blacklisted for 12 months while on elite visa.

[KC 71]

I think that if you overstay more than 2 days, you can't get an elite visa.

I don't know if this will affect his current visa.

[xenophon]

Do not think he has much to whinge about as Thailand Elite are repeatedly announcing these conditions such as below probably aimed at members like the poster. The info has always been freely available and accessible. Its the members' obligation to read it.

I do not think they could dumb it down much more. From recent Thailand Elite communication .... 

"Under the Thai Immigration law, it is illegal for foreigners to overstay the visa or permission to stay in Thailand. Thailand Elite members are required to extend your stay permission before the expiry date stated in your arrival stamp or your extension stamp, otherwise you will be considered as 'overstay'.

The penalties for overstaying in Thailand vary depending on the length of time you have stayed in the country past the visa expiration such as a fine, ban from entering the country, imprisonment, and deportation."

[humbug]

5 hours ago, n00dle said:

personally i think elite visa is at fault here. He should have been notified in time to take action. Aren't they suppose to provide "concierge" visa service? They certainly seem to be on top of it when your visa is expiring and it is time to spend more to re-up. They must have had a process in place for those who could not leave the country.

 

That said, spending that much on a visa, i would have taken the time to find out the conditions, especially given the consequences for messing up. 

how on this great earth, can Elite be at fault, they don't control or use the immigration databases, to see if someone entered the country legally and on what date, and what dates for the next extension

 

impossible for Elite to gain access to the immigration database, it would be the only way, that Elite can keep up to date on members extension dates, and remind them, but the immigration are also police, and this regime uses any excuse for National security

 

 so unless the regime changes to a fairer one, and allows another ministry to access entry information like that, then that would be the only way Elite could help all the members, and to be honest I wouldn't want sms reminders either, I mean, really intrusive, not for me

[humbug]

7 hours ago, antony77 said:

I can't understand anyone buying an Elite visa. If you do not qualify for a marriage or retirement extension. You can use an agent to extend your stay here almost indefinitely for a tiny fraction of the cost of an elite visa.

Not everyone is over 50, so your point on using an agent to extend your stay indefinitely, is just for one age bracket

[humbug]

No mention on whether the op's friend kept up to date with 90 day reporting, strange story, not convinced, too many in the past, that turned out to be a rouse, and get the attention needed, using the word elite in the title

[kennw]

On 12/7/2021 at 5:20 PM, ubonjoe said:

I have never read of anybody being successful when filing a appeal for it.

If he had not paid the fine and was taken to the detention center (IDC) he might of been able to get something done.

I am surprised that the EV people dont have a "reminder" service. Should be a rather simple matter to flag " no exits this year attend Imm and pay the fee" But maybe EV are just too busy counting the money.

[fangless]

10 minutes ago, kennw said:

I am surprised that the EV people dont have a "reminder" service. Should be a rather simple matter to flag " no exits this year attend Imm and pay the fee" But maybe EV are just too busy counting the money.

I agree.  I get e-mail and/or phone call reminders from my agent (legit) reminding me about 90 days etc and info regarding retirement renewals.

[thaibeachlovers]

23 hours ago, robblok said:

An appointment has been made of course, how else would i be escorted by a lady. I send an email and they tell me what slots are available. Then im helped the instant i arrive.

If an appointment had been made with immigration it's not pushing in. If she just met a client at a certain time and then pushed in that's jumping the q.

When you say " So paying extra to bump in front of a cue is not that unheard of in Asia." it say to me that it's pushing in.

[thaibeachlovers]

10 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Thai citizenship?

Why on earth could one want that? Because you get a widely useless passport and are allowed to vote for the General or the other corrupt kaspars? 

I'd imagine because one doesn't ever have to go to immigration again, and one gets cheap hospital care.

If I had Thai citizenship I'd not need a passport because I'd never leave the country again.

[thaibeachlovers]

10 hours ago, BritTim said:

Obviously, you are in a better situation to know, but I had previously thought that there were a few other conditions other than proffering 5,000 baht and saying Thai citizenship please.

Of course there are, such as being conversant in Thai ( as one should be ), but they don't cost.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 12/7/2021 at 8:38 PM, ezzra said:

Don't you just loath it when you have those who wallowing in the misery of others? so the man did a mistake, is this a good reason to mock him?...

Overstaying isn't a mistake, it's a crime. It's the responsibility of anyone on any sort of visa to be aware of the conditions of staying in the country, and abide by them.

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, kennw said:

I am surprised that the EV people dont have a "reminder" service. Should be a rather simple matter to flag " no exits this year attend Imm and pay the fee" But maybe EV are just too busy counting the money.

How would they know about this? They aren't connected to the immigration database.

[stratocaster]

Reminds me of an acquaintance of mine who after getting his retirement extension went to Laos on holiday. After 11 months went to renew his extension to be told he was on 10 months overstay. Whose fault was this. Was it the IO upon leaving Thailand who should have told him he needed a re-entry permit, or the IO on entering telling him he had voided his extension so could only be stamped in for 30 days visa exempt?

