mikekim1219

The rates posted on the website only reflect future high-season rates. Since opening day Happy City has been charging a promotional rate of 1,000 baht, plus caddie tip.

thanks..that is good to know and more like it...looks like a beautiful layout...i don't think i should ever pay more for a round of golf in dollars than my score....3200 baht is about 100 usd which is about my usual score if i take a few mulligans...

I just played a round in Happy city last week. Waterford is offering 5000 baht year membership with no green fee. You only pay caddy fee (220) and tip.

If you are interested, we can stay in touch to play few rounds. I am trying to gather some golfers to play few rounds together and exchange some bull. I will be moving to CR in July.

I was also looking for some organized golf gathering in CR. I haven 't found any. I just returned from CR last week and planned to move in July. While I was there, I found that Waterford have new membership. With membership fee of 5000 baht, the green fee is free for one year. You would only pay 220 caddy fee plus tip.

If you are interested, we can stay in touch and play some rounds together when I move there. I planned to buy a pickup (must for golfer in CR) so transportation is not a problem.

Why an O-A and the hurdles you have to jump through.

Come to Thailand and do an "extension based on retirement" here, less paperwork and much easier.

Can I convert for retirement visa from arrival 30 day visa?

Yes, you can.

But without a ticket out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival the airline might not let you board. In Asia itself this is not that often checked, but to be sure you could try and get a non-O visa in China or a tourist visa, just to be on the safe side.

I was thinking the same thing. I want to apply for non-o but don't they require a sponsor from Thailand (letter of invitation) ?

If you meet the requirements for a retirement extension, you can convert a 30 day visa exempt entry to a non-o and the extend the non-o for retirement.

Thanks for the info. I just returned from CR after a month stay. I planned to move there in July.

I received an email from visa service. They offered door to door service for retirement extension for one year for fee of 25,000 baht without any funds in the bank. How reliable is this type of service? I planned to transfer all my funds from China but it may take some time since China tightly controls outbound funds and one year would give me enough window to process them.

Why an O-A and the hurdles you have to jump through.

Come to Thailand and do an "extension based on retirement" here, less paperwork and much easier.

Can I convert for retirement visa from arrival 30 day visa?

Visas are typically issued by Embassies and Consulates located in various countries. You can get a permission to enter stamp for 30 days converted to a 90 day non-o visa at Thai Immigration, this is done with the understanding tne non-o will be extended long term to a retirement extension of stay or marriage.

Does this mean I can go convert my current 30 day arrival visa to non-O 90 day visa then convert it to retirement visa provided I have all the required documents?

I am trying to apply for O-A visa from China and one of the requirement is financial proof and letter from the bank.

I have opened an account in Chiang Rai and will transfer the required fund but how can I provide the proof and letter from the bank while I am still in China?

Does it matter how your money is at the bank for retirement visa? I plan to have it at fixed long term deposit so I can at least get max interest from the bank

Even ten years ago I couldn't have lived on what I do now, but my needs have changed.

I think that's important, what you want out of your retirement.

I was never lazy so I think it's something I need to work on now.

That is going to be my biggest problem, sitting on my hands. Don't know if I can do that???

Would like to do woodwork as a hobby, but need to buy all new tools I already have in Canada. When I sell off everything, will buy then.

Let me know if you get too bored and would like to do a little bit of volunteer/free English teaching? Like you I spend about six months a year in CR and I do two afternoons a week at a local public high school that has no money to hire native speakers. The kids are all dirt poor kids of rice farmers but are very nice and super polite but very shy to try speaking English. Some of them can read quite a bit of English but they never have much chance to try and practice speaking which is what they really need. I've been at it for couple of years and really enjoy it. When I started i was the first falang most of the kids had ever spoken to or been around. It's good fun and you will likely find it helps fill your week plus makes you feel good that you are mabybe helping out even if just a little bit. You can pretty much volunteer to do as little or as much as you want to try. Up to you as how you teach them but it's really not all that hard as long as you can figure a way to make it fun.

