Sheryl

You are assuming they would not have work in Thailand? Why? And why assume that a move to Thailand at such a young age is going to be permanent? Quite common for young people to come to Thailand for professional reasons. Might even be a wise career move depending in their field. Also quiet common for young people to take some time out from work or schooling and come as a volunteer (Peace Corps, NGOs etc) or as a teacher. This is temporary and can be quite enriching. I see no problem. They can always go back to farangland and resume their prior careers. Or they may, after this experience, develop a whole new career path. I would be far, far more worried about a 50-60 year old deciding to retire and move to Thailand without substantial wealth to back them up, based on a bare bones calculation that assumes costs here stay the same, currency exchange stays the same, never will have a serious illness or accident, etc.

I don't think there is any problem with coming to live in Thailand while young per se. What is a problem, and I see it all the time on this forum, is retiring too young, based on current exchange rates and current cost of living in Thailand (usually not including future medical costs or health insurance or for that matter any other potential emergency into the mix). And on whatever the current financial requirements for retirement extensions was. The implicit assumptions that exchange rates won't change for the worse, that cost of living will stay much the same, and that immigration rules won't change, are deeply flawed as many have found out. By the time they find this out it is too late to get back in the workforce. Of course there are some independently wealthy people with large enough nest eggs to retire early. But the more usual scenario is a fixed old age pension and limited savings which, as cost of living rises and exchange rates fluctuate, lead to being ensconced here without adequate means and having difficulty meeting immigration requirements. I would also add, also problematic is those who completely sever all ties to their home country, leaving themselves with no exit plan when/if they need to return for medical care or because (due to above mentioned factors) they can no longer afford to live in Thailand.

Thank you for that link, I had not seen it. Hopefully someone will at some point develop an English translation. However Q 10 deals only with the case where tax was actually paid in the other country, but does not address the situation where the income is not assessable in Thailand under terms of DTA irrespective of whether tax was due in home country. A common situation with US Social Security and government/state pensions as often the person's income is low enough not to incur a tax (in which case they are not even required to file a tax return). Probably not mentioned because the document is largely aimed at Thai citizens and their questions. One could infer from the answer to Q 10 that the RD intends to abide by the terms of DTAs but it would be more reassuring if this point was directly addressed. "Tax credits" do not apply and will not address the issue for these types of income which are under DTA not assessable in Thailand. Actually the most interesting for expats sections of this were questions 5,6 and again in Q 9 where it is clearly stated that income of any sort that was earned in a year when the person was not resident in Thailand 180 days or more, is not assessable in Thailand no matter when brought in. In other words, savings from income of any sort (wages, investments etc) earned prior to moving to Thailand -- very relevant for retirees - is not assessable in Thailand. Of course how one would go about proving that is another matter, most people could not, so I still recommend that US retirees as much as possible limit their transfers to Social Security and government pension (if any).

That is my reading, yes -provided one is resident in Thailand under the (complicated) definition of the DTA. Unlike most nationalities, US citizens in Thailand more than 180 days a year are legally tax residents in both the US and Thailand so DTA provisions on dual residency apply.

Do you have a link to that? I have not seen any official statements addressing this issue.

Actually I did not say that. I said DTAs will apply. Under terms of DTAs there are some expats who would owe tax. It is quite possible that given the complexity and hassle of sorting out tax liability for retirees from countries with DTAs the RD will largely not bother - but this remains to be seen and is not guaranteed. In the meantime US citizens would be well advised to limit their transfers in to income that is definitely not subject to Thai tax i.e. Social Security and (if any) government pension. If necessary, bring in lump sum of savings now before the new rules take affect. That way you are covered (from payment, not necessarily filing) no matter what.

And many publications in peer reviewed journals. You will he in good hands with her.

@DineshR My reading of the US tax treaty with Thailand is substantially the same as yours except that to my read it is only government pensions that cannot be taxed in Thailand. Private pensions can be. Of course, any tax you have to pay in Thailand on private pension and the various other taxable incomes can be claimed as a tax credit on your US return. In fact, it could be argued from the terms of the Tax treaty that any income taxable in Thailand under the DTA should be fully exempt from US taxes. (You'll need an accountant versed in expat issues) To simplify life, you might like to limit your remittances to Thailand to direct deposit of your Social Security (and government pension if that is what you have). If currently using income method and these sources not enough, switch to the 800K method and bring that money in before end of the year. Like that you should be home free since it is only assessable income remitted to Thailand after 1 January that is at issue. If you can't live on just SS, make up the difference through use of a US credit card paid from a US bank account and perhaps occasional ATM withdrawal from US bank account.

Nobody is going to monitor ATM withdrawals, that is absurd, with millions of tourists each year making them. However IF (still far from sure) you are required to make a tax filing in Thailand, not declaring any income coming in at all would surely raise questions since obviously you must be living on something.

This. There is a detention area within the airport (guarded). You go there until your flight out. "Reviews" of the place aren't exactly favorable, communication is limited and you have little or no say on when and where you fly out. But certainly better than the IDC. You are never let free in the departure area. When it is time to go you are escorted right onto the plane.

