10 Million Baht Investment Visa

[palm]

A guy that I know that has an Elite Card tells me he dosn't have to do the 90 day reporting, he just calls up Thailand Elite and they come collect his passport and do it all for him.

Now if that's the case, the Elite card seems an even better deal for hassle-free long term stay in Thailand for anyone under 50yrs.

Also, not having to go to 'Hull' in England is surely worth the 1.5m baht price alone

Palm I am bewildered why you consider 1.5 million for TE to represent a " better deal " ?

For example I have and APEC Travel Card which covers 17 other economies at a cost of only $160 for three years !

Ok admittedly we don't have our own immigration desk at the airport but we can still use the diplomatic channel

in most of these other 17 countries. Anywhere in the USA we can now use the flight crew channel

to get through immigration quickly.

But one of the best parts is you can obtain this three-year visa without needing to have any contact

with the Thai authorities personally. I simply applied to the Australian government and presto

I have all these privileges throughout the Asia-Pacific region and APEC now is far more

reliable and risk-free organisation than Thailand Elite at a fraction of the cost!

Why I regard TE as poor value is because it's restricted to 1 country only. We can also save a fortune

in Visa fees ( and avoid the bureaucracy of visa applications ) in countries like PR of China and Vietnam.

All the other so-called benefits of TE look to me to be not worth the money and anyway

there is no guarantee the TE organisation can continue to survive indefinitely.

Yes, but don't you have to be born in an APEC country to get this option? I hold dual passports, Belize (British Honduras where I was born) and a British passport.

If the APEC card means you must leave the country every 90 days, then that's a hassle I would rather do without.

My son is Thai so now I want to spend most of my time in Thailand. I don't spend more than two weeks in other Asian countries but I am regularly in HK and Singapore. I have a few properties here now worth around 35m baht (none rented or bought as 'investments') , so 1.5m baht seems like a small amount for the Elite card and the Visa it provides?

As this is ThaiVisa, it sure would be great to find somewhere on this site with some hard facts and side-by-side comparisons of all these 'exotic' Visa options such as Elite, Apec and BOI schemes.

Is there a web site for this APEC Travel Card? Can holders of UK passports get one?

Edited March 22, 2008 by palm

[jstumbo]

Nope, last time I looked the UK was not in Asia, or on the Pacific. Hong Kong is though, and Singapore. I am not sure, but I think if you have PR somewhere in a APEC country you can get a card from that country, but don't quote me on that.

Honduras is not a member either.

APEC Website

Definately I think the TE card makes sense for some people. But for me, I spend about two weeks touring Asia on business and the other two weeks now in Thailand. So it would be nice to have an APEC card. A TE would be a good size chunk for me and not really have any benifit for me since I am just here on business and do not plan on living in Thailand forever. TE card for me, or new Benz for the wife when we go back to the US, I know which she would vote for.

Edited March 22, 2008 by jstumbo

[Meerkat]

Nope, last time I looked the UK was not in Asia, or on the Pacific. Hong Kong is though, and Singapore. I am not sure, but I think if you have PR somewhere in a APEC country you can get a card from that country, but don't quote me on that.

Not sure about other countries, but HK PRs of any nationality can get the APEC card. Of course to get HK PR you have to have been there on other visas for 7 years, so a fairly long-winded way of getting the card!

The APEC scheme is extemely good (and good value). If I can wangle HK PR (6 years working there, 1 back in the UK then another 6 years there - they initially said I had to start again, but am hoping for an appeal), then I'll certainly be latching onto the scheme. I'll still enter Thailand using the TE visa though.

[midas]

If you hold a passport from on of the following countries you can apply for an APEC card

* Australia

* Brunei Darussalam

* Chile

* China

* Hong Kong (China)

* Indonesia

* Japan

* Republic of Korea

* Malaysia

* New Zealand

* Papua New Guinea

* Peru

* The Philippines

* Singapore

* Chinese Taipei

* Thailand

* United States of America

* Viet Nam

[jstumbo]

The US, is only a transitional member of the scheme. It only allows people with an APEC card to use the express lane at immigration. If you are from a country that needs a visa to enter the US, you still need a visa, the APEC card just gets you priority in scheduling for getting a visa. US citizens cannot get an APEC card until they fully become part of the scheme, maybe around 2010.

