Thailand Elite easy access 500k THB card

[DrTuner]

The elite card is even cheaper then Saving 800 k in the bank!

That 800k remains yours to use after getting an extension. I assume you meant retirement extension.

500k for 5y isn't bad at all, if it's guaranteed. That's the problem, one has to decide if you're ok with the risk of the rules abruptly changing and losing the money, as well as the permission to stay. For unmarried under 50's with cash it does seem like a contender.

There is another option.

Opening a sole trader company and having lawyers do the extensions. Cheaper in the long run, but more paperwork

I've been wondering about this.. if you're just the director and not an employee, will you need a work permit (meaning 2M cap for the company & four Thais), or will you be able to get a non-imm B visa just because of being a director ? The business extension requires you have taxable income, which does seem to indicate work permit is obligatory. Also rules out having a simple shelf company.

[Pralaad]

The elite card is even cheaper then Saving 800 k in the bank!

That 800k remains yours to use after getting an extension. I assume you meant retirement extension.

500k for 5y isn't bad at all, if it's guaranteed. That's the problem, one has to decide if you're ok with the risk of the rules abruptly changing and losing the money, as well as the permission to stay. For unmarried under 50's with cash it does seem like a contender.

There is another option.

Opening a sole trader company and having lawyers do the extensions. Cheaper in the long run, but more paperwork

I've been wondering about this.. if you're just the director and not an employee, will you need a work permit (meaning 2M cap for the company & four Thais), or will you be able to get a non-imm B visa just because of being a director ? The business extension requires you have taxable income, which does seem to indicate work permit is obligatory. Also rules out having a simple shelf company.

Being a sole trader, you will not have WP as you will not have any staff, however lawyers can do extensions on Non B or give documents to apply and be approved for another/new Non B.

As i said it does require some "creative" paper work, however is doable and is cheaper.

Some years ago, i use to get a letter form a law firm "inviting me" to come to Thailand for business purposes. With that letter, i received Non B for a few years.

Having the sole trader company, would fall into a similar scenario

Edited May 16, 2014 by Pralaad

[DrTuner]

Being a sole trader, you will not have WP as you will not have any staff, however lawyers can do extensions on Non B or give documents to apply and be approved for another/new Non B.

As i said it does require some "creative" paper work, however is doable and is cheaper.

Some years ago, i use to get a letter form a law firm "inviting me" to come to Thailand for business purposes. With that letter, i received Non B for a few years.

Having the sole trader company, would fall into a similar scenario

Alright, so you wouldn't actually be working in Thailand, just an owner of a dormant sole trader company. It's not formed as a limited company then, right ? Do they let a foreigner open such a company everywhere in Thailand, or is it "up to luck" ?

[Pralaad]

Being a sole trader, you will not have WP as you will not have any staff, however lawyers can do extensions on Non B or give documents to apply and be approved for another/new Non B.

As i said it does require some "creative" paper work, however is doable and is cheaper.

Some years ago, i use to get a letter form a law firm "inviting me" to come to Thailand for business purposes. With that letter, i received Non B for a few years.

Having the sole trader company, would fall into a similar scenario

Alright, so you wouldn't actually be working in Thailand, just an owner of a dormant sole trader company. It's not formed as a limited company then, right ? Do they let a foreigner open such a company everywhere in Thailand, or is it "up to luck" ?

Nope, no working but is limited company with shareholders. The accountant or lawyer would be the shareholders.

It is perfectly legal as far as i know to be a sole trader company

[SiggiCM]

very funny this discussion, there is no 5 years visa or 20 years visa, this must be written in thai immigration visa law, withut this it doesn´t exist.

all types of visa are clear in the law written. This is the best scram ever i thailand, pay 500.000 baht and you get a 5 year visa.

[ocean268]

[SiggiCM]

all visas are written in thai immigration law, there is no 5 or 20 years visa, it is a big scram

[DrTuner]

very funny this discussion, there is no 5 years visa or 20 years visa, this must be written in thai immigration visa law, withut this it doesn´t exist.

all types of visa are clear in the law written. This is the best scram ever i thailand, pay 500.000 baht and you get a 5 year visa.

The Thailand Immigation Act ? http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/doc/Immigration_Act.pdf

Section 34, number 15: Other activities as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations. I suppose there is a regulation for the Special Entry visa, most likely a remnant from Thaksins original Elite Card.

EDIT: The maximum stay based on entering with a visa according to that section for the "other activities" is one year. The 5y is the validity period of the visa. So a visa run every year is needed, unless there's an extension of permission to stay granted on some obscure grounds by the immigration police.

