JB300

what really sucks is the naïve and ridiculous view that having a drink in a bar or a meal in a restaurant is "doing business".  
 

Er  you said Davos not Davao, I was thinking why does this git with a Swiss lady with a big house want to come here. 

Lol... Sorry mate, slip of the fingers... I was wondering how Switzerland came up...

Davao (or Dabao as the gf says), Kapalong (approx 2 hrs drive north) to be precise...

Lol.. Davos!!! I'm no where near rich enough to retire there, besides, it's far too cold..

yes true your pension will be frozen if i lived in thailand in retirement which should be unlawful , but you can now take your pension as a lump sum but you have to pay 25% tax but have to be careful where you put it 

We're getting well OT, but are talking about (Frozen) State pensions here, are you sure you can take a lump sum out of your State Pension?

Can take 1/4 of your private pension as a lump sum but that wouldnt be frozen anyway...

There are other ways they could have met the requirement; such as remortgaging their UK property to provide a cash sum; but, again, why should they have to do so?

Sorry to snip your post but this particular part is of interest to me.

The >£62,500 in savings I have is in an "Offset" mortgage account basically cancelling out any money I owe on my mortgage (I.e. they pay me pennies in interest per year instead of me paying them £1000s).

This is with "One Account" (was Virgin now RBS) which unlike Barclays/Woolwich where the monies are held in a separate account, its in "virtual pots".

Anybody know if this would count as savings (have an ATM & Credit card I can spend/withdraw cash from the account) or would it be considered part of my mortgage & be considered as the £500 or so above the mortgage owed that I keep in it?

Another crazy example of somebody being rejected for a UK Visa... http://links.info2.news.co.uk/ctt?kn=4&ms=MTM4MTI2NQS2&r=Mjg5Njg3NjcyODQS1&b=0&j=NzMwODMwODMxS0&mt=1&rt=0

The Blacklist: Redemption...

Our reasoning for choosing Thailand is as simple as we fell in love with the place many many years ago. We have friends there. We speak basic Thai. The infrastructure is better than some other regions in SE Asia. It feels,like home every time we land there. :)
Financially we're fortunate that living costs aren't the epitome of concern. That said, no one finds pleasure in paying 3x what you otherwise could be. It's a balancing act. Hence why we're dipping a toe in, so to speak.
 
HK will be our first 'run'. Thank you for the advice guys.
 
Out of interest, with all things considered, where would you seriously consider as a less costly but semi-equal in terms of ex-pat life in the region on a 1-3 scale?

No the first line is untrue. "Why retire to Thailand" was a question "other places are cheaper and have hotter women" was a statement. But if you are in a relationship and considering an Elite Visa why would those points concern you at all. 

 

I broadly agree with blorg, having experience of neighbouring states and Southern Europe. I was thinking of giving South America a try at one time but reports of the high crime rate brought me here instead. Beer here is not the best but I doubt that it is the worst and it is certainly not the most expensive. Presumably these SML's are cheap from a retailer not a bar, so how much for a bottle of 250ml or 330ml? And how much from an "average" bar. Compared with say 70 baht in a Pattaya bar and 100/120 in downtown Bangkok.

 

Like others on TVF I have been here on and off for pushing 20 years and have always kept an eye out for somewhere better/cheaper but not found a place suitable. Vietnam does come very close though.

 

Beer is typically cheaper in Philippines (ex Manila / AC), bottle of SML would usually cost 100-110php (70-75 THB ) in a decent bar with live music or a restaurant, cheaper than that elsewhere, but despite it's many charms (beautiful beaches) I just don't fancy moving there.

Blorg above sums up a lot of what I was originally thinking since deciding I wanted to retire to Thailand in 2008, TSFsums up my more recent thinking.

Nb I love Thailand, always have a massive smile on my face when flying into Bangkok, but can't help feeling it's quickly becoming much less Farang Immigrant friendly (malarkey with TM30s being the latest), maybe it will swing back but if you were retiring soon would you choose Thailand again?

Oh, can I add Malaysia (Langkawi, Penang, Mallacca not KL) to my list :)

Such as?

It was a question... Not a statement

But FWIW, I'm rapidly coming around to...

- Vietnam

- Southern Europe

- South America

- Hybrid (3-6 months per place)

Or just give up & live in my (gf's) very nice house in Davos, kick back, lots of very cheap SMLs (that's San Miguel Lights in case you're wondering)

Offers of accommodation from family or friends is still allowable.

 

 Prior to July 2012, financial support from family, or even friends, was allowable.

 

This was particularly useful for ex pats returning to the UK, for example at the end of their contract, with their foreign partner as they could use this support until they found suitable work in the UK.

 

If the sponsor's family are willing and able to financially support the couple, and any children, until they are able to support themselves, what is wrong with that? When it was allowable it didn't cost the taxpayer anything. Still wouldn't.

But I don't see anywhere where it says my parents offering to board us (at no cost) reduces the income or savings limit.

No skin of my nose [pass the financial tests on both (passive) income & having >£62,500 in the bank] just pointing out that the rules are pretty binary & don't take into consideration factors that actually make a major difference in people's living expenses.