The school will deal with any work permit questions.

English is not my first language but I grew up under my caucasian father and Korean mother. I suppose I can pass for native speaker to non english speaking group If they are not happy I can always teach them broken Korean Few years ago I got a TEFL certificate just to kill time. It's time I put them to good use.

There is chinese website you can access from Thailand. www.funshion.com. You need to download the software. Just go to the site and type in the name of the movie, TV show and it will ask you to download. It's all in Chinese but very easy to follow. Once downloaded, you can open the program and do the search in English. They have huge database with excellent quality. If the move is out on DVD, they will have it.

Does banana count as farang? Then add one more

Hello everyone,

While looking for cheap round of golf, I found a new golf course on the web. The place is called Happy City (http://happycitygolfresort.com/). It is financed by Korean investors and supposed to be world class course. Right now they are offering pre-grand opening promotion 650 baht 18hole round including caddy fee.This includes caddy fee. The offer is good till December. The distance is about 13km from Central Plaza. It is 29 hole course. I am new here and without a transportation, I was hoping somebody would be interested in outing. Little bit about myself: I am Korean American (grew up in USA since baby) planning to retire in CR and would love to hear your experiences in CR. I have 25 handicap and mostly interested in the exercise.

If interested, we can meet at bus station next to night bazaar and share the tuk tuk fee to course.

My contact is: 084-942-7280

Hello

I will be coming to thailand on a tourist visa (american)and retired. Any info anyone can give me to make my transition easier would be great. As they say my cup is empty. My destination is Bangkok and I'm looking for a not so expensive hotel to stay for a few months until I understand the ground rule's of the lay of the land. Im not looking for a dive hotel, but one which has the basic's and a comfortable bed to sleep with wifi etc...So if anyone can led me in the right direction I would really appreiate it. My time of arrival will be around March 2012....thank you

ken, I went to BKK in Sept and stayed for 30 days. I also looked for cheap hotel and found one on OnNut station. The name of the hotel is Imm-Fusion. It is located on 1594/50 Sukhumvit road. Tel: 023315555. The standard room is 600 baht($20). It is located right on the BTS so transportation is very easy to anywhere. Wifi is available and very fast.

By the way I am USA citizen. Follow up of my previous enquiry

I am planning to visit Chiangrai for longer than 30 days ..(3 month to a year) for a visit. What is the best way to extend visa without applying for retirement visa? I don't have access to Thai embassy where I live so I will be getting 30 day entry visa upon arrival.

Thanks

This is a little going native, but for people who are having a serious problem opening a Thai bank account (it really shouldn't be a problem) here is a plan. Visit a real estate agent and express interest in shopping for a condo. Ask for their help in opening a Thai bank account as you will need that to complete a purchase. They will usually have contacts with at least one bank and may assist you personally in opening the account. To assuage guilt, actually be shopping for a condo and/or leave a big tip.

This is the kind of inside information I need. Thanks

When I went to Bangkok last month, I tried to open a bank account. They wouldn't let me open stating that is Bank of Thailand regulation. They asked me to get 3 month retirement visa which will allow me to open the bank. However since my original post, I have learned that bank account outside of the country is also acceptable. Does this mean that I can enter on entry visa (30 day) and apply for retirement visa with proof of bank account over 800k?

Some Thai bank tellers don't speak English.

Easier for them to tell you you can't open an account.

Lying to foreigners is a way of life for many Thais.

Try another bank, you can open a bank account as a tourist. But maybe the teller you ask will tell you different.

I tried to open one at Bank of Siam and Bank of Bangkok. Spoke to the managers and both spoke excellent English. They stated that it is not individual bank policy but Bank of Thailand ruling policy.

Make it easy on yourself... Apply for a retirement visa in your home country. They will give you a O Visa good for 3 months...

That's not really correct.

A retirement visa is an O-A visa obtained only from your home country. It is a ONE YEAR visa, not a 3 month visa, and with it if multiple entry you can make it last two years by exiting and reentering Thailand before it's expiration.

