Thailand Elite easy access 500k THB card

[richard_smith237]

It is indeed 90 day extensions you need to apply for and it is not free.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643383-thailand-elite-card-to-be-relaunched-in-june/?p=6462269

To get a few things straight: With the Elite Card there is no 3 months reporting, but you have to apply for an extension every 3 months, with a full set of paperworks and a fee of 1900 baht each time. A major pain in the butt to be honest.

Yes, I read about the 1900 every 3 months and it sounded like an extension. TE claim they carry this procedure out on the members behalf. How would that be a pain in the butt?

The way I understand is that the TE staff walks you through the procedure, but you have to be present each time.

THANKYOU, makes sense, they need her passport & 1900 baht.

My mistake earlier - it is the 90 day extension (at a cost of 1900 THB) and not a 90 day report.

Confirmation may be required of the 'assistance' provide by Thai Elite for each 90 day Extension.

It was my understanding that assistance will be provided by Thai Elite just once each year for 'business and logistical' matters.

(i.e. they'll come along with you and help you open bank accounts, get a driving licence etc - which is something easy enough to do alone).

That said - for the 90 day Extension they could provide someone each extensions 4 times per year, I've just never seen it written that clearly.

[neverdie]

i must say that i myself have never ever stayed in Thailand for more than 90 days straight either with the elite visa or my current visa; but my understanding is that you still need to do the extension every 90 days with the elite visa and yes i believe you need to be present yourself.

Ok, thanks for your help. I will wait until I hear back from Stanley before Report back to her, there's no need to confuse her.

90 day extensions make sense, he see the 1900.

Maybe Thai Elite have personnel stationed at Chaengwattana and they assist TE members thru some expedient way to extend? Or alternatively the member can extend at their local immi office.

My friend would like less o/s travel, mainly due to the expense and difficulty created by it for her.

[wordchild]

When people invest in a business and the economy goes down they will lose some of their prospected profits, but they don't lose their investments.

If the Elite scam closes down once again next few months your investment is gone.

It has never been closed down since it started.

Some of the benefits diminished a bit but the visa side never ended.

Maybe we're talking about a different elite card then, but there are reports on this forum that during a certain period under the democrats elite card owners were not able to renew their visa.

i think a few people who had their 5 year visas up for renewal at that time experienced some delay while the situation cleared and some of these (i believe a handful) were issued with shorter term visas as a temporary measure. But for most people it made no difference whatsoever as immigration continued to honour the conditions on the 5 year visas (for those who had them) and in any event the whole thing was cleared up within a couple of months and they went back to issuing 5 year visas as before and this has continued ever since.

For various reasons i got slightly involved in the situation then (though i was no longer, myself, a user of the visa) and what i can say is that both the Thailand Elite people and the politicians (dems at the time) took the reputational risk to Thailand very very seriously. In my personal opinion even if the then govt had cancelled the scheme they would have continued to have offered some kind of extended visa privelege to the existing members as well as monetary compensation.

[Stanley78]

My mistake earlier - it is the 90 day extension (at a cost of 1900 THB) and not a 90 day report.

Confirmation may be required of the 'assistance' provide by Thai Elite for each 90 day Extension.

It was my understanding that assistance will be provided by Thai Elite just once each year for 'business and logistical' matters.

(i.e. they'll come along with you and help you open bank accounts, get a driving licence etc - which is something easy enough to do alone).

That said - for the 90 day Extension they could provide someone each extensions 4 times per year, I've just never seen it written that clearly.

I went over all of my Thailand Elite welcome documents etc. again to see if I could shed any light on these matters.

1) From the basic one page promo material they send out to potential new members the only information related to visas is: "5-year multiple entry visa with an extendable 1-year length of stay per entry".

Extendable 1-year length of stay per visit. I'm still not sure if that means that you have to leave every year or not, but as I said I've e-mailed them to ask.

2) In the Application Approval letter they send out there is no visa information at all. Just basically a simple please pay us the fee soon message.

3) In the Welcome Letter which you receive after you've paid the fee it says:

Visa

- A renewable 5 years multiple entry visa with one-year-stamp at each arrival

- Stay as long as you like with 1-year-extendable - length of stay

- Extension fee of Baht 1,900.00 paid to Immigration Bureau (The fee is directly charged by Thai Immigration Bureau.)

Government Concierge

- Elite Personal Liaison (EPL) to assist when dealing with any public agencies or private organizations such as Immigration service, Driver’s license and opening bank account

- Our EPL Service on a complimentary basis only for the first time. The 2nd time onwards, the rates are available upon request. This charge is subject to change without notice

So it's only free one time. Not once per year but just once per member.

After that they charge for it. I'm guessing they're hoping people will find that useful and give Thailand Elite some additional revenue to help with their staff costs. Better have an employee go with a member to a bank and charge for it if they have nothing better to do.

