Anyone have a Family version of the Thai Elite Visa?

[wasabi]

After having personally experienced the unpleasantness and uncertainty of immigration interrogation for using a multi entry tourist visa (Why are you spending so much time in Thailand? Are you working? Where is your money coming from?) and hearing countless other similar stories my wife and I have decided to expedite purchasing a Thailand Elite Visa since our next move to Thailand is expected to last several years and that is presently our only long term visa option.

We were going to enter Thailand on a METVs and buy TE visas 6 months from the date of entry but we now plan to enter on single entry tourist visas in early December 2019. In January 2020 we'll apply for the TE visas. It seems slightly better to have it start in 2020 than the end of 2019 so I will wait til 2020 begins to start the process. I considered 20 year TE visas for us both, but for a variety of reasons 5 year visas may be better for now.

 

For those with Thailand Elite Visas does anyone have the 5 year Family Excursion membership? Was the total cost for 2 people, 800,000 THB? What was your experience applying for and receiving the TE visa for you and your family members?

 

Thank you

 

 

[onera1961]

8 hours ago, wasabi said:

I have decided to expedite purchasing a Thailand Elite Visa since our next move to Thailand is expected to last several years and that is presently our only long term visa option.

Just curious why Thailand? Why not Malayasia or Singapore? You seem to have enough money. Malayasia will be better for you. I think they have some kind of visa for under 50. 

Edited October 12, 2019 by onera1961

[wasabi]

2 hours ago, onera1961 said:

Just curious why Thailand? Why not Malayasia or Singapore? You seem to have enough money. Malayasia will be better for you. I think they have some kind of visa for under 50. 

I have been all over SEA and like Singapore very much but in spite of the nationalistic and xenophobic trend sweeping Thailand which I do not like I still love Thailand more than its neighbors. I've spent a over a decade studying Thai language and am comfortable with the culture and people. My wife is from Laos but she speaks fluent Thai and has family throughout Thailand. The government undoubtedly has profound effects on citizens and expats alike for better or worse but I think Thailand has developed nicely while retaining a decent amount of exotic charm Singapore and Malaysia lack. I'm pleased with the many great infrastructure projects underway, particularly high speed rail. Still many great people, and beautiful attractions. Also still affordable if you can 'live like a Thai' which I do. I still get an awestruck feeling stepping off the plane out of the airport into the Tropical heat and seeing the buzz of BKK. But I am not married to Thailand and the day may come when it's time to move on.

[Salerno]

11 hours ago, wasabi said:

Was the total cost for 2 people, 800,000 THB?

As I understand it, it's 800K each (for first two people) then discounted to 300K for any other family members.

[aussieinphuket]

great i am glad you asked this question about the family TE as i was thinking about this in the morning as my wife and i currently have the TE 5 years for something similar as you are saying and i was curious if the TE Family for 5 yrs was thb 800k as then we will just renew at the sometime even thou were are a few months apart with our current TE's.

 

we did the same and took TE because i we had been here 10 yrs and started to get stuffed around by immigration every time, in the previous 10 yrs it was a breeze we would be in and out in 45mins to 1 hr with retirement visas and multiple reentry visas now they come up with insane stupid requests even one where they wanted a photo of us outside our villa with the address showing, we took photo went back and the officer says, but you dont have hands, i.e. showing in photo, i stood up and said here look we both have hands what's the issue he replies go and get another photo taken showing hands so its 1 hr each way i told him will return the next day its too late,, return next day with his hands in photo shot and then the idiot tells me you bank document is now out of date go and get a new letter and updated print out of bank book, this is only some of the idiotic things that happened there are more but i wont go into it further all petty and minor but annoying... 

 

we took the 5 yrs and it been very easy no more immigration visits as long as you leave the country within a 1 yr period even for 24 hrs when you return the visa resets for another 1 yr , if you dont leave TE will take your passport to the immigration office and do for you, VIP meet and greet at airports and transmitting straight through, we turned up 6 months ago and all the computers were down at phuket immigration we entered the VIP due no one there and i asked how long as the other question for tourists were miles long, he just said no issue you have TE i will stamp and process and issue your arrival card and when system up and running enter your details i asked what about all the others his reply they have to wait and no idea when will be up and running again..

 

no more thb 800,000 in the bank each for wife and i so frees up 1.6 million thb and no more having to get bank letters and copies of bank book balance update for previous 3 months.. heaven as long as you can afford it, its not for everyone, but the 5 years is sufficient and if we decide to move back home then not wasting money if we decide to stay we will go for the Family TE visa and hopefully as someone mentioned it is only thb 800k for 2 persons ..

 

good luck..

 

in regards to Singapore i lived there a long time its extremely expense and i call it user pays.... in regards to malaysia i have a lot of mates who lived there and didnt enjoy it and moved or returned to thailand....

 

 

[dblh]

800k for 2 persons. Any additional family member +300k

Didn't found this from the TE main page but if you click "thailand elite at your service" and click right arrow few times, there it is. Elite family excursion membership.

[Fairynuff]

11 hours ago, onera1961 said:

Just curious why Thailand? Why not Malayasia or Singapore? You seem to have enough money. Malayasia will be better for you. I think they have some kind of visa for under 50. 

Just curious why you decided people you don’t know would be better off in Malaysia!

[Fairynuff]

For all the same reasons as you we are also thinking about TE. I don’t want to leave 1.6m in a bank doing nothing as long as I live in Thailand. The prospect of not having to go to immigration for 5 years is invaluable!

[emptypockets]

TM30?

[wasabi]

6 hours ago, emptypockets said:

TM30?

None of the Thailand Elite visas make the TM30 easier in anyway. Dealing with it is not a service they provide and they added a section on their website stating this. However I will be living with a landlord I trust and will take care of it for me and my wife. I would love to see the TM30 go away but until then I've found ways to manage it.