Thailand Elite Card is pleased to announce the release of four new membership programs

[mcfish]

17 minutes ago, mirko said:

Would anyone be able to explain to me in plain english what a 20 year - 5 year renewable visa means?
Is it guaranteed for 20 years or do I need to re-aplly after 5 years and hope for the best?
Also, do I loose the visa if the TE goes bankrupt?
And last but not least... I would appreciate you oppinion on my specific situation... I am 35yr old Canadian married to a Thai woman for 8 years. Would you suggest I move to Thailand and get a Marriage visa and keep extending it? Is that much trouble with immigration? Or is it worth investing 1mil in TE 20yr plan?
THANKS GUYS! Cheers!

I hope you dont mind me saying this but you should take into account the stability of your relationship as well. Nothing is ever certain and should it go belly up you may want to cut your losses and head home to pursue a career at your relativley young age but the extra 1 mill is gonna hurt..just sayin

 

If it were me at 35 I would go marriage visa no question about it

[richard_smith237]

42 minutes ago, mirko said:

Would anyone be able to explain to me in plain english what a 20 year - 5 year renewable visa means?
Is it guaranteed for 20 years or do I need to re-aplly after 5 years and hope for the best?
Also, do I loose the visa if the TE goes bankrupt?
And last but not least... I would appreciate you oppinion on my specific situation... I am 35yr old Canadian married to a Thai woman for 8 years. Would you suggest I move to Thailand and get a Marriage visa and keep extending it? Is that much trouble with immigration? Or is it worth investing 1mil in TE 20yr plan?
THANKS GUYS! Cheers!

 

 

I was early 30's, not married and working in nearby countries on rotation. Sometimes I worked on projects in Thailand for which I had a Work Permit, but that was not a long term solution for me. At the time I didn't miss the 1 Million Baht. 

 

I was one of those who signed up early for the TE Program and received Life Time Membership for 1 Million Baht.

There have been a few PR related hiccups and at times doubt surfaced as to the longevity of the program. During those periods there were numerous comments, debates and general ridicule of those such as myself who joined - I considered the TE program an investment which after 8 years would pay for itself (that was about 10 years ago - I haven't done the calculations, but I guess it still hasn't paid for itself as I don't use the Golf or Massage any where near the level I used to). 

 

I'm now married and do not need the TE Membership, but find the 'hassle free' way to come and go to my preference. 

 

So, to answer the above questions: 

My Visa is a SE Visa (I think that means Special Entry?) and is renewed every 5 years for the remainder of my Life. I am require to do 90 reports (but I've only had to do that once in 10 years).

 

If I'm not mistaken the newer memberships offer a PE Visa (Permanent Entry ?) which is renewable every 5 years for the duration of membership (up to 20 years I believe).

 

I am happy that I don't need to do the Marriage Visa - by all accounts its a headache... 

However, now that I am Married I don't believe I would choose the Thai Elite Visa because, simply put, its not necessary, I have an option to stay here already.  That said, the Thai Elite visa is completely hassle free and for some that alone is worth the cost.

 

Thus: My advice would be to try the Marriage Visa... and if you find it too much hassle the Thai Elite Visa will still be there as an option. 

 

 

With regards to Bankruptcy - I do believe the Thai Elite Visa has some form of oversight.. but bankruptcy has been a possibility in the past which gave cause for concern to the members.

My guess (and its only a guess) is that if the company went bankrupt good luck getting any refund or form of compensation. 

 

So far so good though... and the company appears to be strengthening and gaining support having survived three Governments and two Military Coups. 

 

 

 

 

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, mirko said:

Would anyone be able to explain to me in plain english what a 20 year - 5 year renewable visa means?
Is it guaranteed for 20 years or do I need to re-aplly after 5 years and hope for the best?
Also, do I loose the visa if the TE goes bankrupt?
And last but not least... I would appreciate you oppinion on my specific situation... I am 35yr old Canadian married to a Thai woman for 8 years. Would you suggest I move to Thailand and get a Marriage visa and keep extending it? Is that much trouble with immigration? Or is it worth investing 1mil in TE 20yr plan?
THANKS GUYS! Cheers!