But that service has nothing to do with the visa. That's just an additional service they provide for an additional fee for those who feel they need assistance.

4) From the official Thailand Elite website:

"This “Privilege Entry Visa” is a multiple entry visa which is valid for five years - and is renewable as long as the Membership is valid. The Members are also granted an exclusive extension for each stay from regular 90 days to 1 year without the usual need to cross the border. In other words, the usual visa run that needs to be done every 90 days is extended to 1 year - exclusively for this Thailand Elite’s Privilege Entry Visa."

I like the fact that the word "visa run" is actually in their promotional text. Anyway based on that alone I would guess it is necessary to leave once per year.

Further it says "Thailand Elite also provides the Members the unlimited Elite Personal Liaison to present to Thai Immigration Bureau Chaengwattana, Bangkok in place of the Members as in the 90-day obligation issued by Thai Immigration Bureau without additional charge*."

Which I take as meaning that if you are residing in Bangkok then Thailand Elite will go on your behalf for free to process the 90-day extension of stay.

And finally it says "The Members can also complete the Privilege Entry Visa renewal at Immigration Bureau Offices at Suvarnabhumi International airport upon arrival, or Chaengwattana-Bangkok and 90-day presence by themselves at any available Thai Immigration Bureau offices throughout Thailand."

But so anyway I've as I said e-mailed them and asked to clarify everything and will post here when they've replied.

Edited May 17, 2014 by Stanley78

[ukrules]

Government Concierge

- Elite Personal Liaison (EPL) to assist when dealing with any public agencies or private organizations such as Immigration service, Driver’s license and opening bank account

- Our EPL Service on a complimentary basis only for the first time. The 2nd time onwards, the rates are available upon request. This charge is subject to change without notice

So it's only free one time. Not once per year but just once per member.

After that they charge for it. I'm guessing they're hoping people will find that useful and give Thailand Elite some additional revenue to help with their staff costs. Better have an employee go with a member to a bank and charge for it if they have nothing better to do.

A service like this could be useful, I wonder how much it costs after the first usage.

[Stanley78]

A service like this could be useful, I wonder how much it costs after the first usage.

I will ask them.

[ukrules]

For various reasons i got slightly involved in the situation then (though i was no longer, myself, a user of the visa) and what i can say is that both the Thailand Elite people and the politicians (dems at the time) took the reputational risk to Thailand very very seriously. In my personal opinion even if the then govt had cancelled the scheme they would have continued to have offered some kind of extended visa privelege to the existing members as well as monetary compensation.

Of course, doing anything other than this would disintegrate whatever integrity the government in question had in the eyes of the international community.

[neverdie]

Stanley, you've done well.

If only they were clear and precise in the first place

[Stanley78]

i think a few people who had their 5 year visas up for renewal at that time experienced some delay while the situation cleared and some of these (i believe a handful) were issued with shorter term visas as a temporary measure. But for most people it made no difference whatsoever as immigration continued to honour the conditions on the 5 year visas (for those who had them) and in any event the whole thing was cleared up within a couple of months and they went back to issuing 5 year visas as before and this has continued ever since.

For various reasons i got slightly involved in the situation then (though i was no longer, myself, a user of the visa) and what i can say is that both the Thailand Elite people and the politicians (dems at the time) took the reputational risk to Thailand very very seriously. In my personal opinion even if the then govt had cancelled the scheme they would have continued to have offered some kind of extended visa privelege to the existing members as well as monetary compensation.

Thank you wordchild that's very interesting to know from someone who had a bit of "inside information" so to speak.

[wordchild]

It is of course possible that the visa conditions for the new card are different from those for the original card

[ukrules]

It is of course possible that the visa conditions for the new card are different from those for the original card

Yes, however the conditions described on the current website look pretty favourable.

[Stanley78]

A service like this could be useful, I wonder how much it costs after the first usage.

The answer I got from Thailand Elite was: THB 2000.

[Stanley78]

As I said previously I e-mailed Thailand Elite to ask exactly how the visa works in regards to length of stay, extensions etc. I was expecting them to answer by Monday but apparently they work 7 days a week so I already have their reply.

The sum of It is as follows:

1) Member gets a 5 year visa and per each entry into Thailand they can stay for 1 year.

2) After 1 year if they want to continue to stay in Thailand they have to go immigration office to do another 1 year stay extension so in the period of 5 years visa they can stay in Thailand without leaving the country but have to do 1 year extension in every year.

3) The cost of each annual extension is THB 1900.

4) Every 90 days the member has to make a report. But if the member has residence in Bangkok they can send the document and passport to Thailand Elite, and they will go and do the report and then send it back to the member within 4 working days.

5) There is NO fee for the 90 day reporting.

I hope this clears everything up.

