Elite visa, how to get a new stamp ?

[Mark68]

I have been living in Chiang Rai on a elite visa for the last 4 years and 9 months.

Each year I would do a land border crossing at Mae Sai and receive a new 12 month stamp.

My 5 year visa will expire on 8 February 2021. I could get another 1 year visa stamp simply by crossing again before the visa expires if not for COVID-19 and land borders are still closed I believe.

Does anyone know how I can get another 1 year stamp without having to fly in and out, which would be quite an expense with quarantine and insurance requirements.

[kekalot]

you don't have to go out of the country to get a stamp, it was just the easiest way for you since you live by the border

you should be able to get an extension from immigration for 1900 baht (what i been doing)  but i don't know if they will put it for one year or up to the expiry of your visa

if its anything like a tourist visa (and it is technically a tourist visa) they would put 1 year but don't take my word for it. its a bit different.

 

if you can't or won't get out then immigration is the only way. doesn't hurt to ask immigration.. or just hope lands or air borders reopen before feb

[jackdd]

You go to the immigration office and apply for an extension, costs 1900THB.

Bring copies of your passport, a passport sized photo, a TM30 receipt and complete form TM7 at the immigration office.

It could be that they will only give you an extension until 8th February.

[Mark68]

The 1900 baht extension was what I understood about the visa when I got it.

the first year I went to immigration at Chiang Rai  to do this extension they insisted this was not possible and that I had to cross the border...

As I could not win the argument with them I simply said ok and went to the border..

thanks for the 2 replies..

I will go and enquirer about this today

[KC 71]

Pop to Mai Sai/ Chiangrai a few days before it expires

Just did mine in Mai Sai .Had to pay an agent in Chiang Mia(3.500 bht) to take care of things, at the request of The I.O  (not sure why, but they said because of corona )

+ 1900 bt extension fee

 

My Wife said nxt time talk to her brother in law 1st ~ (high rank Immigration Police BK ) I didn't want to loose my rag/make her loose face as i always do my visa transactions there.

[KC 71]

13 minutes ago, Mark68 said:

The 1900 baht extension was what I understood about the visa when I got it.

the first year I went to immigration at Chiang Rai  to do this extension they insisted this was not possible and that I had to cross the border...

As I could not win the argument with them I simply said ok and went to the border..

thanks for the 2 replies..

I will go and enquirer about this today

let me know how it goes.

 

[Mark68]

You were able to effectively get the 6th year out of your elite visa by simply doing the extension a few days before expiry ?

that would be so great !

I would be happy to pay an agent the 3,500 fee + extension fee...

could you please give me the name and contact details (email or Line) of the agent you used..

Thank you so much KC... !!!

 

apon success I will gladly gift you a litre bottle of white label Dewars.

 

I think Mae Sai are much better to deal with !

immigration officials are very hard to deal with in Chiang Rai..

they have quite a reputation amongst the expat community here

[DrJack54]

I'm missing something (as per usual) I don't have a PE and know great deal about them. I was always under the impression that to get that "extra" 6th year you needed to exit Thailand and reenter. Similar to the extra year with the O-A.

@Thai Visa CentreCentre

Any advice?

[Mike Teavee]

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I'm missing something (as per usual) I don't have a PE and know great deal about them. I was always under the impression that to get that "extra" 6th year you needed to exit Thailand and reenter. Similar to the extra year with the O-A.

That's my understanding as well...

 

@Mark68have you tried contacting Thai Elite only I understood that they'd automatically extended all the 5 year visas by 6 months so you might have until August 2021 to do your Extension & a much better chance of things being more "Normal" by then

 

Edit: To be clear, it's the Visa that was extended not your permission to stay so if your permission to stay ends in Feb then you'll need to extend it but at least you should be able to get a 6 month extension in country... Again, ask TE who should be able to help you extend your permission to stay. 

[Mark68]

All good advice... I will wait to see about the agent KC used....

in the meantime I will contact TE and ask about the 6 month extension..

thanks everyone.. very helpful 

[scotty4243]

My 5th year elite visa was up in July 2020 and I had previously flown back into Thailand in May 2019 so in May 2020 I contacted Elite they prepared a letter for immigration for me then I went to Chiang Mai Immigration with the paperwork that Elite advised me to take where Immigration issued me with another year visa!

 

So in effect I have 6 years from the Elite visa and did not have to leave Thailand.

 

[kekalot]

the reply above is likely the only option

normally you would get the minimum stamp on entry via land borders (or coming back) but at this point it is impossible

as in: you could get an extra 2 months out of your 6 months multiple entry visa and then extend for one month

 

since going out and coming back is quite difficult or next to impossible (unless you don't mind the quarantine) then they might be the only people able to help

 

I'm sure this only works on 5 years Elite Visa because I have 20 years and if I was to do this 3 time, the third time they would likely give me a 2 years stamp instead of the 5 years as my Elite card expires after 20 years regardless of how i mess around with dates, in my case I would likely be able to extend into 21st year similarly.

