Transcript of the above video: 

I know I have done a number of videos; I've done two now in the last week where we've had ALERT put on. This is another one and I'll get into that here in a moment. I want to be clear, I don't like to use that ALERT very often unless there's good call for it, that people should be made aware of something. Why have there been so many? And I suspect we could see a few more of these moving into the end of the year.  Well, it's because we're sitting here in the fourth quarter and whenever there are major changes with regard to Immigration Tax or the Law here in Thailand, it tends to happen at the turnover of the calendar year, and again there's been a lot of talk about a lot of different things from this current Government. Some of them I think may come to fruition although I don't think it's going to be immediately around the corner. Some of these things may never come to fruition quite honestly. I think a lot of the proposals - especially regarding certain Tax matters and Banking and things - I do think a lot of this will probably fall further by the wayside as the forthcoming year sort of plays out. That being said, none of this is a foregone conclusion and there is a certain point where I should put my speculation hat back in the drawer if you will and just talk about some things that we know. 

So first off and the first big part of the ALERT is I have gotten a lot of emails from people regarding, certain emails and messages that have been sent out by certain Banks here in Thailand who have expat customers. Stay tuned I have another video coming where I'm going to deeply get into all of this discussion regarding Banking and disclosures and possible changes to Thai Law, possible alignment with other supranational bodies which again I don't necessarily think is a foregone conclusion but there's a lot of talk about this stuff in the banking sector. Again, stay tuned to this channel this week, we're going to have a pretty in-depth video on possible changes to banking. Meanwhile as we've discussed in other videos, there's a lot going on with regard to the rollout of the new Thailand Immigration System as well as this Electronic Travel Authorization. So again, these things seem to be rolling out now in tandem between the Ministry Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior and it looks to me like we are seeing some changes. Now exactly how big these changes are, and how this is going to play out, I'm not going to have details on that exactly right now, because again we have to sort of report on them as they happen.  

By the way, to all the idiot YouTubers, whoever these people are that I don't know, think they know something about this, I was talking to prior videos about it and they said "why don't you have better sources? why don't you go out and do this, that and the other thing?" It's like hey, first of all this channel is for free, and candidly I keep my finger on the pulse of Immigration about as close as I possibly can. I've been doing this for 17 years; I've been dealing with the Thai Immigration System for 17 years. I don't know what it is in this sort of new age of social media where everybody demands instantaneous and perfect information. It's not the way the system is ever going to work and by the way, Immigration's function is somewhat adversarial toward foreigners and for that reason, they are never going to be completely forthcoming with exactly how they're going to do things, okay? So, we have to kind of learn as we go, and that's the point of the channel is to report on that stuff.  

So again, as we've discussed, the TIS is being rolled out, the ETA is being rolled out. Meanwhile as previously discussed, they are talking about new rules for wait times regarding Visa Runs up in for example Laos, which I think is very important because that Embassy tends to sort of set the tone for how Visa Running Embassies, and by that I mean places where a lot of people who want to live in Thailand but are trying to maintain status, tend to go to get a visa and come back. I think it's fairly safe to say that moving forward especially into 2025 - as we discussed in prior videos - you're going to be looking at a scenario where you have to spend like two weeks outside of Thailand in order to do a proper Visa Run with the new edition of this e-Visa system which as I've explained in prior videos, they'll run around saying it's the newest greatest thing, it's so efficient. No, it's great for them, i.e. the Bureaucracy that deals with Immigration because 1) they don't have to see people in person or actually have to account for their decisions and 2) it's just this beautiful digital bureaucracy that they get to push all the work off into, all the accountability off into, but it's going to be the people who want to come into Thailand that actually have to deal with it. My personal opinion, I think that folks in Ministry Foreign Affairs seriously rethink both the Electronic Travel Authorization and the new e-Visa system because I think it could have a tremendously detrimental impact on tourism from 2025 and moving forward. That being said, all of these developments are sort of happening and then we have had a recent announcement by Thailand Privilege which I think is very telling. That's the reason for the ALERT and sort of the reason for this kind of broadly scoped video that's going to come back to a very narrow thing i.e. this announcement with regard to the Elite Visa. The way that this is being rolled out I think it's very telling for how things are possibly set to shape up, at least over the next roughly 5-year window with regard to Immigration Policy and Tax Policy and Banking Policy here in Thailand. I think it's useful as a touchstone to provide some insight to people as to maybe what we see sort of shaping up moving forward. 

