Thai Visa

[bmac]

Living in Canada planning to lose residency for January 05. Considering residence options in Asia to remove myself from worldwide tax earnings as Canadian resident.

Does the controversial Elite cards 5 year visa fulfill requirement for residency?

Primary Goal is to establish legal residence with minimal investment.

Any suggestions?

[manfromoz]

There are more knowledgable people than me that will probably reply, but my undertsanding is that as long as you are in thailand for 180 days per year then you are effectively living here.

For that, you don't need the Elite card only a one year visa.

I would really be looking at every other option to the elite card. Have a read around the site and see what the underlying effect of the card is likely to be and what benefits it doesn't really offer.

Why do you need to loose Canadian residence for a year? Just stop making money there which gives you world of opportunity.

[subbuteo]

The Thai Elite Card is more than just membership to an exclusive array of services and facilities. If you look at it from an investment perspective, you will see the true value in joining it. If you believe the Thai economy is going to boom in the next few years, if you believe land and property prices are going to increase, if you believe more and more visitors are going to come to Thailand through the new airport, if you believe that a piece of land in your own name will be worth much more in future than now........then the thai elite card is valuable as an 'option' to own land. This is similar to options in financial markets. You can choose to exercise your option and go on to purchase land in your name, or choose to do nothing. This option has no expiry date, and it is also tradeable in the sense that it is transferable.... your option fee is 1mil baht and can choose to give it up for a fee of 100000 baht. Think about it.

[Guest chingy]

exclusive array of services and facilities

what if one of these day that facilities decided he11 we aint gaining anything lets pull out of the elite card thingy. what will happen

[bmac]

Oz , Chingy point taken. This site is a gem. Elite card not my chosen option. Thinking Sunbelt might help me sort out a class b sponsorship for one year. Financially stable with the thoughts of having a proper look around before I leap. Took a while to wrap my head around the visa play but think I now know how to play nice. Next step is to figure out, as a developer, how to minimize headaches by finding legal representation that wont kill me with death by a thousand cuts- fees. Have explored both Pensit and Manit on Samui, very pricey. Thnks again for posts, this site is a fantastic resource with some truly unique characters.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The Thai Elite Card is more than just membership to an exclusive array of services and facilities. If you look at it from an investment perspective, you will see the true value in joining it. If you believe the Thai economy is going to boom in the next few years, if you believe land and property prices are going to increase, if you believe more and more visitors are going to come to Thailand through the new airport, if you believe that a piece of land in your own name will be worth much more in future than now........then the thai elite card is valuable as an 'option' to own land. This is similar to options in financial markets. You can choose to exercise your option and go on to purchase land in your name, or choose to do nothing. This option has no expiry date, and it is also tradeable in the sense that it is transferable.... your option fee is 1mil baht and can choose to give it up for a fee of 100000 baht. Think about it.

Is the Elite Card still on the market ? I thought there were problems of legality of the card.

[huski]

The Thai Elite Card is more than just membership to an exclusive array of services and facilities. If you look at it from an investment perspective, you will see the true value in joining it. If you believe the Thai economy is going to boom in the next few years, if you believe land and property prices are going to increase, if you believe more and more visitors are going to come to Thailand through the new airport, if you believe that a piece of land in your own name will be worth much more in future than now........then the thai elite card is valuable as an 'option' to own land. This is similar to options in financial markets. You can choose to exercise your option and go on to purchase land in your name, or choose to do nothing. This option has no expiry date, and it is also tradeable in the sense that it is transferable.... your option fee is 1mil baht and can choose to give it up for a fee of 100000 baht. Think about it.

Is the Elite Card still on the market ? I thought there were problems of legality of the card.

dr, they must have forgot to tell the salesmen like mr. think about it

Thailand Privilege Card is temporarily halting its effort to sell memberships "in order to improve services", Somchainuek said.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The Thai Elite Card is more than just membership to an exclusive array of services and facilities. If you look at it from an investment perspective, you will see the true value in joining it. If you believe the Thai economy is going to boom in the next few years, if you believe land and property prices are going to increase, if you believe more and more visitors are going to come to Thailand through the new airport, if you believe that a piece of land in your own name will be worth much more in future than now........then the thai elite card is valuable as an 'option' to own land. This is similar to options in financial markets. You can choose to exercise your option and go on to purchase land in your name, or choose to do nothing. This option has no expiry date, and it is also tradeable in the sense that it is transferable.... your option fee is 1mil baht and can choose to give it up for a fee of 100000 baht. Think about it.

