Advertorial Things to consider before deciding to retire in Thailand

[sawadee1947]

33 minutes ago, SW Happy said:

Of course you can't bite the dogs if the owners are around. ????

Actually I have a place in Spain but currently staying here in LOS,  still deciding where to stay for good.

Where in Spain you thinking.

At present I am in the near of Cadiz. Beautiful beaches, very CLEAN, a lot of Storchs and parrots. Amazing. And temperatures are between 10 (at night,) and 20 Centigrades.

[clivebaxter]

1 hour ago, PeachCH said:

Well, one of my friends is living in Pattaya. 

Alone in his condo 15 people are using the service of an agent and many of them since years. 

Its more or less common in Pattaya. An easy way to stay for people over 50 years old, who don't can afford the financial requirements or don't want their money blocked in a bank account. 

Do they actually get the extensions issued in Pattaya? probably by the sound of this thread. Often they have to go upcountry to find somebody willing to do it

[EVENKEEL]

Which window are you referring to. The rules may change but the agents will thrive forever. In my opinion one of the reasons IO's are dicks is to make using agents more desirable. 

[Whale]

Too frigin hot here 10 months of the year, can't even go for a walk without needing a complete change of clothes, shower and a big stick for the dogs.

[Jen65]

3 hours ago, Guderian said:

This article only discusses the requirements for an OA visa, whereas most retirees use extensions based on a Non-Imm O Visa. General medical insurance with a specific level of coverage is a requirement for those people with an OA visa, but not for those using a Non-Imm O, unless things have changed since I last looked. Basically, the article is a red herring as it discusses what's needed to follow the route used by a minority of expats here.

only a matter of time before those insurance coverage levels are equalized for both O-A and Non Imm O . 

[Jingthing]

Just now, Jen65 said:

only a matter of time before those insurance coverage levels are equalized for both O-A and Non Imm O . 

100 years is time.

[Whale]

Isn't O-A insurance going up to 3 million baht?

[473geo]

Well that health insurance promotion certainly found a miserable lot 

If you plan to retire in Thailand take guidance from those that continue to enjoy it would be my advice ????

 

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by 473geo

[Hummin]

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

Which window are you referring to. The rules may change but the agents will thrive forever. In my opinion one of the reasons IO's are dicks is to make using agents more desirable. 

Time will show. 

[sirineou]

On 1/10/2022 at 3:08 PM, ASEAN NOW Sales said:

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, long-term health insurance in Thailand is now a requirement for all retirees.

And that's where the whole retirement in Thailand falls apart. Not only will there be so many exclusions that the insurance would be useless, but after a certain age it will be too expensive and impossible to get. So it is conceivable  that you could leave your retirement home for a vacation trip abroad, and not be able to get back because you cant buy insurance.

Thailand is nice, but I am not putting my eggs in that basket. We will spend winters here, but for long term I am looking for greener pastures, 

[Pravda]

1 hour ago, Whale said:

Too frigin hot here 10 months of the year, can't even go for a walk without needing a complete change of clothes, shower and a big stick for the dogs.

 

Whale

[smudger1951]

10 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Forgot to mention currency fluctuations.  In a small economy with high foreign currency reserves, anything can happen. Baht usually inches down—then breaks your heart by vaulting upwards. This can make financial planning a challenge—especially if you’re on a fixed retirement income.

In the case of UK retirees thats really is a fixed income statevpension. It will not go up when they know you live in Thailand.

[The Hammer2021]

On 1/11/2022 at 12:29 PM, tonray said:

Should i apply for the cartel kidnap visa or just enter as a tourist? 

Europe has self catering holidays but Mexico  has self  kidnapping holidays.

[The Hammer2021]

26 minutes ago, smudger1951 said:

In the case of UK retirees thats really is a fixed income statevpension. It will not go up when they know you live in Thailand.

A UK state pension is insufficient  to meet the Thai government financial requirements anyway. We combine our state pension with our private pension and other investments including property  rentals.

[Tropposurfer]

I know there's so much wisdom and experience in AseanNow about this subject. As someone who made the transition to retirement and migration to LOS only a few years back I'd like to weigh in on this with a few comments, within my limited experience as a resident of LOS.

