@Peter ******************

And the IO just watches you walk away after denying you as you go ask someone else for entry? Good luck with that move.

If you try to enter on the visa and they deny it, don't expect to tell the IO you would prefer to then enter on an exemption and be approved. Logic doesn't factor into decisions here.

NY has always been very efficient with mailing my PP back to me. Beats a trip from upstate. I would priority mail it with a short note and include a prepaid return priority mail envelope. For about $10 including tracking for the round trip it's fast and cheap. I bet you get the visa back with a scratch through the "F" and someones initials. They are not going to replace the visa I would bet.

Adds up over time with flights and hotels. After 5 years of scrambling around I coulda broke even but relaxed with the Elite for the past 5 years .

Balder Johansen peanuts

Come exempt in January. Don't waste your time on the non o till you need it.

Balder Johansen for a year or two you can get by on METV and SETV with a few exempts but after that its a real hassle. If you have the full five years to go before 50 find the money for the elite or find another country to live in.

Quick tip if you need to pull the 20 K baht from an airport ATM do it before you pass though security as ATM's can often not be found after stamping out.

@Gregor *********

Operation Paperclip was the Elite Visa of WWII

Update. They wanted the Chanote but I talked him out of that saying I had just done this a few months ago and he didn't want it. Then he was hot on the fact I had not reported my last return to the island. Had me dead to rights on that one. In the end charged me 300 to register return and 300 for the cert. I didn't even fill in the tm 30. Only thing I provided was a PP, PP photo, rent agreement, tabien bahn and ID of the owner with original signatures and PP copies of entry tm 6 stamp and visa and face page. First in at 0830 walked out at 0950. Oh when I opened my passport to check everything was there I found they put 200 baht back. You figure it out.