[jackdd]

16 minutes ago, stratocaster said:

Reminds me of an acquaintance of mine who after getting his retirement extension went to Laos on holiday. After 11 months went to renew his extension to be told he was on 10 months overstay. Whose fault was this. Was it the IO upon leaving Thailand who should have told him he needed a re-entry permit, or the IO on entering telling him he had voided his extension so could only be stamped in for 30 days visa exempt?

Mainly his own fault for not checking the stamp after entering Thailand.

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, kennw said:

I am surprised that the EV people dont have a "reminder" service. Should be a rather simple matter to flag " no exits this year attend Imm and pay the fee" But maybe EV are just too busy counting the money.

So, how would you suggest they discover whether you have exited and re-entered Thailand in the last year? Should they insist you wear a tracking bracelet so (instead of just regularly warning members about the dangers of overstay) they can send someone to your apartment to insist that you follow immigration rules?

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Of course there are, such as being conversant in Thai ( as one should be ), but they don't cost.

Well, my Thai is pretty good, and 5,000 baht is no problem. Do I just turn up at an office somewhere, fill out a form, and get my Thai citizenship?

[Mac Mickmanus]

22 minutes ago, stratocaster said:

Reminds me of an acquaintance of mine who after getting his retirement extension went to Laos on holiday. After 11 months went to renew his extension to be told he was on 10 months overstay. Whose fault was this. Was it the IO upon leaving Thailand who should have told him he needed a re-entry permit, or the IO on entering telling him he had voided his extension so could only be stamped in for 30 days visa exempt?

I dont know about your friend , but I have a stamp in my PP from immigration stating that I need to apply for a re-entry permit m if I leave and want to come back again on the same visa , so I expect that your friend also has that stamped into his passport . 

   Your friend came back without a visa and thus was given a visa exempt stamp .

   Its not up to I.O. to tell people what is in their passport, its up to the PP holder to look and whats stamped into his PP,

   Your friend was at fault both times for not paying attention to the rules and for not looking into his passport.

  When you get a permission to stay stamp in your PP , all you need to do is to have a look at what date it says 

[DrJack54]

26 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

I dont know about your friend , but I have a stamp in my PP from immigration stating that I need to apply for a re-entry permit m if I leave and want to come back again on the same visa , so I expect that your friend also has that stamped into his passport . 

   Your friend came back without a visa and thus was given a visa exempt stamp

I don't know what OP you read.

The OP,s friend did not exit and reenter and receive a visa exempt 30 day POS.

He simply was not aware of need to attend immigration if staying in Thailand for longer than 12 months.

In fact he overlooked that and overstayed by ~3 months. 

In any event PE visa is multi entry. Obligation clearly stated here.

1 year

 

It is a visa classified as a Privilege Entry Visa that is valid for 5 years with multiple entries without having to deal with so much paperwork or visits to the immigration office. The Thai Elite Visa holder will be allowed to stay in the country for up to 1 year on each visit

Edited December 9, 2021 by DrJack54

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I don't know what OP you read.

The OP,s friend did not exit and reenter and receive a visa exempt 30 day POS.

He simply was not aware of need to attend immigration if staying in Thailand for longer than 12 months.

In fact he overlooked that and overstayed by ~3 months.

I was replying to the poster whom I replied to and he mention his friend, who is a different person to the O.P

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

I was replying to the poster whom I replied to and he mention his friend, who is a different person to the O.P

Sorry. My mistake. Completely missed the guy's post that you were replying to.

[richard_smith237]

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If an appointment had been made with immigration it's not pushing in. If she just met a client at a certain time and then pushed in that's jumping the q.

When you say " So paying extra to bump in front of a cue is not that unheard of in Asia." it say to me that it's pushing in.

It was a poor choice of words, the wording alone is cat-nip to those who look for outrage...

 

Thailand Elite have an agreement with Immigration - There is, or at least there was, a dedicated Thai Elite desk at Immigration Division 1 (Chaeng Wattana). 

 

Thus, when there are no Thai Elite extensions to process the regular extensions are processed at the same desk, however, when Thai Elite staff turn up with someones passport they are dealt with quickly. 

 

I imagine Thai Elite pay immigration some money for this privilege. 

 

In much the same manner, those who use agents for immigration or driving licence renewal purposes will spend less time waiting.

 

 

[John Bird]

Elite visa is nothing but a scam.

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, John Bird said:

Elite visa is nothing but a scam.

Can you explain why?....  have you any experience or first hand knowledge of Thai Elite Membership? 

 

[Some guy]

On 12/8/2021 at 5:21 PM, xenophon said:

Do not think he has much to whinge about as Thailand Elite are repeatedly announcing these conditions such as below probably aimed at members like the poster. The info has always been freely available and accessible. Its the members' obligation to read it.

I do not think they could dumb it down much more. From recent Thailand Elite communication .... 

"Under the Thai Immigration law, it is illegal for foreigners to overstay the visa or permission to stay in Thailand. Thailand Elite members are required to extend your stay permission before the expiry date stated in your arrival stamp or your extension stamp, otherwise you will be considered as 'overstay'.