They are not really giving you a 20 year visa. It is 20 years membership of TE with a 5 year visa that gets renewed every 5 years. All the time the scheme is running the visa is automatically renewed at no further cost. If the scheme is ended any balance of current 5 year visa should be honoured, and you should receive some form of refund for the years remaining. Refunds are not guaranteed, but as it is a government backed scheme I am sure members would get refunds. 

 

If you are married there is no need for the PE visa. You can get a 1 year multiple entry visa (@5,000 baht) which would allow you to enter as often as you wanted, and only needs replacing every 12/17 months. Most Thai Embassies allow postal applications. You get 90 days per entry and could extend each stay by 60 days (once per entry) at immigration, on the basis of visiting your wife for 1,900 baht. If you want to stay longer than 150 days you could do a border hop at most borders for a new 90 day stay.

 

You don't need to move to Thailand to get a 1 year extension of stay (1,900 baht) based on being married (not a visa) although you'd need to be here for at least 1 month during the initial and renewal application periods. You can come and go as often as you want with a multiple entry re-entry permit (3,800 baht). As long as you can meet the finacial requirements of an extension of stay the paperwork is straightforward. The main complaint people have is with the service standards and long waits at the offices when applying. I would say that mainly effects people living in the major cities, and for many people it's an easy painless process.

 

If you only visit here occasionally and don't stay long you could just use a tourist visa (@1,000 baht) that would give you 60 days and could be extended by 60 days, at immigration, on the basis of visiting your wife for 1,900 baht.

Edited August 28, 2016 by elviajero

[scubascuba3]

Refunds are not guaranteed, but as it is a government backed scheme I am sure members would get refunds.

Have you got any evidence for this? Surely it would be in the T&Cs if that was to happen?

[elviajero]

14 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Have you got any evidence for this? Surely it would be in the T&Cs if that was to happen?

 

Evidence of what specifically?

 

The T&C's state what would happen, but does not say guaranteed anywhere. The scheme is run by the TAT, which is a government agency, and was given the go ahead by the government. I am pretty sure that if it got in trouble it would be bailed out by the government at whatever cost.

[scubascuba3]

Evidence of what specifically?

 

The T&C's state what would happen, but does not say guaranteed anywhere. The scheme is run by the TAT, which is a government agency, and was given the go ahead by the government. I am pretty sure that if it got in trouble it would be bailed out by the government at whatever cost.

You said members would get refunds, where is your evidence for that? Its not in the T&Cs so how can you be sure? Compare that to say the UK where individuals are guaranteed for 75k deposited. That's an example of a very clear guarantee. I can't see any guarantee of refund for Thai Elite.

It may be better to say, " you may get a refund"

[elviajero]

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

You said members would get refunds, where is your evidence for that? Its not in the T&Cs so how can you be sure? Compare that to say the UK where individuals are guaranteed for 75k deposited. That's an example of a very clear guarantee. I can't see any guarantee of refund for Thai Elite.

No I didn't. I clearly stated an opinion ("I am pretty sure")  that, because it's government backed, it would get bailed out. I also stated in the initial post that refunds are not guaranteed.

 

 

[Ronuk]

I believe TE  is actually part of the Thai immigration department.

No idea why people keep on and on about whether the TE program could fail. Not a chance after it has been promoted throughout Asia.

It would be the biggest PR disaster ever to hit TAT. No a hope of it being allowed to fold with the high profile businesses and people on board.

[gerry1011]

I believe TE  is actually part of the Thai immigration department.

No idea why people keep on and on about whether the TE program could fail. Not a chance after it has been promoted throughout Asia.

It would be the biggest PR disaster ever to hit TAT. No a hope of it being allowed to fold with the high profile businesses and people on board.

Some people keep on and on about whether the TE program could fail... because they have no more arguments to speak against the program. It is the best option for those who can afford it.

The program started in 2003, it is still around, and will be around for many many more years.

