Returned to UK

[janclaes47]

Just now, Mbaki said:

It does if you do your annual extension before the report is due ?

No it doesn't. Only leaving and re-entering the country does.

[burningup]

5 hours ago, poohy said:

Incorrect or maybe correct for your area

i have just returned  from UK (Dudley) alcohol cheap and better quality, food certainly cheaper   ( i am discounting  cheap street thai food 

A few examples

Fish n chips 5.00 GBP 

Beer 2.80 GBP

Indian 7.00 GBP

supermarket food and alcohol way way cheaper and superior 

same in OZ . went bananas in the delis and supermarkets. thrived on salamis cheese and wine for silly low prices.

western beer is beer. Chang and leo is what you put up with

[Mbaki]

1 minute ago, janclaes47 said:

No it doesn't. Only leaving and re-entering the country does.

I have been doing it for the past 5 years without leaving the country, only 3 x 90 day reports, IO even said it was not needed if extension done before it is due.

[Simon1287]

For family reasons, I was in UK for 7 months last year. 

 

Shopping in Morrisons and Tesco supermarkets frequently. Far cheaper than in Thailand for the equivalent kind of items.

 

I forget the exact percentage but across that 7 months I guess the UK worked out something like 25-30% cheaper for the normal everyday stuff that keeps us going. All down to the rubbish exchange rate, of course, which is not likely to improve for the foreseeable future. Maybe even get worse.  

 

I must confess, after years of thinking how crap the UK is it was a bit of any eye opener in many ways.

 

To any old Brit worrying about having to return for health reasons, it's certainly very different to Thailand but give it a chance. It has a lot of advantages.  Hopefully you will still manage a few trips back to Thailand anyway, which you may well appreciate a lot more than being here full time. Return flights are a fair bit cheaper when starting from the UK than from Bangkok.

 

The NHS is, of course, one of the biggest advantage for us older ones. People mock it but I saw in in action on many occasions last year and believe me, when there is an emergency, it swings into action like a benevolent giant wrapping it's arms around you keeping you safe.

 

Due to several reasons, it is short on money and is economising on a lot of non emergency procedures but if you REALLY need it, my word, you won't be mocking it ever again.

 

My mother really needed it for 3 months as in patient before she passed away and they were amazing. My father really needed it as an inpatient for two weeks and they were amazing.

 

Even myself, really needed it for a week as an inpatient when my appendix ruptured when I was there and leaked all sorts of crap into my system. A first responder arrived within 10 minutes giving me morphine and the ambulance was there in a further 10 minutes.

 

Bad infections set in after the two hour operation. 5 days and nights on various drips at various times. Everyone was amazing and caring.

 

I can only speak for my own area, south west England, but if I could ask Her Majesty to give 98% of the NHS staff I encountered in all those months an OBE or whatever I would do it without a qualm.

 

They sent me off with a smile at the end of that week and with a very tasty chicken sandwich and cup of coffee. No hint of a bill (or an insurance company trying to wriggle out of one which is a real worry in Thailand, even if you have insurance )

 

They made very sure I had somewhere to go and had someone to take care of me while I recovered. If I had neither I have no doubt that would have been taken care of as well or I would not have been discharged.

 

It is woefully underfunded and I have no doubt that the UK taxpayer (myself included actually) would happily pay more if asked.

 

All in all, the UK wasn't anything like the horrid place for a long stay I was thinking it was going to be. Quite the opposite.

 

What is it they say about travelling the world and returning and seeing a place for the first time? ? 

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2018 by Simon1287

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, CH1961 said:

1000+ tax for plenty of crime: https://crime-statistics.co.uk/postcode/po11 9ad

Horrible weather: https://www.bbc.com/weather/8299619

At place 26 (of 50) in Crap Towns, Pan Macmillan ?

 

No, thanks .. will stay in Pattaya ?

"Local Taxes £1000+- annually" You mean council tax, tv licence, road tax petrol tax, this tax and that tax, dreadful weather for most of the year, no thanks, Thailand has it's faults as you mention, but the good still outweighs the bad here.