Edited May 17, 2014 by Stanley78

[ukrules]

As I said previously I e-mailed Thailand Elite to ask exactly how the visa works in regards to length of stay, extensions etc. I was expecting them to answer by Monday but apparently they work 7 days a week so I already have their reply.

The sum of It is as follows:

1) Member gets a 5 year visa and per each entry into Thailand they can stay for 1 year.

2) After 1 year if they want to continue to stay in Thailand they have to go immigration office to do another 1 year stay extension so in the period of 5 years visa they can stay in Thailand without leaving the country but have to do 1 year extension in every year.

3) The cost of each annual extension is THB 1900.

4) Every 90 days the member has to make a report. But if the member has residence in Bangkok they can send the document and passport to Thailand Elite, and they will go and do the report and then send it back to the member within 4 working days.

5) There is NO fee for the 90 day reporting.

I hope this clears everything up.

This does clear things up, thanks for the information.

If I have any issues with my new triple entry tourist visa after my trip to the UK in July I'll probably get one of these.

In fact I might get one anyway. It will certainly save me a lot of hassle, money over time and trips out of the country which I don't really need.

[BuckBee]

That's the sweet thing with these as potentially saves all the nonsence & gives anyone with the financial ability an easy way of residing in the country. When you add up costs of visas options for those not employed here, not married, not over 50 years old etc & putting a personal value on time & hassle the extra cost is not a lot for 5 years of no hassle.

obviously things could change within the 5yrs but things change all the time in the thai world of visas so not a big deal really.

[Stanley78]

That's the sweet thing with these as potentially saves all the nonsence & gives anyone with the financial ability an easy way of residing in the country. When you add up costs of visas options for those not employed here, not married, not over 50 years old etc & putting a personal value on time & hassle the extra cost is not a lot for 5 years of no hassle.

obviously things could change within the 5yrs but things change all the time in the thai world of visas so not a big deal really.

Yes for under 50s the completely legal options are limited, if you have money you can either get Thailand Elite or the 10m THB investment visa.

If not then you need a work permit, be a (preferably genuine) student, or as I understood it have some other compelling reason such as being married to a Thai national or having Thai kids?

While I understand why people do it, both under and over 50s, to stay in a country by using repeated tourist visas is not the intention of a tourist visa.

If you spend 12 out of 12 months in a year for year after year in Thailand and someone asks you what you are doing there, sure you can say you're a tourist.

But in the end if you spend all your time there then the fact is that you actually live in Thailand. You're just avoiding becoming a resident either because you are unable to for whatever reason, financial or otherwise or simply unwilling to.

This is of course the same for all countries, not just Thailand. There's a TV show called Border Security: Australia's Frontline (you can find it on YouTube) which is quite interesting and shows the border control there dealing with immigration issues, people trying to enter to work illegally etc. (as well as catching drug smugglers etc. of course).

Edited May 17, 2014 by Stanley78

[ukrules]

Just in case anyone's interested there's an information sheet downloadable as a PDF on the Thailand Elite website which outlines all of the membership packages they offer including the cheap (500k) one which is listed under 'Thailand Easy Access'

http://www.thailandelite.com/newcreate/download.php

These documents were all updated only a couple of months before this major new 'crackdown' was announced. Quite the coincidence.

Edited May 17, 2014 by ukrules

[neverdie]

THANKYOU Stanley, wordchild and co.

For my friend, who qualifies for nothing else, this option is a fairly good one. Money isn't a concern for her but travelling unnecessarily is, as it can be quite difficult for her with her vision impairment. She doesn't qualify for a marriage visa, despite having been in a solid relationship for over 15 years, as it's same sex one.

There will always be critics of the TE option, however, the Thais, like any nation, has the right to pick and choose who they want within their country and how ling they want that person to stay for. My wife has travelled abroad with me and it was DEFINATELY more difficult to get her a visa when she was travelling on her Thai passport. These days we use her Australian one.

Providing the TE visa conditions and extensions continue to be offered, then this seems to be a fair option. The under 50 and financially stable crowd should flock to,this, after all it's really not that much money when you consider the 'Big picture'.

I'm assume the Thai elite people can use the fast lane, VIP entry and exit at Suvarnabhumi airport ?

Anyway, the baht coin was made round, to go around and in my eyes this is a much smaller amount to risk than dropping 10.0 mil baht on a condo......but that's just a matter of opinion, I guess.

[wordchild]

THANKYOU Stanley, wordchild and co.

For my friend, who qualifies for nothing else, this option is a fairly good one. Money isn't a concern for her but travelling unnecessarily is, as it can be quite difficult for her with her vision impairment. She doesn't qualify for a marriage visa, despite having been in a solid relationship for over 15 years, as it's same sex one.

