Thailand Elite Membership/Card - The low down

[rickthailand]

MY EXPERINECE - UNIMPRESSED!

I have recently Joined the Thailand Elite club - and to be honest i was rather unimpressed with things. Im sure a lot of Pro Elite members will be saying otherwise

But these are the facts from someone who isn't sponsoring the forum or getting commissions.

i know everyone here praises the experience so much, but here is my recent experience and events.

Arrived at CC with a map to meet my Liason officer at 11am to get my Elite Visa stamp and introduction welcome.

The map i was emailed was completely wrong asking be to enter ground floor at the side of building and meet my LO there i did and wasted 20 minutes walking around looking for them on the ground floor.

No calls were made to me to ask if i was there or to arrange a meeting spot, or if i was lost etc, Nothing!

After calling them at 11.20 someone arranged to meet me on the second floor outside the door, 10 mins later they arrive with a freindly welcome.

A Nice bag with a huge box containing a small card was given to me, then we cut in front of everyone and my passport was stamped.

I couldn't help but think it was a marketing stunt for all the poor souls waiting 8 hours for their Visas, i felt quite uncomfortable.

I was actually hoping they had their own office i could wait in rather than parade me around the whole immigration 1 dept with my Elite Privileges bag.

Then the kicker!

i was given my passport back with Visa, and told that i had to do 90 day reports by coming back here.

I replied NO - The Thai visa elite email i received told me specifically it was free of charge and they will do 90 day reports for me.

I certainly dont want to come back every 90 days and do that - especially if im paying half a million baht!

He then replied that i should leave my passport in their office if i wanted to do that. And they will do it every 3 months - yes leave the passport with us if your not leaving the country any time soon he said.

Never have i heard of anything like that and i asked him why on earth do they need my passport leaving in the office? What if i need to leave Thailand quickly, what if i need my passport, what if the police stop me?

He then said he will go and ask an official - 20 minutes waiting later and he returns telling me i can send in some forms by myself. and do it myself. AGAIN!

I told him yes i already know that - and showed him the Immigration procedure for 90 day reports.

I was feeling deflated at this point and disappointed.... So i just got up and left...

Im not sure what the actual procedure is with 90 day reports, perhaps some other Elite member here can clarify that for me?

I actually felt he was pushing things so that i do the 90 day report myself and they don't want to do it in the office!

Seriously not impressed, since my email specifically said Free of charge 90 day reports.

What can i say? I certainly don't feel like a privileged visitor to Thailand with that kind of experience!

Am i being to critical or harsh? No i dont think so at all....

Yep my card has a photo on - must be new cards

my experience was great. met the guy where he said he would be handed him my passport i never

had to go inside immigration with him i sat outside playing with my phone he came out 10 minutes later

with my passport and visa in it all in all very very easy and relaxing

rick

[jspill]

I was wondering if I'd ever read something negative from a member, think that's the first time. Up until now it's all been cult-like praise (understandable after paying 500k).

[kurnell]

I'd be interested in this but for the golf/spa crap.

[jpinx]

I'd be interested in this but for the golf/spa crap.

I believe if you use the "Easy Access" option there is no golf, spa, etc involved -- just a visa and fast-track through immigration and a limo to your hotel/condo.

[ThailandRick]

MY EXPERINECE - UNIMPRESSED!

I have recently Joined the Thailand Elite club - and to be honest i was rather unimpressed with things. Im sure a lot of Pro Elite members will be saying otherwise

But these are the facts from someone who isn't sponsoring the forum or getting commissions.

i know everyone here praises the experience so much, but here is my recent experience and events.

Arrived at CC with a map to meet my Liason officer at 11am to get my Elite Visa stamp and introduction welcome.

The map i was emailed was completely wrong asking be to enter ground floor at the side of building and meet my LO there i did and wasted 20 minutes walking around looking for them on the ground floor.

