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Thailand Elite: cost, conditions and benefits of getting Thailand’s resident VIP visa

19 November 2018

In 2012, Bangkok was recognized by ‘Travel & Leisure’ magazine as the best city for vacation, life and business activities. In 2016, Thailand was included in the Top 10 of countries to live in after retirement, according to the ranking composed by a respectable US web portal ‘Live and Invest Overseas’. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports notes that the record number of tourists visited Thailand in 2017 — 35,400,000, which is higher by 9% compared to the number reported in 2016. Many even consider the Kingdom for permanent residence in the nearest future.
Thailand Elite state program is a great chance to get the country’s resident visa for five, ten or twenty years and receive additional VIP privileges. Find all your need to know about the contribution amounts, advantages and conditions of getting the elite Thai visa in this article.

Permanent residence and Thailand’s citizenship
Visa issued under Thailand Elite program is an immigration document. It does not give one the opportunity to later apply for residence or citizenship. In order to receive permanent residence, one should have a non-immigration visa for at least 3 years. The opportunity of receiving a passport is available only to the applicant who has lived in Thailand as a resident for at least 10 years. Dual citizenship is forbidden.
If you are interested in programs resulting in citizenship, the detailed information about them can be obtained below.

Thailand Elite Visa: program concept and visa applications statistics

Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that offers an official immigration program allowing foreigners to live on its territory and enjoy the country’s numerous advantages.
Thailand Elite program was introduced in 2003 and re-launched in 2017. The country attracts people by its favorable climate, loyal taxation system, developed infrastructure, low costs but still high service standards.

Participating in the program, the applicant has an opportunity to get a long-term resident visa and Thailand Elite card, both can be received upon the arrival to Thailand’s international airports.

Detailed analysis of Thailand Elite visa advantages

As of the end of September 2017, 4,877 investors joined the program. Out of them, 1,021 people got visas in the last fiscal year. The amount of funds received due to the program existence for the previous fiscal year correspond to 663,000,000 Baht (about 20,000,000 USD), which is 64% higher than the amount recorded in the same period of 2016 (403,000,000 Baht).

Elite visa to Thailand: participation variants and costs

The applicant has 8 options of participation in the program to choose from. Depending on the selected variant, the investor can apply for either an individual visa or a visa for the investor together with his/her family members. The most affordable variants are Thai Elite Visa, Elite Family Excursion and Elite Easy Access, with a 5-year resident visa issuance. Elite Privilege Access and Elite Family Alternative provide for a 10-year visa. Elite Ultimate Privilege and Elite Superiority Extension, which are more expensive, provide for the opportunity of staying in Thailand for an unlimited amount of days within 20 years.
Details about the most popular variants are presented below.

Elite Easy Access

It is the most reasonable variant for expats and business people who often travel to Thailand. Issued for 5 years, with a one-time entry contribution of 500,000 Baht (≈$15,000). No additional yearly fees charged. No age limitations. One cannot pass the status to a third person, but one can upgrade to Elite Ultimate Privilege upon the payment of 1,605,000 Baht (about $50,000).
The investor can live in any area of the country. The offer provides for airport concierge services, short distance transfers from the airport in case of international flights (24 times per year).

Elite Privilege Access

A good offer for the applicants having families. Each family member is issued a visa, which is valid for 10 years. To obtain the desired documents, the applicant must invest 1,000,000 Baht ($30,000) for the major applicant and 800,000 Baht ($22,500) for each relative (a spouse, children, parents). Visa renewal is free of charge, status passing is impossible. No age limitations.
This package offers additional advantages. The investor receives the opportunity to speed up airport registration and border control procedures. One will also receive annual healthcare package and a personal assistant for the issues related to document processing,

Elite Ultimate Privilege

Premium package. The visa is given for 20 years to an individual applicant. The cost of participation is a one-time contribution of 2,140,000 Baht ($68,000) and a yearly contribution of 21,400 Baht (about $680).
The applicant must be aged over 20. There is a possibility of one-time status passing to a third person. The cost of status passing is 20% of the package cost as of the moment of passing.
It is a premium package that includes additional VIP services. Visa holder receives:

Regardless of the chosen variant of participation, the full visa cost is to be paid in advance. The contribution is non-refundable if the program is suspended or if the participant decides to completely leave the country before the long-term visa term expiration (e.g. the participant got a 20-year visa in advance and after a 7-year period changed his/her mind and decided to leave Thailand).

Who might be interested in Thailand Elite program?

The program is mostly popular among the foreigners who are not excited about annual business visa renewal and prefer to skip numerous administrative procedures. Taking into consideration that at the first stage of business visa processing, one should handle a lot of issues: company registration, office rent, search of 4 employees among locals, visiting the country in order to get the visa.

Processing

Term of case consideration – 30 days starting from the submission date. The participants receive a resident visa and Thailand Elite card in the international airport upon the arrival.
Preliminary approval is issued after a detailed verification of the applicant’s personality and the applicant’s family members if they are also participating. The period of verification is about a week from the submission date. If it is approved, the investor is sent an official letter and an entry fee invoice. The visa is issued 2 weeks after the full payment. To physically receive a visa and Thailand Elite cards, the applicant and dependent relatives are to inform TPC officials about the airport and the arrival details one week prior to the arrival.
Throughout the visa term, the participants are allowed to live in Thailand the unlimited amount of days. Foreigners who plan to remain in the country for more than 90 consecutive days, must inform a TPC official about it.