There will always be critics of the TE option, however, the Thais, like any nation, has the right to pick and choose who they want within their country and how ling they want that person to stay for. My wife has travelled abroad with me and it was DEFINATELY more difficult to get her a visa when she was travelling on her Thai passport. These days we use her Australian one.

Providing the TE visa conditions and extensions continue to be offered, then this seems to be a fair option. The under 50 and financially stable crowd should flock to,this, after all it's really not that much money when you consider the 'Big picture'.

I'm assume the Thai elite people can use the fast lane, VIP entry and exit at Suvarnabhumi airport ?

Anyway, the baht coin was made round, to go around and in my eyes this is a much smaller amount to risk than dropping 10.0 mil baht on a condo......but that's just a matter of opinion, I guess.

yes they can use the fast lane.

[neverdie]

THANKYOU.

[larsjohnsson]

As I said previously I e-mailed Thailand Elite to ask exactly how the visa works in regards to length of stay, extensions etc. I was expecting them to answer by Monday but apparently they work 7 days a week so I already have their reply.

The sum of It is as follows:

1) Member gets a 5 year visa and per each entry into Thailand they can stay for 1 year.

2) After 1 year if they want to continue to stay in Thailand they have to go immigration office to do another 1 year stay extension so in the period of 5 years visa they can stay in Thailand without leaving the country but have to do 1 year extension in every year.

3) The cost of each annual extension is THB 1900.

4) Every 90 days the member has to make a report. But if the member has residence in Bangkok they can send the document and passport to Thailand Elite, and they will go and do the report and then send it back to the member within 4 working days.

5) There is NO fee for the 90 day reporting.

I hope this clears everything up.

That sounds rather good IMO. If having the money and being below 50 years old, it's a nice option

[wordchild]

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It is of course possible that the visa conditions for the new card are different from those for the original card

Yes, however the conditions described on the current website look pretty favourable.

yes it looks like the new card maybe better than the original in that you only got extendable 90 day stamps with the original visa rather than a 1 year entry.

[neverdie]

Stanley,

From what you've already written, I assume you are outside Thailand ATM

Once you join Thai elite, on what visa are you arriving into Thailand on? How does the 5 year visa get entered into your passport I guess is the question I'm asking.

I wonder for a person that's already in the country, if they merely meet the Thai elite staff and goto Immi in Chaengwattana.....or at the airport....or something like that.

I will speak to my friend next week and help her contact TE directly after that.

Maybe you already know the answer to this, if not, DO NOT make any more enquiries on my behalf, at least as you've already been very helpful.......as has wordchild & co.

[JB300]

There seems to be conflicting information about extending permission to stay which, if I've read things correctly, is a major change between the old & new scheme.

- Old Scheme: 90 days on entry, need to extend every 90 days

- New Scheme: 1 year on entry, need to extend every 1yr

Is this correct only I've also read that for the new scheme you get 90 days on 1st entry which can then be extended for 1yr.

Edited May 18, 2014 by JB300

[wordchild]

I just spoke with the elite member call centre and they confirmed that there is a difference between the new visa and the original in that with the new visa you get a one year entry stamp for each arrival into the kingdom rather than the extendable 90 days that you got with the old one. Also, maybe of interest to some, original members can transfer (free of charge ) to the new 20 year indevidual card, though you would then have to pay the 20000 bt annual fee. You get slightly enhanced golf and limo facilities and the one year entry stamp but it is 20 years and not lifetime.

Edited May 18, 2014 by wordchild

[chrisinth]

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I mentioned this option in the other thread a few days ago, but nobody seemed to take notice.

I investigated this for a female friend if mine. I believe the 90 day reporting still needs to take place but this is carried out by the Thai elite people for you and that it is quick and easy BUT still costs 1900 baht every 90 days.

However, it also eliminates the need to leave Thailand every year (or every 15 months) to another country to obtain another Non Immigrant O visa, therefore potentially saving airfare and other associated costs, visas, hotels, car hire or whatever.

If you looked at the interest lost, then deducted what would be saved by not having to travel abroad for visas the. the 5 year 500,000 baht thing starts to look very attractive and much cheaper than 8k baht per month (probably half of that).

THE BIG CATCH, is will the system still be operating next week, next year, or in 5 years time? When the Thai elite visa service shut down before, it's members weren't automatically reimburse for the part used portion of their membership, to gain that they would need to take legal action against, Thai elite and can you imagine how smoothly that would have progressed.

Why would 90 day reporting cost 1900 baht?

[neverdie]

^ Interesting. Well done. No shortage of Gentlemen and scholars on this thread.

[wordchild]

I also asked the girl at the call centre if they were busy and she said they were now very busy with new membership equiries; maybe this scheme is finally going to work.

[neverdie]

^ Good for all members, I suspect.

[ocean268]

Stanley, THANKS for all your hard work! It's much appreciated. Please keep posting......