 30 days out?

What embassy are you getting your certificate of entry from. 

At most now you do not have to reserve your flight through the embassy now.

For example the London embassy lists these airline that are allowed to fly in Bangkok now.

Quote

The list of airlines with flight permits to carry passengers to Thailand

Foreigners who wish to go to Thailand can fly only with the following airlines: 

- Thai Airways International : tickets can be purchased online at https://www.thaiairways.com/  or send email to [email protected]  if you already have tickets or vouchers.

- EVA Air

- Emirates

- Etihad

- Qatar Airways

- Singapore Airlines

Passengers can buy tickets directly from the airlines' websites or through travel agencies.

 

I have similar issue.  Thai elite have changed their TEM-Q protocol.

They suggested that I should book my flight, organise ASQ , but that they also needed 30 days notice for Ministry of Foreign Affairs approval.   I pointed out that this was impossible, because we are never given more than 3 weeks notice of scheduled repatriation flights.

Thai Elite have now applied to MFA on my behalf, so when I get approval, I can apply to embassy for CoE and things will progress smoothly(?).

This has not turned out to be the easy return I had hoped for!

Yes this is the same problem I am having they say that my approve wil be 30 days.  Are you having problem booking ASQ hotel.  I though this was why we paid them 500.000 for hassle free entry

20 minutes ago, G Rex said:

I pointed out that this was impossible, because we are never given more than 3 weeks notice of scheduled repatriation flights.

You should read my previous post. At many embassies you have to reserve your flights now.

Hi joe

the 1st link for flights is unavailable do u mean can reserve flights so that means don’t pay until u get COE

do u have any advice on booking ASQ

3 hours ago, Peeba boy said:

Yes this is the same problem I am having they say that my approve wil be 30 days.  Are you having problem booking ASQ hotel.  I though this was why we paid them 500.000 for hassle free entry

I have not tried to book ASQ as yet - I need to know when I can return first!

With TEM-Q Mk1 , TE were supposedly organising ASQ, but not now. I can understand this, because getting all of your ducks lined up is no mean feat!

I am resigned to the fact that there is no such thing as a hassle free entry, and maybe it was not 500K Baht well spent... 

 

ubonjoe - I will follow up with Embassy prungnii - cheers

3 hours ago, Peeba boy said:

Yes this is the same problem I am having they say that my approve wil be 30 days.  Are you having problem booking ASQ hotel.  I though this was why we paid them 500.000 for hassle free entry

Doesn't the arrival on an Elite Visa has to go through the Thailand Elite Visa office in BKK? I don't think the 500k will make it possible to skip the ASQ-hotel booking, which you're supposed to do yourself. 

2 hours ago, Peeba boy said:

the 1st link for flights is unavailable do u mean can reserve flights so that means don’t pay until u get COE

do u have any advice on booking ASQ

Try this link. https://www.thaiairways.com/  that works. The one I posted is bad link from the embassy website. You will have to pay for them but I am sure there is some ability to change them.

There is some flexibility allowed for the ASQ reservation when you make one. They can be changed with a fairly large window to do them.

 

 

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

What embassy are you getting your certificate of entry from. 

At most now you do not have to reserve your flight through the embassy now.

For example the London embassy lists these airline that are allowed to fly in Bangkok now.

 

Australia has designated repatriation flights that are announced on the Thai Embassy Facebook pages. You book with TG by following these links - the TG website shows no flights available. Seems that Facebook has more up-to-date information than their website. 

According to this article, only 50 Elites have actually gotten back to Thailand with the majority still waiting.

https://www.pattayamail.com/mailbag/please-help-elite-members-come-home-328387

This article does NOT make me happy at all!

I bought my TE Visa to expedite my return to LOS.

If an O-X or O-A Visa will get me there sooner - I will be exploring my options to see if I can cash out my TE.  I will talk to them tomorrow...

7 minutes ago, G Rex said:

This article does NOT make me happy at all!

I bought my TE Visa to expedite my return to LOS.

If an O-X or O-A Visa will get me there sooner - I will be exploring my options to see if I can cash out my TE.  I will talk to them tomorrow...

TBH in a near zero-yield world, for someone with a lot of capital, the O-X could make more sense than the Elite visas (which cost the equivalent of the interest on a far larger sum each year).

A off topic post meant to deflect the topic has been removed.

1 hour ago, G Rex said:

This article does NOT make me happy at all!

I bought my TE Visa to expedite my return to LOS.

If an O-X or O-A Visa will get me there sooner - I will be exploring my options to see if I can cash out my TE.  I will talk to them tomorrow...

The Thailand Elite ASQ process is indeed in shambles. A batch of existing TEV holders were invited to apply when it launched August 19.

Those of us who applied immediately all received acknowledgement of successful application between August 21/24.

 

How do I know ? I am in the first batch of applicants.