Edited May 16, 2014 by DrTuner

[Pralaad]

very funny this discussion, there is no 5 years visa or 20 years visa, this must be written in thai immigration visa law, withut this it doesn´t exist.

all types of visa are clear in the law written. This is the best scram ever i thailand, pay 500.000 baht and you get a 5 year visa.

It is funny indeed.

There is an official website, there are people holding such visa, but its all a fake and does not exist, because a nick name on Thai visa said so

I wonder what the chances are of more "smart" posts to come from this person

[Pralaad]

very funny this discussion, there is no 5 years visa or 20 years visa, this must be written in thai immigration visa law, withut this it doesn´t exist.

all types of visa are clear in the law written. This is the best scram ever i thailand, pay 500.000 baht and you get a 5 year visa.

The Thailand Immigation Act ? http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/doc/Immigration_Act.pdf

Section 34, number 15: Other activities as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations. I suppose there is a regulation for the Special Entry visa, most likely a remnant from Thaksins original Elite Card.

Its just the Non O(others) with right to renew every year for other 5 years or 20 years, where the staff of Elite card do all the work for you

[DrTuner]

very funny this discussion, there is no 5 years visa or 20 years visa, this must be written in thai immigration visa law, withut this it doesn´t exist.

all types of visa are clear in the law written. This is the best scram ever i thailand, pay 500.000 baht and you get a 5 year visa.

The Thailand Immigation Act ? http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/doc/Immigration_Act.pdf

Section 34, number 15: Other activities as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations. I suppose there is a regulation for the Special Entry visa, most likely a remnant from Thaksins original Elite Card.

Its just the Non O(others) with right to renew every year for other 5 years or 20 years, where the staff of Elite card do all the work for you

Not sure what the visa is actually called, non-immigrant, tourist, etc seem to be names reserved for the visas the mere mortals get.

I noticed they mentioned they'll only do the 90d notices for you if you're in BKK:

http://www.thailandelite.com/newcreate/tpc_news_view.php?id=6

The Free of Charge Elite Personal Liaison offered for the 90-day presence at Thai Immigration Bureau is limited to the offices at Chaengwattana, Bangkok only.

Bit of a bummer.

[Pralaad]

Not sure what the visa is actually called, non-immigrant, tourist, etc seem to be names reserved for the visas the mere mortals get.

I noticed they mentioned they'll only do the 90d notices for you if you're in BKK:

http://www.thailandelite.com/newcreate/tpc_news_view.php?id=6

The Free of Charge Elite Personal Liaison offered for the 90-day presence at Thai Immigration Bureau is limited to the offices at Chaengwattana, Bangkok only.

Bit of a bummer.

A friend of mine has one and has been on it for at least past 6 or so years.

When they talked about cancelling it and all the hot air, his was never cancelled and he did not have any problems at all.

In his passport he is stamped Non O, and Elite staff do the new visa every year. He has not left Thailand for past 6 years and is based in Pattaya.

Not sure if he still falls under old rules and regulations or if he sends them his passport, can check though if needed.

[DrTuner]

A friend of mine has one and has been on it for at least past 6 or so years.

When they talked about cancelling it and all the hot air, his was never cancelled and he did not have any problems at all.

In his passport he is stamped Non O, and Elite staff do the new visa every year. He has not left Thailand for past 6 years and is based in Pattaya.

Not sure if he still falls under old rules and regulations or if he sends them his passport, can check though if needed.

Ah, first mention I've seen of the visa class. Non-Immigrant "Other". The immigration act does let the authorities stamp you in for 1y, f.ex. when you've got the retirement non-imm O-A.

If he hasn't left Thailand on a visa run at all, he should have five extension of stay stamps in his passport. I'm on marriage extensions and on the top of the extension stamp it says in Thai "Thai wife", ie. panrayaa thai in red letters. Mind asking him what he's got there ? I'm just curious.

[Pralaad]

A friend of mine has one and has been on it for at least past 6 or so years.

When they talked about cancelling it and all the hot air, his was never cancelled and he did not have any problems at all.

In his passport he is stamped Non O, and Elite staff do the new visa every year. He has not left Thailand for past 6 years and is based in Pattaya.

Not sure if he still falls under old rules and regulations or if he sends them his passport, can check though if needed.

Ah, first mention I've seen of the visa class. Non-Immigrant "Other". The immigration act does let the authorities stamp you in for 1y, f.ex. when you've got the retirement non-imm O-A.