The penalties for overstaying in Thailand vary depending on the length of time you have stayed in the country past the visa expiration such as a fine, ban from entering the country, imprisonment, and deportation."

The example you think shows how clear they make it actually shows how confusing it is and how bad their communication is. When you get a 5 year visa you think your visa is good for 5 years, and all you have to do is report every 90 days. Thats actually not the case, your "5 year" visa is only good for 1 year at time throughout a  span of 5 years.

Look at their quote it says nothing about extending or leaving every year.

[Some guy]

By shear luck I was 2 days away from this happening to me. I got a 5 year Elite visa and assumed it was good for 5 years and all I had to do was report every 90 days which I did. Elite never contacted me about the 12 month thing. I went to immigration physically every 90 days including as the 12 month mark came around (my 3rd 90 day report was right around the 12 month mark obviously) no one ever mentioned the 12 month thing.

I got to the the airport for a holiday outside Thailand with my 6 month old baby and her mum (pre covid) they told me I overstayed my 1 year visa by 89 days. I told them they were mistaken as my visa was for 5 years. I showed them the date on the visa 3.75 years in the future and they showed me the date on my last entry stamp that was by then 89 days ago, and I said but I report every 90 days to extend that. I did not understand it at all, but since I was "only" 89 days past the 12 month mark I just had to pay the maximum fine.

 

They tried to tell me I was naughty, I should apologies and that I was almost black listed and banned for 12 months. I disagreed as I thought a 5 year visa was good for 5 years and if there were other requirements Elite would have told me about them.

After that I emailed elite for clarification and they explained the airport immigration was right and the reason they could not have notified me is that they do not know if I left and re-entered Thailand which would reset the 12 months.

When I thought hard about it I remembered on my visit to immigration right around the 12 month mark, a work experience kid (university student) at immigration tried to tell me or ask me something about my passport or visa or something in Thai language, I responded something like "I think my visa is fine right?" in English, neither of us understood each other and we left it at that. My GF was with me on that visit to immigration but she just missed that interaction. Looking back now I assume it was about the 12 month thing.  

If I happened to book the flight for 2 days later I would have been banned from Thailand for 12 months and in a country with my Thai GF where she was only allowed to stay for 1 month (not my country so no chance of applying for residency or anything). It would have been quiet a pickle with a 6 month old new born.

[ubonjoe]

Off topic posts meant to deflect the topic have been removed.

[ukrules]

1 hour ago, Some guy said:

By shear luck I was 2 days away from this happening to me

Yes, you were lucky there.

 

I bet you check the stamps in your passport every time now don't you?

[cjinchiangrai]

On 12/7/2021 at 3:08 PM, ukrules said:

Yes, they constantly send out reminders about avoiding an overstay.

 

You don't need to leave the country, you just go to an immigration office and do an extension of stay once a year.

 

Some people still don't know this - almost certainly because before the pandemic struck they left the country many times each year so it wasn't relevant to their situation until now.

 

This is a prime example of a badly thought out law with zero flexibility catching people it wasn't designed to catch in its widely cast net.

 

Yes they do, and when I got my annual extension a few weeks ago, the girl at the immigration office went into great detail about not missing my 90 day reports. She even showed me the TM47 date to make sure I knew it was not 90 says from the extension date. Nobody could have misunderstood her instructions.

[DrJack54]

3 hours ago, Some guy said:

I got a 5 year Elite visa and assumed it was good for 5 years and all I had to do was report every 90 days which I did. Elite never contacted me about the 12 month thing

Find your long post is missing the point.

This is just one of many clear requirements. What did you not understand.

 

 

• The Thai Elite Visa is a 5-year renewable multiple entry visa with an extendable 1-year length of stay per each entry.

Edited December 9, 2021 by DrJack54

[blorg]

On 12/8/2021 at 7:09 AM, HampiK said:

Don't forget Elite is a private company, who take care that you become a visa which is valid for 5/10/20 years which allows you to stay in the country up to 1 year without problems. But after 1 year you have to leave or renew your permision to stay inside!

Elite (Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd.) is 100% owned by the government of Thailand.

 

It's not marketed as just a service to get a visa, it's marketed as an ongoing membership with various "privileges" and services for the duration of your membership. This is not the first time this has happened, it has happened to several members at this point and it is exacerbated with people stuck here with the Covid situation who would normally just have travelled out at some point and so never needed an extension before.

 

It's expensive enough. It would be an actually useful service for their members if they did actually keep track of this and proactively contacted the member to arrange extensions when necessary. Their whole marketing message is that Elite is an easy hassle-free means to stay in Thailand, some people go for it precisely because they they have the money and don't want to deal with the bureaucracy and keep on top of all Thai immigration's minutiae.

 

This is a general issue with Elite, they have a very top-down and very strictly delineated set of "things they do" and the things they do, they do generally handle well. But step slightly outside the boundaries of the limited set of things they handle, and they can't do anything. There's very little flexibility.