SURVEY: Will Thailand continue to be a favorable destination for retirees?

[Mr Meeseeks]

19 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

A simple one would be if you've been married to a Thai for 5 years you can have permanent residence ! 

Wouldn't work here because of the all pervasive sex-industry and the fact so many foreign men could then marry poor and desperate Thai women for money just to stay permanently.

 

Hence the rules are a bit different for women marrying Thai men. 

 

As such the rules are fine the way they are imo.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, Blumpie said:

I want to live in a place where I don't have to do this nonsense.  I am not a criminal.  

Maybe needed to protect us, and Thailand, from those that are. The world is not an open place without borders. I just think requirements here aren't so bad... I prefer they don't make them any stricter of course. 

[NoshowJones]

43 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

Because this is Thailand and not Malaysia and they don't have to base the rules around what another country does.   A retiree visa is just a tourist visa in disguise, you are a non-resident temporary visa holder that has to get a new visa every year.   i.e. you are not a [permanent] resident or a citizen.

 

There are good reasons not to allow non-residents to buy land as the market and affordability of land in Thailand could be affected greatly by allowing unrestricted foreign ownership, pricing out even more locals out of the market.   They could of course accomplish the same thing by restricting land ownership to a maximum size (something for one house - no investment properties) and apply a very high capital gains tax on the sale of the property (unless the proceeds are transferred to another parcel or land or resident/citizen offspring). 

I do agree that Thailand is right not to allow foreigners to buy up land and properties, but just to buy one family house and the little land attached should be allowed, and not even allowing that is racist and wrong.

There are many foreigners here who have taken Thai families out of poverty, and the Thai governments both democratively elected and military coups should understand that.

[473geo]

3 minutes ago, GStewart70 said:

I've meet a few guy's like you in Thailand.

Your telling the first part of the story.

The second part is where they lose the house, car and motorbike etc.

That won't happen to yo, so you'll be ok. Don't worry, yours is different.

Makes me smile.

Have a nice day.

I own nothing in Thailand, nothing to lose except perhaps the love of a good woman 

 

Poor quality cliche ridden troll, must try harder ????

[Joe Mama]

With all the crazy entrance requirements...Thailand can't even attract tourists right now!  They'll never attract retirees until they get rid of the ridiculous, burdensome COE process, the requirement for $100K of Covid Insurance, plus $100 of additional medical insurance if you are retired, & failure to  recognize foreign medical insurance policies that cover retirees while in Thailand such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield!  Plus most Thai insurance companies won't even insure retirees after age 75!  Also the ridiculous requirements for fully vaccinated visitors to get 4 expensive Covid tests before they are allowed to roam freely about the country, plus having to spend 14 days quarantined in Phuket or Koh Samui!   Good Luck attracting anybody with the current draconian entry process!!!

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 minute ago, possum1931 said:

I do agree that Thailand is right not to allow foreigners to buy up land and properties, but just to buy one family house and the little land attached should be allowed, and not even allowing that is racist and wrong.

There are many foreigners here who have taken Thai families out of poverty, and the Thai governments both democratively elected and military coups should understand that.

Reciprocal laws are very much needed.

 

British citizens cannot own land in Thailand? Thais cannot own land in UK.

 

Watch how quick the laws would be amended here. 

[GStewart70]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I do agree that Thailand is right not to allow foreigners to buy up land and properties, but just to buy one family house and the little land attached should be allowed, and not even allowing that is racist and wrong.

There are many foreigners here who have taken Thai families out of poverty, and the Thai governments both democratively elected and military coups should understand that.

.....and many Thai's that have taken foreigners into poverty.

[GStewart70]

1 minute ago, 473geo said:

I own nothing in Thailand, nothing to lose except perhaps the love of a good woman 

 

Poor quality cliche ridden troll, must try harder ????

Sorry i upset you  by replying to your comment.

It's called a discussion.

No need to be defensive and offensive.

Get back to cleaning out the buffalo shed.

 

 

[Old Croc]

2 minutes ago, GStewart70 said:

Sorry i upset you  by replying to your comment.

It's called a discussion.

