New Elite Card allows holders to work in Thailand – for 32 million baht

[Sydebolle]

Keep up the good work and carry on smoking that excellent weed you‘re enjoying apparently.

If I would have half that money, I would sit snugly and do absolutely nothing which has the taste of „work“. Take monthly expenses of, say, 100,000 Baht = one year is 1.2 million. Now, take 32 million and divide this by 1.2 million = 26.6 years. Given the fact that I make some moderate interest on the unused portion of the estate, the 32 million starting capital would easily last for 30 to 30+ years. 

But yes, some fools will fall for it possibly; all the others declare Thailand insane again and go elsewhere, where no idiots run the country, work permits are related to company needs and investments, English is spoken and not everything non-National is considered evel, dirty and alien. 

Well done, keep up the good work, as I said!

[Bkktodd]

4 hours ago, sezze said:

No , because politicians in Thailand ( not only there) are filthy rich , 32 million for them is pocket money . And also , among local Thais , they believe foreigners all got that amount of money also like their politicians and local "superstars"  . They don't know middle class income , having enough to live and even get some luxuries here and there , but not having x amount of millions in the bank .

I get my salary payroll deposited, not, in brown envelopes 

[khunpa]

15 minutes ago, peter zwart said:

Are that the high potential tourist they focusing on?

 

I am sure they do not care if they attract criminals or not. It is as always just about easy money.

[NanaSomchai]

4 minutes ago, Willy Wombat said:

Thailand really has a way over inflated opinion of itself.

These are the nasty side effects you get at a later age, when nationalism is trained (not taught, just trained, like you would train an animal) on a daily basis as early as the kindergartens grades.

 

Imagine 5 days a week being trained singing the national anthem praising how Thailand is the best place on Earth, praising how the Thais are blessed by Buddha and therefore are better than the rest of us (we're dirty remember what Anutin said about us), praising how Thailand aka the Land of Siam is only for the Thais, etc, etc, etc.

 

This is what you get, a broken society that cannot function like a democracy.

 

[Misty]

I wonder if this initiative is to try to satisfy elite card holders who may be upset with the new LTR visas that allow the recipients to work.  Essentially a way of leveling the playing field between the two types of visas.  Elite card holders to date have been prohibited from working in Thailand.  Some of the LTR visa holders, after making a significant investment in real estate or gov't bonds, will be able to obtain work permits.

[koele2]

You just have to laugh.  Pay us a million dollars so that you can work and make a million dollars in Thailand.

[JayBird]

It's a good option if you need to prove you have the right to work without being bothered by the government.

 

Pretend to do a 100k/mo job, like a manager of some businesses.  But that's a cover job to hide the fact that you are really doing an illicit 10m/mo job.  

 

This way if someone points to you as working, you can point to your elite visa.

[frankie machine]

gee, i can work in thailand for only a million bucks?? WOW,  i knew that all those years of scrimping and saving and working my butt off would pay off some day.    PS:  WAFJ!!!!!

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, DjChris28 said:

I save $1000 USD per week in my job after my living expenses.

Good work sir.

[Guderian]

An excellent deal for the Russian and Chinese criminals and money launderers, they must be amazed at how obliging the Thai government is.

[brucegoniners]

Aren't they nice? For that kind of money you can buy citizenship in Cyprus.

[jollyhangmon]

2 hours ago, Isaanlife said:

Your math is wrong, it comes out to 533,333.333 a month

 

... well, looking at it this way it does seem to be a good deal, no ...?

...

...

 

... I'll better get my coat, 555.

 

 

[tomazbodner]

5 hours ago, balo said:

Yes sign me up , I just need to rob a bank first. 

Can't do! That would be considered work, so you need to have your Elite visa first to allow you to get work permit for bank robber job!

[Srikcir]

Or get the Smart Visa introduced in 2018 that cost 10,000 THB per year.

In case of investment in startups, minimum investment is 5 million THB. In case of income, minimum for highly-skilled experts is 100k THB and 50k THB for experts in startups and retired experts.

 

[jomtienisgood]

5 hours ago, balo said:

Yes sign me up , I just need to rob a bank first. 

Or several 7/11s.... 5555555

[jwbrit]

6 hours ago, timendres said:

Almost $1 MILLION USD for the "privilege" of working in Thailand? Anyone paying for that needs a head check.

Yea crazy, but it's not actually a direct fee, it's an "investment". Doesn't that mean you can start your own limited company and invest in yourself??

According to information released on Thursday, the 32 million baht investment can be made in three ways, including in real estate, investment in a limited or public limited company or as an investment in the stock market, which can include via an investment agency approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[mokwit]

7 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Or get the Smart Visa introduced in 2018 that cost 10,000 THB per year.

In case of investment in startups, minimum investment is 5 million THB. In case of income, minimum for highly-skilled experts is 100k THB and 50k THB for experts in startups and retired experts.