If he hasn't left Thailand on a visa run at all, he should have five extension of stay stamps in his passport. I'm on marriage extensions and on the top of the extension stamp it says in Thai "Thai wife", ie. panrayaa thai in red letters. Mind asking him what he's got there ? I'm just curious.

Sure thing, will ask and post back

[CharlesHH]

I never needed it, so did not concentrate on it. But, thinking now about a Thailand Elite or Easy card reminds me how Thailand is made for wealthy elites, Thai or foreigner.

$260 a month is a HUGE figure and is added to the up-front charge. I read the detail of what you get and was shocked it was so little of anything I need. I guess it is for the real business man going and coming often, living in a penthouse of a BKK serviced apt., and having a rich company pay these bills.

Now it dawns on me how completely Thailand is for sale, but the bid must be high. I like the brag on the Elite Card site that says it is the world's first such card, meaning that it is the only nation to sell residence permits for so much.

Question....... Must a holder of what I guess Immigration awards, a five year extendable visa, still report presence every 90 days (allowing a different person to actually do the paper in person, not the visa holder) ???

Question...... If one purchases the Elite Card, is that an automatic visa approval or is that an extra process?? I.E., no other hoops nor documents to present, yes???

Question.... When does Thailand accumulate so many enhanced or expedited ways of avoiding the sweating masses (at immigration or elsewhere) that the sweating masses can never be served, just left waiting???

[Stanley78]

I never needed it, so did not concentrate on it. But, thinking now about a Thailand Elite or Easy card reminds me how Thailand is made for wealthy elites, Thai or foreigner.

$260 a month is a HUGE figure and is added to the up-front charge. I read the detail of what you get and was shocked it was so little of anything I need. I guess it is for the real business man going and coming often, living in a penthouse of a BKK serviced apt., and having a rich company pay these bills.

Now it dawns on me how completely Thailand is for sale, but the bid must be high. I like the brag on the Elite Card site that says it is the world's first such card, meaning that it is the only nation to sell residence permits for so much.

Question....... Must a holder of what I guess Immigration awards, a five year extendable visa, still report presence every 90 days (allowing a different person to actually do the paper in person, not the visa holder) ???

Question...... If one purchases the Elite Card, is that an automatic visa approval or is that an extra process?? I.E., no other hoops nor documents to present, yes???

Question.... When does Thailand accumulate so many enhanced or expedited ways of avoiding the sweating masses (at immigration or elsewhere) that the sweating masses can never be served, just left waiting???

Thailand may be the only country with such a card but many countries have systems in place where you can either purchase property (The Bahamas, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Malaysia etc.) or invest a certain amount (most countries in the world including the richest such as USA and Australia.) and get permanent residence.

So in the sense that people with money have it easier than people without when it comes to visa, and of course most things in life, I don't find it to be that unique to Thailand at all.

Anyway your questions:

Answer... As far as I know Thailand Elite takes care of that for the holder. If it's in Bangkok.

Answer... You have to be approved by Thailand Immigration before you pay the fee for the card (took 6 days for me, 4 of which were working days) but Thailand Elite applies for that for you, so no hoops no. One of the easiest visas I've ever gotten and I've lived in 9 countries on 3 continents so I have some experience with that.

Answer... No idea.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Stanley78

[HerbalEd]

I never needed it, so did not concentrate on it. But, thinking now about a Thailand Elite or Easy card reminds me how Thailand is made for wealthy elites, Thai or foreigner.

$260 a month is a HUGE figure and is added to the up-front charge. I read the detail of what you get and was shocked it was so little of anything I need. I guess it is for the real business man going and coming often, living in a penthouse of a BKK serviced apt., and having a rich company pay these bills.

Now it dawns on me how completely Thailand is for sale, but the bid must be high. I like the brag on the Elite Card site that says it is the world's first such card, meaning that it is the only nation to sell residence permits for so much.

Question....... Must a holder of what I guess Immigration awards, a five year extendable visa, still report presence every 90 days (allowing a different person to actually do the paper in person, not the visa holder) ???

Question...... If one purchases the Elite Card, is that an automatic visa approval or is that an extra process?? I.E., no other hoops nor documents to present, yes???

Question.... When does Thailand accumulate so many enhanced or expedited ways of avoiding the sweating masses (at immigration or elsewhere) that the sweating masses can never be served, just left waiting???

"So many enhanced or expedited ways" of what exactly? Can you actually list them?

