USA to Thailand

[kouyteav]

Hi,

How would one begin process to retire in Thailand? Newly retired US citizen. I've been reading a lot here, but can't seem to find the best way to start. I'm living in Pacific northwest and wondering if some one who started from can tell a step by step how you did?

Thanks

[NCC1701A]

27 minutes ago, kouyteav said:

How would one begin process to retire in Thailand?

the best advice i can give you as an American is not to listen to the huge amount of negative information you will be bombarded with about retiring in Thailand on this forum. Tomorrow when I have more time I will give you a detailed list of what i did. 

 

I am very happy here and have very few problems.

Edited September 6, 2019 by NCC1701A

[kouyteav]

Thanks you so much. I can't wait to hear from you. I want to live in Chanthaburi.

[Jingthing]

There are different methods that make sense to different people. Hearing one story about how one guy did it might not be the best choice for you.

 

I suggest considering financial requirements first. 

 

Do you have INCOME of at least 65K baht per month?

 

If yes, as you're American you are at a disadvantage in long term retirement in Thailand because our embassy no longer issues the required income letters for immigration.

 

The alternative involves transferring the money into Thailand every month, always over 65K baht, and showing a foreign import transfer code.

 

If you don't have the income, do you have at least 800K baht that you can afford to tie up long term? If so you can use a bank method.

 

You can start with an O-A visa from the LA consulate and not have to worry about dealing with applications within Thailand for about two years. That is only one option to start though. 

 

Just an introduction. I want to emphasize again the advice should be tailored to your situation. One size does not fit all. 

[55Jay]

If you can maintain your property in WA, and still make a move to Thailand, do that. 

 

Don't sell up and sink all your eggs into 1 basket.  Unless you are totally sure about what you are doing, then go for it. 

 

Maintain and/or open bank accounts and secondary ones in advance of leaving.

[holy cow cm]

I would say listen to all of the people above. O or OA visa or tourist visa or something of a visa you can convert into a retirement afterwards. First as Jingthing said it takes money. Easiest way would be to have 800,000 baht ($26000 - $2700) in a Thai bank account which has to be here and then forget about it or using it after because the rule basically says you can't touch it. Them people above can explain that one. Other one is 65k + thb pension on time every month and this is proven via bank transfer records for the immigration officer.

You first better say your scenario if any then everyone can answer you the best way they can. Not hard just jumping hoops, and then after you will have loss of travel for freedom without checking in every time you left your home going to another province.

 

so, do you have some cash laying around? or pension of 65thb per month?

 

for your initial visa you will go to a Thai embassy or consulate in the USA to apply for your first step into getting a retirement visa..

 

Good luck. Wife is calling me to turn off the computer and sleep. 

 

 

 

 

[kouyteav]

Thanks we have Thai consulate about 200 miles away in Portland, OR. I'll give them a call about O-A visa. It's yes to the income.

[kouyteav]

3 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

I would say listen to all of the people above. O or OA visa or tourist visa or something of a visa you can convert into a retirement afterwards. First as Jingthing said it takes money. Easiest way would be to have 800,000 baht ($26000 - $2700) in a Thai bank account which has to be here and then forget about it or using it after because the rule basically says you can't touch it.

 

 

 

 

Do I have to make trip to open an account or I can open and deposit here in the state?

[Jingthing]

15 minutes ago, kouyteav said:

Thanks we have Thai consulate about 200 miles away in Portland, OR. I'll give them a call about O-A visa. It's yes to the income.

Portland won't issue O-A visas.

They used to issue 90 day single entry O visas for the purpose of "exploring retirement in Thailand" which would set you up to then apply for your first annual extension based on retirement in Thailand.

But I think they stopped doing that long ago, But you could check with them or someone here will know.

For an O-A visa you will need to mail your application to Los Angeles. 

Again, it is not required to start with an O-A visa. It's an option.

Like I said, multiple paths.

[holy cow cm]

11 minutes ago, kouyteav said:

Do I have to make trip to open an account or I can open and deposit here in the state?

Proof of funds from there in the USA with a medical check up, and not sure if you need a criminal background check as well. The rest comes later once here. For you now since you are up and awake in the US right now you can go into the Thai website for embassy and look up criteria for OA. That will give you all you need to know to get the ball rolling.

[Jingthing]

12 minutes ago, kouyteav said:

Do I have to make trip to open an account or I can open and deposit here in the state?