 

Some bullet-points on where it is at:

 

• There was a BCC / CC e-mail mix-up so all those members in that batch could see each other's e-mail.
• Promised was a 5-15 day turnaround time. We were encouraged to book non-refundable ASQ as part of the application! When 3 weeks had passed where not a single one of us had been given any update or obtained a certificate of entry, some chatrooms were formed where we keep tabs on each other's progress. Everyone from that batch was in communication with their peers. Nobody got approved.
• Most of us tried reaching out to our local embassy to just get a CoE directly. We are referred back to Thailand Privilege Card. Who then ignore us or blame the MFA.
• Some sort of announcement has been promised for tomorrow but we are rather pessimistic as to the potential substance of it.

 

Oh and some members were told their application was lost or something like "last week there was no batch at all, Zero admissions due to clerical error"

 

We had one or two people make it by bypassing the Thailand Elite system and getting lucky with specific local embassy loopholes. Those we always very short-lived. When others tried to apply the same way a few days later they were all denied by the embassy and referred back to TPC.

 

In some countries it is faster right now to walk in as a rando with no previous ties to Thailand and secure an O-X and a CoE. That can be done in less than 3 weeks.

It will be faster than the Thailand Elite batch from August.

 

 

 

TE takes money and promise easy access to Thailand. It looks like a scam from TE. Perhaps, TE members and condo owners should to rethink investment plans.

3 hours ago, KoreaElte said:

• There was a BCC / CC e-mail mix-up so all those members in that batch could see each other's e-mail.
• Promised was a 5-15 day turnaround time. We were encouraged to book non-refundable ASQ as part of the application! When 3 weeks had passed where not a single one of us had been given any update or obtained a certificate of entry, some chatrooms were formed where we keep tabs on each other's progress. Everyone from that batch was in communication with their peers. Nobody got approved.

I suspect the MFA are deliberately holding things up here.

 

It's a mere rubber stamping operation - they don't want to do it for some reason. I can't image why that would be, there is no possible reason for this other than dereliction of duty.

 

I doubt it's a coincidence you've all been allowed to see each others emails with a CC instead of a BCC (impossible to prove though), TE won't be happy about this situation which is almost certainly out of their control.

i was in TE offices last week. They look very concerned about the process to come back from foreign countries with TE visa. Maybe i have to leave Thailand for visa problem and ask them about the process to apply from outside the country. As i seen on their faces it is a big mess. And they told me that immi don't make it easy at all. Think twice before to apply !

Very sorry for you. I have always felt the Elite Visa is a waste of time and money. Anyway, persevere and you will get through this. When your current elite visa has eventually expired would recommend a normal retirement visa, with annual extensions. Costs you one day a year plus 1900 baht, and you are free to come and go as you please 

20 hours ago, fredjaidee said:

According to this article, only 50 Elites have actually gotten back to Thailand with the majority still waiting.

https://www.pattayamail.com/mailbag/please-help-elite-members-come-home-328387

from this article ''...

We will take this to the international press if need be, because the reality of Elite membership is not what is being sold.

Kind regards,

Disgruntled Elite Members from around the world'' 

 

Well, so for the elite visa the reality is not what is being sold

i would be tempted to say like everything else in Thailand ?

Everything seems to suggest the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delaying these approvals for some unknown reason.

 

This is very unprofessional and I wonder if there's been a change in policy at some level that has not yet been disclosed.

 

I would suggest that people involved complain to two different places : the government department which deals with foreign affairs in their home countries and their Embassy in Thailand.

 

In the UK this is the recently renamed the 'Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office' and it's still the 'State Department' in the US.

 

 

If you got caught in Thailand, Elite card seems to be ok, you even got 6 months extra.

 

For those outside of Thailand: I am shocked and grateful it took them so long. I applied on August 4th, "Immigration background check" is still running and I have not heard back from them. I am not from a dodgy country that it should take so long. Their offer of 6 months extra seems to have expired now.

 

I am grateful it took so long. I will not pay if I even ever hear back from them. What a scam to say it in one word. People like me wanted to buy this card to come back but it seems an impossible task to get back into the country. Two months have passed since I applied and I have not heard or read of any new member who successfully returned.

Yes - there is currently a major impasse between TE and the MFA , so no TE Visa holders are getting placed on the ‘approved entry list’ - and hence TE holders cannot apply for CoE.

Spoke to TE, and it was suggested that I will need to wait for at least another month before any approvals are given.

 

Every time I scroll through thai visa forum pages now I am bombarded with banners offering me 3 months extra TE Visa if I apply and pay before Dec 31.   What a joke!!!

 

Someone needs to grow a set of b@lls here - maybe the MFA needs a bigger brown envelope from TE?

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

Everything seems to suggest the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delaying these approvals for some unknown reason.

I have to say my suspicion is that it is the same old reason. Someone is not getting a share of the take, and believes they should be. There was a similar issue with TE applications early last year which looked like Immigration jockeying for a bigger payout.