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I am Done With Thai Retirement Extensions - Relocating to Ecuador or Mexico on Permanent Residency


sam6345

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57 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You're not wrong. There are downsides to ALL visa programs. But some are better than others. A good program for one person may be problematic for others. That said, Thailand's lack of any path towards residency security for retired expats has become a potentially fatal downside for many aging expats here. So people considering moving from Thailand should logically only consider nations that actually have residency security paths. To quote the Nomad Capitalist, go where you're treated best (or at the very least not as disposable caca when your visa qualifying account goes one baht under for one day over the entire year). Yes, home countries don't have visa issues, but keeping it real, the majority of retired expats in Thailand are economic refugees and can't expect a dignified life back home if they return. My personal opinion is that Thailand is INTENTIONALLY creating hoops to slowly but surely (and sometimes not so slowly) BOOT OUT significant numbers of retired expats. Those that can navigate those hoops so far -- do not be so freakin' SMUG. You could be next.

Honestly, I couldn't have said it better. My sentiments exactly.

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1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

You're not wrong. There are downsides to ALL visa programs. But some are better than others. A good program for one person may be problematic for others. That said, Thailand's lack of any path towards residency security for retired expats has become a potentially fatal downside for many aging expats here. So people considering moving from Thailand should logically only consider nations that actually have residency security paths. To quote the Nomad Capitalist, go where you're treated best (or at the very least not as disposable caca when your visa qualifying account goes one baht under for one day over the entire year). Yes, home countries don't have visa issues, but keeping it real, the majority of retired expats in Thailand are economic refugees and can't expect a dignified life back home if they return. My personal opinion is that Thailand is INTENTIONALLY creating hoops to slowly but surely (and sometimes not so slowly) BOOT OUT significant numbers of retired expats. Those that can navigate those hoops so far -- do not be so freakin' SMUG. You could be next.

Ever heard of Hanlon's Razor?

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13 hours ago, CHEYENNE5668 said:

I've heard good things about Panama's expat friendly Pensionado visa. A friend recently relocated there. I'll let him be my canary in the coal mine so to speak before I make any rash decisions. Good luck to you... 

 

Saw a recent documentary about Panama and the incessant blaring of car horns would put me off living in the place. I thought the same when I visited Greece. I'm not sure where I'd move to if they brought in compulsory medical insurance for O visa people, certainly not back to UK, but I'd be forced to move elsewhere. If it wasn't for my missus and stepdaughter I'd do like the OP is doing and make a move now.

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13 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

List the changes.

Skip the change to money in bank requirement. Not huge hurdle.

And the others are? 

I did annual extension this week.

Keep 800k in Thai bank all year.

Bank letter. 

Few photocopies of passport pages.

Pretty much all I needed to provide. Walk in the park.

You're a good little boy scout. A lot depends on how much money you have in the bank, I get the feeling you're rolling in it.

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9 minutes ago, dannyol said:

For me it's not the extensions of stay that get to me.  It's the government changing the goal posts on a whim.  I had to sign up for no less than four vaccine exchanges because they progressively trashed them for a new one.  I can see that health insurance will become a requirement for all retires pretty soon and at 70, I think it will be rather expensive.  Yes, having 800K sitting idle is not ideal.

 

I've chosen Portugal where income tax will be 10%, but healthcare will be free.  No immigration hoops to jump through after granting of initial residency card is issued in just a couple months.  Full citizenship is available after 5 years.  And the best this is that wine is almost free!

Welcome to Portugal!

 

By the way the residency card is issued after 3 months and the full citizenship can be gotten with little as 2 years. Do your own research.

 

Also once you get your Portuguese citizenship, stay 1 year in Brazil and... look at my post in this thread at the top of page 4. You'll understand, it's all explained.

Edited by NanaSomchai
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being skinned alive and hung from an underpass or having your tongue pulled through your cut throat or having your family butchered in front of you ….you have done nothing, example needs to be made and you’re nearby the real escaped culprit…. too bad …wonderful culture…

 

versus using an agent to bypass the often admitted immi. <deleted>show here.

yeah I can really see why someone would choose the former option……

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14 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

I take it this was a typo & you meant annual extensions... 

 

I'm only in my 3rd year of doing extensions but I don't find them (or TM30/90 day reports) onerous as I just pay an agent to do it for me:-

  • Annual Extension - 7,000 (Bangkok) - 8,000 (Pattaya) - NB If you don't meet the financial requirements it's 12,500 + an extra 2,500 if you're on a Non-Imm OA & don't meet the health insurance requirements either
  • TM30 - Free, my Estate Agent did it for me
  • 90 Day Report - Normally free (online) but have problems this year so 200 THB with an agent. 

I get that these requirements may change but in the past decade+ since I've been planning my retirement in Thailand, the only examples I can think of are the tightening up around the financial requirements (limits stayed the same) & the addition of Health Insurance for Non-Imm OA - (Which I acknowledge is a huge deal for some guys)

 

 

 

TBH If I was 65 & sick of dealing with annual extensions, I would get the 20 year Thai Elite Visa (1 Million)  before I would up-sticks & move 1/2 way across the world (though I get that it's a lot closer to the US for you). 

 

“NB”…does that mean Note Bene?    “TBH”…… does that mean To be honest? 
 Acronyms …………

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1 hour ago, Pedrogaz said:

We seem to have a government that wishes to blame foreigners for all that is ill with Thailand. Frankly, it smacks of racism.....not in a full frontal assault Western racist way, but in a "Japanese racist" way, where when you are sat alone between two empty seats on a crowded bus or subway carriage. They don't want to sit next to you because they think you smell bad, but they are rarely rude to your face. 

No doubt things are getting harsher.....take the insurance scheme for O-A holders. At the time the claim was made that 500 million baht was left unpaid by foreigners.....well 500 million baht is only about 15 million dollars or about 30 cents per visitor. Making the O-As  fork out 40000 baht a month for crappy insurance is just pandering to the insurance lobby and using hatred of foreigners as a flimsy excuse. Make no mistake the insurance rules will be extended to O visas with time....and for the over 70s this will be a disaster with exclusion of current or prior illness. If you are advertising retirement visas they should be for life and you should be able to pay into the Thai medical scheme.

I am in a fix here. I'm 67 and will soon be uninsurable. I do have enough to lock up 3 million baht in a frozen account for medical expenses, but for obvious reasons don't wish to do this as I would expect hospital bills would rise to exactly 3 million for an ingrown toenail as soon as hospital doctors know that you self insure. 

 

40,000 Bhante per month for insurance for O-A folks?  Seriously?   That will be the end of living in Thailand for a lot of people. Only the independently wealthy rolling in money will be left. 
In my home country of Canada, 40,000 Baht is about $1,500.00   
Can you please double check?  Are you sure O-A visa holders have to pay 40,000 Baht per month for Thai insurance? 
Thank you .  

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14 hours ago, Zikomat said:

You will come back, sooner or later. There is no other place on Earth like this. Learn to accept its negatives as a part of its uniqueness. Other places may be 100 times better on the paper, but in reality…. there is no other place like this one. Magic in the air.

 

 

each their own...but i like the Chaos and the way Thais handle it..l.essons to be learnt i patience and humility, for me at least.

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