How long to obtain Elite - start to finish?

[nucleative]

Curious about recent reports on how long the Elite visa people are taking from start to finish. I believe it used to be a matter of weeks having read some older reports, but now the Elite website is showing between 1-4 MONTHS.

 

I applied 2 weeks ago, providing all docs required over email and I was as told to wait until Immigration approves my application after a "couple months" which seems a bit ludicrous and not exactly Elite.

 

I'm late 30's Caucasian American, have been in Thailand for 4 years on a Non B under my own companies. No overstays, all 90 days reports duly filed, etc. Currently on a Non-B waiting on my company's formal BOI approval but the process has gotten too stressful and I might just abandon it and try to smooth my life out a bit with Elite.

 

Is it really going to take a couple months or are they just saying this? 

[dbrenn]

If you are already on non-B by virtue  of your business, then why the need for an Elite visa? With a non-B, you can apply for a work permit, which can in turn be used for extensions of your non-B.

 

Be aware that a non-B allows you to apply for a work permit, whereas an Elite visa doesn't allow that. 

[nucleative]

2 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

If you are already on non-B by virtue  of your business, then why the need for an Elite visa? With a non-B, you can apply for a work permit, which can in turn be used for extensions of your non-B.

 

Be aware that a non-B allows you to apply for a work permit, whereas an Elite visa doesn't allow that. 

Yes, fully understand this limitation of the Elite. I know it's a tourist type of visa and doesn't enable any working in Thailand.

 

Considering a break for a while and don't want to worry about maintaining the requirements for the B visa in the meantime.

 

*Edit for clarification: my current B runs out in about a month, so I have to do something either way. Renewal of the B would not be routine this time around.

Edited May 6, 2019 by nucleative

[ubonjoe]

How long it takes depends upon a person's nationality. They do a more through check for some nationalities by requesting a background check from their home country.

I would guess a month or less for most people.

[Travelanimal]

Applied 2 weeks ago also . Let’s see how long it will take the assistant wrote MAY take upto 2-3 months 

[ukrules]

He's from the US, should take 5 to 10 days max same as my original application which took about a week, I'm from the UK.

 

They have obviously made some huge changes to the approval process.

 

I won't be too surprised if they make it almost impossible to get this visa in the future.

[marke985]

I'm 36, USA passport, white skin, and applied March 15th.  Still awaiting for immigration approval.

 

I also applied for the 20 year Visa.  Not sure if the Visa type effects speed of processing.

[Travelanimal]

7 minutes ago, marke985 said:

I'm 36, USA passport, white skin, and applied March 15th.  Still awaiting for immigration approval.

 

I also applied for the 20 year Visa.  Not sure if the Visa type effects speed of processing.

Damm that’s 2 months now 

[Travelanimal]

Some guys in previous thread mentioned getting within month recently even they were told 2-3 months 

[CartagenaWarlock]

16 minutes ago, marke985 said:

I'm 36, USA passport, white skin, and applied March 15th.  Still awaiting for immigration approval.

 

I also applied for the 20 year Visa.  Not sure if the Visa type effects speed of processing.

I'm also waiting for three weeks for 20-year visa. I applied when I was in the US. When I last spoke, the rep said it could take up to 4 months. I'm now in Bangkok with a tourist visa and probably I have to go out to Singapore again to get another tourist visa if I don't get it approved before my admitted until date in the current visa. 

[CygnusX1]

I applied for a 20 year 1M baht visa earlier this year. Approval by immigration took almost exactly 1 month. Very fast after that, only a couple more days. I’m an Australian citizen.

Bizarre experience at airport, riding in an electric cart with the attractive young lady driver beeping horn to scatter hapless plebeians. Felt like the world’s greatest Wally. Asked me if I needed any help after traversing immigration, too embarrassed to tell her I was catching the very non VIP bus to Jomtien.

[CartagenaWarlock]

29 minutes ago, Travelanimal said:

Damm that’s 2 months now 

When I spoke to the rep, she told me it does not matter what passport I use (I have two) but it now takes at least two months and may be up to 4 months. She advised m to come to Thailand on a tourist visa and wait inside Thailand if possible. I did what she recommendation. Now waiting in Bangkok

Edited May 6, 2019 by CartagenaWarlock

[ukrules]

Something's clearly very wrong with the whole approval process.

[LongTang]

8 hours ago, ukrules said:

I won't be too surprised if they make it almost impossible to get this visa in the future.

 

I agree, I'm sure It feels like 'its now or never' for many who still find this place close to their hearts.