 

In fairness there has been a take up of I think six people for that one. Now we just need an ornithologist to tell us if six is enough for it to be called a flock and hence describe applicants as "flocking" to it.

[mokwit]

What are the chances that if you already have invested 32 million baht in one of the three categories it won't count - new money only.

[Charlie Halliday]

This is so funny and stupid . There are plenty of westerners who have spent USD1m plus here buying property and stocks but that doesn't mean they want to work here! And there is no way this dreamed up scheme will attract people to dump that sum for the privelege of working here! I would not work here in a million years. I've been thru that experience 25 years ago and would never do it again. It's actually very dangerous for foreigners to work in Thailand. Love living here, be low key, don't get on the wrong side of  officials and leave most of your capital Offshore. 

[Oxx]

1 hour ago, NanaSomchai said:

These are the nasty side effects you get at a later age, when nationalism is trained (not taught, just trained, like you would train an animal) on a daily basis as early as the kindergartens grades.

 

Imagine 5 days a week being trained singing the national anthem praising how Thailand is the best place on Earth

 

This is what you get, a broken society that cannot function like a democracy.

 

Indeed.  Imagine being brainwashed every day in school pledging allegiance to a flag.  Imagine being indoctrinated into believing "USA #1" and mindlessly chanting it at sports events and political rallies.  Imagine repeatedly being lied to that the USA is the greatest country on earth.

 

Consider the blatant gerrymandering and the flagrant attempt to make it difficult for ethnic minorities to cast their electoral votes because white Americans are better than everyone else.

This is what you get, a broken society that cannot function like a democracy.

America and Thailand:  rotting peas in a corrupt pod.

[simon43]

3 hours ago, DjChris28 said:

And All I need to work remotely from Costa Rica is $3000 USD per month, Duabi is $5000 USD per month. Why are thai's out of touch with what the competition is? Even the proposed bali remote working visa i think it was going for close to 180k for 4 years is still more attractive.

 

So far the thai one is the most greedy digital nomad visa in terms of cost.

Here in Mauritius, my premium visa allows me to work remotely, with only $1,500 per month required to be transferred into a local bank account.

[Enoon]

 

32mil probably sounds like a very reasonable fee to the "Laundry" businesses now being shut out of the UK:

 

UK scraps rich foreign investor visa scheme - BBC News

 

 

 

 

[Wandering druid]

this has got to be one of the most ridiculous thing I have read. Who comes up with ideas? 32M for a work permit hahahahaha 

[Dexxter]

4 hours ago, bojo said:

Do you know how long you can keep doing 'back to back'? And are multiple back to back stamps frowned upon/gonna be an issue when you re-enter on your next visit for example............ If that was possible I wouldn't mind a flexible 8/9 month stay at that rate............................

The last time I entered Thailand via Don Mueang just before covid appeared, I was pulled aside and got questioned for 30 minutes because I had "too many" 6 month METVs in my passport and the Immigration Officer said I should marry my Thai partner and next time use a "marriage" visa. So even "back-to-back" 6 month visas with gaps of 2-3 months in the home country between each visa are risky.

[NoshowJones]

6 hours ago, sezze said:

"No , because politicians in Thailand ( not only there) are filthy rich".

Yes! And don't forget the soldiers who are posing as a government as well.

[Time Traveller]

With 35% top tax rate on your Thailand income, there's going be a flood of expat workers moving away from 0% tax Dubai moving to Thailand to work.  Totally awesome value,  why not buy 2 elite cards ?

[Time Traveller]

With 35% top tax rate on your Thailand income, there's going be a flood of expat workers moving away from 0% tax Dubai moving to Thailand to work.  Totally awesome value,  why not buy 2 elite cards ?

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, Nicholas Paul KNIGHT said:

This shows just how STUPID people working to enhance Thailand are. They are the same as TAT , idiotic ideas, but instead of IMPROVING what is already here to make it better, come up with more stupid suggestions. 

 

Congratulations Thailand is now known as a Nation of idiotic statements regarding foreigners , run by really silly people .

"This shows just how STUPID people working to enhance Thailand are."

Thailand does not have a very low IQ for no reason. the soldier government is one example.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

My Thai company set up and work permit was not more than two thousand Dollar, renewable yearly Non immigrant B visa did not cost much either.  They must think we are all easy to lure in to their con scams.

[FunkyDunky58]

Could this government possibly get more asinine? It appears the answer is yes. The unbelievable arrogance to suggest that someone is going to cough up this kind of money for the privilege of working for a living in this country. First if you have 32 million baht you don't need to work. Not in Thailand. Second, You cannot own a business (well, maybe 49% of one) which anybody that has amassed this kind of money probably wants to do, not get a job in Texas Chicken! If you do get a work permit it is not a permit to work, it is a permit to do a specific job and nothing else. Dumb does not begin to describe this.