No calls were made to me to ask if i was there or to arrange a meeting spot, or if i was lost etc, Nothing!

After calling them at 11.20 someone arranged to meet me on the second floor outside the door, 10 mins later they arrive with a freindly welcome.

A Nice bag with a huge box containing a small card was given to me, then we cut in front of everyone and my passport was stamped.

I couldn't help but think it was a marketing stunt for all the poor souls waiting 8 hours for their Visas, i felt quite uncomfortable.

I was actually hoping they had their own office i could wait in rather than parade me around the whole immigration 1 dept with my Elite Privileges bag.

Then the kicker!

i was given my passport back with Visa, and told that i had to do 90 day reports by coming back here.

I replied NO - The Thai visa elite email i received told me specifically it was free of charge and they will do 90 day reports for me.

I certainly dont want to come back every 90 days and do that - especially if im paying half a million baht!

He then replied that i should leave my passport in their office if i wanted to do that. And they will do it every 3 months - yes leave the passport with us if your not leaving the country any time soon he said.

Never have i heard of anything like that and i asked him why on earth do they need my passport leaving in the office? What if i need to leave Thailand quickly, what if i need my passport, what if the police stop me?

He then said he will go and ask an official - 20 minutes waiting later and he returns telling me i can send in some forms by myself. and do it myself. AGAIN!

I told him yes i already know that - and showed him the Immigration procedure for 90 day reports.

I was feeling deflated at this point and disappointed.... So i just got up and left...

Im not sure what the actual procedure is with 90 day reports, perhaps some other Elite member here can clarify that for me?

I actually felt he was pushing things so that i do the 90 day report myself and they don't want to do it in the office!

Seriously not impressed, since my email specifically said Free of charge 90 day reports.

What can i say? I certainly don't feel like a privileged visitor to Thailand with that kind of experience!

Am i being to critical or harsh? No i dont think so at all....

Yep my card has a photo on - must be new cards

If I read your complaint correctly, you do not wish to leave your passport at their office? From what I read and they tell me before, drop off your Passport at their office and get it back in 2 days. I see some post referring to Drop off Tuesday, Pick up on Thursday.

Regarding police stop, that will be a crap-shoot... Best to have a copy of your Passport: Main, Visa, Entry Stamp Page. This is what most do anyway instead of the potential of lost/theft while out-and-about keeping the Passport locked safely at hotel/home.

BTS Chong Nonsi is the nearest station and about 5-10 minute walk to their facility. In addition they offer mailing your passport to perform the 90 day. I honestly don't like the idea of mailing the passport... Lastly, they did say if your reporting address is not cognizant of Bangkok Immigration, you would need to go on your own to the proper office for 90 day reporting... Meaning, report a Huahin/Pattaya/Chiang Mai/Phuket Address, go to that immigration office.

There may have been a little of a language barrier too regarding leave soon, etc.. If you leave the country "soon" may have meant before 90 days in the Kingdom, you would not need to report... Your 90 day clock starts again upon re-entry into the Kingdom as well a new 1 year permission to stay stamp. My 1st time at CW was a bit confusing too because of the sheer size of the facility housing many government agencies.

I hope this helps...

[Kitsune]

Don't assume that the Elite visa is just for those under 50 years old who do not qualify for any other type of visa.

At 55 years old, I have a 'PE' visa, not a retirement visa. The primary reason is that 12 years of residing in Thailand on a variety of different visas, I got sick and tired of the 'hassle' from immigration, the corruption in the Phuket immigration office, the demand for additional documents that were not on the list of requirements for a visa type - basically I got tired of the 'runaround' and intrusion into my private life.

My Elite visa is 500,000 baht more than a retirement visa. I consider that 500k well-spent for my privacy

Different people different strokes ....

It is sad to realize that now in THL if you want privacy and being able to travel as you like you need to pay 100.000 THB a year.

[bim]

Don't assume that the Elite visa is just for those under 50 years old who do not qualify for any other type of visa.

