My Elite Visa Application (Day 1 until the End)

[dannycollingwood]

On 05/08/2020 at 14:07, LASportsNut said:

I read it just like you did. It sounds like what you said.

I decided to only do the 5 years, but I may regret it later as 20 years is a good deal.

If you add the extra year extension it averages out to cost 3968 baht a month.

I am going with 20 years one..I have already submitted my application

[LASportsNut]

8 hours ago, Brass Tacks said:

@LASportsNut thank you for taking the time and effort to share your EV application experience. I found it to be very informative and It gave me the confidence to apply for my own. 

I'm not sure if your still waiting for visa stamp confirmation but I noticed on RTE-London website under the 'COE application' page below the usual passport upload section there is a 'further consideration' with document upload facility and the following text (notice point number two)

Attachment, for further consideration

Attachment
1. Copy of Thai visa or re-entry permit (if any). If the applicant does not have a valid visa or re-entry permit, the applicant must submit visa application in requesting the issuance of an appropriate visa directly to the Embassy / Consulate-General (if required).
2. Letter from Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd., or the Ministry of Tourism and Sports or relevant government agencies.

I did some Googling and a few bloggers are saying that once TPC receive payment they will provide a letter that can be used to secure the COE and then after 14 day quarantine, arrangements can be made to get visa affixed to passport by appointment with a TPC agent.

I have not read any details of someone who has actually gone through this process (using just the TPC letter) so would need to be checked.

Wondering if RTE-Washington-DC has the same notes in there COE application, may be worth shooting them an email if your still considering the Elite Visa.

Thanks for the kind words.

My local consular in Los Angeles was less than helpful.  

I will inquire about Washington DC

Good luck on your journey.

[LASportsNut]

 

9 hours ago, Brass Tacks said:

@LASportsNut thank you for taking the time and effort to share your EV application experience. I found it to be very informative and It gave me the confidence to apply for my own. 

I'm not sure if your still waiting for visa stamp confirmation but I noticed on RTE-London website under the 'COE application' page below the usual passport upload section there is a 'further consideration' with document upload facility and the following text (notice point number two)

Attachment, for further consideration

Attachment
1. Copy of Thai visa or re-entry permit (if any). If the applicant does not have a valid visa or re-entry permit, the applicant must submit visa application in requesting the issuance of an appropriate visa directly to the Embassy / Consulate-General (if required).
2. Letter from Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd., or the Ministry of Tourism and Sports or relevant government agencies.

I did some Googling and a few bloggers are saying that once TPC receive payment they will provide a letter that can be used to secure the COE and then after 14 day quarantine, arrangements can be made to get visa affixed to passport by appointment with a TPC agent.

I have not read any details of someone who has actually gone through this process (using just the TPC letter) so would need to be checked.

Wondering if RTE-Washington-DC has the same notes in there COE application, may be worth shooting them an email if your still considering the Elite Visa.

The Thailand Embassy in Washington DC appears to have some information that is helpful. 

Here is the LINK

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by LASportsNut

[LondonLuke]

On 27/08/2020 at 09:03, LASportsNut said:

Day #23 (August 26) continued:

I received the following email from Thailand Elite Visa (edited some of the Thai-English):

Dear Mr. LASportsNut (LOL)

Greetings from Thailand Elite ….

We are pleased to inform you we acquired an approval letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Please find the letter and banking details attached.  Furthermore, please make your payment after you receive this letter.  Please note that the approval letter is valid until December 30, 2020 .

 

The value of “Elite Superiority Extension” is THB 1,000,000, which is **Non-Refundable.**

Once you make payment, please scan and send us the payslip via email

P.S. Please inform your bank that you would like to transfer THB 1,000,000 (excluding the transfer charge).

Payment Options:

1. Wire Transfer from overseas bank account. This could take about 5 working days for us to confirm payment.
2. Transfer from local bank account. This could take 2-3 working days to confirm the payment.
3. Deposit the full amount into Thailand Elite bank account as stated in the Approval Letter. This could take within a day to confirm.
4. Online Payment- Please visit https://www.thailandelite.com/payment/transfer  

 ** Once you have completed the payment, please submit the proof of payment (payment slip, pay in slip, MT103 etc.) to [email protected].

Please ensure that the total amount reaches TPC account. Therefore, kindly take care of other additional bank charges that may occur on your side.