[crazykopite]

Thanks for the insight but if I have to leave the Kingdom which I will do one day either by aircraft or by the Temple I will not return to the UK but choose somewhere warm and pleasant in Europe the Canary Islands would be an obvious choice at 67 I will not buy another property I will rent and move on when I and the wife get bored . Have to say though that you have moved to a very nice place enjoy what’s left of the summer and keep warm in the winter . I noticed you did not mention property insurance after spending 200K think that is something to consider  ?☀️?

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Henricus said:

``bad police, Racist in my opinion, double charging foreigners, poor Visa rules with cost``

 

It`s good that this is YOUR OPINION

 

Health Insurance is the same as everywhere if you don`t pay you don`t get nothing

Many people come to Thailand and think i don`t need insurance till something happens 

 

Visa rules are perfect in Thailand, if Europe and UK had the same rules 15 Years ago there was no problem there, and 1900 THB for people above 50 Years !!!!!!!!!! and don`t start talking about the 90 Days it`s nothing.

 

Food is always a problem wen you don`t adjust with local food and only want to eat YOUR food, sure it cost more to import.  

 

Safety nowadays is in every country a problem, not only in Thailand and i don`t want to say that in Thailand  everything is OK .    

 

 

"It`s good that this is YOUR OPINION".  I would say that it is more fact than opinion.

[Andrew Dwyer]

For family reasons, I was in UK for 7 months last year. 

 

Shopping in Morrisons and Tesco supermarkets frequently. Far cheaper than in Thailand for the equivalent kind of items.

 

I forget the exact percentage but across that 7 months I guess the UK worked out something like 25-30% cheaper for the normal everyday stuff that keeps us going. All down to the rubbish exchange rate, of course, which is not likely to improve for the foreseeable future. Maybe even get worse.  

 

I must confess, after years of thinking how crap the UK is it was a bit of any eye opener in many ways.

 

To any old Brit worrying about having to return for health reasons, it's certainly very different to Thailand but give it a chance. It has a lot of advantages.  Hopefully you will still manage a few trips back to Thailand anyway, which you may well appreciate a lot more than being here full time. Return flights are a fair bit cheaper when starting from the UK than from Bangkok.

 

The NHS is, of course, one of the biggest advantage for us older ones. People mock it but I saw in in action on many occasions last year and believe me, when there is an emergency, it swings into action like a benevolent giant wrapping it's arms around you keeping you safe.

 

Due to several reasons, it is short on money and is economising on a lot of non emergency procedures but if you REALLY need it, my word, you won't be mocking it ever again.

 

My mother really needed it for 3 months as in patient before she passed away and they were amazing. My father really needed it as an inpatient for two weeks and they were amazing.

 

Even myself, really needed it for a week as an inpatient when my appendix ruptured when I was there and leaked all sorts of crap into my system. A first responder arrived within 10 minutes giving me morphine and the ambulance was there in a further 10 minutes.

 

Bad infections set in after the two hour operation. 5 days and nights on various drips at various times. Everyone was amazing and caring.

 

I can only speak for my own area, south west England, but if I could ask Her Majesty to give 98% of the NHS staff I encountered in all those months an OBE or whatever I would do it without a qualm.

 

They sent me off with a smile at the end of that week and with a very tasty chicken sandwich and cup of coffee. No hint of a bill (or an insurance company trying to wriggle out of one which is a real worry in Thailand, even if you have insurance )

 

They made very sure I had somewhere to go and had someone to take care of me while I recovered. If I had neither I have no doubt that would have been taken care of as well or I would not have been discharged.

 

It is woefully underfunded and I have no doubt that the UK taxpayer (myself included actually) would happily pay more if asked.

 

All in all, the UK wasn't anything like the horrid place for a long stay I was thinking it was going to be. Quite the opposite.

 

What is it they say about travelling the world and returning and seeing a place for the first time? [emoji846] 

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

I agree with pretty much all of this post.

I return to the uk regularly and find the uk supermarkets to be very cheap compared with Thailand, eating and drinking out is more expensive obviously but not excessively so.

 

Another vote for the NHS for me, they have taken remarkable care of my father over the last 3 years and provides a very capable home care package, 4 visits a day free for 6 weeks and after an evaluation to determine care required.

