The Coronavirus crisis has produced an unexpected bonus for the Elite card which provides a 5-20 year permission of stay in return for an initial cash fee of 500,000 to 1,000,000 baht plus. There are estimated to be 10,000 members by the end of this year with government coffers benefitting by 1.5 around billion baht.
The numbers of Elite card applications jumped after the dislocation to air travel began in March. Traditionally, the Elite card has been favoured by well-to-do foreigners abroad, but the initial visa confusion and long queues at immigration offices persuaded some people here to cut through the bureaucracy.
The most popular newcomers to the Elite are Chinese nationals with Europeans coming second. A Pattaya-based company which offers to process applications told Pattaya Mail, “The introduction of compulsory medical insurance for some types of long stay visas seems to have prompted interest in the Elite card before the net tightens further.”
The Elite card was introduced by then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra nearly 17 years ago, but failed to gain traction after it was revealed that holders could not work in Thailand or own land in their own name. But it is now seen as the most effective way of securing a long term future in Thailand.
Although the Elite does require a non-returnable cash fee, there is no need to maintain a minimum balance in bank accounts after the card is granted. This is in contrast to the immigration rule governing one year extensions of stay for retirees who must maintain 800,000 baht for five months and 400,000 for the other seven on an ongoing basis.
One downside of the privilege card is that each permission to stay lasts only three months at a time. It is then necessary to visit an immigration office for another 90 days permission, or leave the country to receive the automatic extension at the airport on return. The actual visa has to be re-applied for each year, though the process is usually speedy and automatic.
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