[Mark68]

Update to this.,,,

 

I talked to Star visa today...

the lady informed me that it was not possible for me to get another 12 month extension as my visa expires on 7 February 2021.

she said the only option for me was to go to Bangkok and get the 6 month extension on the visa itself, which is being offered to all elite holders who are in the last 6 months of validity.

after getting the new sticker, I will then be able to extend until 7 August 2021 only.. 

seems to be different to “KC” experience, but she was adamant about this..,

thanks anyway for your help KC and others..

[clearance]

Hmm, even if they insist to stamp you to visa expiring date, what happened to +6 months for all Elite members? 

Around 2 of June I filled the form "Membership Extension due to COVID-19" but never got any reply. 

[Mark68]

I did this too and also got no reply !

but if you contact them via email and if your visa expires in the next 6 months, then you are eligible for a new sticker with an extended 6 months validity..

only if you are in the last 6 months of your elite visa before it expires...

[FlyingThai]

2 hours ago, Mark68 said:

Update to this.,,,

 

 

I talked to Star visa today...

the lady informed me that it was not possible for me to get another 12 month extension as my visa expires on 7 February 2021.

she said the only option for me was to go to Bangkok and get the 6 month extension on the visa itself, which is being offered to all elite holders who are in the last 6 months of validity.

after getting the new sticker, I will then be able to extend until 7 August 2021 only.. 

seems to be different to “KC” experience, but she was adamant about this..,

thanks anyway for your help KC and others..

That’s their official reply because well, that’s how it *should* be. In reality however it has been quite different and exactly the opposite.

[RickBradford]

In an earlier thread, I wrote:

 

Quote

Some people are unsure if they can stay in Thailand after their Elite visa technically expires, but within the 1-year permission to stay in Thailand granted by immigration on entry. I can confirm that you can.

I now have to qualify that advice. My Elite visa expired in April 2020, but as I arrived into Thailand in Feb 2020, with a 1-year permission to stay, and with the Covid nonsense swirling around, decided not to renew immediately. 

 

I did my first post-amnesty 90-day report in person in August, successfully, and completed a 2nd 90-day report successfully online 2 weeks ago.

 

So who, then, is challenging this story? Well, it is actually the people at Thailand Elite themselves, whom I went to visit this morning, with a view to getting another 5-year visa. 

 

Impossible, said the lady at Elite - your visa has expired, and you cannot get a visa to live in Thailand if you are currently living in Thailand visaless.

 

I pointed to the stamp with my permission to remain until Feb 2021, and my 90-day renewals, to which she replied: "Those people at Suvannaphuum and Jaeng Wattana know nothing."

 

She was suggesting that the immigration officer at Suvannaphuum was wrong in stamping me in for one year, that (unspoken) the Elite staffer who brought me through Immigration was wrong in not spotting that, that the provincial authorities were wrong in allowing my first 90-day report, that whoever approves online applications was wrong in allowing my second 90-day report, and only Thailand Elite knows the correct way.

 

All of this could be true, of course. Or it could be that she was just sulking because I hadn't renewed my visa within the approved timeframe. Or it could be that nobody in Thailand, government or corporate, has any idea what the rules are, and are just making them up as they go along.

 

I instructed this lady to get advice from a more senior person, and soon she was back with an application form for a new Elite Visa, saying that on approval and receipt of funds I would be allowed to stay in Thailand after all. Approval, she said, is likely to take one month, which will cost me an extra 100K due to the Jan. 1 price rise, which feels a bit like a fine by Elite Visa for being naughty.

 

It could be argued that I am at fault for not renewing on time - I actually planned to do so, until Covid intervened along with the amnesty, and I had no idea how welcome foreigners were going to be here in the long term.

 

Perhaps somebody with more insight than me into the Thai mentality can make some sense out of this performance, but I got the clear intention that the folks at Elite Visa don't like members gaming the system, as they see it. Perhaps it lowers the tone of how they see their service.

 

 

 

 

 

[jackdd]

5 minutes ago, RickBradford said:

She was suggesting that the immigration officer at Suvannaphuum was wrong in stamping me in for one year, that (unspoken) the Elite staffer who brought me through Immigration was wrong in not spotting that, that the provincial authorities were wrong in allowing my first 90-day report, that whoever approves online applications was wrong in allowing my second 90-day report, and only Thailand Elite knows the correct way.

Actually she is wrong. But we have seen reports like this before, even an email sent by Thailand Elite to its members, threatening them with overstay.

But i once found the official rules, set by the Ministry of Interior: http://web.krisdika.go.th/data/law/law2/%a402/%a402-2e-2556-a0005.htm

There are two different scenarios:

- Entering Thailand and getting a one year stamp upon arrival:

You entered Thailand while your membership was valid, and got a year, which is 100% in compliance with the official rules which i linked to above, you are good to stay for this year.

- Getting an extension at an immigration office:

If you were on an extension of stay, and your Elite membership would expire, then this would also make your extension invalid. Same as if somebody has an extension for working, but quits his job, then this extension would end.

 

In an attempt to pressure people to extend their membership as soon as possible, the Thai Elite staff lies to their members and tries to scare them with overstay.

[RickBradford]

@jackdd

 

Many thanks for your prompt reply, which I confess staggered me.

 

Simple incompetence I was taking for granted, but active malice I had not considered.