I was back in the uk for 5 of the 6 free weeks cover and as there was only me and my father in the house i was able to observe the carers attitude and level of attention, so much so that after my stay i was happy to come back to LOS happy in the knowledge that he was being taken care of .

 

Long live the NHS !!

 

If they could sort out that god awful weather for 9 months of the year I would probably move back, but until then I’ll sweat it out here [emoji51]

[roo860]

Can't believe the food pricing is the same. Yeah maybe you can get some chicken and mushroom pasties on a buy 2 packs for £3 job but last week I nearly ordered a small fish and chips and the price was £10.45. I cancelled it and opted for a save loyalty and chips for £5.50. Pricing on food is a joke and quality costs a lot compared to Thailand. 

Bet you didn't order the fish and chips in Saltley, Birmingham.
[emoji2]

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[rickudon]

 

The big issue if returning to the UK without a big pot of cash is rent. In my home area houses are unaffordable to buy and rents start at about 800 GBP.  This means that total housing costs eats up  over a 1,000 GBP a month, unless you want a room in someone else's house.Travel is expensive too (apart from buses on the free bus pass). Doesn't leave much for my wife and daughter in Thailand.

Edited August 12, 2018 by Rimmer
Off topic removed

[crazykopite]

1 hour ago, janclaes47 said:

Since the OP lived here only 12 year, I assume he has paid all his working life to have the right on NHS.

 

Back under your bridge you troll

If your a U.K. expat having lived out of the U.K. for 3 years or more officially you have to wait 3 months before being entitled to use the NHS which seems a joke when you read of people coming to the U.K. as   

Tourists just to get free medical treatment , the NHS needs to sort out this problem by asking every individual who wants treatment for their NI 

number , UK address with are least one utility bill and a copy of their passport if you don’t meet the following you have to pay up and that is one of the reasons why the NHS is in big trouble to many freeloaders who are not entitled to FREE Treatment.

[roo860]

Theoretically it doesn't but when i last did my extension they just did the 90 day report at the same time, just had to sign one extra page and then they stapled the new one in.
 
The big issue if returning to the UK without a big pot of cash is rent. In my home area houses are unaffordable to buy and rents start at about 800 GBP.  This means that total housing costs eats up  over a 1,000 GBP a month, unless you want a room in someone else's house.Travel is expensive too (apart from buses on the free bus pass). Doesn't leave much for my wife and daughter in Thailand.

I take it you are retired?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[lelapin]

I sold a 45 year old 2 bedroom apartment in London for 295,00 pounds. I bought a 4 bed 4 bathroom house with pool and jacuzzi for 160,000 pounds in Pattaya and you wonder why I prefer to live in Thailand.

[HHTel]

29 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

If your a U.K. expat having lived out of the U.K. for 3 years or more officially you have to wait 3 months before being entitled to use the NHS which seems a joke when you read of people coming to the U.K. as   

Tourists just to get free medical treatment , the NHS needs to sort out this problem by asking every individual who wants treatment for their NI 

number , UK address with are least one utility bill and a copy of their passport if you don’t meet the following you have to pay up and that is one of the reasons why the NHS is in big trouble to many freeloaders who are not entitled to FREE Treatment.

That's actually incorrect.  If you are returning to the UK for settlement, then you are entitled to the benefits immediately.

 

Quote

A British citizen who resumes settled residence in the UK is immediately entitled to free NHS care.

 

[Expatwannabee]

7 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

Can't believe the food pricing is the same. Yeah maybe you can get some chicken and mushroom pasties on a buy 2 packs for £3 job but last week I nearly ordered a small fish and chips and the price was £10.45. I cancelled it and opted for a save loyalty and chips for £5.50. Pricing on food is a joke and quality costs a lot compared to Thailand. 

Would that save loyalty be a saveloy by any chance. (Sorry could not resist. I know its predictive txt or auto correct but always amuses me even though I get caught out too.)

[HHTel]

It's a fact that many things in the UK are cheaper than here.  More expensive are accommodation and dining out for example.

 

Geez even a large bottle of Chang can be bought cheaper in the UK.  Go figure!

[Andrew Dwyer]

Would that save loyalty be a saveloy by any chance. (Sorry could not resist. I know its predictive txt or auto correct but always amuses me even though I get caught out too.)