I bet they are seeing a sharp increase in the amount of applications now, but I'm afraid that a sharp drop will follow as the word about the ever tightening rules and regulations spread to other potential tourists...

[justin case]

don't waste your money on it, you have a non-b

 

500k gives you the most expensive tourist visa and you still need yearly extension !!!!

 

and you cannot work, as people said and if your company goes belly up, aka you become bankrupt, bye bye elite, it will be CANCELLED!   read the small letters

 

[justin case]

5 hours ago, LongTang said:

 

I agree, I'm sure It feels like 'its now or never' for many who still find this place close to their hearts.

I bet they are seeing a sharp increase in the amount of applications now, but I'm afraid that a sharp drop will follow as the word about the ever tightening rules and regulations spread to other potential tourists...

I won't be surprised if all the new bullshit is to PRESSURE people in spending 500K for a visa that could be 5x1900 baht for the same period

 

= extortion

[SEtonal]

4 minutes ago, justin case said:

don't waste your money on it, you have a non-b

 

500k gives you the most expensive tourist visa and you still need yearly extension !!!!

 

and you cannot work, as people said and if your company goes belly up, aka you become bankrupt, bye bye elite, it will be CANCELLED!   read the small letters

 

A yearly extension is not needed if the Thailand Elite Visa holder exits Thailand once within a year.

[marke985]

12 hours ago, CygnusX1 said:

I applied for a 20 year 1M baht visa earlier this year. Approval by immigration took almost exactly 1 month. Very fast after that, only a couple more days. I’m an Australian citizen.

Bizarre experience at airport, riding in an electric cart with the attractive young lady driver beeping horn to scatter hapless plebeians. Felt like the world’s greatest Wally. Asked me if I needed any help after traversing immigration, too embarrassed to tell her I was catching the very non VIP bus to Jomtien.

We should meet for a beer next time I'm in Parttaya area.  We might be the only two Elite card holders who still take the cheap bus.  I still fly into DMK, take the airport bus (30 baht) to the BTS.  Take BTS to Ekkami station, walk to the bus station, 108 baht bus to Pattaya.  Depending how I feel/how much luggage I have, I sometimes make the 1.5KM walk to my lower end hotel in Pattaya to save on the motorbike taki/ baht bus monopoly they have running.

[nucleative]

5 minutes ago, justin case said:

don't waste your money on it, you have a non-b

 

500k gives you the most expensive tourist visa and you still need yearly extension !!!!

 

and you cannot work, as people said and if your company goes belly up, aka you become bankrupt, bye bye elite, it will be CANCELLED!   read the small letters

 

 

It's possible that I'm doing something very wrong, but owning a Thai company and thus maintaining a Non-B visa costs well in excess of THB 100,000 annually including:

 

-monthly bookkeeping/accounting services and tax filing,

-semi-annual and annual audit

-2-4 Thai employees (even if using the, uh, roundabout ways on this)

-admin assistance to handle the continual gov't related errands

-annual visa renewal fees/agent fees and

-the heartache of never knowing what "new rule" will come into effect at the next extension and thus whether you'll need an emergency trip out of Thailand at the last minute

 

So a Non-B visa is not a smooth or inexpensive way to stay in Thailand. If your "work" can be done 100% remote anyways, it's hard to see any clear advantage. For some reason, extending a B-visa and work permit for another year seems harder than getting it the first time; so I've met a few people who just open a new company every year and close the last one down each time.

 

I'm open to the possibility that I'm doing this all wrong, but so far I've not found a legal or smooth way around it.

 

In comparison with Elite visa, I'm looking at paying 500k (averaged to 100k/annual or even less if I can stretch to that 6th year) and then... I'm basically done thinking about it except a few stamps every year.

 

 

 

[LongTang]

29 minutes ago, nucleative said:

In comparison with Elite visa, I'm looking at paying 500k (averaged to 100k/annual or even less if I can stretch to that 6th year) and then... I'm basically done thinking about it except a few stamps every year. 

 

I highly suggest you consider going for the 1mil\20years option. Its much more cost effective And the odds renewal will be much more expensive and difficult in 6 years are high.

 

[nucleative]

4 minutes ago, LongTang said:

 

I highly suggest you consider going for the 1mil\20years option. Its much more cost effective And the odds renewal will be much more expensive and difficult in 6 years are high.

20 years feels like such a long commitment to our reluctant host. But you are probably right; now's the time.