The program is, and has always been under TAT, the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The early members of TE already enjoyed over a decade (!) of comfortable stay, while countless others were moaning about their immigration problems.

I don't see what drives some posters on this forum to keep coming with the "risk" that the program will fail and stop.

It will not happen, the vast majority understands that, and that is why more and more people join this great program.

If the fee to become a member seems too much of a sum for someone, he should just forget Thailand Elite.

If the fee seems reasonable, he should not hesitate, and sign up today!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[SoFarAndNear]

haha 1mio for 20 years visa. What a punch in the face for the customers who paid 500k for 5 years.

[HampiK]

the 5 years (500K) isn't the same as the 20 Years (1Million).

 

In the 5 years Visa you have more benefits. But yes, I am sure there are a number of people who would liked the 20 year option much more than the 5 years. Because many benefits on the 5 year visa is not needed for some of the members. But the 5 year (500K) is still available, and maybe still some people want to buy rather the 5 year visa instead the 20 year... or the go directly to the 20 year for 2 Million baht.

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, HampiK said:

the 5 years (500K) isn't the same as the 20 Years (1Million).

 

In the 5 years Visa you have more benefits. But yes, I am sure there are a number of people who would liked the 20 year option much more than the 5 years. Because many benefits on the 5 year visa is not needed for some of the members. But the 5 year (500K) is still available, and maybe still some people want to buy rather the 5 year visa instead the 20 year... or the go directly to the 20 year for 2 Million baht.

 

There are more benefits with 5 year Membership than the 20 year Membership ??? - What additional benefits are there ?

 

IF so, its a bit of a No-Brainer... Just go with 5 year membership and repeat every 5 years.. Unless of course Thai Elite increase the price again at some point (some of us started out with 1 MB for Life, before it became 1 MB for 20 years)

[HampiK]

You should have a look in the link in the first post!

 

There are now different memberships available. some have airport transfers included, spa visits, golf, health checks or visiting special events.

 

But yes, at the moment I also ask myself about the price differences. The cheapest 20 year visa for 1 Million and the expensive one for about 2.5 Million baht (there is a 20K yearly fee and everything excluded VAT) where in every other type it's included VAT!

[Ronuk]

5,10, 20 years. Not everyone wants to commit to 10 or 20 years. 5 years at a time suits me just fine. 1 million baht extra spread over 20 years by paying 500,000bht every 5 years hardly breaks the bank.

[gerry1011]

haha 1mio for 20 years visa. What a punch in the face for the customers who paid 500k for 5 years.

The punch is for everyone who waited too long...

At the beginning of the TE program is was 1 million for a lifetime membership

Hurry up and get yours


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[elviajero]

10 hours ago, Ronuk said:

I believe TE  is actually part of the Thai immigration department.

No idea why people keep on and on about whether the TE program could fail. Not a chance after it has been promoted throughout Asia.

It would be the biggest PR disaster ever to hit TAT. No a hope of it being allowed to fold with the high profile businesses and people on board.

It is nothing to do with TIB. The scheme was proposed and implemented by Thaksin and his government and is run by the TAT. TIB just issue the visa. 

[Ronuk]

1 minute ago, elviajero said:

It is nothing to do with TIB. The scheme was proposed and implemented by Thaksin and his government and is run by the TAT. TIB just issue the visa. 

How do you know who it's actually run by. Have you actually been in there office at the airport which is actually the immigration office with immigration sitting at the same desks? Again you are assuming and like to put doubt in the minds of those thinking of using the program. 

[elviajero]

24 minutes ago, Ronuk said:

How do you know who it's actually run by. Have you actually been in there office at the airport which is actually the immigration office with immigration sitting at the same desks? Again you are assuming and like to put doubt in the minds of those thinking of using the program. 

For someone that is a member you don't seem to have done your research. 

 

Of course immigration are involved at the airport because they police everyone that enters the country, even PE holders.

 

What am I assuming? I know for a fact that the TAT run the TE program and that the Thaksin government introduced it.

 

[Ronuk]

12 minutes ago, elviajero said:

For someone that is a member you don't seem to have done your research. 

