Now ED Visa no longer works, what to do?

[ColdSingha]

PE visa is the best option in my opinion if you are below 50 and not married. I'm in a similar situation and may consider buying the elite visa for 5 years.

Just checking, there are no plans to lower the age for retirement visa to say 45?

Would be more logical to set the retirement "visa" age to the actual age that the passport holder can retire in their home country. I.e get the government benefits, not just stop working because they can.

great idea, my father retired at 48 with government benefits after 30 years service in the police

i'm all for bringing the age down

[Kitsune]

Who says it doesn't work? It does.

Not when the head of Immigration takes out a blank sheet and fills it up from top to bottom with information on your near expiring passport, it does not.

[samsensam]

now if you said 'how can i stay in the country to continue my studies' i would have some sympathy.

it sounds like you have been using (abusing?) the visa system simply to 'stay in the country'

people who abuse the system make it more difficult for the people who use the visa system as it is intended

if you can find a visa that fits your need then clearly your needs are not in line thailand's needs.

[brianp0803]

The country is try to reduce the number of people on the wrong visas and possibly working illegally.

I think the country is correct to be suspicious of how a younger person is funding his 3 years on a non working education visa (also applies to people here long term on tourist visa). Older people are more likely to have savings- but not always

If they require proof of money coming into the country then maybe they could reduce other requirements.

If the under 50 group is here to stay the the Thai Elite visa is a great legal option

Maybe the country is tired of letting language school owners make huge profits issuing paperwork for long term visas. I am sure the country would like some of the profit.

[bbi1]

The country is try to reduce the number of people on the wrong visas and possibly working illegally.

I think the country is correct to be suspicious of how a younger person is funding his 3 years on a non working education visa (also applies to people here long term on tourist visa). Older people are more likely to have savings- but not always

If they require proof of money coming into the country then maybe they could reduce other requirements.

If the under 50 group is here to stay the the Thai Elite visa is a great legal option

Maybe the country is tired of letting language school owners make huge profits issuing paperwork for long term visas. I am sure the country would like some of the profit.

A good idea would be to bring down the age for a retirement visa to anyone over 30 with the same funding requirements that are currently available for people over the age of 50 for the retirement visa. Get rid of all those working illegally on an ED visa & people who have the funds to support themselves to jump aboard on the retirement visa too

[brianp0803]

Thailand respects older people and offers those that have basic financial savings and pension to retire.

A retired 35 year old person is probably not good for the country.

Depends on their view of digital nomads.

Most digital nomads brag about the money they are spending in Thailand. Maybe allow all people with proof of 800,000 in the bank a 1 year visa, but extension for people under 50 would be proof of 800,000 baht being transferred into the country during the past year.

With proof of bringing in money people might be welcomed.

When I retire I will be doing double or triple that amount.

[bbi1]

Thailand respects older people and offers those that have basic financial savings and pension to retire.

A retired 35 year old person is probably not good for the country.

Depends on their view of digital nomads.

Most digital nomads brag about the money they are spending in Thailand. Maybe allow all people with proof of 800,000 in the bank a 1 year visa, but extension for people under 50 would be proof of 800,000 baht being transferred into the country during the past year.

With proof of bringing in money people might be welcomed.

When I retire I will be doing double or triple that amount.

Why would a retired 35 yr old not be good for the country? If that's the case, why is a retired over 50 good for the country? What's the difference, besides age???

Edited December 19, 2014 by bbi1

[rayongchelsea]

Thailand respects older people and offers those that have basic financial savings and pension to retire.

A retired 35 year old person is probably not good for the country.

Depends on their view of digital nomads.

Most digital nomads brag about the money they are spending in Thailand. Maybe allow all people with proof of 800,000 in the bank a 1 year visa, but extension for people under 50 would be proof of 800,000 baht being transferred into the country during the past year.

With proof of bringing in money people might be welcomed.

When I retire I will be doing double or triple that amount.

Why would a retired 35 yr old not be good for the country? If that's the case, why is a retired over 50 good for the country? What's the difference, besides age???

Thailand is a country more suited to young people.

Too many older people coming here.

I know an acquaintance that sold his company at just under 40 years of age. More talented, more enthusiastic, spends more than those on fixed incomes. His skills would be enormously beneficial to thailand, a success..

Thailand does not respect older ( foreigners) people..it respects foreigners who act accordingly..age is irrelevant .

50 is an arbitrary age..never understood it.

20 years ago there were hardly any old retirees here..things were fine..

[brianp0803]

over 50 has generally worked hard most their life and now want to relax.

someone with no ambition to work at 35 years old is lazy.

digital nomads are working in an unconventional way, but still working.

having enough money to retire at age 35 and no ambition is unlikely. Most successful people are ambitious. Unlikely they would retire and stop contributing at an early age.