I read it as a “ save loyalty “ card available for cheap charlies but you are probably right !!

[terryofcrete]

21 hours ago, CH1961 said:

1000+ tax for plenty of crime: https://crime-statistics.co.uk/postcode/po11 9ad

Horrible weather: https://www.bbc.com/weather/8299619

At place 26 (of 50) in Crap Towns, Pan Macmillan ?

 

No, thanks .. will stay in Pattaya ?

he said it was for health reasons ... Bad and all as the UK NHS is , I’m Irish and ours is not as good as NHS, it is better than having to rely on public health system in Thailand ... no thanks... Only reason I only go back and forth to Thailand instead of living there is health issues... we get older we get more problems ... At leastI can chat to the bugger in the next bed here in Dublin !  

[CGW]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

"Local Taxes £1000+- annually" You mean council tax, tv licence, road tax petrol tax, this tax and that tax, dreadful weather for most of the year, no thanks, Thailand has it's faults as you mention, but the good still outweighs the bad here.

This is the killer for me in the UK - Taxes, I am comfortably retired here, one of the main reasons I was able to retire was not paying UK taxes for many years, Thailand has many faults (see TVF, listed and discussed daily ? ) but the tax situation, which is rarely mentioned, is hard to better anywhere else in the world.

Edited August 11, 2018 by CGW

[janclaes47]

12 minutes ago, CGW said:

but the tax situation, which is rarely mentioned, is hard to better anywhere else in the world.

 

How else would you expect those criminals ruling the country get entitled to retirement early 50's with a monthly payment most retirees get in a decade, while have robbed you blind already during their time at the helm.

Edited August 11, 2018 by janclaes47

[Dene16]

4 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

my experience has been different

Yes i agree with your sentiments  which is why i stated it in that manner. Nothing can ever be certain in Thailand

[gaff]

But where is it the cheapest to live in UK ? Any idea ? Thanks.

[CGW]

8 minutes ago, gaff said:

But where is it the cheapest to live in UK ? Any idea ? Thanks.

I recall reading recently it was Cumbria, guessing because there is no industry or work in that area?

Edited August 11, 2018 by CGW

[jenny2017]

8 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

Can't believe the food pricing is the same. Yeah maybe you can get some chicken and mushroom pasties on a buy 2 packs for £3 job but last week I nearly ordered a small fish and chips and the price was £10.45. I cancelled it and opted for a save loyalty and chips for £5.50. Pricing on food is a joke and quality costs a lot compared to Thailand. 

You guys with your fish n' chips. ?

 

I'd think that not too many of us living here for longer would have the cash to buy a house, a new car, etc..OP, good for you, I hope that you'll still like it when it's getting darker and winter comes. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by jenny2017

[dirtynomad]

9 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

Can't believe the food pricing is the same. Yeah maybe you can get some chicken and mushroom pasties on a buy 2 packs for £3 job but last week I nearly ordered a small fish and chips and the price was £10.45. I cancelled it and opted for a save loyalty and chips for £5.50. Pricing on food is a joke and quality costs a lot compared to Thailand. 

 

if you shop in lidl, aldi, home bargains, pound stretcher, B & M, there are some unbelievable bargains to be had.

[burningup]

1 hour ago, HHTel said:

That's actually incorrect.  If you are returning to the UK for settlement, then you are entitled to the benefits immediately.

 

 

Australia most certainly won't give you free anything until months of established re patriation. I would be surprised if the UK did since we both follow a similar welfare model 

[HHTel]

9 minutes ago, burningup said:

Australia most certainly won't give you free anything until months of established re patriation. I would be surprised if the UK did since we both follow a similar welfare model 

Absolutely true.  You'll find it on gov.uk website.

Also, been there done that.  I returned to the UK some years ago with the kids.  After 6 months they wanted to come back (which I was fine with).  However, as long as you state that you have returned to the UK for settlement then you're entitled to benefits from day 1.  I'll see if I can find the authority. 