 

Of course immigration are involved at the airport because they police everyone that enters the country, even PE holders.

 

What am I assuming? I know for a fact that the TAT run the TE program and that the Thaksin government introduced it.

 

TAT promote it and deal with the day to day running.  That's all you know. I happen to know a little more than your expert opinion thinks. 

Like the majority of stuff you think you know about, it's just your opinion and not fact.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Ronuk

[elviajero]

20 minutes ago, Ronuk said:

TAT promote it and deal with the day to day running.  That's all you know. I happen to know a little more than your expert opinion thinks. 

Like the majority of stuff you think you know about, it's just your opinion and not fact.

People always resort to personal jibes!

 

The Thai government (Thaksin) proposed the scheme in 2003 and gave the scheme the go ahead. The TAT own the company (TE) and promote the scheme, and as the owner of the company and government agency in charge of the scheme they must have a say in how the company/scheme is run. The TE directors and it's employees run the business and deal with the day to day running. Immigration just issue the visas.

 

What is your problem with those simple facts, and please enlighten us with what more you know as I'm sure it would be helpful for anyone interested in the scheme.

 

[ubonjoe]

From: http://www.thailandelite.com/aboutus.php

 

Quote

Company Profile

The Best made Better

Thailand Elite originates from a singular goal to present the finest that the country has to offer into one unique package for our honored guests. Whereas, the Cabinet passed a resolution on 29 July 2003, approving the Thailand Privilege Card Project as proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, whereby the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was to implement the project in the form of limited company. "Thailand Privilege Card Company Limited" registered its incorporation under the Civil and Commercial Code on 29 August 2003, having the TAT as its sole shareholder and the registered capital of THB 1,000 million and having the status of state enterprise under the Budget Procedures Act B.E. 2502 (1959).  Its objectives are to generate revenues from foreign visitors; and draw high-end visitors, businessmen, investors and the long stay groups, by offering rights and services to members. Such services are from both public and private sectors, e.g. Visa Privilege, Special Entry Visa, and Privilege Entry Visa As part of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, this exclusive club has access to privileges that money alone cannot buy. Thailand Elite is the world's first country membership programme with benefit for immigration, leisure, business, and much more.

Preferred treatment at golf courses, spas, hotels, clubs, and medical facilities throughout Thailand await our Members. The benefits and privileges last for a lifetime, for as a friend of the country, we want you to enjoy your time here to the fullest extent. We look forward to presenting you with our Thai heritage and hospitality famous the world.

 

Time to end the bickering.

[Ronuk]

1 minute ago, elviajero said:

People always resort to personal jibes!

 

The Thai government (Thaksin) proposed the scheme in 2003 and gave the scheme the go ahead. The TAT own the company (TE) and promote the scheme, and as the owner of the company and government agency in charge of the scheme they must have a say in how the company/scheme is run. The TE directors and it's employees run the business and deal with the day to day running. Immigration just issue the visas.

 

What is your problem with those simple facts, and please enlighten us with what more you know as I'm sure it would be helpful for anyone interested in the scheme.

 

No personal jibes from me at all. If you want to know more, take a trip to the TE office and ask the question. Do your history of those at the top of the organisation and see who they are and what they do.

As I have said, it's very much government run and then fronted and promoted by TAT.

Fees are paid up front and immediately and directly to the immigration account. Members have paid up front for 5, 10 or 20 years for there visa. That's what you will get. Nobody can say if the car service etc would be there forever but certainly the visas have been paid for.

[anotheruser]

8 hours ago, SoFarAndNear said:

haha 1mio for 20 years visa. What a punch in the face for the customers who paid 500k for 5 years.

 

I have a 5 year visa for 500K. I don't feel bad about it all.  don't plan to stay more than 5 years. haha I am sorry to disappoint you but I am not at all bothered about the change as I wouldn't have bothered with 10 years anyway. It seems that you just wish that people will become unhappy with it because you somehow get your jollies out of it. 