The Thai elite visa is perfect for you friend to live in Thailand

Edited December 19, 2014 by brianp0803

[rayongchelsea]

over 50 has generally worked hard most their life and now want to relax.

someone with no ambition to work at 35 years old is lazy.

digital nomads are working in an unconventional way, but still working.

having enough money to retire at age 35 and no ambition is unlikely. Most successful people are ambitious. Unlikely they would retire and stop contributing at an early age.

The Thai elite visa is perfect for you friend to live in Thailand

You stereotype a lot.

Regardless young people offer more to a country.

I have been very successful here, ambition had nothing to do with it. Luck did, but you are probably right.

The thai elite system will probably go the way the older version went..

Work is not the be all of self worth as you imply.

The most common comment heard is " I wish I had come here earlier "

It should be raised to 60...given the increased longevity of life based on your comments.

The age thing is ridiculous ...there is no logic to it.

[brianp0803]

You said you have been very successful.

Working here?

appropriate visa for your time in Thailand.

It is Thailand's right to decide who they want as guests.

[tsigane]

It's not that that they don't want students, it's that they don't want criminals and people working illegally. If you can prove

that your income is coming from outside the country, no one will care what you are studying and I don't see you having any problems with a Ed visa.

Why would they not want people bringing in and spending money in the country?

Not true. They don't care how much money you brought in from the outside. They will hassle (especially) legit students (till the students get fake ED visas through corrupt immigration officials). This was before the "crackdown." So I guess everything is that much more complicated now. The immigration figures they get too little money from the language schools that it's better to eliminate them all together. It's much more lucrative to sell fake ED visas to criminals and illegal workers directly and get the middle man out. Legit students are just collateral damage.

[tsigane]

over 50 has generally worked hard most their life and now want to relax.

someone with no ambition to work at 35 years old is lazy.

digital nomads are working in an unconventional way, but still working.

having enough money to retire at age 35 and no ambition is unlikely. Most successful people are ambitious. Unlikely they would retire and stop contributing at an early age.

The Thai elite visa is perfect for you friend to live in Thailand

Sour grapes. You probably wish you could have stopped working at the age of 35 and now you're jealous of others who have. I certainly wish I stopped working way before 35 and I would have been proud of it. You can call it lazy, I call it success.

There are so many things that one can strive for other than running after money. Participating in the rat race till 50 (let alone 65 or 70) is hardly a "success" regardless of the money made meanwhile.

[ubonjoe]

The thai elite system will probably go the way the older version went..

What do you mean by that? There is no older version it never went away. Same company providing the service and perks.

The big change is that the visa has gotten better because it allows a one year entry verses 90 days,

[bbi1]

over 50 has generally worked hard most their life and now want to relax.

someone with no ambition to work at 35 years old is lazy.

digital nomads are working in an unconventional way, but still working.

having enough money to retire at age 35 and no ambition is unlikely. Most successful people are ambitious. Unlikely they would retire and stop contributing at an early age.

The Thai elite visa is perfect for you friend to live in Thailand

So people who retire at 50 yrs old have no ambitions too? I guess all people on retirement visas here are ambitionless based on your assumptions.

[bbi1]

over 50 has generally worked hard most their life and now want to relax.

someone with no ambition to work at 35 years old is lazy.

digital nomads are working in an unconventional way, but still working.

having enough money to retire at age 35 and no ambition is unlikely. Most successful people are ambitious. Unlikely they would retire and stop contributing at an early age.

The Thai elite visa is perfect for you friend to live in Thailand

You stereotype a lot.

Regardless young people offer more to a country.

I have been very successful here, ambition had nothing to do with it. Luck did, but you are probably right.

The thai elite system will probably go the way the older version went..

Work is not the be all of self worth as you imply.

The most common comment heard is " I wish I had come here earlier "

It should be raised to 60...given the increased longevity of life based on your comments.

The age thing is ridiculous ...there is no logic to it.

Actually, it should be 65 years at the minumum & more likely up to 70 in the near future as 65 is usually the absolutely minimum age for an aged pension with the retirement age going up soon by governments as people live longer.

[jspill]

now if you said 'how can i stay in the country to continue my studies' i would have some sympathy.

it sounds like you have been using (abusing?) the visa system simply to 'stay in the country'

people who abuse the system make it more difficult for the people who use the visa system as it is intended

if you can find a visa that fits your need then clearly your needs are not in line thailand's needs.

Immigration defines abuse of the Ed visa as working illegally while on it, doing something criminal, or not learning Thai to a given standard in a given time.

