Are retirees moving to the new DTV visa - anybody done it?

[Baht Simpson]

21 minutes ago, Farang99 said:

If you have been living in Thailand for the past 12 years you will not be entitled to free medical care on the NHS if you return to UK.

Not initially, but I believe that if after a period you can prove that you will be "habitually resident" and you are a British Citizen you can go back into the NHS system. 

[RichardColeman]

I am 55, my wife 41, are child 3. I own a house in the UK that I rent out to help with income for visa. My plan - and always has been - is to live Thailand but die in the UK in old age (Thai roads willing). Obviously I have somewhere to live when old - some fools that spent all their dosh on wild women and good times would be living in a cardboard box with just their memories. Life is about planning - especially away from your home country. Many of us have younger wives - but what would you do if she died before you, or she was in no condition to take care of you. I have so many friends in Thailand - borderline on income - that have nowhere to return to and have not enough money to cover extreme old age issues in Thailand. Their end will probably be the bad odour from next door when they cannot get out anymore and nobody cares - sad but true

 

 

 

[cooked]

25 minutes ago, Proboscis said:

What the link indicates is that cabin crew are not nurses. If a passenger needs nursing care, help with administration of meds or needs help on the toilet, they need either an assistant or a nurse to travel with them.

What the link indicates is that if cabin staff or the airline itself thinks you may have a major problwm during the flight (like being drunk and rowdy before boarding for instance) then they may decide that you are 'unfit to fly'.

[cooked]

14 hours ago, Moonlover said:

At the bottom of page 2, of the TM7 below the applicants signature, you find the following:

 

'Applicant must submit the application in person with the exceptions of handicapped patients or persons with disabilities'.

 

It's my guess that 'old and frail' would qualify. Married folks therefor need not worry about getting an extension. Others would have to rely on friends, carers or agencies.

I have heard an immigration officer propose to a rather frail older guy that he could send a police officer if he couldnt make it for his next extension. This was before the days when doing your 90 days online was "possible". Probably cost some tea money but...

[Thingamabob]

14 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I don't regret a moment of being in Thailand, I do regret the 32 years as an adult I wasted in the UK.

Directly I finished Uni, I should have left the country.

Agreed 100%.

[Deerculler]

Thai Air are excellent for helping disabled people in wheelchairs. I have flown with them a few times now.

One of the times I boarded at Bangkok Thai Air used a lift to load 4 Of us in  wheelchairs into the aircraft.

I highly recommend Thai Air for elderly and disabled people.

[Surasak]

14 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

the decision would be a lot easier if we all knew our end date..

I for one, do not want to know that, but thanks anyway.

[Dario]

4 minutes ago, Deerculler said:

Thai Air are excellent for helping disabled people in wheelchairs. I have flown with them a few times now.

One of the times I boarded at Bangkok Thai Air used a lift to load 4 Of us in  wheelchairs into the aircraft.

I highly recommend Thai Air for elderly and disabled people.

Not only Thai Air. When I picked up my mother in Switzerland in 2008 to come and stay with us in Thailand - at that time 87 - Air Berlin with which we flew Zurich - Dusseldorf - BKK used a lift at every airport, very nice and easy service.

[Old Croc]

11 minutes ago, Deerculler said:

Thai Air are excellent for helping disabled people in wheelchairs. I have flown with them a few times now.

One of the times I boarded at Bangkok Thai Air used a lift to load 4 Of us in  wheelchairs into the aircraft.

I highly recommend Thai Air for elderly and disabled people.

I have a similar experience. Needing to transfer planes for the next leg, the airline couldn't find wheelchairs in the newly opened Swampy to move a couple of us some distance to another gate. 

They eventually used a scissor-lift truck to transport us out of the first plane and around the terminal on the tarmac to the waiting flight.

I still haven't been inside Swampy. 