Good question. 

That is a big reason why you should strongly consider applying for an O-A visa in LA.

For that you show money (bank or income) in the USA. Played right you won't need to apply for your first extension in Thailand for two years.

If you don't start with an O-A, things get speeded up considerably as far as what you need to setup in Thailand.

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Proof of funds from there in the USA with a medical check up, and not sure if you need a criminal background check as well. The rest comes later once here. For you now since you are up and awake in the US right now you can go into the Thai website for embassy and look up criteria for OA. That will give you all you need to know to get the ball rolling.

Yes for the O-A you need the medical form and the criminal background check. Living on the west coast, don't check the D.C. embassy. Rather the consulate in Los Angeles is where he should apply assuming he wants to start with an O-A. 

 

BTW -- personally I did not start with an O-A but that was over a decade ago when it was easy to get 90 day O visas in the U.S. 

Edited September 6, 2019 by Jingthing

[holy cow cm]

Doing an application via post is not a big deal unless you want to go down to LA for a fun weekend or something. One of my first visas way over 25 years ago was via SF - LA mail in.

 

So just look at the website and see what you need and then go from there. There will also be this administrator named Ubonjoe here from Thai Visa who will probably reply you within a few hours here. He is the best source of what is going on. Like a buffalo guru almost.

[Jingthing]

Before you leave the USA, you may need to open new bank, brokerage, and IRA accounts. Many USA firms are extremely expat unfriendly and won't want your business if you tell them you're moving abroad and/or if they figure it out by your logins and activity which isn't hard to do.

 

If you have an IRA, Fidelity is particularly hostile.

 

There is a lot you can and should do BEFORE you move to make your future expat life easier. 

 

Once you leave the US there are very few U.S. accounts that you will be able to open. 

[holy cow cm]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes for the O-A you need the medical form and the criminal background check. Living on the west coast, don't check the D.C. embassy. Rather the consulate in Los Angeles is where he should apply assuming he wants to start with an O-A. 

 

BTW -- personally I did not start with an O-A but that was over a decade ago when it was easy to get 90 day O visas in the U.S. 

Yeah, it always changes. I originally did a tourist visa from LA way over 25 or 26 yrs ago. But was still hard as I remember they called me asking why. Still got it though and from there the story goes on as that was staying here on after solid.

[cmarshall]

Steps:

 

1.  Make sure you have multiple bank and brokerage accounts as well as credit cards which do not charge a foreign transaction fee.  Recommend Pentagon Federal and Capital One CC.  Recommend State Department Federal Credit Union, which is expat-friendly.   Under no circumstances should you inform any such institution of your relocation.  Plan to make at least one charge on each CC per month so that you don't get cancelled for inactivity.

 

2.  Get an account at a mail forwarding service in a state with no income tax.  Change the address of record for all of the above accounts to your mail forwarding address.  Do this well before you leave so that you can resolve any questions that arise easily.  Rcommend sbimailservice.com in FL.

 

3.  Get a VOIP service and port your existing landline number to it.  Google Voice works well, provides SMS service, and is free.

 

4.  Get bids from local shippers to ship your household belongings.  You won't have an address to ship to in Thailand yet, but you can update them before the shipment arrives.

 

5.  If you don't already have a US passport card, get one from the State Dept.  Comes in handy in Thailand.

 

6.  Getting the Hepatitis A series of shots is a good idea.  Throw in the shingles vaccine while you're at it.

 

7.  Start to learn the Thai language if you have access to a course somewhere.

 

Important to do all of this before you leave since some of it will turn out to be impossible once you are in Thailand.

 

 

[Jingthing]

7 hours ago, cmarshall said:

Steps:

 

1.  Make sure you have multiple bank and brokerage accounts as well as credit cards which do not charge a foreign transaction fee.  Recommend Pentagon Federal and Capital One CC.  Recommend State Department Federal Credit Union, which is expat-friendly.   Under no circumstances should you inform any such institution of your relocation.  Plan to make at least one charge on each CC per month so that you don't get cancelled for inactivity.

 

2.  Get an account at a mail forwarding service in a state with no income tax.  Change the address of record for all of the above accounts to your mail forwarding address.  Do this well before you leave so that you can resolve any questions that arise easily.  Rcommend sbimailservice.com in FL.