There are 3 options for you to obtain Elite Visa: 

1. (Recommended) Upon Arrival at Suvarnabhumi and Phuket International Airport (Direct International Arrival Flight Only) *24/7 availability (Tourist visa is required for some nationality)
2.  Upon Arrival at Chiang Mai Airport (Direct International Arrival Flight Only) *24/7 availability without Elite Personal Assistant (EPA) (Tourist visa is required for some nationality)
3. While staying in Thailand: you can request to obtain Elite Visa at Chaengwattana Immigration Office in Bangkok *Business days only. Depend on availability of Elite Personal Liaison (EPL) this option necessary to have the TM.30 Form (for the Residence Notification as the responsibility from the house/building owner where you stayed with).

* For all options, please contact the Member Contact Center 5 working days in advance at +66 2 352 3000  or at [email protected] after receiving a welcome letter including ID number.

If you have any questions, please contact us.  We look forward to welcoming you as an Elite Member.

Best regards,

 

Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd.

110/2 North Sathorn Road, Silom,

Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand

Telephone : +66 (0) 2353-4129

Mobile         : +66 (0) 85 123 3099

https://www.thailandelite.com

Hey LASportsNut,

Are these the same bank details that was on your payment email? Just double checking you received the same payment information as I accidently went through an agent (https://www.thai-elite.com/) but you went through TPC directly.

Bank : Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited
Account Name : Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd.
Account No : 170-0-12702-0
Branch : Empire Tower
Swift code : KRTHTHBK
Address : 195 Empire Tower South Sathorn Rd., Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120, Thailand

Also you mentioned that there was a TransferWise option, was that indicated via the link to the payment online option? or via bank transfer to the above account?

 

[bigmac9899]

On 23/11/2020 at 18:44, LASportsNut said:

 

The Thailand Embassy in Washington DC appears to have some information that is helpful. 

Here is the LINK

 

When I was working with the thai embassies I needed to talk to someone to help guide me to be able to get my wife on a thai repatriation flight  The Wash DC turned things around quickly for her documentation, Chicago embassy would never answer emails, but the embassy in LA was fantastic.  You may want to try them if you need to talk to someone via email.  They were spot on!

[LASportsNut]

53 minutes ago, bigmac9899 said:

When I was working with the thai embassies I needed to talk to someone to help guide me to be able to get my wife on a thai repatriation flight  The Wash DC turned things around quickly for her documentation, Chicago embassy would never answer emails, but the embassy in LA was fantastic.  You may want to try them if you need to talk to someone via email.  They were spot on!

Yes, every time I call them or email them they are helpful.  
 

My only complaint is they seem to give conflicting information compared to website information from Thailand and Thai Embassy in Washington DC. 
 

The problem is the LA site is actually a Consular and is not a Thai embassy.  So sometimes the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.  

[LASportsNut]

16 hours ago, LondonLuke said:

Hey LASportsNut,

Are these the same bank details that was on your payment email? Just double checking you received the same payment information as I accidently went through an agent (https://www.thai-elite.com/) but you went through TPC directly.

Bank : Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited
Account Name : Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd.
Account No : 170-0-12702-0
Branch : Empire Tower
Swift code : KRTHTHBK
Address : 195 Empire Tower South Sathorn Rd., Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120, Thailand

Also you mentioned that there was a TransferWise option, was that indicated via the link to the payment online option? or via bank transfer to the above account?

 

Yes that is the same bank information I received.

However, I do not recall the address and it is not available to review in my TransferWise.  

[LondonLuke]

On 09/12/2020 at 08:02, LASportsNut said:

Yes that is the same bank information I received.

However, I do not recall the address and it is not available to review in my TransferWise.  

Either a wise investment or a silly purchase... time will tell 

[LASportsNut]

I wanted to apologize for this thread being so delayed. 

I had no intention waiting so long to finish it out. I had ever intention to get the Thailand Elite Visa as soon as possible, then get into BKK as soon as possible.

I had a few bumps in the road:

1. Thailand Government was very vague at the beginning of my process.  Without proper guidelines, I was not willing to sacrifice 1 million baht on something that I may not be able to use.
2. Then when things started to open up with clearer understanding, I was involved in a major car accident near my home. 

I realized then my 2020 travel plans were not happening.

I spent a week in the hospital, then I was on a long road to rehab. I was on a walker for another week.  

I have been going to doctors 3-5 days a week and have had 3 minor surgeries.  But I am on the road to recovery. I should be 90-95% by April when I plan on traveling back to Thailand.

Today I sent the 1 million baht to Thailand Elite Visa. The funds should arrive December 28, 2020, just before the deadline on the 30th.

