What is Thai Elite Visa and how much does it cost

In short, Thai Elite Visa is a long-term, expensive visa that quite a few people can afford. What is the main headache of a person who has money to buy an apartment in Thailand? His main problem is a visa, since the presence of real estate does not give the slightest advantage to stay in Thailand. Now anyone who has found 1-5 million baht to buy an apartment in Thailand can pay 600,000 baht (for a visa for 5 years) or 1 million baht (for a visa for 20 years) and not worry about anything.

Moreover, this is not just a fee for living in the country, services are attached to elite visas. For the cheapest elite visas, these are:

• Assistance in obtaining a driver's license, assistance in opening bank accounts; business networks
• VIP welcome and escort upon arrival and departure by an elite personal assistant
• Expedited Immigration and Passport Control
• Exclusive arrival and departure lounges
• Complimentary short-haul limousine transfer 24 times per calendar year from airport to residence or hotel* (within Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Samui) on international flights only

More expensive packages offer even more services! For example, an annual full health check.

That's good, right?

Thai Elite Visa is a kind of tourist visa, it does not oblige you to have money in the bank, confirm income, you do not need to pay taxes in Thailand, collect a large number of documents, study or have other reasons for being in Thailand.

If you are confused by the following rule: the holder of a Thai Elite visa will be allowed to stay in the country for up to 1 year on each visit. You might think that at least once a year, Thai Elite Visa holders need to leave Thailand.

But in fact, this rule means the following: these visas are stamped annually, but it is not necessary to leave at least once a year, you can get a new annual stamp at the Immigration Office under the standard extension procedure (visa extension) for the standard state fee of 1900 baht.

Thai elite visa

The Thailand Elite Visa is a long-term visa given to the Thailand Privilege Card members. It is categorized under Tourist Visa (Privilege Entry Visa “PE”) allowing residency in Thailand along with benefits for a period between 5, 10, or 20 years depending on the chosen package in exchange for a membership fee.

Thai Elite Visa Cost

The Thai Elite Visa cost is based on the membership program. There are different membership programs available for Thai Elite Visa, each varying in validity, benefits, and cost, as follows:

Elite Easy Access

• Thai Elite Visa validity of 5 years
• It costs 600,000 Thai baht with no annual fee
• You have an option to upgrade to Elite Ultimate Privilege
• No age restriction; members can be any age

Elite Family Excursion (minimum 2 persons)

• Thai Elite Visa validity of 5 years
• It costs 800,000 Thai baht with no annual fee (2 persons)
• For additional family member there is a fee of 300,000 Thai baht

Elite Family Alternative

• Membership validity of 10 years
• The Elite Visa validity of 5 years and renewable for another 5 years
• It costs 800,000 Thai baht with no annual fee (main applicant)
• For additional family member there is a fee of 700,000 Thai baht

Elite Privilege Access

• Membership validity of 10 years
• The Elite Visa validity of 5 years and renewable for another 5 years
• It costs 1,000,000 THB with no annual fee
• For additional family member there is a fee of 800,000 Thai baht
• No age restriction; members can be of any age

Elite Superiority Extension

• Membership validity of 20 years
• It costs 1 million Thai baht with no annual fee
• The Elite Visa validity of 5 years and renewable for another 5 years (4 sets of 5-year multi-entry visa)

Elite Ultimate Privilege

• Membership validity of of 20 years
• It costs 2.14 million Thai baht with annual fee of 21,400 Thai baht
• The Elite Visa validity of 5 years and renewable for another 5 years (4 sets of 5-year multi-entry visa)
• Members must be over 20 years old

Elite Family Premium

• Applicable only to family members of Elite Ultimate Privilege members
• Membership fee of 1 million Thai baht with an annual fee of 10,000 Thai baht
• Membership and Thai Elite Visa validity will be based on the membership and visa validity of the Elite Ultimate Privilege family member
• Visa is renewable after 5 years (4 sets of 5-year multi-entry visa)

Summary

Of course, Thai Elite Visa is not for everyone. But it must be admitted that for the majority of those who buy property in Thailand, Thai Elite Visa is affordable.

The proposal is very interesting. If you try to live on a student visa for 10 years, you can save a little – but just a little. And for a couple of two people, Elite Family Excursion may be more profitable than staying on student visas for the same period. Plus the cost of time and possible problems after three years of obtaining a student visa.

See also: How to get an Education visa in Pattaya

If you try to live on ordinary tourist visas, then problems can begin even earlier.

If you plan to live in Thailand for a long time and you have children who study in a Thai school, then you can get the so-called Guardian Visa. This visa is given to one parent of one child. If there are two parents, then two children are already needed and 500,000 * 2 = 1 million Thai baht in a bank account.

See the article “How can a foreign family with children live in Thailand for a long time” for details.

In general, Thai Elite Visa is an interesting offer for those who have money.