Thailand gets millions of tourists yearly and the vast majority of them are not at all wealthy. This elite card is for a very small minority of foreign visitors. So there's no conspiracy against regular tourists in Thailand ... not by a long shot. Collectively those "sweating masses" ... as you call them ... spend way way more money than do the few rich people.

Edited May 16, 2014 by HerbalEd

[ukrules]

This is interesting, I'll be keeping my eye on this.

I did some rough calculations and I think that it would pay for itself within about two years based on what I'm doing this year.

[george]

Question is, is this a Non-Immigrant or Tourist visa with multiple entries?

Can you hold a work permit with this visa?

[Stanley78]

Question is, is this a Non-Immigrant or Tourist visa with multiple entries?

Can you hold a work permit with this visa?

Thailand Elite can assist you with getting a work permit on this visa according to the information I was given.

But I would of course recommend you asking them yourself directly before getting the card/visa if that permit is important for you.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Stanley78

[george]

Question is, is this a Non-Immigrant or Tourist visa with multiple entries?

Can you hold a work permit with this visa?

Thailand Elite can assist you with getting a work permit on this visa according to the information I was given.

But I would of course recommend you asking them yourself directly before getting the card/visa if that permit is important for you.

Let me rephrase:

Can a current holder of a Work Permit change from a regular Non-Immigrant visa and buy this Special entry visa?

Labour Department require a Non-Immigrant B or O visa. Is this "special entry visa" a Non-Immigrant visa or a Tourist visa?

[DrTuner]

Question is, is this a Non-Immigrant or Tourist visa with multiple entries?

Can you hold a work permit with this visa?

Thailand Elite can assist you with getting a work permit on this visa according to the information I was given.

But I would of course recommend you asking them yourself directly before getting the card/visa if that permit is important for you.

Let me rephrase:

Can a current holder of a Work Permit change from a regular Non-Immigrant visa and buy this Special entry visa?

Labour Department require a Non-Immigrant B or O visa. Is this "special entry visa" a Non-Immigrant visa or a Tourist visa?

Post 102 refers to a non-imm O stamp.

[ukrules]

Question is, is this a Non-Immigrant or Tourist visa with multiple entries?

Can you hold a work permit with this visa?

Thailand Elite can assist you with getting a work permit on this visa according to the information I was given.

But I would of course recommend you asking them yourself directly before getting the card/visa if that permit is important for you.

Let me rephrase:

Can a current holder of a Work Permit change from a regular Non-Immigrant visa and buy this Special entry visa?

Labour Department require a Non-Immigrant B or O visa. Is this "special entry visa" a Non-Immigrant visa or a Tourist visa?

Post 102 refers to a non-imm O stamp.

From here : http://www.thailandelite.com/newcreate/glimpse.php

This :

Assistance can range from immigration, facilitating to obtain a Thai driving license and work permit to our special government and business services.

[ukrules]

Also from here : http://encounter-thailand.com/re-launching-of-thailand-elite-program-a-scam-or-hope/

This :

There are some points which need to be clarified such as the Special Entry Visa. This visa falls under the tourist category, not a non-immigrant visa. The TPC member will be permitted to stay one year for each entry, while the old card holders will be granted only 90 days on each entry. The new member will only need to do a local notification report every 90 days which the member service staff will take care off. The members are not allowed to work under the Elite Card as they are in the country as a tourist. However, if a work permit is obtained then by immigration law and regulation, as well as the labour law, they must change their visa to Non-Immigrant. This point needs to be made clear to the members as it could jeopardize their rights as members.

The above is from last year so based on the Thai Elite Card website it looks like they've gone down the O visa route this time as you can get a work permit by the looks of it.

I would like more information on this.

Edited May 16, 2014 by ukrules

[BuckBee]

In this case, why not taking two 500K's for 2 people, or a single 500K's and a dependant visa for the spouse?

What about spouse and immediate family?

I checked and as far as I can tell there are no rights for spouse nor immediate family on the THB 500k Easy Access card.

It is possible to get Family Membership cards for THB 1m + 10k per year and person if you have the Individual card (the one for THB 2m + 20k per year) but I somehow doubt that is the answer you were hoping for since that would add up to very large amounts (THB 5m + 50k/year for a couple with two kids).

Indeed. I didn't say I recommend getting the 2M and 1M cards. In fact I don't recommend any solution in particular and have no idea what is the best for anyone else and their particular life situation but my own.

I just wanted to let people know what exists in case anyone else would find it useful. The more information everyone has the better decisions they can make. Hopefully.