Happening to enjoy living here at the same time as studying, isn't abuse. Some posters here make it sound like it's a terrible thing to enjoy the country they're in, go out courting girls, take trips to tourist spots and so on as a student. As if they should be engrossed in their textbooks at all hours.

[gerry1011]

60'000 THB doing border runs? They are really only so little if you do them on strict budget travelling, meaning the trips won't be so nice, but tiring.

Different strokes for different folks. There are solid arguments for either option, 'up to you' as they say.

Arguments for tourist visas:

- Some people actually like visiting other countries, and do it cheaper than 60k. What's tiring to you is fine to others.

- To some paying a private company a lump sum of 500k for a 'visa agreement' situation (it isn't technically a visa) in an unstable country leaves a bad taste in the mouth, even if past TE holders have had their stamps honored thus far. That's comfortable to you, uncomfortable to others.

- Some people aren't sure they'll be here 5 years, they'd go for TE if it was 100k for one year.

- The 'it works out to only X baht daily' arguments are fallacious as you're not considering the opportunity cost of losing 500k that could be put to work for you. Spreading payments out over time rather than up front is the entire basis of the credit card industry. For some a 500k sunken cost is considerable, for others it's nothing.

Just to correct you and put some real facts:

With Thailand Elite, there is no "agreement" (not sure how you come up with this), but there is an actual Thailand Elite visa.

There has been several pictures of the Thailand Elite visa posted on this forum, I post a picture again, in case you still doubt about it.

Thailand Elite is not a private company. It is under the TAT.

You speak about "bad taste in the mouth"... I am a Thailand Elite member since 2003, and I have been very happy about it since day1.

"For some a 500k sunken cost is considerable", you are right.

These people should not even remotely consider joining Thailand Elite.

Thailand Elite is a luxury service that you buy for 5 or 20 years. It offers convenience and hassle free stays.

It is of great value for those who do not consider 500,000 or 2 million to be "an outrageous amount of money". This program is also not aimed at those who would need these amounts to subsist in Thailand.

It is a program for those who are financially comfortable.

And to date... Nobody has lost any money on this program (since 2003).

Image of the Thailand Elite visa in this link:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dvzt9P_B4YE/U6kf2q5XU6I/AAAAAAAANTM/i5NO4vh_SuE/s720/Privilege%20Entry%20visa%20PE%20Bangkok%2020140612.jpg

Edited December 20, 2014 by gerry1011

[rayongchelsea]

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

[lostinisaan]

There is also the charity option

You work a part-time job for a school for free and in return they sponsor your visa as charity worker

Why not looking for a school and become a volunteer, with work permit and visa issues solved?

[lostinisaan]

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

God, there're quite a few posts now that the OP's under 50.

[gerry1011]

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

You don't "need" that service, indeed.

The same as you don't "need" a cherry on your birthday cake...

However, you may "want" it...

The same as, sometimes, you may want to sleep in a 5 star hotel, rather than a cheap guesthouse.

[rayongchelsea]

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

God, there're quite a few posts now that the OP's under 50.

Yes, I was referring to the elite card system in general.

[gerry1011]

There is also the charity option

You work a part-time job for a school for free and in return they sponsor your visa as charity worker

Why not looking for a school and become a volunteer, with work permit and visa issues solved?

That is a nice idea... Edited December 20, 2014 by gerry1011

[rayongchelsea]

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

You don't "need" that service, indeed.

The same as you don't "need" a cherry on your birthday cake...

However, you may "want" it...

The same as, sometimes, you may want to sleep in a 5 star hotel, rather than a cheap guesthouse.

Usual needs and wants arguement. No disagreement here, but then as a value proposition it is diminished significantly..of course if you have the money..spend it as you like..as with anything else.

Most " rich" people ( who have been here awhile) over 50 wouldn't consider it.

[gerry1011]

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

You don't "need" that service, indeed.

The same as you don't "need" a cherry on your birthday cake...

However, you may "want" it...

The same as, sometimes, you may want to sleep in a 5 star hotel, rather than a cheap guesthouse.

Usual needs and wants arguement. No disagreement here, but then as a value proposition it is diminished significantly..of course if you have the money..spend it as you like..as with anything else.

Most " rich" people ( who have been here awhile) over 50 wouldn't consider it.

Maybe you are right concerning the "rich" ones.

But for the rich ones (without the ""), it is really a bargain.

But ok... Whatever.

As long as the people (rich or not) find their (visa) ways and are happy, no problem at all.

For my part, I am in the group who wanted a hassle free visa and was very willing to pay for it (and would do it again if needed).

Edited December 20, 2014 by gerry1011

[rayongchelsea]

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

You don't "need" that service, indeed.

The same as you don't "need" a cherry on your birthday cake...

However, you may "want" it...