[Letseng]

20 hours ago, dcnx said:

 

There are plenty of countries that welcome foreigners and give residency fairly easy without endless immigration nonsense.

Can you name these countries?

Would be interested to hear.

[Letseng]

19 minutes ago, Deerculler said:

Thai Air are excellent for helping disabled people in wheelchairs. I have flown with them a few times now.

One of the times I boarded at Bangkok Thai Air used a lift to load 4 Of us in  wheelchairs into the aircraft.

I highly recommend Thai Air for elderly and disabled people.

Not the airline provides the service but the airport.

[Dario]

8 minutes ago, Letseng said:

Not the airline provides the service but the airport.

But I think airports do this upon request and payment by the airline. Nothing is free in this world, definitely not at world airports.

Edited June 25, 2019 by Dario

[ICELANDMAN]

Easy replay, stop travel. You have two choice, last travel for your country origin or stay Thailand.

[murraynz]

1 hour ago, Farang99 said:

If you have been living in Thailand for the past 12 years you will not be entitled to free medical care on the NHS if you return to UK.

i think a similar situation happens in other countries, for those who have lived overseas many years.

healthcare in home country, needs to be seriously considered, before returning..

i think, in most situations, we would be far better in our home country, with family and better healthcare, once we start getting immobile or frail...

never never cut all your connections to home country...

start early in preparing for retirement and old age..

many expats come here with minimal funds--that is most unwise...

we have all had 40+yrs to prepare,save and make good investments for retirement..

no excuses....many blame marriage breakups for all their losses, yet they go and get married again and again.....how dumb is that......dont feel sorry for yourselves....

its easy to eat healthy foods in thailand ,still  much cheaper than home country..

the thai climate all helps ,for those of us who get athritis etc..

playing with young ladies is exciting,as long as things are kept under control---dont get married, dont drink too much, dont over spend...

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

I believe far too many retirees here are short sighted in failing to allow for the fact that age and infirmity catches up with us all.

Also, illness or accident could strike us down at any time and, in a country where government assistance is generally scarce for non-residents, health insurance or access to extra funding is essential.

In their planning, people putting down roots here should always be aware of the possibility of bad times, and the inevitable decline of old age. That plan should include whether you want to stay here to the end, or return to the succor of home country. 

If you don't have the family support, sufficient funding, or perhaps the desire, to go through to final expiration in Thailand, and will require repatriation, that should have always have been part of your planning. You should have an evacuation plan ready, and know when the right time to leave comes.

To blame your lack of finances on Thailand because they are tightening up on visa rules and insisting on more control of who lives in their country in this time of borderless criminals and other undesirables seeking a place to thrive, just illustrates a lack of planning or the fact that you should never have left the safety net of home.   

A safety net at home in Australia is a dubious proposition, when one reads about abuse of the elderly in various commercial operations. I understand there is a Royal Commission coming up.

One can hire a retired nurse here as a carer for 10,000 to 15,000 baht/month. There's a senior's  centre south of Chiang Mai which provides accommodation, meals and care for 45,000 baht/ month. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

[murraynz]

55 minutes ago, Baht Simpson said:

Not initially, but I believe that if after a period you can prove that you will be "habitually resident" and you are a British Citizen you can go back into the NHS system. 

i like your name.. hehe

[spornb]

1 hour ago, Farang99 said:

If you have been living in Thailand for the past 12 years you will not be entitled to free medical care on the NHS if you return to UK.

 

Misleading I believe, so long as you were fully paid up on NI contributions, and are returning permanently, and subject to the assets you still have they will do the rest

 

One hour before heathrow, throw a fit and insist on ambulance to meet you, and all will be taken care of

 

I generally refer to those 75 plus

[johnarth]

I often think of this and I think I am past flying out because of ear problem I can go up okay but going down is murder but I have just had two big tumors removed from my nose and the tender loving care I get from the doctors and nurses is out of this world no amount of money could pay for better and speaking of that I had to go to a private hospital and so happy to say the charges have dropped a lot since the gov said they checking up dam what was this subject about?