Quite agree stanley78 & the information is interesting & as useful as any other visa options that are discussed

[larsjohnsson]

I think for the people that aren't lucky enough to have a work permit, a thai wife, or a retirement extension, the real question is:

Is it more risky than to invest 10 millions in a condo, treasure bonds or fix account?

Yes, you could loose 500 000 baths in the process, but the loss is already cut there and limited to this amount.

And, may be the others visas will be also subject to major changes in the near Future, who knows. For what I've read they are not carved into marble and are subject to even faster modifications without any notice.

http://www.thailandelite.com/newcreate/tpc_news_view.php?id=6

The visa privilege conditions, extension periods, and fees (THB 1,900) are subject to change by Royal Thai government policies and the Thai Immigration Bureau.

Yes well..so it's apparently a multi-entry non-immigrant visa, with 5y validity. You'll get 90d at the border, with the option to extend the permission to stay for 1 y. The basis used for the extension looks unclear.

Too fishy for my taste. Almost looks like somebody at the immigration is bending their own rules for a bit of cash.

It's less risky than buying house/land in a GF/wife's name. Which a lot of people do

[larsjohnsson]

The elite card is even cheaper then Saving 800 k in the bank!

That 800k remains yours to use after getting an extension. I assume you meant retirement extension.

500k for 5y isn't bad at all, if it's guaranteed. That's the problem, one has to decide if you're ok with the risk of the rules abruptly changing and losing the money, as well as the permission to stay. For unmarried under 50's with cash it does seem like a contender.

The risk of loosing the money because a abruptly change of rules have to be very very low. Especially if comparing to all the people that already have lost a lot more money on land, houses, condos and similar stuff.

[jonnyscot]

I've skipped a couple pages of this topic, but Very interesting from what I've read, thanks for the info,, I've just obtained my 1 year non imm o, but sounds a decent option, one problem I have due to my work in the offshore industry (outside Thailand), is that I'm not in country long enough to make a yearly extension based on marriage so My only current option is to go to a neighbouring country to make a new 1 year non imm o multi application,,

so my question would be what's the annual process of extension, and more importantly how long does the extension process take.

Apologies in advance if this has already been covered

Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[SanukJoeII]

(Quote)

What is the value of the time spent doing visa runs? For some surely worth it, for others that time has much more value than the money saved.

What is the annual loss on having THB 800k stuck in an account with low or no interest in order to get a retirement visa rather than having it invested somewhere where it gets a good ROI?

The list goes on and on.(/Quote)

Personally I am thankful for the info you have given. Just don't get too far in down-playing normal visas and the costs involved, as you seem not too well informed in that area.

Visa runs are done by tourists and so-called tourists. Anyone working, being married to a Thai, or retired, does not make visa or border runs, they just report every 90 days their address, and once a year apply for an extension of stay. As for 800K in the bank. Some do that, some do half because of being married, and some, like me, don't do at all. I'm on extension (retirement) based on income per month, being 65K minimum. So no money is "stuck" in any bank account, I just provide an embassy letter and pay the annual amount of 1900 baht. That's all, so not all that are on visas or extensions do visa runs or have money stuck in a bank....

Excellent info re Elite card, it might be the way some criminals manage to enter the country and stay long time without ever been discovered by a border office or immigration office

[Frank78]

Actually, since they're aiming for a few thousand people, it's quite easy to track, especially if there is a special stamp on your passport...

(Quote)

What is the value of the time spent doing visa runs? For some surely worth it, for others that time has much more value than the money saved.

What is the annual loss on having THB 800k stuck in an account with low or no interest in order to get a retirement visa rather than having it invested somewhere where it gets a good ROI?

The list goes on and on.(/Quote)

Personally I am thankful for the info you have given. Just don't get too far in down-playing normal visas and the costs involved, as you seem not too well informed in that area.

Visa runs are done by tourists and so-called tourists. Anyone working, being married to a Thai, or retired, does not make visa or border runs, they just report every 90 days their address, and once a year apply for an extension of stay. As for 800K in the bank. Some do that, some do half because of being married, and some, like me, don't do at all. I'm on extension (retirement) based on income per month, being 65K minimum. So no money is "stuck" in any bank account, I just provide an embassy letter and pay the annual amount of 1900 baht. That's all, so not all that are on visas or extensions do visa runs or have money stuck in a bank....

Excellent info re Elite card, it might be the way some criminals manage to enter the country and stay long time without ever been discovered by a border office or immigration office