 

FWIW I don't really have enough faith in the way Thailand is going to put much more than 500K in no matter what the fee breaks down to per annum. So for people like me that are just here because of the financial gain this country offers and are taking advantage of that 5 years is more sufficient. It isn't an amount I really have to sit up thinking about. 

 

If for some reason I change my mind it will mean because the money works out right and I would be getting paid handsomely to stay on. In this case 500K is a pittance and it ultimately is Thailand itself paying for the visa anyway as this is where the source of income is derived. Not everybody is losing money being here. 

 

If I need another 5 years we will just put it in my partners expenses when he signs the next contract and the Thai company can pay it for me. Ladeedah. I guess I am lucky I can afford to be short sighted in this way.

 

 

Edited August 29, 2016 by anotheruser

[DUS]

I just tried a few links in the first post of this thread but none worked. Went to TE´s main URL and got this message:

 

This account has been suspended.
Either the domain has been overused, or the reseller ran out of resources.

 

What´s wrong?

[ubonjoe]

25 minutes ago, DUS said:

I just tried a few links in the first post of this thread but none worked. Went to TE´s main URL and got this message:

 

This account has been suspended.
Either the domain has been overused, or the reseller ran out of resources.

 

What´s wrong?

Strange message. It might be a hack of the site.

This one still works, http://www.thai-elite.com/

 

Edit: I just sent them an email asking about problem with site.

Edited August 31, 2016 by ubonjoe

[Ronuk]

Dear Mr xxxxxxxxxx

Greetings from Thailand Elite Member Contact Center.

Thank you for informing us regarding our website status. Currently, we are in process of migrating all our website resources to new server. It should be up again soon. Thank you for your kind patience on the matter.

Best regards,
Surachoke S.
Thailand Elite Member Contact Center

[Ronuk]

Website now back and running normally.

[Kai1988]

Hi guys, 

 

Am considering getting the TE visa just to avoid all the hassle with immigration and not having to worry about the rules changes and whatnot, but have a couple of questions... 

 

1) My passport is set to expire in 2021, so if I get the 5 year easy access option, what happens at the end of the 4th year and I have to get a new passport? Can they transfer the visa to the new passport? 

 

2) I travel quite extensively throughout the region, probably at least once or twice a month and I understand that they give you a new 1 year visa everytime you pass through immigration (please correct me if I'm wrong), so what happens on the 5th year? Is there a fixed expiry date on the final 1 year visa? 

 

3) We've (or more specifically my partner) just bought a place in salaya, near mahidol university (nonthanburi province)... Does that distance qualify for the short haul transfer service? 

 

cheers! 

[elviajero]

17 minutes ago, Kai1988 said:

Hi guys, 

 

Am considering getting the TE visa just to avoid all the hassle with immigration and not having to worry about the rules changes and whatnot, but have a couple of questions... 

 

1) My passport is set to expire in 2021, so if I get the 5 year easy access option, what happens at the end of the 4th year and I have to get a new passport? Can they transfer the visa to the new passport? 

 

2) I travel quite extensively throughout the region, probably at least once or twice a month and I understand that they give you a new 1 year visa everytime you pass through immigration (please correct me if I'm wrong), so what happens on the 5th year? Is there a fixed expiry date on the final 1 year visa? 

 

3) We've (or more specifically my partner) just bought a place in salaya, near mahidol university (nonthanburi province)... Does that distance qualify for the short haul transfer service? 

 

cheers! 

1. Immigration don't transfer visas. You would just show both passports when entering/exiting the country until the visa expired.
2. If you enter on the last day the visa is valid you would get a new 1 year stay giving you almost 6 years, but if you don't renew your membership you lose the benefits in that year and need a re-entry permit when taking trips outside Thailand.
3. As long as it's under 80KM. BKK to the university is about 54KM.

Edited September 1, 2016 by elviajero

[pearlofqatar]

This is a no-brainer and I am over 50 only wished I looked into it earlier when you could get the life membership. 20 years @ 1 million baht

where do I sign up? No more Immigration hoop jumping, finally NO more visa runs as the REV also does not suit my lifestyle and this ticks ALL my boxes.