Is the Elite Card still on the market ? I thought there were problems of legality of the card.

dr, they must have forgot to tell the salesmen like mr. think about it

Thailand Privilege Card is temporarily halting its effort to sell memberships "in order to improve services", Somchainuek said.

Why would they tell their own people ? So far policy has totally been made on the run. It's kinda hard to treat 'em too seriously.

[Orion76]

If they pull the benefits of the Elite card you'll still have the 5 year visa in your passport.

If you're wealthy then that is well worth it, if $25,000 equals your life savings then it would be a pretty stupid thing to do.

[plachon]

The Thai Elite Card is more than just membership to an exclusive array of services and facilities. If you look at it from an investment perspective, you will see the true value in joining it. If you believe the Thai economy is going to boom in the next few years, if you believe land and property prices are going to increase, if you believe more and more visitors are going to come to Thailand through the new airport, if you believe that a piece of land in your own name will be worth much more in future than now........then the thai elite card is valuable as an 'option' to own land. This is similar to options in financial markets. You can choose to exercise your option and go on to purchase land in your name, or choose to do nothing. This option has no expiry date, and it is also tradeable in the sense that it is transferable.... your option fee is 1mil baht and can choose to give it up for a fee of 100000 baht. Think about it.

You're aving a larf ain't ya? About 20,000 people on this site "thought about it" and rejected it out of hand as a total scam. Even the Admins and that's saying something! either they don't think Thailand is on the verge of your mega boom (it's just had it, me old china!) or they think that they could spend their million baht better off on other VIP services. (Now how many soapy massages could you buy for $25 K? Think about it salesman! ) And I'll say it again: IF YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY KICKING AROUND, YOU'RE ALREADY A VIP HERE! (which is probably why they've only managed to "sell" less than 500 of the blasted things, despite a marketing spree running into the billions.

[Digger]

Living in Canada planning to lose residency for January 05. Considering residence options in Asia to remove myself from worldwide tax earnings as Canadian resident.

Does the controversial Elite cards 5 year visa fulfill requirement for residency?

Primary Goal is to establish legal residence with minimal investment.

Any suggestions?

I woudl hazzard a guess and say no it does not take you out of Canadian tax net. Other countries are far easier to get residency than Thailand, even if you hardly ever go there.

Personaly, I think that the Elite Card for 25,000 US$ is a steal purely for the visa element - the rest of the stuff that comes with it aint worth tuppence. Already anybody with some common sense and decent lawyers can own (indirectly) as much land as they like. Now that of course assumes, you have a level of income/assets where 25,000 is not going to bankrupt you, but for that price, id agree with another poster and say its a viable option for someone with say 200-500,000 US$ in liquid assets. Not rich but comfortably off and there are many many thousands of people with that kind of cash.

[Guest chingy]

nothing last forever in Thailand and 5yr is a long time, just pretend that TRT is not in office for the next 2yr, new party emerge and they decided we love Thailand and we are not selling our country. there's nothing wrong with the card only if Thailand is a stable country, Thai people change their mind in second no matter what the result is.

[bkklover]

I don't think you should consider the Elite card as an option if your intention is to live in Bangkok permanently.

1)I think that owning land with the card maybe illegal if you look at the laws which prohibit someone or a company from owning land on behalf of a foreigner.

2)If the situation wherby TRT isno longer in power, what if thenect ruling party decide to stop this Elite card and provide a small compensation in return.Furthermore, by then, you may have Thai wife and kids by then and it may be far more dificult to acquire other resiednt visas at that point in time(if the authorities can mark 200k baht to 400k baht, what is there to stop them from increasing it to 800k or 1.2million).If, unfortunately, you can't get the visa, what are you do man? Remember that Elite card would not see you to Thai citizenship one day.When the time comes when you are old and frail, do you honestly think that you would like the 90 day visa runs?

If you have USD25k to invest, and don't need to find a job,I suggest you are better off getting the NON-O 1 year visa, at least you can get your citizenship with that in future.

[lopburi3]

Remember that Elite card would not see you to Thai citizenship one day.When the time comes when you are old and frail, do you honestly think that you would like the 90 day visa runs?

If you have USD25k to invest, and don't need to find a job,I suggest you are better off getting the NON-O 1 year visa, at least you can get your citizenship with that in future.

Agree with most of your post but would point out that this 5 year visa only requires runs as far as the local immigration office every 90 days rather than a border crossing and that no visa provides citizenship. The extension of a non immigrant visa can provide one requirement for Permanent Residence; which in a few cases may lead to later citizenship if conditions are met.