[rick75]

So does the apec card work in reverse ie: a thai person comming to Australia? cheers Rick

[midas]

So does the apec card work in reverse ie: a thai person comming to Australia? cheers Rick

Yes absolutely but the Thai applicant would have to prove they are regular business visitors in the

Asia Pacific region so it would only ever include senior Thai executives

[PattayaParent]

My son is Thai so now I want to spend most of my time in Thailand.

So can't you get a visa based on Marriage?

Or a visa based on being the parent of a Thai dependent?

[jstumbo]

Need to be over 50 and living with the child to qualify.

[EmptyMind]

What an amusing post, Full of the same misleading comments from certain people who don't know what they are talking about, no wonder people are confused.

For the posters who have heard of the magic "Elite" card, This is how it works, I have one so there is no bullsh*t in my post.

You get a Visa that is valid for 5 years, After it expires or you get a new passport etc, you get ANOTHER 5 year visa for free and this happens until you either die or they scrap the scheme which is very unlikely.

With the Visa yes you do get a 90 day stamp and every 90 days you do have to go and get a new 90 stamp and do your usual 90 day reporting BUT you do this in Thailand, You don't have to leave and it takes 30 mins every 90 days.

I did notice a post where Thai Elite picks up some guys passport and does the 90 day part for him, I have no idea if that is true or not, It has never been offered to me and quite honestly I'm not that lazy.

So yes, If you want to BUY it, I see people mentioning its a rip off, how is it a rip off ? Its something for sale. You pay the fee and its yours, That how things work isn't it ? You see something that you want and you buy it.

So anyway, My post is not bias either for or against the Elite card, I just thought I would clear up some of the myths on here that are invented by posters who shouldn't really comment on things that they know nothing about :-)

[EmptyMind]

I see a few references to an Investors Visa via BOI with a THB10 million investment in government bonds or bank. Is this still an option?

If not, how do "retired" guys with no pension under 50 with plenty of available cash married to Thais get a visa long term?

Have you tried the Thai Elite card? Gives you a 5 year renewable visa. http://www.thailandelite.com/ - it has lots of detractors from people who can't afford it, but at 1.5m its still fairly good value IMHO.

The 3m baht Investment Visa was canceled in late 2006, and I believe the 10m baht option was too? I am not 100% sure about that though.

No palm i feel the need to correct you ! I am sure there are many people out there

who can afford ot just as much as you ! But in my case i made my money by making shrewd business

decision ( maybe you just inherited yours ? ! so you need to think ! )

The Elite card is not for those who are shrewd in buisness because it simply doesnt make for

cost effective solution......................

Midas, That is a very biased comment based solely on YOUR lifestyle / opinion.

Its also very strange that you would think that palm had inherited his money and you made yours with your "Shrewd Business"

You have to realise that for some people like myself, The purchase of this card is a very good investment if you hate to travel and want to live a happy life without any Visa worries when you are still young.

[cali]

The people for and against the Elite may not be as far off as it appears. On one hand if you ask is the Elite card cost effective meaning will it save money versus other visas the answer is of course not. Their trend of hiking the price of the card and meanwhile reducing services to members continues to marginalize it. On the other hand if you ask is it worth it the answer could be yes depending on the individual. It offers a set of benefits and conveniences that you have to put a dollar amount on for yourself. Their 2000+ members shows it is indeed worth it to some people, but at the same time shows it is not worth it to the vast majority of people, even among those who can afford it.

[palm]

My son is Thai so now I want to spend most of my time in Thailand.

So can't you get a visa based on Marriage?

Or a visa based on being the parent of a Thai dependent?

I am not married, and no intention to.