No need to be defensive and offensive.

Get back to cleaning out the buffalo shed.

 

 

Oh, the irony!

[Fat is a type of crazy]

I don't think long term in many aspects of life and retirement is the same. I think I'll just rent somewhere in Thailand, keep the home in Australia, enjoy the lifestyle, if it gets too hot or tiresome go back home. Covid hasn't changed a thing. 

[mikebell]

1 hour ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

Because this is Thailand and not Malaysia and they don't have to base the rules around what another country does.   A retiree visa is just a tourist visa in disguise, you are a non-resident temporary visa holder that has to get a new visa every year.   i.e. you are not a [permanent] resident or a citizen.

 

There are good reasons not to allow non-residents to buy land as the market and affordability of land in Thailand could be affected greatly by allowing unrestricted foreign ownership, pricing out even more locals out of the market.   They could of course accomplish the same thing by restricting land ownership to a maximum size (something for one house - no investment properties) and apply a very high capital gains tax on the sale of the property (unless the proceeds are transferred to another parcel or land or resident/citizen offspring). 

It is possible to observe good practice in other countries and use it here; eg there are no end of Thai Committees earnestly discussing the safety of one vaccine over another; it would be a simple matter to accept the findings of better educated people in civilised countries.

 

'you are not a [permanent] resident or a citizen.'  Would be-retirees would like to be considered as such.

 

'pricing out even more locals out of the market.' The people doing this are rich Thais/policemen.  A 400 square metre plot would satisfy most incoming foreigners.

[GStewart70]

4 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Oh, the irony!

Why, do you have to clean out buffalo <deleted> everyday too?

[Whale]

I did retire here after working here for decades. Would I retire here again at my age. No way. It has lost its uniqueness, its "Thainess" has disappeared . It is just an ugly internationalised row of McDonalds, car dealerships, 7/11s and supermarkets now.

 

I enjoyed being a foreigner. here once now there are foreigners everywhere, every village, every building, every corner, we are ubiquitous. The Thais don't particularly like us anymore as well. 

 

I do admit I have become jaded, probably been here too long. Time to move on.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Whale

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, GStewart70 said:

.....and many Thai's that have taken foreigners into poverty.

That's the foreigners own fault for being so stupid. You get unattractive overweight foreigners who cannot score in their own countries who are financially well off, come to Thailand, and then get the first attractive young mother they meet, most likely in a bar, and then buy them a house, car etc. Is it any wonder that some foreigners get taken advantage of?

[GStewart70]

5 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

I don't think long term in many aspects of life and retirement is the same. I think I'll just rent somewhere in Thailand, keep the home in Australia, enjoy the lifestyle, if it gets too hot or tiresome go back home. Covid hasn't changed a thing. 

Makes perfect sense.

Many cannot afford to do this unfortunately.

Hence we're on our fourth page of discussions and the usual 'love of a good woman' posts have appeared.

 

[mokwit]

6 hours ago, garyk said:

I agree, but Thailands retirement rules have been sketchy at best. One year extensions, no land ownership what so ever. I mean it was set up as a con game from the beginning.

Yes. Everything is set up so that they can pull the rug from under you if they want.

[Whale]

29 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Wouldn't work here because of the all pervasive sex-industry and the fact so many foreign men could then marry poor and desperate Thai women for money just to stay permanently.

 

Hence the rules are a bit different for women marrying Thai men. 

 

As such the rules are fine the way they are imo.

I agree, it would become a business like visa agents. It would be especially exploited by those who already cause problems to the country such as the criminal gangs, the online exploiters, et al. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 minute ago, Whale said:

I agree, it would become a business like visa agents. It would be especially exploited by those who already cause problems to the country such as the criminal gangs, the online exploiters, et al. 

Indeed. Thais know this all too well.

 

They also know what is best for their own country. 

 

Thais must look at the disaster zones Western countries have become due to mass immigration and it probably hardens their resolve even more not to allow anything similar to happen here. 

[worgeordie]

8 hours ago, Albert Zweistein said:

Give you time to fix the houses properly.