1. Don't come here at all if you think it will be just like, or SHOULD, MUST be like where you came from. 
2. Don't come here if doing so strands you here - always have a 'get-out clause'.
3. If you buy a home don't invest here if the possibility of loosing it all at some future stage would break you.
4. If you're single and open to dating take it easy - mai pen rai. Enjoy the ride's (plz excuse the eroto-pun) don't marry the first large brown or grey almond shape eyed woman you see!
5. Consider the weather;
   1. Its hot all the time here and humid so if you have health issues this might impact upon and exacerbate what were slight nuisances health-wise in your home country. I'm fit as a fiddle and even I had issues with the humidity and my skin for a short while as I acclimatised. 
   2. You must have good respected underwriter health insurance. Don't listen to anyone who tells you different. If you get a policy don't skimp on the level of insurance by getting a next to useless policy which covers little, because if and when you get sick you'll need to be able to know with confidence that any and everything is covered by your underwriters and their policy. Remember as we age we naturally get things going wrong and without insurance or tonnes of cash, you have zero safety net here, zero!
   3. As others have commented ... I'd also strongly suggest a longer-stay-visit first before committing to a retirement visa.
      1. Visiting here, and leaving your home country to live here is a very, very different thing.
      2. I came on a 1 year ED visa which gave me more access to the Thai people and life. Despite visiting many times (primarily health-tourism) and even working here some years back I had a different experience on the ED as I was conscious of me actually being on a recon mission for retirement.
      3. I then returned home to Oz and weighed up these experiences before decided to apply for my retirement visa.
   4. Motorbikes are fun but I'd suggest a car is a better long term option, they're reasonably cheap for a 4 cylinderJapanese or Korean car, and with some simple paperwork easy to buy. Biking (and driving at all actually) here is very dangerous and odds are you'll have an accident, almost certainly on a bike at some stage.
   5. Travel about a bit and sample different locale's to find the area that suits you. I sat and talked to others both here (and researched and contacted AseanNow long-term expats) and others in Oz about what I wanted and would need as I got older and infirm, and what I could afford (no partner at that early stage so I had to factor in being alone and funding all my support and care.
   6. I did the old 'write a list' thing which was very helpful to see outside of me what this was all about.
   7. I would suggest coming here and thinking you can live on less that $2500 US would see a very restricted life. Sure you can live on $1500 or even less but it won't give you much/any freeboard as we sailors say.
   8. To take care of ones mental and phyical health we need to have an adequate budget so we can afford e.g. gym, good massage, decent doctors care when necessary, to travel occasionally, afford to dress reasonably (Thais will treat you differently if you dress like a vagrant), to go out and eat different food besides cheap Thai.
   9. Make it a focus of your attention to be open-minded and not project the social standards of your country of origin here, this will really mess your day up. As they say; 'You're not in Kansas anymore Totto.'
   10. Leave any white-privilege you have at the airport when you emplane, it will create serious problems for you here. 

Just a few ideas from me in an early morning post.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Tropposurfer

[NoshowJones]

18 hours ago, Chosenfew said:

I have not seen that health insurance is required for an extension of stay. Is this now a requirement?

No. but things can change on a whim. They, the soldiers government, can do what they want as they don't have to depend on the electorate,

Edited January 18, 2022 by possum1931

[Guest Isaanlife]

On 1/17/2022 at 6:50 AM, sawadee1947 said:

At present I am in the near of Cadiz. Beautiful beaches, very CLEAN, a lot of Storchs and parrots. Amazing. And temperatures are between 10 (at night,) and 20 Centigrades.

What is the cost of living like?

[3NUMBAS]

health problems mount up at retirement age expect the worst when your health goes into nose dive

[SidJames]

11 hours ago, possum1931 said:

No. but things can change on a whim. They, the soldiers government, can do what they want as they don't have to depend on the electorate,

You would be retiring to a country run by a dictatorship where there are signs of the younger more educated middle classes starting to rebel & a massive underclass kept uneducated.

Hints of instability at the top that could get nasty in a few years.

 

 

[sawadee1947]

4 hours ago, Isaanlife said:

What is the cost of living like?

Housing affordable (2 bed 600 Euro), food much cheaper than UK, Diesel last Sunday 1.12 Euro.

[OneMoreFarang]

On 1/10/2022 at 3:08 PM, ASEAN NOW Sales said:

Whether you’re of retirement age or planning for the future, it’s likely that Thailand is high up on your list of options.

I wonder if a radical change in life is really what people who retire want and need. They have already one big change, retirement!

Personally I live here since forever and I plan to retire here. I like it and when I retire I am sure some things will change. But many things won't change because I will still live in the same country in the same apartment. My friends won't change, my food won't change. I know the language and my surrounding. 

If someone worked his whole life i.e. in Europe then I am sure a holiday in Thailand can be refreshing (and maybe a little tiring). But living here is something very different. How many people are willing to learn a new and complicated language when they are i.e. 65 years old? How many want to learn a very different culture to understand  Thais and Thailand?

Or do these new retirees plan to live in place like Pattaya which is full of other retirees who also don't speak Thai and have also little knowledge about Thais and Thailand?

I don't say that there are no people who retired happily in Thailand. But to plan retirement in Thailand after living 65 years in a totally different country is certainly a big challenge. And lots of people will fail, and lots of people will lose all their money.

Good luck! You need it.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, sawadee1947 said:

food much cheaper than UK

That depends a lot on what kind of food you like.

Have a look at the prices of cheese and wine in a supermarket ...

[sawadee1947]

5 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That depends a lot on what kind of food you like.

Have a look at the prices of cheese and wine in a supermarket ...

......wine from 0,75 Euro Up... ????

......Goat Cheese from 0.90 Up...

...... Artichokes 3.50 one Kilo....

........sardines fresh 3 Euro/kg