I think you have to be over 50yrs old to use the Thai-dependent option, but wouldn't I HAVE to fly the the UK every year to renew the non-O visa? That's a yearly 100,000 baht cost just for a single business class ticket. What's the cost of a business class air ticket to Europe going to be in 10 years time? 250,000 baht? Then there are hotels, care hire etc to arrange to go and visit some backwater provincial town in the UK. Life is too short

I looked into the Elite thing more, and realised the one-off fee is a "lifetime membership" - so for me to reach the retirement visa age of 50, that's 13 years of membership for just 1.5mb baht. Or possibly 30 or 40 years of no visa hassles. Giving complete freedom to move in and out of Thailand at anytime.

I don't see air fares dropping anytime soon, so in 5 years, or 10 years time, the purchase of the Elite card could have been even more of a bargain - (that is of course if the service still exists). However with all of the government fighting, the coup etc, the card is still operating. Plus the list of other benefits on their web site is actually quite extensive.

The Elite card is clearly not designed for every foreigner; it seems to be designed for people who could do with the luxury of non-hassle it provides for living in Thailand. Its good to see comments from people who actually own the card about their good experiences in having one.

Currently, I have the Investment Visa, but that is not renewable (if you don't renew it or forget to have a valid multi-entry stamp when returning to Thailand); so for non-married people under 50, there are few options left.

Edited March 25, 2008 by palm

[EmptyMind]

My son is Thai so now I want to spend most of my time in Thailand.

So can't you get a visa based on Marriage?

Or a visa based on being the parent of a Thai dependent?

I am not married, and no intention to.

I think you have to be over 50yrs old to use the Thai-dependent option, but wouldn't I HAVE to fly the the UK every year to renew the non-O visa? That's a yearly 100,000 baht cost just for a single business class ticket. What's the cost of a business class air ticket to Europe going to be in 10 years time? 250,000 baht? Then there are hotels, care hire etc to arrange to go and visit some backwater provincial town in the UK. Life is too short

I looked into the Elite thing more, and realised the one-off fee is a "lifetime membership" - so for me to reach the retirement visa age of 50, that's 13 years of membership for just 1.5mb baht. Or possibly 30 or 40 years of no visa hassles. Giving complete freedom to move in and out of Thailand at anytime.

I don't see air fares dropping anytime soon, so in 5 years, or 10 years time, the purchase of the Elite card could have been even more of a bargain - (that is of course if the service still exists). However with all of the government fighting, the coup etc, the card is still operating. Plus the list of other benefits on their web site is actually quite extensive.

The Elite card is clearly not designed for every foreigner; it seems to be designed for people who could do with the luxury of non-hassle it provides for living in Thailand. Its good to see comments from people who actually own the card about their good experiences in having one.

Currently, I have the Investment Visa, but that is not renewable (if you don't renew it or forget to have a valid multi-entry stamp when returning to Thailand); so for non-married people under 50, there are few options left.

You are absolutely correct yes, If you do the maths and as long as the card still exists ((and as you have already pointed out (it has with all of the government fighting, the coup etc, the card is still operating)) it's an ideal solution for people like you and myself who don't want to get married, didn't come here for sex/marriage, are not old enough to retire but simply want to be rid of all these visa hassles and live in a country that is enjoyable. I really cant understand why people knock it so much, If its not for them, they don't have to buy it.

Its a far more stable solution than having to deal with the never ending changes in all these other visa regulations, and anyway, why would they scrap it ? Apart from the nice lifetime Visa part, the other benefits are pretty crappy in my opinion so why would they scrap something that costs them nothing, guarantees that you will spend loads of dosh and they keep the 7% tax and on top of that they have the card fee. I don't understand why people say that it wont last when the government obviously makes a huge chunk of cash from the members and everyone is happy.

[EmptyMind]

Actually my last post was a little incorrect when I said that the other benefits are a bit crappy, I don't play golf and I don't want to score points by eating in 6 star hotels that I cant afford, but another benefit of the card is the REAL member services. You are in a foreign country in a foreign land and sometimes you want to buy a car or get insurance or open a bank account or just need help to do something, That's when their member services comes to hand. As a member you can call them 24/7 and they will help you from the simplest things like changing a bank account to getting a Thai drivers license and that's all for your one off fee for your membership. You also get free medical check ups and 2 Million Baht house insurance and just lots of other things that people on here don't even know about.