At 55 years old, I have a 'PE' visa, not a retirement visa. The primary reason is that 12 years of residing in Thailand on a variety of different visas, I got sick and tired of the 'hassle' from immigration, the corruption in the Phuket immigration office, the demand for additional documents that were not on the list of requirements for a visa type - basically I got tired of the 'runaround' and intrusion into my private life.

My Elite visa is 500,000 baht more than a retirement visa. I consider that 500k well-spent for my privacy

Different people different strokes ....

It is sad to realize that now in THL if you want privacy and being able to travel as you like you need to pay 100.000 THB a year.

I assume by the way you spelt "realize" you are from the US. If you were from the UK you would realise that 100,000 bht a year is cheaper than what you would have paid in council tax alone. TE is a good price for those not of retirement age and no need to work for an easy access, trouble free visa

in this wonderful country.

[Kitsune]

Don't assume that the Elite visa is just for those under 50 years old who do not qualify for any other type of visa.

At 55 years old, I have a 'PE' visa, not a retirement visa. The primary reason is that 12 years of residing in Thailand on a variety of different visas, I got sick and tired of the 'hassle' from immigration, the corruption in the Phuket immigration office, the demand for additional documents that were not on the list of requirements for a visa type - basically I got tired of the 'runaround' and intrusion into my private life.

My Elite visa is 500,000 baht more than a retirement visa. I consider that 500k well-spent for my privacy

Different people different strokes ....

It is sad to realize that now in THL if you want privacy and being able to travel as you like you need to pay 100.000 THB a year.

I assume by the way you spelt "realize" you are from the US. If you were from the UK you would realise that 100,000 bht a year is cheaper than what you would have paid in council tax alone. TE is a good price for those not of retirement age and no need to work for an easy access, trouble free visa

in this wonderful country.

I am not from the UK nor US, and you're only trouble free for now.

As for council tax in UK it would provide me with impeccable roads, NHS, worldwide rep schools for kids and real police .... not fall into some doggy corrupt officer's pocket.

And it remains that it is very sad indeed that you need 500k to buy peace here.

[bim]

Don't assume that the Elite visa is just for those under 50 years old who do not qualify for any other type of visa.

At 55 years old, I have a 'PE' visa, not a retirement visa. The primary reason is that 12 years of residing in Thailand on a variety of different visas, I got sick and tired of the 'hassle' from immigration, the corruption in the Phuket immigration office, the demand for additional documents that were not on the list of requirements for a visa type - basically I got tired of the 'runaround' and intrusion into my private life.

My Elite visa is 500,000 baht more than a retirement visa. I consider that 500k well-spent for my privacy

Different people different strokes ....

It is sad to realize that now in THL if you want privacy and being able to travel as you like you need to pay 100.000 THB a year.

I assume by the way you spelt "realize" you are from the US. If you were from the UK you would realise that 100,000 bht a year is cheaper than what you would have paid in council tax alone. TE is a good price for those not of retirement age and no need to work for an easy access, trouble free visa

in this wonderful country.

I am not from the UK nor US, and you're only trouble free for now.

As for council tax in UK it would provide me with impeccable roads, NHS, worldwide rep schools for kids and real police .... not fall into some doggy corrupt officer's pocket.

And it remains that it is very sad indeed that you need 500k to buy peace here.

As you are not from the UK you should know that Council Tax does not pay for one School nor Hospital. Thats paid with NI and Income tax and endless other taxes the government rob from people then simply waste. CT goes to corrupt councils over bloated with money they simply waste. The NHS is more or less bankcrupt and people die while waiting to be seen and standard of care poor. I know I lost my father this year. Hospitals here are briliant and no waiting weeks or even months to see a doctor. The Police act like the stassi and the roads are full of pot holes. Its very stressful place to live with poor weather. Here is paradise compared to the UK and yes the PE visa and TE scheme for me is worth every penny. The weather and people more than make up for the fee alone. If you have the money I would reccomend the TE scheme to anyone wanting a trouble free stay in this wonderful country. I wake up everyday feeling so blessed to be here. Edited December 21, 2014 by bim

[Kitsune]

I fell blessed too, until I was given the ultimatum between cough up 1/2 million Baht of leave

[richard_smith237]

Don't assume that the Elite visa is just for those under 50 years old who do not qualify for any other type of visa.