Permanent residence and Thailand’s citizenship

Visa issued under Thailand Elite program is an immigration document. It does not give one the opportunity to later apply for residence or citizenship. In order to receive permanent residence, one should have a non-immigration visa for at least 3 years. The opportunity of receiving a passport is available only to the applicant who has lived in Thailand as a resident for at least 10 years. Dual citizenship is forbidden.

Is it worth moving to Thailand?

Over the past several years there has been observed a stable improvement of social and economic situation in the country, unemployment level decrease, general wealth level increase among the population. In 2015, the annual growth of GDP corresponded to 2.8%, in 2016, it was +3.2%. In 2017, GDP grew by 3.3% in the first quarter, by 3.7% in the second quarter and by 4.3% in the third quarter. Analysts forecast a similar situation in 2018 and the growth by 3.6% year on year, they also forecast higher figures in the long term.
Prices on real estate are growing slowly after the 2008 financial crisis. From 2008 to 2016 the cost of housing and commercial property increased only by 29.1%, with the main price growth observed in the second half of this period.
It is still easy for foreigners to buy property in Thailand without paying any additional stamp duties often imposed on foreigners. This goes in sharp contrast with the places like Hong Kong, Singapore where foreign buyers have to pay additional fees and charges.
Thus, Thailand Elite is a program for those who are looking for the opportunity to stay in Thailand for a long time without the need to regularly handle administrative processes associated with tourist visa processing and for those not planning to get the country citizenship in the future. Program participants receive not only long-term visas but also a wide range of VIP benefits.

Comparing Caribbean CBI programs

As for citizenship by investment programs that have advantages of their own, please check out the relevant information provided below.
Grenada Citizenship by Investment
According to the CBI Index data in 2019, Grenada was ranked third in the so-called competition for finding out the best and most reputable countries to get a second citizenship. Of course, this bronze medal is given to the program for a reason.
Without a doubt, Grenada citizenship opens numerous abilities for participants to boost up the opportunities they possess in both personal and professional aspects of life.
Apart from hassle-free traveling and thus simplified Grenada visa policy, individuals are benefited with economically advantageous conditions for running business. For example, you can forget about global income taxes. Unlike the terms of getting the residence permit, Grenada emigration isn’t connected with the following limitations as well:

Overall, Grenada immigration is accessible through two main types of investment. First of all, you are welcome to spend a dedicated sum of funds to the National Transformation Fund in the form of a non-refundable contribution. Secondly, the option of real estate investment is offered. However, in this case, applicants have high chances to return their investments. One the one hand, it is allowed to rent owned dwellings. On the other hand, it is legal to sell purchased real estate after a five-year term to third parties (for instance, that could be potential enthusiasts to achieve Grenada nationality).
What you should know about the offer is that the Grenada program is also a way to get the E-2 visa and open your own company in the United States.
Another thing to note for sure is the obvious transparency of the program. To increase the chances of gaining the Grenada passport, it is highly recommended to avoid ambiguous facts in your so-called resume: everything has to be backed up with proofs. For instance, if you have some criminal records, you shouldn’t hide them — follow our recommendations and Grenada passport requirements to eliminate the risk of failure.
Our specialists will check which of the options is more appropriate to your particular case and will guide you all the way through gathering necessary documents.
Antigua Passport for Business-Oriented People
In the previously mentioned 2019 CBI Index ranking, Antigua citizenship by investment was ranked fifth. However, that doesn’t mean the offer is considerably worse than programs which occupied higher places in the list. We are here to bust the myths about Antigua citizenship requirements.
In general, all countries of the Caribbean region have introduced similar rules for every individual with a desire to get a second passport, and the opportunity to achieve Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment isn’t an exception by any means.
There are six options for receiving Antigua and Barbuda passport, but a non-refundable contribution to the country’s fund and real estate investment are most popular and wide-spread. Even though Antigua and Barbuda citizenship cost differs from what Dominica immigration or any other option includes, individuals are still enabled to participate in the program on their own or pay for such a form of residency for their family members as well.
For those seeking a second passport the offer under consideration turns out to become a magnificent business opportunity. Taking into account the beneficial tax system and general top-notch level of industrial and economic development of the region, foreign investors will be able to improve their professional mastership in such prosperous circumstances with ease.
At our end, we take the responsibility for your success in the program and cooperate with reliable agents and partners to make your future investments a beneficial decision. Unlike other service providers, our organization guarantees you won’t lose a penny in the case of a negative outcome.
Dominica Citizenship without Difficulty
Traditionally, the research story about Dominica citizenship by investment starts with the results of already well-known CBI Index ranking. Among such lands as Cyprus, Vanuatu, Malta, and Austria, this country of the Caribbean region was the frontrunner of the list three years in a row. The situation isn’t likely to be altered in 2020 as well.
This best-scorer differentiates with its beneficial prices for applicants. The minimal Dominica passport cost for a single participant is just $100,000. Luckily, this value will remain the same until at least 2021. The channels of investment are familiar — the main options are contributions to the government fund and real estate.
Apart from initial financial advantages, Dominica investment citizenship pleases with the presented tax consequences. Among them, applicants evaluate the achieved tax-free status on their capital gains and international income.
This land can boast of its picturesque landscapes, high level of medical, education, and economic development. However, since there is no residency requirement, Dominica immigration isn’t a must but always at your disposal.
We are authorized agents to promote Dominica economic citizenship and will assist you always when you need our help. The approval of applications doesn’t last ages, and it is possible to obtain Dominica second passport in a remote mode.
All in all, the Caribbean programs to get a second passport by investment are the oldest in the field and have definitely stood the test of time. With our help, investors are welcome to check how beneficial the offer is in terms of improving all aspects of life, without any exaggeration.

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