[Kurtf]

What the h___ difference does it make where you croak? Here or GB. In either case you are going to be dead. If you are too sick to travel, you probably aren't long for this world anyway.

[wgdanson]

15 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

the decision would be a lot easier if we all knew our end date..

You can arrange that yourself!

[Baht Simpson]

22 minutes ago, murraynz said:

i like your name.. hehe

Thank you. It was done on a whim some years ago. 

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, KittenKong said:

Agents in Pattaya seem to do all this, for a one-off fee. They mostly do the 90-day reporting for free afterwards.

As far as I know Thai Immigration are quite helpful when it comes to people who are too frail to travel to their offices, and they will allow friends and relatives to do it.

We all know about Colin, and he still has to go to Immigration every year, it is fine for friends or relations to do a ninety day report, but what about the yearly visit to immigration to renew the retirement extensions?

[wgdanson]

3 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

We all know about Colin, and he still has to go to Immigration every year, it is fine for friends or relations to do a ninety day report, but what about the yearly visit to immigration to renew the retirement extensions?

He gets his friends or relations to take him in a car, with his wheelchair in the boot to his local Immigration. Ask him!

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, KittenKong said:

Agents in Pattaya seem to do all this, for a one-off fee. They mostly do the 90-day reporting for free afterwards.

As far as I know Thai Immigration are quite helpful when it comes to people who are too frail to travel to their offices, and they will allow friends and relatives to do it.

Yes, agents in Pattaya are plentiful, but are there agents down south, up north, in Isaan, or Central Thailand? I am not saying there isn't, but I never hear or read about any agents except in Pattaya and Bangkok.

[Tomahawk21]

22 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

I have been thinking about going back to the UK for the past 12 years, still here. health is the main concern, can't afford insurance that would be good enough at my age.

where would you all stay if you went back ?

[jonesthepost]

2 hours ago, stephehr said:

Good idea better to die with your friends around you if you have any

Trouble is my friends here are passing on before me   

[jonesthepost]

34 minutes ago, spornb said:

 

Misleading I believe, so long as you were fully paid up on NI contributions, and are returning permanently, and subject to the assets you still have they will do the rest

 

One hour before heathrow, throw a fit and insist on ambulance to meet you, and all will be taken care of

 

I generally refer to those 75 plus

Correct you have to register with NHS. as soon as possible  

[Old Croc]

28 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

A safety net at home in Australia is a dubious proposition, when one reads about abuse of the elderly in various commercial operations. I understand there is a Royal Commission coming up.

One can hire a retired nurse here as a carer for 10,000 to 15,000 baht/month. There's a senior's  centre south of Chiang Mai which provides accommodation, meals and care for 45,000 baht/ month. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Yes, agree.

The safety net I described included family support as well as things such as carers allowances and other discounted services. After watching my mother die in a home in Australia, I wouldn't vaguely contemplate entering one myself.

 

I know of several old timers on Phuket who hire ladies to care for them and their household, no romantic attachments. They are well paid and  have the promise of inheriting more after the passing. I would do this if my GF pre-deceased me. No reason to return to the old country if you have sufficient funds here.

 

[jonesthepost]

7 minutes ago, Tomahawk21 said:

where would you all stay if you went back ?

One thing there are places to rent but finding one that will take older people not working are hard to find.  

[Chongalulu]

1 hour ago, Farang99 said:

If you have been living in Thailand for the past 12 years you will not be entitled to free medical care on the NHS if you return to UK.

You will after a period of 6 months back there. So if you anticipate ill health and at 80 even if fit you must expect some age related issues of which some might be quite sudden (stroke) you’d best be back in good time. You’d be immediately entitled to emergency treatment anyway and if you haven’t funds they really can’t get blood out of a stone anyway. If it happens in Thailand you’re really up sh1t creek.