The Thailand Elite Visa

The Best Way to Stay Long-Term?

Most visitors who are wishing to stay a bit longer or regularly in the Kingdom of Thailand
are to have their privileged visa, however, before having the opportunity to have this called
privileged visa , there are rules and steps that must be followed. It is because when you
have a wrong or an expired visa, there’s a possibility that you will be detained immediately
and deported from the country. Also, it affects you to be black-listed and banned from the
country wherein you will not be given a chance to enter the country for 1 to 10 years until
you settle the appeal of decisions. Further, even if your blacklist record was void, the
immigration officials will still observe you at the airport based on your bad record history. In
addition, If you are an expat in the family, friends etc., this would be proven to be
absolutely disastrous because you don’t even think about it, despite you being a genuine
traveler and can occasionally make an honest mistake.

Now, I know what you’re thinking of; get the right visa and not overstay? Well, there are a
couple of potential issues here. If you’re over 50, you can apply for the Non-O visa then
yearly extensions based on retirement, or if you’re married to a Thai national, you can get
the yearly extensions based on marriage. However, even these two categories require
you to turn up to your local immigration office with reams of paperwork, deal with opening
a Thai bank account (often they will refuse you unless you have a work permit), then you
have to deposit and not touch a sizeable chunk of cash to qualify for your extension, on
which you could be earning a decent chunk of interest somewhere else. On your first
application, you may well end up having to the visit the office several times to get
everything just how they like it, for matters such as using black pen on any of the forms,
having any folded documents, or printing out your photos the wrong size or on the wrong
quality paper (yes they will want multiple photos of you in your home). You are then
required to wait for several weeks whilst your application is “under consideration”, not
knowing if you will have to leave the country or not, and not knowing if you need to make a
contingency plan or not, and then having to entertain several immigration officers who will
pay a visit to you at your residence to ensure that you really live there.
These measures may seem harsh, but it’s the government’s way of protecting Thai citizens
and the country from undesirable foreigners wanting to reside in the country, and in
general, they do a very good job. Thais are very patriotic people who love their country
and Thailand arguably does a much better job at keeping unsavoury characters out than
many western countries. However, jumping through these hoops every year can be very
draining and it’s quite understandable that many genuine people who want to stay in
Thailand will get tired and frustrated with these requirements, particularly people of
advancing years trying to make the most of their retirement.

So, as you can see, the process of getting your visa and subsequent extensions can be
quite stressful and unsettling, and to make matters worse, the rules seem to be constantly
changing. For example;
● They recently introduced a requirement for retired expats to hold a significant
medical insurance policy whilst in the country, which most expats will have already
but that won’t be good enough because they insist that you purchase a policy from
their list of approved insurers (Thai companies or subsidiaries).
● The marriage extension, in particular, can require over a hundred sheets of paper to
be provided, then all stamped and signed, but expect any creased, marked or
smudged documents to be rejected requiring you to go home and try again the next
day (which might seem fine until you consider that some expats may live over
100km from their nearest immigration office). To avoid this hassle, some expats use
the services of a visa agent to ensure that their application is approved, however,
this is a legal grey-area and you can expect to be charged 10,000-20,000 baht
($330-$660) per time with no actual guarantee that your visa will be granted.
In addition to these issues, some people who want to effectively live in Thailand, but are
under 50 years old and don’t want to marry with a Thai will find themselves in a bit of a
“visa void” where they are not eligible for any long term visa, and after a using a few tourist
visas with extensions they find that they are getting grilled at the airport. This is a
precarious situation as tourist visas are not intended to be used for long stays in the
country and you will end up being turned back at the airport.It’’s only a matter of time.
Sometimes, people in this category may end up going to a visa agent or “fixer” who can
secure them a long term visa based on some supposed volunteer work or them attending
an educational program in the country, however, if you are not participating in these
activities then this is highly illegal, not to mention the agent fees will be very steep, in the
region of 50k baht ($1650). Even as a last resort, using options such as these is highly
unwise and you can expect to be caught out eventually, and ultimately, deported and
blacklisted.

The Solution: The Thailand Elite Visa

For people who do not qualify for retirement or marriage extensions, or people who don’t
want the grief and uncertainty of having to do yearly extensions with protracted visits to
immigration offices, there is another option, which, once granted, will allow you to stay in
Thailand for long periods; The Thailand Elite Visa.
There is one catch, the cost for some may be prohibitive, with the most basic, 5-year visa
coming in at 600k baht, up from 500k last year (600k baht is $19900). It looks like a lot, but
is only $4000 per year for peace of mind and not having to run around getting dozens of
documents, not having to deal with agents, not having to travel to your local immigration
office twice a year and wait in a queue, and not having to travel to an embassy in a
neighbouring country to get the initial Non-O visa (which will involve more visa fees, travel
costs, a stay in a hotel, taxi fares, more documents etc.).
In general, holding a Thailand Elite visa is a much more preferable option than having to
deal with the ever-changing and convoluted bureaucracy of the Thai immigration

department, and once granted, you can be sure that you’ll be able to stay in Thailand for 5,
10 or 20 years depending on which option you go for. Besides, holders of the visa also
receive many other great benefits.

What are The Benefits?

In addition to being able to stay hassle-free in Thailand, the Elite Visa also offers many
other benefits. These include but are not limited to the following:
 VIP welcome and limousine service on arrival and departure from Thailand when
travelling internationally.
 No need for medical insurance.
 Fast-tracked priority service at immigration when arriving and departing.
 Complimentary use of “Miracle” arrival and departure lounges.
 Government concierge services which include business networking, immigration
services, and top-flight agent assistance getting your Thai driver’s license and bank
account.
 Special discounts at various outlets including duty-free, shopping malls, restaurants
and hotels.
 Complimentary spa access.
 Complimentary golf course access.
 Annual health check.
 24-hour, English speaking customer service centre.

Final Words

Even though the initial outlay may appear steep, there are many travellers for whom the
Thailand Elite Visa offers a very good deal. Once you break it down and realise all the
costs and hassles that you can avoid with these visas, plus the additional benefits and
discounts that you will become eligible for, just under $4000 a year is not a lot and can
save you a great deal of stress and aggravation and give you peace of mind when
travelling to the Kingdom. Especially when you consider that you will not need to spend
thousands of dollars per year on an additional medical insurance policy if you were
intending to retire in Thailand (which many people don’t need as they will have
comprehensive medical insurance from their home country already), for many the Elite
visa will be an incredibly compelling option.
The Thailand Elite Visa is an excellent choice for people who:

 Don’t qualify for a traditional long-stay visa but want to spend extended periods in
the country.

 People who do qualify for a long-stay visa, but don’t want to deal with all the
paperwork and visits to immigration, or the cost and uncertainty of hiring an agent
every year.
 Anyone who wants the long-term peace of mind, hassle-free travel and fantastic
perks which the Thailand Elite Visas offer.