Ah well, Again, That's my opinion from a real member and not something that I thought about in a bar.

Hopefully some people will find my comments of use to them.

[cali]

True enough. Just one small nit. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think you mean Elite provides 2 million baht accident insurance, not home insurance. However, it is worth noting this insurance is restricted to incredibly rare types of injuries people would not normally ever get in their lifetime unless you are a soldier, which is probably why the insurance goes on to exclude soldiers . If you want insurance for typical types of hospital visits, you can pretty much count on the fact the insurance will do nothing for you I am afraid.

[PattayaParent]

I don't understand why people say that it wont last when the government obviously makes a huge chunk of cash from the members and everyone is happy.

Can someone remind me again how many billions of baht in losses the Elite Card reported last year?

[palm]

Actually my last post was a little incorrect when I said that the other benefits are a bit crappy, I don't play golf and I don't want to score points by eating in 6 star hotels that I cant afford, but another benefit of the card is the REAL member services. You are in a foreign country in a foreign land and sometimes you want to buy a car or get insurance or open a bank account or just need help to do something, That's when their member services comes to hand. As a member you can call them 24/7 and they will help you from the simplest things like changing a bank account to getting a Thai drivers license and that's all for your one off fee for your membership. You also get free medical check ups and 2 Million Baht house insurance and just lots of other things that people on here don't even know about.

Ah well, Again, That's my opinion from a real member and not something that I thought about in a bar.

Hopefully some people will find my comments of use to them.

I dropped by the Elite office on North Sathorn Rd a couple of days ago and met two reps from the company.

They were extremely polite and helpful, and clarified the following points to me:

- the membership is indeed lifetime. So in my case, that could mean another 50+ years. They did explain the benefit to Thailand of having members is considerable because of the spend many of those members inject into the economy. So the actual profit from the card itself is not the only factor for the existence of the service. She explained many members invest hundreds of millions into Thailand and the Elite card is there as a service to make them feel more comfortable living in Thailand.

- you do need to go to an immigration station to report every 90 days, but that is very quick and easy as I've experience anyway. There is no requirement to leave the country at all, ever.

- I asked her about lots of gossip about the card being canceled in the future, and she remarked what possible benefit would be that to the Govt? Not to mention the severe legal trouble it would start from high net worth investors, etc etc.

It seems Elite should post some more detailed facts on the Visa it offers on their site, so its very clear what the Visa actually is? A true 'lifetime', multi-entry Visa with no requirement to leave the country by a specific date, seems a good deal for 1.5mb to me in my own personal circumstances.

[g00dgirl]

I also think it's a shame so many people have to post negative opinions about this possibility just because it doesn't suit them.

All that talk in the various threads on thaivisa made me doubt in the beginning whether this Elite Card and the visa are for real or not.

I am only 30, so for me it would be another 20 years until I reach retirement age with all hassles of monitoring the ever changing immigration regulations for business people and after that for retirement, worrying about regulations getting tighter, applying for new visas and extentions every year, worrying about re-entry permits, work permits .. for me it is not worth my time and health.

I have years of this hassle behind me doing business in other countries and it stressed me out, never knowing whether I can settle down or not, always having a time limit a visa that expires and worrying whether I meet the requirements to renew it again. I also do business in Thailand that would have allowed me to get a visa, but with much more uncertainty and wasted time.

The visa is real and this is what it looks like:

You see that it was issued for the first 5 years. It was also issued in Thailand in Bangkok, I did not have to leave the country and re-enter to receive it.

[RAZZELL]

I also think it's a shame so many people have to post negative opinions about this possibility just because it doesn't suit them.

All that talk in the various threads on thaivisa made me doubt in the beginning whether this Elite Card and the visa are for real or not.

I am only 30, so for me it would be another 20 years until I reach retirement age with all hassles of monitoring the ever changing immigration regulations for business people and after that for retirement, worrying about regulations getting tighter, applying for new visas and extentions every year, worrying about re-entry permits, work permits .. for me it is not worth my time and health.