The same as, sometimes, you may want to sleep in a 5 star hotel, rather than a cheap guesthouse.

Usual needs and wants arguement. No disagreement here, but then as a value proposition it is diminished significantly..of course if you have the money..spend it as you like..as with anything else.

Most " rich" people ( who have been here awhile) over 50 wouldn't consider it.

Maybe you are right concerning the "rich" ones.

But for the rich ones (without the ""), it is really a bargain.

But ok... Whatever.

As long as the people (rich or not) find their (visa) ways and are happy, no problem at all.

For my part, I am in the group who wanted a hassle free visa and was very willing to pay for it.

I suspect if they raise the age from say 50-60 ( my age bracket), there would be many more joining you...maybe just maybe that is the way they are going with this..

[gerry1011]

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

You don't "need" that service, indeed.

The same as you don't "need" a cherry on your birthday cake...

However, you may "want" it...

The same as, sometimes, you may want to sleep in a 5 star hotel, rather than a cheap guesthouse.

Usual needs and wants arguement. No disagreement here, but then as a value proposition it is diminished significantly..of course if you have the money..spend it as you like..as with anything else.

Most " rich" people ( who have been here awhile) over 50 wouldn't consider it.

Maybe you are right concerning the "rich" ones.

But for the rich ones (without the ""), it is really a bargain.

But ok... Whatever.

As long as the people (rich or not) find their (visa) ways and are happy, no problem at all.

For my part, I am in the group who wanted a hassle free visa and was very willing to pay for it.

I suspect if they raise the age from say 50-60 ( my age bracket), there would be many more joining you...maybe just maybe that is the way they are going with this..

There are several Thailand Elite members, writing on the different Thailand Elite threads, who were on retirement visas before but were kind of tired of the hassles.

This is why they decided to go the Thailand Elite PE visa way.

It's just a question of convenience that some people are ready to pay and others not.

Anybody can live without it, but around 3000 Thailand Elite members certainly won't complain about the easiness of the process of getting a PE visa, the convenience of the service and the "1 year stamp", and the peace of mind that this program gives to its members.

And the number of members increases every day... Soon there will have to be a "platinum" option of the program

[ThailandRick]

Plantinum Option? Other than the 5/20/Family Plan?

If you are financially comfortable and over 50 in no way do you need this service.

You don't "need" that service, indeed.
The same as you don't "need" a cherry on your birthday cake...

However, you may "want" it...
The same as, sometimes, you may want to sleep in a 5 star hotel, rather than a cheap guesthouse.

Usual needs and wants arguement. No disagreement here, but then as a value proposition it is diminished significantly..of course if you have the money..spend it as you like..as with anything else.

Most " rich" people ( who have been here awhile) over 50 wouldn't consider it.

Maybe you are right concerning the "rich" ones.
But for the rich ones (without the ""), it is really a bargain.
But ok... Whatever.
As long as the people (rich or not) find their (visa) ways and are happy, no problem at all.
For my part, I am in the group who wanted a hassle free visa and was very willing to pay for it.

I suspect if they raise the age from say 50-60 ( my age bracket), there would be many more joining you...maybe just maybe that is the way they are going with this..

There are several Thailand Elite members, writing on the different Thailand Elite threads, who were on retirement visas before but were kind of tired of the hassles.

This is why they decided to go the Thailand Elite PE visa way.

It's just a question of convenience that some people are ready to pay and others not.

Anybody can live without it, but around 3000 Thailand Elite members certainly won't complain about the easiness of the process of getting a PE visa, the convenience of the service and the "1 year stamp", and the peace of mind that this program gives to its members.

And the number of members increases every day... Soon there will have to be a "platinum" option of the program

[samui4me]

Thanks all for your different answers...

To clarify and add some remarks to some posts... :

- yes my main goal is to stay in Thailand. I was also interested in learning some basic Thai, I did it, now I am still interested to go to school but I admit less than at the beginning. I know enough for daily life.

- yes I would take TE if it was 100k/year (I am not sure to stay 5 years). It is only 3-4 times the price of ED

- yes I understand they are suspicious 3 years of ED... especially seems they think some people with ED work... Yes I wish they ask to show a big account balance, I would gladly show them if it helps for sure and indeed helps to filter out those who work with an ED

In fact they may consider to allow anyone with a decent account balance to stay without too many hassle.

Anyway. I have think about all this (B visa, TE, ED, ...). I think I will do the ED even if it became a big hassle (getting it and each 3 months extension). At least it will be cheap and a hassle. Better than expensive ( and a hassle, + borders runs.

TE very interesting but I can't spend 1M with my wife if I am not sure to stay about 5 years.

Visas is one of the minus/cons of Thailand, I know that. But most of the rest is amazing so......