That said, I thought of making this video after reading a recent press release from Thailand Privilege actually sent to us by one of our clients who deals with Thailand Elite. As I have said in prior videos, we do assist clients with Thailand Elite, with dealing with Thailand Privilege System, getting into an Elite Visa, maintaining status over the long term. That said, I'll throw this up on screen. Quoting directly: Subject: Introducing "Bronze" Membership Package. So basically, as we discussed in prior videos, over the past roughly a year and a half, Elite or the Thailand Privilege Card, whatever you want to call it, the Thailand Elite Visa, the people that sort of have the system for getting the Thailand Elite Visa - that being Thailand Privilege - basically last year dramatically raised the prices associated with the Thailand Elite Visa. That drove people to look for other options. They talked about the LTR, this new DTV, as I've discussed in other videos and will discuss in a video I'm making contemporaneously with this one, I think some of the things associated with the way this Elite Visa is being rolled out are telling for how the future of the DTV will be. As I discussed in prior videos, the DTV was rolled out as some sort of miracle Visa that is a 5-year Visa and it is super easy. As we talked about, yeah Ministry of Foreign Affairs came out with their PR blitz. It's going to be Ministry of Interior who hasn't said a word about that Visa, that's actually going to be dealing with the day-to-day of getting yourself further lawful status past the initial six months, within that 5-year nominal "Visa status". And at the end of the day, I don't think getting those forthcoming six-month periods are going to be as straightforward, nor frankly as easy as they've been made out to be. As I've discussed in prior videos, my thinking is they rolled out the DTV to create a higher if you will "high season" which is laudable. They're creating urgency, they're creating some demand to come to Thailand. They've created sort of a fast track for people to get in - that's good. The problem is we're going to have to deal with the back end of that in quarter one and two of this forthcoming year and exactly what that looks like remains to be seen. But again, the fact that they're rolling out an Elite Visa as an alternative that as we will get into, is substantially lower priced and seems to be designed for the very kind of people that are looking to get 5 years with the least amount of hassles, I think it's very telling they are rolling this out now here in the fourth quarter of 2024 with an eye toward the first half of next year which will be when we start to see where the rubber hits the road with regard to the Destination Thailand Visa. That said, quoting further: "We are delighted to announce the launch of our latest limited time offering: Bronze Membership Package, to be available on 15 December 2024 - 30 June 2025." So the dates of this in my mind are telling. This is going to be the half of the year next year when 1) we're out of high season which traditionally once we leave high season here in Thailand, that is traditionally where you see the Thai Authorities begin to go more from a "hey let's get in tourists" kind of paradigm to "hey let's actually enforce Thai Immigration Law and see who's trying to live here who really shouldn't be, and let's see who's really a tourist", and whatnot. So this will be happening and again at the same time as we discussed, when the DTV will start to see the actual requirements associated with maintaining that status here in Thailand at least via Ministry of Interior. Again, I think it's telling that while all this will be going on, in the background there will be this limited time opportunity to get into the Elite Visa. That said, quoting further: “This package is a direct result of listening to the voices of our clients and GSSAs who have shared invaluable feedback. With current competition, we understand that many clients seek primarily visa and airport services without additional cost on lifestyle privileges.” So basically, what they are saying is we get it. People are looking for a visa option, a visa option that creates some level of streamlining, creates some level of convenience, and they are trying to sort of work with that. Again with the timing of this I think it's interesting and someone telling. Quoting further: “In response, the Bronze Membership Package has been designed to focus on these essential services while maintaining the standards of Thailand Privilege Card Membership Program.” Quoting further:

“General Details of Bronze Membership Package:

• Membership Fee: 650,000 THB.” As discussed in other videos, presently up to this window of time from December into June of next year, so it would cost I think 900,000 THB to get that same five-year period basically it's what they're saying. So it's going down to 650 baht, excuse me 650,000 THB which is really kind of close to what it was a year and a half ago to get into the 5-year program. That said, quoting further:
• “Membership Duration: 5 years.
•  Core Benefits: 5-year Privilege Entry Visa, and Elite Personal Assistant Services”

So basically you get streamlined processing at the airport you get the standard 5-year visa and not a lot of frills to go along with that.

Now why am I bringing this up and the reason is and why did I bring up Banking and tax in regard to this? Well as we have discussed in prior videos, it remains to be seen if we're going to see this "alignment" in the banking sphere, the Central Banking sphere at least, with the so-called OECD. My personal opinion is one there seems to be this sort of concerted push by certain factions here in Thailand to view this as a foregone conclusion. I don't think it's prudent to do that. Quite frankly I don't particularly want that to be the case for a variety of different reasons. That being said, there's talk about that. Meanwhile, there has also been a lot of talk and frankly that's what it has been and frankly it's been far too hyperbolic and in my opinion a little bit dishonest regarding the possible rollout of new tax rules regarding Thailand again in alignment with these supranational bodies around the world. Again, the Elite Visa though as I have discussed in other videos, in many ways is very much a side step around sort of all of these issues. Now whether or not the Thailand Privilege folks sort of are aware of that and they are they are sort of rolling this out during a time period of transition probably a quarter one and two of 2025 if there's going to be any kind of major transition at all, which I think is kind of unlikely but okay we have to still entertain the possibility because that's the way the world works. They are rolling out this Visa at that same time and I think it's possible that they know that there's going to be an inherent demand to just say hey I just want a Visa status in Thailand where I know how to be in line with relevant Tax Law on Banking Law and the Elite Visa provides for that opportunity. So, I think it's interesting that this is being rolled out at this time for all the reasons I have mentioned. That being said, we will be keeping you updated on this channel as the situation evolves.