I have years of this hassle behind me doing business in other countries and it stressed me out, never knowing whether I can settle down or not, always having a time limit a visa that expires and worrying whether I meet the requirements to renew it again. I also do business in Thailand that would have allowed me to get a visa, but with much more uncertainty and wasted time.

The visa is real and this is what it looks like:

You see that it was issued for the first 5 years. It was also issued in Thailand in Bangkok, I did not have to leave the country and re-enter to receive it.

At last...a real one

Just one point, can you get a WP if you have an Elite card?

RAZZ

[g00dgirl]

At last...a real one

Just one point, can you get a WP if you have an Elite card?

RAZZ

I did not ask them about this, but you can e-mail them to get an answer at memberservice at thailandelite.com.

I read somewhere that they offer assistance to obtain a work permit but would then change your visa to a non-B, not sure if that is correct.

To own shares in a company you don't need a work permit though as confirmed by Sunbelt Asia, so you can still do business in Thailand as long as you have staff for everything and don't do any work in your companies yourself.

[lopburi3]

You can not obtain a work permit on that visa.

[cali]

Speaking of such, there is a distinction worth noting because when you are on the Elite visa, you are classified as a tourist rather than a resident by the system. While you have greater privileges than tourist visa holders, you are restricted in a number of ways compared to a non-imm visa holder. To name a few examples to give a flavor of this:

If you need a Thai driving license, you are not permitted to apply for a 5 year driver license plus you cannot apply for an international driving license. You are forever stuck on 1 year temporary licenses that you have to reapply for from scratch every year.

You are not permitted to own a vehicle.

If you stay in the country, you must do 1900 baht temporary extension of stay forms at immigration every 3 months in person. Up and above that you must also do 90 day reporting.

[cali]

You can not obtain a work permit on that visa.

That does not appear to sync with the following direct quote found on thailandelite.com: "The Member Contact Center is available at any time to facilitate any of your needs while you are in the country. These can range from immigration assistance, obtaining a Thai Driver’s License and/or Work permit to our special government or business concierge services."

[lopburi3]

They will assist you (tell you what to do) - but you will have to obtain a non immigrant B visa and abide by those requirements from my understanding.

[RAZZELL]

They will assist you (tell you what to do) - but you will have to obtain a non immigrant B visa and abide by those requirements from my understanding.

So if you did this there would be no point in having the Elite Card excpet for the "other" privileges?

RAZZ

[g00dgirl]

Speaking of such, there is a distinction worth noting because when you are on the Elite visa, you are classified as a tourist rather than a resident by the system. While you have greater privileges than tourist visa holders, you are restricted in a number of ways compared to a non-imm visa holder. To name a few examples to give a flavor of this:

If you need a Thai driving license, you are not permitted to apply for a 5 year driver license plus you cannot apply for an international driving license. You are forever stuck on 1 year temporary licenses that you have to reapply for from scratch every year.

You are not permitted to own a vehicle.

I got my 5 year license without problems after my first 1 year license had expired.

I own a vehicle.

Edited March 28, 2008 by g00dgirl

[cali]

I got my 5 year license without problems after my first 1 year license had expired.

I own a vehicle.

That is interesting. Elite claims a work permit is required for such things and is something you don't get by default when you become a member. A simple phone call confirms this. From an earlier post I gather you do not have a work permit. Is it possible to explain this discrepancy?

[g00dgirl]

I got my 5 year license without problems after my first 1 year license had expired.

I own a vehicle.

That is interesting. Elite claims a work permit is required for such things and is something you don't get by default when you become a member. A simple phone call confirms this. From an earlier post I gather you do not have a work permit. Is it possible to explain this discrepancy?

Maybe it's because I did not use their assistance service to get my drivers liceses, I went by myself ... no idea.

Many people who are on tourist visas own vehicles without work permits.

[PattayaParent]

To buy a car you need a letter from Immigration confirming your address OR a Work Permit.

Likely the confusion over needing the WP to buy is if you want to buy on finance, then it would be reasonable for them to require a WP and/or proof of income and a Thai guarantor.