I will not be able to travel until April 2021.  Hopefully by then I won't have any problems getting the Visa Stamp inserted here at the Thailand Embassy or maybe I will have to wait until I arrive at BKK.  Time will tell.

I plan on taking the vaccine so hopefully there will not be a quarantine for me, but who knows.

Edited December 24, 2020 by LASportsNut

[Roadglide]

Nice little video on how this guy did what you are trying to do. 

 

[LASportsNut]

4 hours ago, Roadglide said:

Nice little video on how this guy did what you are trying to do. 

 

Strange how the time line for all of us is so different.

[LASportsNut]

Update:

I sent my 1 million Thai Baht to Thailand Elite through TransferWise on December 24th.  

The funds were received by Thailand Elite on December 27th.

On December 30th, I received an email from Thailand Elite confirming they received confirmation from their bank my funds have been deposited and cleared.

This is the email the sent:

Dear LASportsNut

Greeting from Thailand Elite..

Thank you very much for sending proof of payment. We have forwarded the information to our finance department. As soon as it has been approved, we will proceed with the registration process and then we will send a welcome letter with membership number via email.

Alternative for Elite Visa affixation  

1. While staying in Thailand

 ** After receiving ID number, if you are currently staying in Thailand please contact member contact centre at 02-352-3000 or [email protected] at least 3-5 working days in advance for making the appointment to affix Elite Visa at immigration Bureau (Chaengwattana)

Please follow the instruction before making a reservation for affixing Elite Visa as attached file.

** You are necessary to have the TM.30 Form (for the Residence Notification as the responsibility from the house/building owner where you stayed with). The Elite visa appointment will be rejected by the Immigration officer, if you do not have this form or proof of TM 30 online. https://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn24online/

2. While staying in overseas  

According to the pandemic, the announcement from the Royal Thai government is allowed existing Thailand Elite members who are holding Thailand Elite visa may request to apply for Thailand Elite Members Quarantine program (TEM-Q) in order to visit Thailand presents.

Conditions for getting your visa affixed at Royal Thai Embassy and Royal Thai Consulate General (Pandemic Situation)

All Thailand Elite members who intend to affix Thailand Elite visa at overseas are required to ask at the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate General in your country about Thailand Elite visa affix permission. Please note that we are unable to interfere any process to be done/approved by Thai Royal Embassy/ Consulate regarding visa affixing.

1. After the visa affix service permission has been granted, please kindly inform us for continuously processing the visa affix application.
2. After the membership has been activated, you may request to make the reservation for the visa affix service with at least 15 working days in advance, subjected to each Royal Thai Embassy’s policy.
3. After receiving Thailand Elite members requested, we, Thailand Elite Customer Contact Center will forward requests to relate Embassy under service term and condition. If there are not available, then Embassy will return Member Contact Center available date & time. Also note that member has to download application form  of each Embassy and completed for visa affix. The Embassy will be confirmed to member who contact them for visa affix to date & time to collect the passport after process completed.
4. After Thailand Elite visa has been affixed, Thailand Elite member may request to apply the Thailand Elite Member Quarantine program (TEM-Q program) for proposal on Thailand visiting request. After the application has been approved, you may receive the approval letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in order to apply for a Certificate of Entry (COE) at Royal Thai Embassy in your country, for Thailand visiting purpose.

*Please kindly be informed that Thailand Elite visa holders are not firmly guaranteed to enter Thailand at this moment, the entry into the Kingdom of non-Thai nationals permission will be under the consideration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Your understanding and patience are highly appreciated. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime.

Best regards,

 

Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd.

110/2 North Sathorn Road, Silom,

Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand

Telephone : +66 (0) 2353-4129

Mobile         : +66 (0) 85 123 3099

https://www.thailandelite.com

“Asia’s Leading Provider For Extraordinary

Residency Program Crafted For Friends of Thailand”

Edited December 31, 2020 by LASportsNut

[LASportsNut]

They also attached this form.

Before making a reservation for affixing Thailand Elite Visa.pdf

[LASportsNut]

Due to my own personal travel restrictions, i will not be able to travel until the middle of April.

Hopefully the current lockdowns in Thailand will not be in place then.

[hatguy]

I hope you sued the person that caused the accident.  Emotional distress!

[LASportsNut]

Thailand Elite Visa just sent me the following email (it took 14 days to receive just as they told me):

Remark: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the travel leisure globally, our first priority is to ensure that all Thailand Elite Members are least affected. While waiting for the situation to be resolved, we have granted additional 3 months extension for member who are effected by the global pandemic to compensate the lose time of your membership.

