Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are comparing the Elite Visa to the Thai Retirement Visa. I thought of making this video after reading a recent comment on our channel, quoting directly: "The much higher upfront money for the Elite Visa will definitely make it a harder landing but the benefits at this point really seem to outweigh the limitations of a standard Retirement Visa." This comment was posted on a video we talked about Retirement; hard landings versus soft landings. Again, the upfront cost of a 5-year Elite Visa is 600,000 baht, roughly $20,000. Now bear in mind, that is spent money. Yes, it is a requirement with a Thai Retirement Visa that one show 800,000 baht in a Thai Bank Account or 65,000 Baht per month in pension but that 800,000 Baht put into a Thai Bank Account, that remains your money. You are not spending that, the money is not gone. It is your money; you just need to prove you have it in order to get the Thai Retirement Visa. With an Elite Visa, you pay in 600,000 Baht and you get a visa with a validity of 5 years, the sticker is actually for 5 years. 

Then again, the other thing that is said here, "make it harder landings but the benefits at this point really seem to outweigh the limitations of a standard Retirement Visa." I don't really see that. If people hit 50, I think for most folks, especially like westerners that really are retired, the Elite Visa, I don't see what it is really getting that person because for example people don't really stop to take a look at the fact that look Thailand Elite, the sticker is for 5 years but you get one-year stamps at one-year intervals. So, when you have to go back to get your one year, it is very much akin to just getting an extension of a Thai Retirement Visa, it is very similar quite honestly. I don't see where that, again where you still have to go in, you still have to deal with an extension, it causes me to question the notion that Elite is substantially "better" than a standard Thai Retirement Visa because at the end of the day, you are still showing up to extend once a year if you just want to remain in country. So, it is not just a 5 years and off you go’’, you never have to see Immigration again. No, you still have to deal with 90-day reporting and you still have to deal with once-a-year renewal if you want to stay in country. Now, the nice thing with the Elite is you could just hop out and do a Border Run and hop back in and get another year but a lot of people don't want to do that and frankly with travel systems still kind of being in a state of disarray, even though it looks like we have truly put COVID behind us, God I hope so, but again it is not going to be something people are going to be really wanting to do I think moving forward through the next couple of years into the foreseeable future.

So, for that reason, I am not convinced that Elite outweighs the Retirement Visa. What I would look at it as they are different types of visas for different types of people. Some types of people are really going to enjoy the Thailand Elite Visa whereas some types of people, especially folks that are a little bit more sedentary in their lifestyle, they just want to come to Thailand and be done, I don't really see the major benefit that outweighs just the standard Thai Retirement Visa by using the Elite Visa.