A single entry O visa good for 90 days only is not a retirement visa. Typically many people come to Thailand with the a single entry O visa as suggested and then apply for annual extension based on retirement IN Thailand. Chiang Mai applicants can also enter on tourist visas or 30 day stamps and do a change of visa status to O as the first step with the retirement extension being the second step.

What visa strategy you use should be based on your personal needs/timing/banking mechanics factors. One size does not fit all.

When I went to Bangkok last month, I tried to open a bank account. They wouldn't let me open stating that is Bank of Thailand regulation. They asked me to get 3 month retirement visa which will allow me to open the bank. However since my original post, I have learned that bank account outside of the country is also acceptable. Does this mean that I can enter on entry visa (30 day) and apply for retirement visa with proof of bank account over 800k?

8 million baht invested in a term deposit in australia for 5 years @ 5% (until you get your pension) will yield 400,000 baht per annum. Plenty to live on in chiang mai and you will still have your 8 million baht at the end. No sleepless nights worrying about generating income or security of your money.

All my funds in China. What is the rule for opening an account for USA citizen in Australia? Sounds like it's an option I should look into..

Well said, Chiang Mai. People who make such blanket statements are just showing their ignorance.

I was replying back to an OP who has made 24 posts in this forum and gave no hint in his post that he had any experience in Thailand but does tell us he has 7 million baht burning a hole in his pocket...

I told the OP not to buy anything in the first year (Not to buy I Thailand)

Sent from the common sense brigade... :jap:

I did make a post about living in Thailand with 7 million baht. Not close to 24 posts. I have since been to Thailand for a month and wondering if anybody was generating any income stream. I am just trying to dig into people's experience. Not all advice are sound but some are constructive and informative.

If you apply for an O-A "retirement" visa at a Thai embassy/consulate that 800,000 baht doesn't have to be in a Thai bank account. It can be in an account anywhere in the world, just so you can show proof of its existence. As mentioned, you can go the income letter route from the American Embassy/consulate without showing them proof of a monthly income of 65,000 baht -- they're just attesting to the validity of your signature, not the veracity of your statement. But, Thai officials are fully aware of this and may ask for additional proof, especially for a first-time application.

If the reason you don't want to have 800,000 in a Thai bank account is because you don't have 800,000 baht in total savings anywhere in the world and you don't have a monthly income of at least 65,000 baht, then you really should re-evaluate the wisdom of retiring here. Yes, you can definitely live a nice lifestyle on much less than 65,000 baht/month, but if what will you do for a medical emergency? You probably won't be buying health insurance if your income is less than 65,000 baht/month and if you don't have 800,000 baht sitting in an account somehwere in the world, you could have a big problem paying medical bills.

I've seen this happen to several people here on retirement visas. They seem to think they're going to die quietly and suddenly in their sleep, never get hit by a tuk-tuk or develop a medical emergency where they can't travel.

Nancy,

This is great information and kind of info I have been looking for. I didn't realize that having account in other country was also accepted in applying for retirement visa. Transferring large fund between country can be tricky and the reason I was reluctant to do. I have few accounts in China (been here 10 years), Korea and USA. As I have dealt with Thai govt agencies before, any process can be very confusing and time consuming. For proof of fund in another country, what other documents do I need besides bank statement? Since most of my assets are now in China, I am inclined to use China bank account for the application.

Also since you mentioned insurance, are the local medical insurance applicable to foreigners? If so, what are the general rates for catastrophic medical insurance such as terminal disease, accidents, etc?

Thanks

Mike

You've got to love the "don't invest in Thailand" brigade, they were saying such things when the Thai Baht was 75 to the Pound and 45 to USD, had they not taken their own advice they would be far wealthier today! The OP should make his own decision on the investment front and do what he feels comfortable with but he shouldn't be deterred from investing here simply because of some of the comments here and from other bar stools!