Dear Mr. LASportsNut

Greetings from Thailand Elite ….

Welcome to Thailand Elite. We have already registered your name into the system and your ID number is EA55555555. We hope you would find our privileges and benefits useful during your stay in Thailand. Please note that members are required to make advance reservations for all privileges and benefits.

Also, please kindly find the welcome letter and fact sheet showing privileges and benefits you are entitled to.

Please be reminded that Thailand Elite Visa will be given when requested. Please contact our Customer Contact Center to make advance reservation to obtain the visa. After Thailand Elite Visa is granted, you are allowed to stay in Thailand for 1 year starting from your latest arrival date. If you wish to stay longer without leaving Thailand, you must submit an extension before the due date to prevent a fine and penalty for overstaying.

Thailand Elite Members are required to do 90-day reporting at the Immigration Office. For members who have permanent residence in Bangkok, we have the staff to do reporting on your behalf. Kindly drop the passport before the due at our office on Tuesdays and collect it on Friday. For members who are staying in Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya, kindly drop the passport at our contracted agent in each province. Please contact Customer Contact Center for more details.

For more information or reservation on service(s), please contact 24/7 MCC at +66 2 352 3000 or [email protected] and identify yourself with the aforementioned ID number.

Regarding the request for Elite Visa, kindly inform Member Contact Center (MCC) for 5 working days in advance.

Moreover, the list of service providers, please find them in e-privilege. kindly go to download at https://www.thailandelite.com/privilege?locate=en and https://www.thailandelite.com/backend/img/announcement/announce168/announcement.pdf

Please note that. Your official membership card is being processed for issue.  It will take about 4 weeks from date of approval of membership. While waiting for the membership card, we will issue a letter to certify your status as a member.  You can use it for temporarily as your Thailand Elite membership card until then.

Should you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime. We are looking forward to welcoming you as a guest of the country soon.

Best Regards,

 

“Asia’s Leading Provider For Extraordinary

Residency Program Crafted For Friends of Thailand”

 

Sales Support

Thailand Privilege Card Co.,Ltd.

Tel : +66 (0) 2353-4126

Fax : +66 (0) 2233 5999

[LASportsNut]

They attached the Welcome Letter however it is very formal and has a lot of my personal information on it. I will see if I can redact it later. 

However these attached documents were also included.Before making a reservation for affixing Thailand Elite Visa (1).pdfFact Sheet Elite Easy Access.pdfCard Holder Manual for Elite Easy Access Membership.pdf

[LASportsNut]

This is Thailand Elite Visa's response to my email to the Member Center:

Dear Mr. LASportsNut,

 

Greetings from Thailand Elite Customer Contact Center.
 

With regard to visa affixation, you can choose to affix a Thailand Elite visa in Thailand as you are a US passport holder, you can benefit from the new visa exemption regulation announced recently by the government. You can apply for a COE online without having to affix the visa to your passport. When you arrive in Thailand, you can simply share with us the arrival stamp that you have obtained on the arrival date. We will then be able to give you further instructions on when we can make an appointment for you to affix Thailand Elite Visa to your passport at the immigration bureau in Bangkok. 

Allow us to share with you a summary of the process to apply for a COE online as in infographic picture attached. There is no requirement for you to personally visit the embassy or the consulate's office to submit the documents. All of the steps in this process can be done online by https://coethailand.mfa.go.th  

An alternative way to enter Thailand with 'Visa Exemption scheme' which could be faster than waiting to affix Thailand Elite Visa at the Royal Thai Embassy.

Please allow us to share with you the differences of both types of visa as in table below:

 

Thailand Elite Visa	Visa Exemption
The Royal Thai Consulate-General, Los Angeles must have Thailand Elite Visa Sticker to affix in your passport. They may have the visa sticker in possession, or they may need to request the visa sticker from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok (which will take more time).	There is no need to affix any visa at The Royal Thai Consulate-General, Los Angeles. Therefore, you can skip the part for affixing visa in your passport.
You will need to send your passport to the Embassy / Consulate by post, to affix Thailand Elite Visa. This cannot be done online.	Since there is no need to affix visa in your passport, you can proceed to register for COE online.
COE can be issued referring to Thailand Elite Visa.	COE can be issued referring to visa exemption.
When you enter Thailand with Thailand Elite Visa under TEM-Q program, you will be permitted to stay in the country for 365 days.	When you enter Thailand with a Visa Exemption under TEM-Q program, you will be permitted to stay in the country only for 30-45 days.
There will be no need to affix another visa at the immigration office.	You will be required to visit the immigration bureau in Bangkok to convert your visa exemption into Thailand Elite Visa before the visa exemption expires.