[p_brownstone]

The Thai Elite Card is more than just membership to an exclusive array of services and facilities. If you look at it from an investment perspective, you will see the true value in joining it. If you believe the Thai economy is going to boom in the next few years, if you believe land and property prices are going to increase, if you believe more and more visitors are going to come to Thailand through the new airport, if you believe that a piece of land in your own name will be worth much more in future than now........then the thai elite card is valuable as an 'option' to own land. This is similar to options in financial markets. You can choose to exercise your option and go on to purchase land in your name, or choose to do nothing. This option has no expiry date, and it is also tradeable in the sense that it is transferable.... your option fee is 1mil baht and can choose to give it up for a fee of 100000 baht. Think about it.

Have a look at the Elite Card website and count how many of the "exclusive array of services and facilities" are qualified by the phrase "to be built in the future"!!

Also don't forget that things like Golf Green Fees etc., although "free" to Cardholders, actually have to be redeemed from the Card Company by the facility providing the service - has anyone here tried to get money from a Government Agency recently? My company does regular business worth hundreds of thousands of Baht with PTT and Bangchak and we get the run around every time we try to collect (we now increase our pricing to them to compensate) - imagine the costs incurred by a Golf Course in, say, Phuket trying to reclaim a Baht 2,000.- Green Fee from an agency in Bangkok. How long before they simply discontinue their affiliation with the Card Company because of the problems??

Finally you will never "own a piece of land in your own name", title to the land is in the name of a subsidiary of the Card Company - but as previously pointed out by other posters even that device is now the subject of dispute over its legality - and as part of the Assets of the Card Company it will be seized when the Company finally rolls over and dies.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The Thai Elite Card is more than just membership to an exclusive array of services and facilities. If you look at it from an investment perspective, you will see the true value in joining it. If you believe the Thai economy is going to boom in the next few years, if you believe land and property prices are going to increase, if you believe more and more visitors are going to come to Thailand through the new airport, if you believe that a piece of land in your own name will be worth much more in future than now........then the thai elite card is valuable as an 'option' to own land. This is similar to options in financial markets. You can choose to exercise your option and go on to purchase land in your name, or choose to do nothing. This option has no expiry date, and it is also tradeable in the sense that it is transferable.... your option fee is 1mil baht and can choose to give it up for a fee of 100000 baht. Think about it.

However can one purchase land as an alien ... with or without the Elite Card ?

[bkklover]

Agree with most of your post but would point out that this 5 year visa only requires runs as far as the local immigration office every 90 days rather than a border crossing and that no visa provides citizenship.

Deap Lopburi3

I understand that technically, you would be eligible to apply for permanent residence after 3 consecutive years of possessing a 1 year Non-O visa (I also know that you have to report your address every 90 days) and citizenship five years after you have been a permanent resident.

Are you saying that

1)With possession of the five year Elite card visa, you would be eligible to apply for permanent residence after 3 consecutive years of residence, just as in the Non-O visa, and that the runs to the local immigration office every 90 days is to report your address.

OR....

2)The five year Elite card visa would not entitle you to apply for permanet residence after three years of residing in Thailand, and the 90 day reporting is to extend your stay for the next 90 days.

Thanks a lot!!!

[huski]

2)The five year Elite card visa would not entitle you to apply for permanet residence after three years of residing in Thailand, and the 90 day reporting is to extend your stay for the next 90 days.

you need 3 consecutive one year extensions from thai immigration to apply for PR,

[Axel]

You have to study Section 17 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 the Minister of Interior, with the approval of the Cabinet resolution of 16 September 2003,

I wrote about this on 29/12/03:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...pic=4222&st=45#

To cut it short, if you have the card you will get a visa allowing you to stay for 90 days. If you want to stay longer, you have to go to immigration and will be granted an extension for another 90 days.

This, however, does not reflect the conditions of having stayed 3 consecutive years under a non-imm visa with extensions as you either extent every 90 days or return to Thailand and get a new entry allowing to stay 90 days.

After 5 years, you should get another 5 years allowing you to go in/out as above or stay and extent.

The card is for life (yours or the campany's, I do not know. )_

However, as long as the card exists and the above Immigration Act is not changed it should be ok.

[lopburi3]

2)The five year Elite card visa would not entitle you to apply for permanet residence after three years of residing in Thailand, and the 90 day reporting is to extend your stay for the next 90 days.

Above para two is correct as my meaning.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

2)The five year Elite card visa would not entitle you to apply for permanet residence after three years of residing in Thailand, and the 90 day reporting is to extend your stay for the next 90 days.

Above para two is correct as my meaning.

If one gets one year extensions with the Elite visa, I don't know why you'd bother. A single entry Non O can be obtained and extended very simply and inexpensively. A person under retirement age might find a use for it.