A significant proportion will grow to love the lifestyle and want to spend more time in the country.
Why is Thailand so popular?
A beautiful place, from rugged mountain ranges in the north to stunning beaches down south, with one of the best and most affordable costs of living in the world. In fact, Forbes just named it one of the cheapest places to live globally for its high standard of living.
A relaxed and friendly people, superb weather, very safe, great shopping, entertainment, every recreational sport of which you can conceive. OK, there is no snow skiing, but apart from that, what’s not to love.
How can I stay in Thailand long term?
A significant proportion of those visitors will end up wanting to spend a longer time in Thailand.
They may be digital nomads, businessman who like Bangkok or Phuket as an international base, retirees, or affluent people who may live elsewhere in the region, but like to visit Thailand regularly to relax and enjoy the lifestyle.
So, you want to know everything about getting long term residency in Thailand? How hard is it? What’s the cost? How long does it take? What’s the best way to go about it?
What is the Thailand Elite visa program? Is it a multiple entry visa program? Can you get long-term stay in Thailand with an Elite visa?
Thailand Elite visa is the world’s first country level membership, providing expatriates privilege visas (categorized as a special tourist visa) for long-term residency in Thailand through the purchase of Thailand Elite membership. The first thing you should know about is the Thailand Elite Visa (also called the Thailand Elite Card or Thailand Elite Membership – they are all the same.) It is a long-term visa allowing residency in Thailand from 5 to 20 years, with several different investment programs to choose from. The visa is multi-entry.
Is the Thailand Elite Visa easy to use?
If you do some research on the internet, this is the visa recommended by numerous experts, because it bypasses many of the requirements and limitations of other long-term visas, it is easy to use and it gives a range of additional advantages for the people who hold it. Applying for the Thai Elite visa requires basic documentation and the visa approval process is fast, ranging approximately 4-8 weeks depending on your citizenship.
What are the costs of packages for the Thai Elite Visa?
The Thai Elite packages vary by the duration of the visa, whether it includes dependent family, the attached privileges and, of course, cost. There are a number of versions, but the 4 main ones at the moment are:
Can I get a Thailand Elite Family Member Visa to cover my family?
You can, as you see, include dependent family – with or without additional fees, depending on the package you choose. These family packages such as Thailand Elite Family Premium, Thailand Elite Family Extension, Thailand Elite Family Alternative, Thailand Elite Superiority Extension, and Thailand Elite Privilege Access are eligible to include family members such as legally married/civil union spouses, children (no age limit) and grand-parents.
Are there restrictions on who can apply for the Thailand Elite Membership?
There are no age restrictions, except for the Elite Ultimate Privilege.
There are some nationality restrictions – notably parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, North Korea, and some of the Middle Eastern and central Asian states – but all of India, China, South East Asia, Australia, every country in Europe, North America and South America are eligible.
Do you get exclusive airport lounge access with a Thailand Elite Visa? Do you get priority service with a Thailand Elite Visa?
The Immigration Department will take about 45 days to process your application. It comes with a host of extra benefits or privileges, including limousine airport pick up, a fast track through immigration and passport control with a Thailand Elite assistant, a government concierge to help with paperwork for opening a Thai bank account or obtaining a Thai driver’s license, and so on.
Thailand Elite members can also wait to board their flight at the Thailand Elite lounge.
What other benefits are there with the Thailand Elite Card?
There are discounts available at shopping malls, hotels, spas, duty free, golf and more.
Bastien Trelcat, Managing Partner of Harvey Law Group, says, “The Thailand Elite Visa program is one of Thailand’s most popular immigration programs sought after by the affluents looking to find the easiest and most desirable route to having long term access and the ability to travel in and out of the country as easily as possible.”
Thaielite Express has been an authorized General Sales and Services Agent since 2013. We hope that with our guide, you can better comprehend Thai Elite Visa costs and benefits and find a suitable option. Should you have any questions, however, please do not hesitate to visit our website for more details on Thailand Elite Visa and Membership, or send your questions directly to us via email: bastien@thaielite-express.com. We support English, French, German, Japanese, Turkish, and Chinese languages. We reply within 24 hours.
Walk-in consultancy is welcome at our Bangkok office at 1 Empire Tower, River Wing East, 29th fl., Tower 2, Unit 2904 South Sathorn Road, Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120 Thailand, Tel: +66 2 670 1848.
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