But that's already been done, there was a guy (think he was Australian) earning £250k equivalent in Dubai, had a £3.5Million house in the UK but couldn't get a Visa to live there as his wife didn't (& woukdnt) work so had no salary

I restrict my comments to considerations of most interest to retirees. (For younger people, I do not think Thailand is now a great place to settle long term.)  Away from the tourist ghettos, most areas of Thailand are safe and friendly. Goof healthcare is available. Food of all kinds is available, good and relatively cheap. General living costs, while not the lowest in the world, are affordable, and the overall infrastructure pretty good in most of the country.

As a "Retiree" (albeit "only 51), I agree with you.

Spent the past 7-8 years planning to move to Thailand, now I'm not so sure...

Course not being budget or "Pussy" restricted gives a different perspective... But to repeat the question... Why retire to Thailand when (nowadays) there are far better places to retire for less money, with "hotter" (to each his own) women & less drama

Me, cooking show.............Not me.............

I'll be honest the pic looked like Jeremy Clarkson so it took me a few double takes to finally click on the vid & then it said "Chef Island"...

I've since watched it play & realised... Brilliant[emoji106]

Shall never question your links again [emoji4]

I agree 100% with what your saying, but where does it stop?

For instance, if my Ms (Filipina) wanted to move to the UK & I couldn't "afford" it, my Parents would welcome her with open arms (no rent, not taxes, no grocery bills) she wouldn't need any money at all to get by.

So do we add something in there about other Family/Non-Family support??? Impossible, government has to draw a manageable line somewhere...

I can understand why you would hold this viewpoint. My own is more nuanced:

This is irritating, but not a show stopper for those who really want to stay and have enough money. Those with compelling reasons to stay (children, for instance) but very limited financial resources are in a difficult situation, and I sympathize with them.  

Thailand is less attractive today for those seeking young women to settle down with, or a very low cost place to live. For married retired people, it is a better place than ever to settle.

So as somebody who doesn't want to move to Thailand for young women to settle down with (I.e. bringing Sand to the Beach) what are the benefits/advantages of moving to Thailand?

[Edit: Let's assume Budget isn't the problem]

Bully for you and your friends!
 
There are many people, approx. 40% according to some figures, who earn less than £18,600 p.a. but are perfectly capable of supporting themselves and their partner without state aid.
 
Yes, savings, whether the sponsor's, applicant's or held jointly, can be used either alone or in combination with most, but not all, sources of income to reduce the amount of each required.
 
But you need at least £16,000 of savings, and if relying on savings alone at least £62,500; and it has to be in cash and immediately available.
 
I am not saying that there should be no financial requirement; just that it should be fair and logical. The one prior to July 2012 was; this one, for many reasons, some which I explained earlier, is neither.

Mate, I really wish you'd put at least a title to your vids, one before this was some Chef or some such, so had to click on it, wait for youtube to load before realising it was bolox (hate cooking shows).

This one is pure (Harrys Enfield) genius & I love it [emoji106]

Don't mind guessing fella, but a little clue please [emoji4]

Stan Lee's Lucky Man is back for Season 2


Curse of Oak Island was its usual all hype & disappointment [emoji17]. Maybe next year [emoji1303]

With the exception of Hong Kong (love to visit) we have travelled fairly extensively in the other places mentioned. All lovely and unique, although didn't think much of Vientiane tbh. :-/
 
We have leased a condo with an option to buy in Jomtien, but before I commit to an Elite Visa we want to be certain we have made the right choice. So it's more about 'living' there rather than holidaying. Hence a normal TV would be sufficient as we would not need to jump around except for visa needs.
 
It's all about simplicity at this stage. Cheers for the input. :)
 
So maybe HK or HCM... or Sydney?

Generally as a non American, you can only stay in the country for 3 months even if you can support yourself and not be a burden on the over taxed Americans.

 
In Phuket under the Thai system, you can stay as long as you like provided you meet the financial requirements which are hardly punitive.

 
America is not a retirement alternative for the average person.

I thought a Pensions holiday was something companies took when their pension pots were doing too good.

Also thought it was something Gormless Broon forced on them to raise more tax when times we're good

It's because of Pension Holidays Pensions are in the mess they're in, they're not a way to get out of the mess.

Have they never heard of 7 years of feast followed by 7 years of famine?

How about have the police do their jobs?  Roving patrols, arrest those who break the law, and don't let them go with a 500B under the table fine! LOL

Had a problem with a dog constantly barking on the Patio of a Condo 2 floors down from me (why do people have dogs in Condos!) & I took to spraying a little bit of water on it which seemed to surprise it enough to stop barking.

Could also try a Dog whistle but key is to surprise them & make them forget what they were doing (I.e. Barking) which is what the shock collar should be doing but clearly isn't working.

 
Maybe it's because  to enjoying Soi 6  you require 3 basic things
there are more ,  but we won't go into that  on an open forum.
What you require is
Money,     a sense of humour and an open mind.
Only having one  of these won't cut it.
 

As far as I know the 30 days is granted for Airport crossing but 14 for Land.
That opens Vietnam as another possible option for home base coz the visa is a little cheaper again, and flying in has benefits. Or you could just circulate.
Of course this type of activity is what the Thais are trying to regulate around by the 14 day rule or trying to get higher flying expats to commit to a long term stay with upfront elite card fees.