 

 

[recom273]

A good friend of mine, US citizen, female, 39 yes old, frequent visitor of many years, digital nomad with a healthy bank balance - submitted her application on first day of arrival from Bali. Waited 2 months and tried to contact the original “salesman” she was given the run around, no one claimed to know the person but they asked her to come in and reapply (so they could get the sales commission?) - 3 months later she got a call from the original girl saying her application was approved, she told them to stick it and went back to Bali. Like others have said, hardly an elite service.

[JackThompson]

38 minutes ago, recom273 said:

A good friend of mine, US citizen, female, 39 yes old, frequent visitor of many years, digital nomad with a healthy bank balance - submitted her application on first day of arrival from Bali. Waited 2 months and tried to contact the original “salesman” she was given the run around, no one claimed to know the person but they asked her to come in and reapply (so they could get the sales commission?) - 3 months later she got a call from the original girl saying her application was approved, she told them to stick it and went back to Bali. Like others have said, hardly an elite service.

Sounds like some links in the chain are pushing for a bigger cut of the action by dragging their feet.

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, marke985 said:

We should meet for a beer next time I'm in Parttaya area.  We might be the only two Elite card holders who still take the cheap bus.  I still fly into DMK, take the airport bus (30 baht) to the BTS.  Take BTS to Ekkami station, walk to the bus station, 108 baht bus to Pattaya.  Depending how I feel/how much luggage I have, I sometimes make the 1.5KM walk to my lower end hotel in Pattaya to save on the motorbike taki/ baht bus monopoly they have running.

Depending on where you are headed, the moto-stand across the street from the bus-station will give you a ride to Dolphin-Circle for 30 Baht (or did a year ago), from where baht-buses go down Beach Rd.  Granted, motos don't work with a pile of luggage (unless you hire 2).  Just avoid the motos in the bus-station, who have to pay a commission to work out of there - hence the inflated-rates. 

Edited May 7, 2019 by JackThompson

[highland66]

I've been waiting almost two months for mine. Sent another email to the elite visa office a few days ago to request an update. No response. 

[ubonjoe]

51 minutes ago, recom273 said:

A good friend of mine, US citizen, female, 39 yes old, frequent visitor of many years, digital nomad with a healthy bank balance - submitted her application on first day of arrival from Bali. Waited 2 months and tried to contact the original “salesman” she was given the run around, no one claimed to know the person but they asked her to come in and reapply (so they could get the sales commission?) - 3 months later she got a call from the original girl saying her application was approved, she told them to stick it and went back to Bali. Like others have said, hardly an elite service.

It seems your friend may of contacted an agent for Thai Elite instead of dealing directly with them. There is even another website that appears to a real Thai Elite website but it is not the official one. This is the official site. https://www.thailandelite.com/?locate=en

[Sam Lin]

Since you have the company already and are only waiting for BOI, it really doesn't make sense to look at Elite at all. The 1m thb that Elite costs can easily pay for plenty of lawyer services for BOI, and the BOI IB visa is one of the nicer visas to have in terms of how you're treated and how little you get hassled.

[kekalot]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

It seems your friend may of contacted an agent for Thai Elite instead of dealing directly with them. There is even another website that appears to a real Thai Elite website but it is not the official one. This is the official site. https://www.thailandelite.com/?locate=en

you are right, they were likely using agents.. there are a few websites that are setup the same way, same wording but not directly the official site (I seen them too)

 

my application didn't even take three weeks, it might have taken 10 days at most to get acceptance letter and then once accepted (and paid) it was all very quick

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, kekalot said:

you are right, they were likely using agents.. there are a few websites that are setup the same way, same wording but not directly the official site (I seen them too)

 

my application didn't even take three weeks, it might have taken 10 days at most to get acceptance letter and then once accepted (and paid) it was all very quick 

How long ago was this? Mine took only a week but that was 5 years ago.

[aussieinphuket]

again must be another of thailand changing rules....

 

in 2017 i first obtained Thai Elite for my wife for 5 years it took maximum 60 minutes from start to

finish to get the approval and then it was just a matter of remitting the funds as their offer was open for 30 days.

 

about 3 months later when my retirement visa was expiring i also applied and yes again 60 minutes from 

sending email, getting a reply to complete a form and send a copy of my passport (not sure if had to send a copy of current retirement visa in passport don't think so), again it was just a matter of sending the money to finalise things .... which did on same day and then just a matter of when to meet to place official stamp in passport and get issued Thai Elite cards....

 

i have been reading people saying its taking much longer now ... 

 

i talked direct to Thai Elite in Bangkok no agents involved.... or middle men..

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by aussieinphuket