[Pdavies99]

9 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

Can't believe the food pricing is the same. Yeah maybe you can get some chicken and mushroom pasties on a buy 2 packs for £3 job but last week I nearly ordered a small fish and chips and the price was £10.45. I cancelled it and opted for a save loyalty and chips for £5.50. Pricing on food is a joke and quality costs a lot compared to Thailand. 

I went to Port Solent last night, its meant to be a slightly upmarket area near Portsmouth, I went to the Sir Alec Rose Restaurant, I had Cod and Chips with Fresh Vegetables including a pint of Kronenberg 1604 Lager...£7.95...I think that's pretty good!

[HHTel]

17 minutes ago, burningup said:

Australia most certainly won't give you free anything until months of established re patriation. I would be surprised if the UK did since we both follow a similar welfare model 

Absolutely true.  You'll find it on gov.uk website.

Also, been there done that.  I returned to the UK some years ago with the kids.  After 6 months they wanted to come back (which I was fine with).  However, as long as you state that you have returned to the UK for settlement then you're entitled to benefits from day 1.  I'll see if I can find the authority. 

 

I found this one quickly:

 

Quote

The UK has a residency based healthcare system. This means provision of NHS treatment is based on being ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, not on your nationality, payment of UK taxes or national insurance contributions, owning a property, being registered with a GP or having an NHS number. A British citizen who resumes settled residence in the UK is immediately entitled to free NHS care. If a British citizen resides only overseas and is visiting the UK, they may be charged for hospital treatment unless they have a registered S1, described below, in another EEA country.

Source: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs25_returning_from_abroad_fcs.pdf

[Pdavies99]

3 hours ago, Simon1287 said:

For family reasons, I was in UK for 7 months last year. 

 

Shopping in Morrisons and Tesco supermarkets frequently. Far cheaper than in Thailand for the equivalent kind of items.

 

I forget the exact percentage but across that 7 months I guess the UK worked out something like 25-30% cheaper for the normal everyday stuff that keeps us going. All down to the rubbish exchange rate, of course, which is not likely to improve for the foreseeable future. Maybe even get worse.  

 

I must confess, after years of thinking how crap the UK is it was a bit of any eye opener in many ways.

 

To any old Brit worrying about having to return for health reasons, it's certainly very different to Thailand but give it a chance. It has a lot of advantages.  Hopefully you will still manage a few trips back to Thailand anyway, which you may well appreciate a lot more than being here full time. Return flights are a fair bit cheaper when starting from the UK than from Bangkok.

 

The NHS is, of course, one of the biggest advantage for us older ones. People mock it but I saw in in action on many occasions last year and believe me, when there is an emergency, it swings into action like a benevolent giant wrapping it's arms around you keeping you safe.

 

Due to several reasons, it is short on money and is economising on a lot of non emergency procedures but if you REALLY need it, my word, you won't be mocking it ever again.

 

My mother really needed it for 3 months as in patient before she passed away and they were amazing. My father really needed it as an inpatient for two weeks and they were amazing.

 

Even myself, really needed it for a week as an inpatient when my appendix ruptured when I was there and leaked all sorts of crap into my system. A first responder arrived within 10 minutes giving me morphine and the ambulance was there in a further 10 minutes.

 

Bad infections set in after the two hour operation. 5 days and nights on various drips at various times. Everyone was amazing and caring.

 

I can only speak for my own area, south west England, but if I could ask Her Majesty to give 98% of the NHS staff I encountered in all those months an OBE or whatever I would do it without a qualm.

 

They sent me off with a smile at the end of that week and with a very tasty chicken sandwich and cup of coffee. No hint of a bill (or an insurance company trying to wriggle out of one which is a real worry in Thailand, even if you have insurance )

 

They made very sure I had somewhere to go and had someone to take care of me while I recovered. If I had neither I have no doubt that would have been taken care of as well or I would not have been discharged.

 

It is woefully underfunded and I have no doubt that the UK taxpayer (myself included actually) would happily pay more if asked.

 

All in all, the UK wasn't anything like the horrid place for a long stay I was thinking it was going to be. Quite the opposite.

 

What is it they say about travelling the world and returning and seeing a place for the first time? ? 

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Simon.

 

The only reason I posted on the site was to show that the UK is not terrible and neither is Thailand.

 

I posted just to give an indication of costs in my opinion.

 

Paul