 

3.  Get a VOIP service and port your existing landline number to it.  Google Voice works well, provides SMS service, and is free.

 

4.  Get bids from local shippers to ship your household belongings.  You won't have an address to ship to in Thailand yet, but you can update them before the shipment arrives.

 

5.  If you don't already have a US passport card, get one from the State Dept.  Comes in handy in Thailand.

 

6.  Getting the Hepatitis A series of shots is a good idea.  Throw in the shingles vaccine while you're at it.

 

7.  Start to learn the Thai language if you have access to a course somewhere.

 

Important to do all of this before you leave since some of it will turn out to be impossible once you are in Thailand.

 

 

Mostly agree with that.

On google voice, for two factor authentication that is more commonly required for logins, some firms reject that.

But you really should have a U.S. phone number that can be used in Thailand. Other options are Magic Jack and Vonage.

Why? Activating bank cards. Getting two factor codes. Cheaper calls within the U.S. Calling customer service and faking being in the U.S. 

Some financial firms will figure out if you're using a mailing service and could cancel.

That's why I advise opening many more accounts than you really need. Then when you lose some (yes I said when not if) you have backups.

Optimally, you might want a friend or relative to be your fake U.S.  address unless you want to go full on expat and stick to firms that will allow that --

SDFCU which will open with a foreign address but a person can open before with a US address and switch later (but has a one percent debit card foreign transaction fee)

and

interactive brokers (for brokerage AND IRAs) they will even open with a foreign address

 

Credit cards are harder with a foreign address. Some existing accounts might accept it. Others will drop you. If you don't keep a U.S. credit card you'll fall out of the credit rating system so if you ever move back to the U.S. you might be seen as a non-person arriving from Mars. Difficult to rent apartments without a credit rating and so many other things as well. A high percentage of people that retire abroad eventually move back to their home country. Never assume that can't be you too. 

 

There is no fool proof method that will always work for all people. Very high wealth people can buy themselves into friendlier treatment with private bankers, more lax policies, etc. Being a long term expat is not considered at all normal in American culture. You're going to have to adjust to that. Policies in the U.S. never will. 

 

BTW, if all of this seems like a lot of work and a lot of long term uncertainty, that would be correct. Moving abroad long term from the U.S. is not a trivial thing to do. Will all the hassle be worth it for you? Impossible to predict.

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by Jingthing

[statman78]

Last year I entered using a tourist visa.  A lot less paperwork than getting the O-A visa in the US.  After I arrived in Thailand I went to the immigration office and applied for the O visa which is good for 90 days.  During the last 30 days of validity I applied for the 1 year extension based on retirement.  Since I worked in Thailand in the past I already had a bank account here and I made sure I had the required 800,000 baht.

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, statman78 said:

Last year I entered using a tourist visa.  A lot less paperwork than getting the O-A visa in the US.  After I arrived in Thailand I went to the immigration office and applied for the O visa which is good for 90 days.  During the last 30 days of validity I applied for the 1 year extension based on retirement.  Since I worked in Thailand in the past I already had a bank account here and I made sure I had the required 800,000 baht.

Yes many people do that. The first step is called a CONVERSION to a 90 day O visa. Then the annual extension. HOWEVER, I'm pretty sure not all offices provide that service so he needs to find out about the local immigration office he would be using. If not offered, then the only options are getting an O-A in the U.S. or a 90 day O visa probably in a neighboring country to Thailand. As far as I know you can't get single entry O visas in the U.S. anymore for the purpose of later extending, but if I'm wrong about that, please correct me. 

[WalkingOrders]

I would be more then happy to share what my thoughts are on this, or answer questions in private msg. I live in Bangkok over 3 years. American married to Thai woman and happy.

[1FinickyOne]

Have you been here before? 

 

Why Chantanaburi? 

 

Really, if you qualify financially, the process is quite easy and I have always found Imm Officers to be very helpful... 

[kouyteav]

15 hours ago, kenk24 said:

Have you been here before? 

 

Why Chantanaburi? 

 

Really, if you qualify financially, the process is quite easy and I have always found Imm Officers to be very helpful... 

Thanks to everybody for all these answers. I wrote all down to all the keywords. The reason I pick Chanthaburi because it's closer to Cambodia. I have a brother is living just right by Thai border, but Thailand is more suitable for me because of modernize of country as of the west. Almost 70 ago I was born there. Let say I'm not worry about money at all. Thanks you all so much, I'll follow to all suggestions about banks and others.