 

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Member Contact Center 

 

Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd.

110/2 North Sathorn Road, Silom,

Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand

Telephone : +66 (0) 2352-3000

https://www.thailandelite.com

“Simply Extraordinary Country Residency Program

Crafted For Friends of Thailand”

[LASportsNut]

It appears I can handle my entry one of two ways:

1. Send my Passport to the Thailand Consular in Los Angeles to obtain Visa Affixation
2. Enter on a Visa Exemption Temp-Q

Due to my travel dates not being for 3 more months, I replied that I prefer choice #1.

I am waiting for their response.

[asianpussymonster]

I have read the Thailand elite visa will do a background check before giving a approval for the elite visa.

I am a 39 year old American.

Is the background check for my USA records or checking if I have records in Thailand?

Edited January 18, 2021 by asianpussymonster

[Ackruu123]

Hey,

Did you get for Visa affixed?

 

[LASportsNut]

Update as of March 22, 2021-

After some personal issues I am finally able to travel.

Booked my flight today. 

I used my American Express points and booked LAX to Japan layover to BKK.

Will stay in a hotel in Bangkok near Asoke.

I had to book for 11 nights for a 10 day quarantine.

I recently received a vaccination so I am hoping this is reduced to 7-8 nights.

I must use the confirmations to send to the Los Angeles Consultant to get a confirmation to send my passport to obtain the Thai Elite Visa stamp.

 

[LASportsNut]

Update April 19, 2021-

In March I was finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and planned to fly LAX to BKK on April 17, 2021.

I went to the link the Thai Elite Visa representative sent me and it directed me to the Thailand Embassy in Washington DC (USA).

I noted the 15 business day requirement prior to departure to submit the requested documents.

On March 17th, I began to book and upload all my documents for departure on April 17th. This would give me one week cushion just in case there is a delay for whatever reason.

While on the site, I noted I must book the flight first.

Second, I was to book the ASQ hotel as the hotel staff will need my flight information so they can pick me up at BKK.

I booked a flight on JPL for April 17, 2021.  

Then booked my room at the Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18 Sukhumvit Road (there is a reason for Bangkok, more later).

At this time the hotel did not require vaccination information as the Thai Government had not yet announced the 7-day program.

As requested I emailed the hotel a copy of my passport and flight information.  I also decided to send them my vaccination records just in case. 

Then on the Thailand Embassy website, I followed the instructions and completed their form with all my personal information, flight and hotel information, along with contact information in USA and Thailand.  They also required the contact information of family or a friend in USA and Thailand. 

They requested the following documentation and I uploaded the following documents to the Thailand Embassy:

• Copy of Passport
• Copy of Thai Elite Visa Membership Letter
• Copy of Bank Statement (wanted to prove I had more than $700, 555).
• Copy of Vaccination Record
• Copy of Vaccination Card
• Proof of Medical Coverage (this was painful, as I have 100% full medical coverage anywhere in the world, but do not have time to chase down required documents, so I bought a years of Thai Insurance with the 100,000 of coverage, including Covid coverage)

After I uploaded everything I received a confirmation response on the site and the following email:

"Thank you for submitting an online visa application.  This application will be directed to the Royal Thai Consular=General, Los Angeles for review. 

Within 7-15 business working days, you will receive a notice by email or phone call directing how to proceed."

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE

Any information regarding visa or certificate of entry, please direct your questions to the Royal Thai Consular-General, Los Angeles." 

Edited April 20, 2021 by LASportsNut

[LASportsNut]

The reason I decided to stay in Bangkok at an ASQ versus Pattaya was because I want to take advantage of the Thai Elite Program perks.

I will get a Thai Driver License and open a bank account in Bangkok.

I already have K-Bank in Pattaya, but I frequent Bangkok enough the ATM fees in Bangkok pisses me off.

Yes, I have a Charles Schwab account as back up but i prefer to use the money from my Thai bank.

So the plan is to spend 5 extra days in Bangkok before coming to Pattaya.

I will spend a minimum of 6 weeks in Pattaya before I begin to travel in Thailand.

Due to the low cost of hotels still I do not plan on renting a condo yet, however I will jump on it if I see something I fall in love with.

[LASportsNut]

On April 5, 2021, I still had not heard anything from the Thai Consular-General, Los Angeles. WTF!!

I called them several times and they did not answer.

I left them a message.

I emailed them as well.

Edited April 20, 2021 by LASportsNut