This visa service does not use death vans?

When I was there, they seemed to just pile all applications into mountains. I saw no one rejected the next day.

Vientiane seemed like a tourist visa factory when I last visited.

Elite visa is $3000 a year, if you break it down. For someone of means, that's not a lot of money to remove all hassles. You want no hassles at all? Elite visa.

Teachers work with children. Perhaps this is why there is extra security processing their visa.

Please be sure that your passport has 18 months left on it. Otherwise, renew passport before beginning process.

@Richard ********

Welcome to this strange and magical place. Hope your dreams come true.

Richard Staples Funds must be in a Thai bank 2 months for your initial application and 3 months for each yearly extension. You will initially get 90 days. You must extend to one year before your 90 days is up, when there is still 30 days left on initial visa. You don't need to prove anything about its source. If you are asked if you are working, the answer is no.

You will need a special kind of notarized statement from the Thai bank with their seal on it. It has a short shelf life (7 days). So, this must be procured just before applying. I advise bringing your specific request to the bank, written in Thai, to save time.

You are applying first time at an embassy or consulate. Got it. Good idea to bring some evidence of regular monthly income dating back 6 months from present.

Also, you will want to declare a monthly income in your own currency (such as US dollars). Don't declare an income that is borderline because exchange rates can vary widely and put you below 65,000 baht a month after calculating exchange rate. Thus, make sure you have room for that.

You may be asked for a Thai bank book or bank statement from Thai bank. In theory, affidavit is enough. In practice, IO can ask for bankbook or bank statement from a Thai bank, even using the income method. They can ask for anything; it's up to discretion of immigrations officer.