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Thai ELITE VISA - Are you too cheap? 2022
Is the Elite Visa too expensive? We break down why it's a really great deal for many people. Find out more: https://www.baansmile.com/elite-visa
So there you are, between 30 and 45 years old and you’ve worked hard and done well for yourself.
You spend a nice stack on a business class return flight to come to Thailand.
And you’ve been here before. You know you want to spend at least 5 years here.
And yet, you’re looking at the price of the Thai Elite Visa and saying “It’s too expensive!”
But is it really?
So what’s the Elite Visa anyway?
The Thai government started the program in 2003 to attract people who wanted to invest in Thailand and stay in Thailand for a long time, coming and going as they please.
There are three basic levels to this:
5 years for 17,000 US dollars
10 years for 28,000 US dollars
20 years for 57,000 US dollars
Between those 3 basic packages, there are other packages that have to do with family, health care and other perks.
And what do you get for this?
Avoiding the hassle of immigration, 90 day reporting, visa renewals.
Then in theory you also get airport pickups with a limo every time you enter Thailand.
There are things like golf course and shopping privileges — and they make it easy to open bank accounts, buy condos and so on.
And you don’t have to wait in the immigration lines at the airport either.
But is that worth it?
Now, lets think about it. You could do border runs every three months by going to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam or other border countries to get a new tourist visa.
And you would be spending maybe 1,000 US dollars per year to fly to other countries, buy new visas, stay in hotels and so on.
So on the face of it, the Elite visa is not really worth it.
But those benefits are NOT why you would get an Elite visa.
Because as I get older (and hopefully wiser). I’ve come to realize a few things.
My time is worth more than money.
And having peace of mind is also worth any money.
Assume you’re in your 30’s or 40’s and you just want to live in Thailand without Thinking too much about it.
And you’ve done even moderately well for yourself.
Spending roughly 3,500 US dollars per year to have that flexibility is actually a good deal.
Brah, you probably spent more than that on your business class seat to come to Thailand.
For someone who has an online business that does ok. Or has invested well. Or has the flexibility to work anywhere they want online. It’s actually a really good deal.
So we’ve had a few clients who have done the Elite visa and they are very happy with the decision.
They’re not ultra-rich people.
But they are people who have done the math and realize the time versus money tradeoff.
They’ve done moderately well for themselves and its a treat do be able to live in Thailand and just relax without stress.
The Elite visa has also been very good for Chinese people too.
With all the crap and lockdowns that are going on in China at this moment, the smart people who had gotten elite visas in the last few years are now not regretting it.
And here at Baan Smile we are firm believers in having options.
It’s good to have more than one passport.
It’s good to have more than one place to live.
And it’s good to be able to come and go as you please in a variety of countries.
So obviously. This is not for everyone.
But if you have saved and invested even moderately, its actually a really cheap deal to solve the visa problem in Asia.
I know many people will disagree with me.
But I remember 10 years ago when I first came to Thailand I was doing very very well. I had a six figure job and a multiple six figure side business.
But I stayed in my job for too long.
I was too conservative.
There’s nothing wrong with being frugal.
But sometimes your happiness, peace of mind and flexibility of movement and where you live should not be discounted.
Sometimes we forget that self-care.
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