Thailand elite how much is a membership program for long-term residency in Thailand, with additional benefits and services. The program has a variety of packages that range from the minimum of 600,000 Thai baht for the 5-year Elite Easy Access package to 20-year memberships with elite privileges. It is an excellent option for those who want to live in Thailand for a prolonged period without investing money into real estate or obtaining the country citizenship.
The main problem with the program is that it doesn’t function like a visa. It is more of a lifestyle card/airport lounge pass that happens to include immigration. It’s fine if you want to use it as part of your life in Thailand but it’s not the best solution for working the residence into a tax planning strategy. That’s because it doesn’t come with any kind of guarantee that the program will continue to exist or be available at all for the duration of the time you use it.
If you want to stay in Thailand for more than the five years that come with your membership, then you’ll need to buy a new one each year. That can be an issue if the price continues to go up, but there’s not really any way around that unless you decide to invest in real estate and get the citizenship by investment program instead.
Another thing to consider is that the program does not offer any kind of grandfathering if the prices increase significantly. If you are a current member and you are paying a lot less than the current price, then that’s great but when it comes time to renew you have to pay the new higher price. That’s a big difference from the real estate second residence programs that allow you to be grandfathered into their program.
The most common package is the Elite Easy Access program. This costs 600,000 baht for a 5 year membership and includes priority line at airports, special treatment at government buildings, and more. This is the most popular option for individuals but if you have family then you can also apply for the Elite Family Excursion program which costs 800,000 baht for 2 members and allows them to enjoy the same benefits. Both programs can be upgraded to the Elite Ultimate Privilege or Elite Superiority extension for an additional fee. The process is fast and simple, and you can even choose to make the payment using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Click here to learn more about how to become a Thailand elite member today! Thailand elite how much