As far as cost of living is concerned in CM: a nice apartment/condominium will cost you around THB15k a month, water and electric (no air) a further THB 1K. Taxi transportation (or similar) is cheap and effective so no need to buy a car unless you want to - local food at local restaurants is very good value, we spend around THB 8K a month and eat out several times a week - groceries: buy the local produce from national supermarkets and your bill will be inexpensive, buy a lot of Western or imported foods/specialties and it gets expensive quickly. My finger in the air WAG is that the OP have a comfortable lifestyle on THB 50/60k a month, if indeed he doesn't do bars and all that entails. Having said that there are ex-pats here who exist on THB 20/30k and those who spend a couple of hundred thousand each month.

Thanks Chiangmai for the advice. I understand that most are individual opinions that may or may not be based on expert analysis. I have been to Thailand few times and worked in BKK between 2001 and 2002 so I have some idea about the country. I wanted to hear some experiences of others who have been in the country for a while to get better idea before I make the final move to the country. I could very well live on 20k if not for my fix on golf.. haha.. but this is separate issue~

Make it easy on yourself... Apply for a retirement visa in your home country. They will give you a O Visa good for 3 months... Find a nice hotel on Agoda and book for 2 weeks... Come here and go to a bank of your choosing and open up a Thai account... Transfer 1,000,000 Baht into it... (800,000 is what you will need to have in the account when you go to extand your visa - do not spend this until your visa has been extended) The other 200,000 is for to live on for 3 months and pay a deposit on a furnished condo/house which you should be able to find in the first 2 weeks (You can do a web search on a number of websites - but don't commit until you get here and see the place...

Once your visa has been extended you can spend down the 800,000 - Start with a budget of 65K/month - see if at works for you... Also realize that in the first few months thing may cost more as you will not know all the deals and non farrang prices available...

Live here a year and rent DO NOT BUY in the first year...

Find your niche and learn for yourself what it takes to live here...

That's a great advice. Actually I have just returned from one month stay in Bangkok and Chiangmai so I have some ideas on what I want. Prior to that 10 years ago I also worked in BKK for 18 month.

You don't have to have 800k in the bank. You can get an Income Affidavit from the US Embassy showing that your monthly income is at least 65000 baht per month. The embassy doesn't require any proof, it is just a form that you fill out and they notorize. Rumors have it that they are going to change it in the future and require proof. What proof and if and when is still a mystery. My advice is to apply for a Non immigrant "O" visa at the Thai Embassy or consulate in the US. Use the reason for the request "investigate retirement options". That will give you a single entry visa and will give you 90 days when you enter Thailand. After you arrive, either immediately depoisit the 800 k in a Thai bank account, it has to season two months, or use the other option, an affidavit from the US embassy. Toward the end of your 90 days go to the immigration office responsible for the area where you are staying and apply for a 1 year extension of stay for retirement purposes. Unfortunately the actual documentation and number of copies required depends on the office that you have to use and changes frequently so the best thing to do is check once you are here and selltled.

You could do visa exempt, 30 days if entering by air, 15 days if entering by land, Tourist Visa, 60 days and could be extended 30 days for 1900 Baht, or a Non-Immigrant "O" 90 day entry.

The only way you stay longer is to apply for an extension of stay, in addition to having 800K in the bank for retirement, you can show an income 65,000 Baht income per month or a combination of the two.

I want to stay long term without having 800k sitting in the bank collecting minimum interest. What are the best options?

Thanks for the detailed advice. This is great and one I am inclined to try. I am currently in China and will travel to Beijing this month and apply at the Thai embassy.

You could do visa exempt, 30 days if entering by air, 15 days if entering by land, Tourist Visa, 60 days and could be extended 30 days for 1900 Baht, or a Non-Immigrant "O" 90 day entry.

The only way you stay longer is to apply for an extension of stay, in addition to having 800K in the bank for retirement, you can show an income 65,000 Baht income per month or a combination of the two.

I want to stay long term without having 800k sitting in the bank collecting minimum interest. What are the best options?