Sometimes you have to wait for things to break , before you

have to fix them  ....????  

regards worgeordie

[Sticky Rice Balls]

19 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Tell them to come quickly, I have 2 empty houses

Said the mamasan to her diligent "fishbowl" girls on a saturday afternoon...  ????

[Sticky Rice Balls]

8 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Sometimes you have to wait for things to break , before you

have to fix them  ....????  

regards worgeordie

good advice---(opens thai friendly app) ????

[Sticky Rice Balls]

19 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Yes. Everything is set up so that they can pull the rug from under you if they want.

tread lightly and watch your step when in LOS...one night in BKK can make a hard man humble...

 

maybe the barefoot monks are onto something! ????

 

[Neeranam]

Yes, it will continue to be a favourite place for retirees. It is so easy to get a long-term visa here compared to other countries - $60 a year. 

[mokwit]

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

Yes, it will continue to be a favourite place for retirees. It is so easy to get a long-term visa here compared to other countries - $60 a year. 

Any other requirements?

[vandeventer]

20 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

With about 3% of retirees dying off each year, the longer covid goes on the amount of retirees is going to drop if they do not open the country. If they do not open next year, then likelihood is that 10% near will have died off during the pandemic ! Certainly it will take time to replace them. These people not being around with no replacements will effect the local economy and businesses.

 

If I was thailand, I would start making Thailand easier to retire in and easier visas demands. A simple one would be if you've been married to a Thai for 5 years you can have permanent residence ! 

 

 

I have been here for over 20 years and I think it is a great place to retire. But like anywhere somethings you wish were better. It's not perfect here but where is? I think one of the best things Thailand has to offer is it's people. friendly, honest and most wish they could speak English or us speaking Thai. Maybe if we all made more Thai friends we would all be happier.

[Neeranam]

3 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Any other requirements?

Not really, just show you have enough money in the bank to live, or pension which works out around $2k a month. If I as a Thai want to retire to the US, I need to actually invest 16 million baht!! 

[Neeranam]

6 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

I have been here for over 20 years and I think it is a great place to retire. But like anywhere somethings you wish were better. It's not perfect here but where is? I think one of the best things Thailand has to offer is it's people. friendly, honest and most wish they could speak English or us speaking Thai. Maybe if we all made more Thai friends we would all be happier.

Most can peak the Thai language pretty fluently in 1 year if they make an effort. 

[mokwit]

Just now, Neeranam said:

Not really, just show you have enough money in the bank to live, or pension which works out around $2k a month. If I as a Thai want to retire to the US, I need to actually invest 16 million baht!! 

At one level that is fair comment - for the last several years all I have had to do is show that money and the issuing of the extension is a formality. However, I had no problem keeping the money 800k->Min 400k in the bank all year 'round.

[madisongy]

21 hours ago, kokesaat said:

My wife and I moved here when we were 46, now we're 71.  Thailand's always been a good place to retire.....if you're financially secure, and better yet, if you have some sort of medical coverage (like Tricare). 

Hey, this is an excellent point, and I'm sure it's been discussed here but having difficulty to find anything.  (sorry for the slight divergence from topic)  I'm American, about to go on Medicare, and I don't have Tricare.   I'm guessing if I want to stay in my Bkk condo for any length of time, I need to do some sort of Medicare supplement policy.   Anyone know what Medicare supplement plans cover Thailand retirement?    (I'm going to be selecting a plan through my previous employer's administrator Mercer)   And would that supplemental plan meet the Thai requirement for health insurance?

Edited September 6, 2021 by madisongy
addition

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, madisongy said:

Hey, this is an excellent point, and I'm sure it's been discussed here but having difficulty to find anything.  (sorry for the slight divergence from topic)  I'm American, about to go on Medicare, and I don't have Tricare.   I'm guessing if I want to stay in my Bkk condo for any length of time, I need to do some sort of Medicare supplement policy.   Anyone know what Medicare supplement plans cover Thailand retirement?    (I'm going to be selecting a plan through my previous employer's administrator Mercer)

Medicare offers no coverage to Americans living abroad. A reason to pay extra for Part B is to avoid harsh penalties if you repatriate.