[cmarshall]

12 hours ago, kouyteav said:

Thanks to everybody for all these answers. I wrote all down to all the keywords. The reason I pick Chanthaburi because it's closer to Cambodia. I have a brother is living just right by Thai border, but Thailand is more suitable for me because of modernize of country as of the west. Almost 70 ago I was born there. Let say I'm not worry about money at all. Thanks you all so much, I'll follow to all suggestions about banks and others.

I neglected an important point.  If you live in a state with an income tax, you should research the tax domicile regulations and take every step to avoid a continuing liability for state income tax after you leave.  This probably includes disposing of any property in the state, surrendering your driver's license, not voting, and other measures depending on the state.

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, cmarshall said:

I neglected an important point.  If you live in a state with an income tax, you should research the tax domicile regulations and take every step to avoid a continuing liability for state income tax after you leave.  This probably includes disposing of any property in the state, surrendering your driver's license, not voting, and other measures depending on the state.

Yes, that gets complicated for sure.

One thing people can do is file a partial state tax return for the year they left, and start to file to IRS with the foreign address.

But all this stuff is related and it can and often does get messy. Particularly if you return to your old state.

[retiredusn]

The wife and I went for the OA from TX. and were very happy as it does give you approx. 2years before a required visa also police checks are very easy just have the State Police do a want or warrant search and for the medical you can get the letter from the local vet hosp/clin. for free. Look into Majic Jack for your phone needs as this will give you a local area code for banking ect. Have at least two credit cards for local withdrawal of funds.

[cmarshall]

17 hours ago, FredGallaher said:

Get your finances nailed down before you come. It will be much easier.

I have an IRA and 401K accounts that I need to draw down. I tried to set up a monthly transfer (at a good transfer rate) to my Thai bank. Everything looked good until they wanted a "Medallion Signature Guarantee" that is only available in US. If you have retirement accounts you should look at monthly payouts as a means to satisfy immigration. You can always transfer more when you need it. It would have been  good plan if I had done it when in the US.

Why bother with all that?  Even if you get it accomplished what happens when you want to change your Thai bank someday?   My SS deposit goes into my account at State Department Federal Credit Union.  I then send an email telling the SDFCU wires department to send a specified amount to my Bangkok Bank account using a pre-established template.  Arrives the next morning because of of the time difference.  All for the domestic wire fee of $6.  If my US bank preference changes I can just ring up Manila (repeatedly) and ask them to switch it.

 

The SDFCU wire transfers cannot be fully automated, but kicking it off each month by email is not too onerous, and at least I don't have to re-enter the account data, just the amount.

[cmarshall]

1 minute ago, FredGallaher said:

Good. I just wanted you to be aware investment account issues. There have been changes in how BB transfers funds that should be checked out. 

I described a domestic wire transfer, not ACH.  The changes at Bangkok Bank were only about ACH, not wire transfers.  The transfers are reported on my BKK transactions as foreign transfers and so should satisfy TM.

[moontang]

Best bet would be O-A, that way you could likely ease the pain if a poor exchange rate, and if it doesn't ease, then enjoy your two years and move on.  LA might be the best to deal with in the US..but all it takes is a change of one or two people and all bets are off..

[kouyteav]

On 9/9/2019 at 8:36 PM, FredGallaher said:

Sorry, I thought you were the original poster. Who was asking for advice.

Sorry I was the one. I went RV camping for a few days. I'm going to start per all advises. First with OA Visa in LA and Bank account. Let get these two going.

Thanks

[OneMoreFarang]

On 9/7/2019 at 1:24 AM, kouyteav said:

Hi,

How would one begin process to retire in Thailand? Newly retired US citizen. I've been reading a lot here, but can't seem to find the best way to start. I'm living in Pacific northwest and wondering if some one who started from can tell a step by step how you did?

Thanks

Did you ever visit Thailand? How often?

I suggest you should visit a couple of times, at different times of the year and also different locations in Thailand.

And then try not to be the tourist. Spend the money which you could spend if you retire here.

I think this real life experience can't be replaced by anything else.

 

P.S.: And be prepared for all those girls who call you hansom man. Don't spend all your money on the first one - and also not on the second. Take it easy, get used to them and learn their behavior. In a year there will be still more than enough of them for you.