I would definitely be guided by Prof. Ampica's recommendation. Otherwise https://sriphat.med.cmu.ac.th/find_doctor?lang=en&doctor_name=&spec_name=17&special_name=55

They do not cover everyone and will most likely deny cover when they see your diabetes history. But you can try. The only way to find out for sure is to submit an application. I suggest you go through a broker like AA. Thai insurers in particular have a bad history of paying claims and you may need the support should you get the policy and have a claim.

So far as is known. The issue with Dengvaxua was not initially apparent either. It takes a large number of individuals who were both vaccinated and subsequently got Dengue to assess for this effect. It is however known that Qdenga is less effective in people who never had Dengue before and indeed fails to protect completely against 2 of the 4 dengue strains in such people. "In summary Qdenga® showed a clear protective effect against dengue fever in children and adolescents 4–16 years living in endemic areas but dengue naïve individuals were not protected against DENV3 and DENV4 from vaccination. " https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893923000583 Since severe dengue is mainly a problem in children most of the data is on children and there is a lack of data on older people. The Thai government currently recommends dengue vaccination only for local residents (Thais) who have had dengue previously. https://www.thaitravelclinic.com/blog/travel-medicine-issue/dengue-vaccine-for-travelersforeigners-in-thailand-should-i-get-it.html

1. No. It applies only to money brought in after 1 January. 2. Unclear at this time 3. Yes terms of DTAs apply. Read yours carefully. If you are from US, US Social Security is exempt from taxation in Thailand. Doesn't matter if your income threshold is such that you end up paying no tax when you file in US. I believe (not sure) same is true for government pensions. But other income streams (private pensions, interest, dividends etc) are potentially taxable in Thailand depending on where under the terms of the DTA you are considered resident and those terms are complicated. (US citizens spending 180 days or more in Thailajd are in a unique situation in that they are tax residents undrr the kaws of both countries, so complex provisions of the DTA come into play. Diffferent for most other nationalities.

I have a friend here now in similar situation. How early can one get the 30 day extension on a TV? Wondering if we can do the 30 day extension and re-entry permit at same time -- It would be about 3 weeks before 60 day permission of stay end.

Might make more sense to enter visa exempt first then get visa in Viet Nam?

There are no establushed steps for this and no mechanisms for people to file for compensation from government. All you could do is hire a lawyer and try to bring a civil suit -- if you can find a lawyer willing to take this on which is very doubtful . There have been rare cases of people winning suits against government entities but they all involved death or permanent disability. Damages awarded in successful suits here are much smaller than in the West and would be limiyed to compensation of actual losses incurred. Legal fees will exceed that. Forget about this. Broken/dangerous pavement is the norm in Thailand and it is "pedestrian beware".

Hardly a "memory lapse" if he could describe what the hotel looked like and where it was located relative to the airport. Sounds like he simply forgot the name and exact address of it.

Be aware that most US insurance plans require that you live in the coverage area (which may be defined as a state, county or group of states) at least 6 months a year. Also, most provide little or no coverage while abroad and certainly not while living fulltime abroad. The OP is already living full-time in Thailand and only planning to visit US to see his daughter from time to time now that she will be studying there. Hence a regular US health insurance policy would be a large unnecessary expense for him, if he even qualifies for one given not resident there. Travel policy is what he needs for the US and he can certainly get that.

Best try would be Fascino, main branch on Pattaya Nua between Second Rd and Third Rd on the south side of the road. No guarantees though as this is not a widely used drug. If that fails you can ask https://medisafepharma.com/ Use the Messenger function on the website. If they also cannto supply you will have to see a psychiatrist at a hospital - which I recommend in any case (see below) Lithium has a very narrow therapeutic range and frequent blood tests are essential to avoid toxicity. Has this been arranged for? It may be dfficult to get at a lab, you might need to have it done at a large hospital. It is also an odd choice given the many newer drugs with better safety profile. I would suggest you see a good, Western-trained psychiatrist specializing in mood disorders for a second opinion rather than continuing to rely on long distance prescribing (you can of course still continue the long distance psychotherapy). Such as https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/suttiporn-janenawasin US trained (Stanford university) In Bangkok not Pattaya - you will not find anyone remotely of that caliber in Pattaya Consultation about 2,000 baht

Any regular insurance policy that includes cover for the USA will be prohibitively expensive I suggest you keep this separate and take out a travel policy for your visits. One specific to travel to the US would be best e.g. https://www.imglobal.com/travel-medical-insurance/patriot-america-plus As a diabetic, you will find getting a regular health insurance to be difficult. If you can get a policy at all, it will have broad exclusions (though not literally everything but an accident. Cancer for example should still be covered. But cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney disease, vascular disease may all be excluded....IF you can get cover at all, which is iffy). If you cannot get cover at all, there is an option of a USD $100,000 deposit instead. (you should in any case have at least that set aside/ readily accessible if paying for health care here out of pocket).

Tell him only short acting lithium available here and see what he advises

Some government state pensions do in fact meet financial retirement extension requirements. Even US Social Security can if the individual's earnings were high enough abd they worked long enough. My SS does and I am well under the naximum SS possible. And some European countries are more generous.

That much is crystal clear, yes.

And presumably the Embassy can validate it (as print outs can be altered). Not the case for the US. These are all completely separate databases with very restricted access. In addition, since US provides far less generous benefits to its senior citizens, most people's retirement income comes at least in part from private sources.