At 55 years old, I have a 'PE' visa, not a retirement visa. The primary reason is that 12 years of residing in Thailand on a variety of different visas, I got sick and tired of the 'hassle' from immigration, the corruption in the Phuket immigration office, the demand for additional documents that were not on the list of requirements for a visa type - basically I got tired of the 'runaround' and intrusion into my private life.

My Elite visa is 500,000 baht more than a retirement visa. I consider that 500k well-spent for my privacy

Different people different strokes ....

It is sad to realize that now in THL if you want privacy and being able to travel as you like you need to pay 100.000 THB a year.

I assume by the way you spelt "realize" you are from the US. If you were from the UK you would realise that 100,000 bht a year is cheaper than what you would have paid in council tax alone. TE is a good price for those not of retirement age and no need to work for an easy access, trouble free visa

in this wonderful country.

I am not from the UK nor US, and you're only trouble free for now.

As for council tax in UK it would provide me with impeccable roads, NHS, worldwide rep schools for kids and real police .... not fall into some doggy corrupt officer's pocket.

And it remains that it is very sad indeed that you need 500k to buy peace here.

Impeccable roads ? I watched a documentary the other night called 'Pot Hole Britain'... Council Tax provides you with Chlorinated water (drinkable, just), Council Tax provides you with a Bin service (Once every 2 weeks in some areas, where you have to collect your bins wherever they left them (usually half way down the road, where you can be fined for putting the wrong rubbish in the wrong coloured bin), an NHS service which is now allowing an additional 2 mins for non-critical cases, they judge a stroke as non-critical, not all schools are great, one of them in our area has gone into special measures...

Now - My post above is as equally unbalanced as yours Kitsune - If you search hard enough you will see issues and imperfections everywhere. If you look for the negative, criticism is easy.... The UK is no where near as perfect as you make it out to be, neither is it universally as poor as I have made out above. We could argue the same of Thailand...

How could there be 1400 cases of abused Children in Rotherham if the British police were as good as you suggest (real police) ?....

In the contexts we are discussing everywhere is flawed - We can't concentrate on the flaws without applying healthy balance and comparing exactly the same standards of judgement and comparison when making our observations, arguments otherwise become so distorted they loose valid objectivity.

If you really want to evaluate the Thai Elite card as a balanced proposition the question begs: Would you pay 100,000 baht a year to stay in the UK (or your home country) ? because thats basically what it is in Thailand - Its a dressed up entry charge with additional conveniences to sweeten the deal (i.e. Airport transfers, golf etc)...

[Kitsune]

I have friends here who don't work and try to raise their Thai kids.

I find it appalling that they need to leave the country every 3 months, when if you just throw 500K you can stay no questions asked.

That's what Thailand is becoming : A country that value more money than its children.

[jspill]

Still have to report your address every 3 months too, just to remind you while you may be 'elite' you will always be an 'alien'.

[ubonjoe]

I have friends here who don't work and try to raise their Thai kids.

I find it appalling that they need to leave the country every 3 months, when if you just throw 500K you can stay no questions asked.

That's what Thailand is becoming : A country that value more money than its children.

The legal parent of a Thai can apply for one year extensions of stay at immigration they do not have to leave the country every 90 days. It only requires 400k baht in a Thai bank on the date of application or proof of 40k baht income.

[Sharp]

Still have to report your address every 3 months too, just to remind you while you may be 'elite' you will always be an 'alien'.

An "Elite Alien" !! Got quite the ring to it... :-)