Hello Everyone, I Was Hoping You Could Answer Some Questions For Me?

[tommiexboi]

I'm sure this has been asked a lot on this forum, however, i feel a lot more comfortable asking myself because it's a bit different.

My parents who are growing older wants to retire in Thailand around next year. But we really don't know the process of my parents moving out there. My parents are South Korean Citizens but they have permanent residency in the United States. My sister and I were hoping we could get my parents to get a permanent residency in Thailand, but we read on this site that they have to have visited 3 years. So we're not quite sure how this will work out. My parents never been to Thailand until this year and they are in love with the country. The main problem we are encountering is how my parents can get an apartment, condo, or home in Thailand. A friend of mine told me that you have to be a citizen to own a home in Thailand.

Please please please, help my parents out. Any information will be greatly appreciated,

Thank You

Tom

[lopburi3]

1. Believe a more complete answer could be made if your status was known if you are in Thailand.

2. Permanent Residence (PR) is not available to retirees so that will not be an option.

3. Foreigners can not buy land - but they can buy condos or rent or lease (rent is a much better option here than USA).

The requirements for long stay is one person ago over 50, legal marriage, 65k pension/income as verified by Embassy or 800k baht in Thai bank account for previous 3 months or a combination of the two. This has to be renewed each year with same proof provided. Cost is 1,900 baht each and spouse would not have to have the financial qualifications. This is done inside Thailand at an immigration office and best to do from a non immigrant O visa entry (many Consulates will provide for those checking on retirement options) but even a tourist visa could be changed at an extra 2,000 baht step. This can also be done before travel but more paperwork is required and with US PR status it would likely be much easier to do here after arrival.

One caution - a tourist visit is a rather short time to make a decision this major. Will they have health insurance? Will they live the life they expect (not likely to be the same as a hotel stay)? Will they have anyone to be friends with?

[tommiexboi]

1. Believe a more complete answer could be made if your status was known if you are in Thailand.

2. Permanent Residence (PR) is not available to retirees so that will not be an option.

3. Foreigners can not buy land - but they can buy condos or rent or lease (rent is a much better option here than USA).

The requirements for long stay is one person ago over 50, legal marriage, 65k pension/income as verified by Embassy or 800k baht in Thai bank account for previous 3 months or a combination of the two. This has to be renewed each year with same proof provided. Cost is 1,900 baht each and spouse would not have to have the financial qualifications. This is done inside Thailand at an immigration office and best to do from a non immigrant O visa entry (many Consulates will provide for those checking on retirement options) but even a tourist visa could be changed at an extra 2,000 baht step. This can also be done before travel but more paperwork is required and with US PR status it would likely be much easier to do here after arrival.

One caution - a tourist visit is a rather short time to make a decision this major. Will they have health insurance? Will they live the life they expect (not likely to be the same as a hotel stay)? Will they have anyone to be friends with?

Thank you for the awesome information!

My sister and I do worry how quickly my parents made their decision, but they are in love with thailand and has heard a lot of positive things about the country. They do have health insurance, but a US one. Do they have to have Thai health insurance? Also, my parents plan on living a comfortable life. We do have couple family friends that live there and I'm sure they'll make friends with other people. I heard the Korean population is slowly growing in Thailand, so I don't think it's going to be a problem.

But thank you for the great information

[astral]

My sister and I do worry how quickly my parents made their decision, but they are in love with thailand and has heard a lot of positive things about the country. They do have health insurance, but a US one. Do they have to have Thai health insurance?

No need for a special Thai insurance policy,

but they should make sure that their existing policy covers them to LIVE abroad.

Most domestic policies only cover short holidays, if that.

[ernieK24]

I'm sure this has been asked a lot on this forum, however, i feel a lot more comfortable asking myself because it's a bit different.

My parents who are growing older wants to retire in Thailand around next year. But we really don't know the process of my parents moving out there. My parents are South Korean Citizens but they have permanent residency in the United States. My sister and I were hoping we could get my parents to get a permanent residency in Thailand, but we read on this site that they have to have visited 3 years. So we're not quite sure how this will work out. My parents never been to Thailand until this year and they are in love with the country. The main problem we are encountering is how my parents can get an apartment, condo, or home in Thailand. A friend of mine told me that you have to be a citizen to own a home in Thailand.

Please please please, help my parents out. Any information will be greatly appreciated,

Thank You

Tom

Lopburi is absolutely right......I may be able to expand on his info, as follows.

You, or your parents, write to the Thai Consulate General in Denver, CO., and ask for information about the subject you described in your post. All the business can be done by mail.....no problem.

She will send you an application for each of your parents, and all the info you need.

With your help, have them fill out the application, and mail it to The Consulate in Denver, along with both their passports, (have to be valid for at least a year longer), one passport photo each, one Postal Money Order, from the post office, (NOT a personal check), or a bank certified check, for $50, for each of them. Buy two 5 X 9 brown manilla envelopes, (available at the post office). Self-address one of the envelopes, and have the post office employee apply the necessary postage. Fold it, and enclose it with the application, passports, etc.....and mail it all to the Denver Consulate.

In about ten days you will recieve their passports back from Denver, with the visa stamped in the passport, and must be used within 90 days.

AFTER they get to Thailand, (airfares will drop in late September), Condos and apts. are plentiful, and will be considerably cheaper than what they are paying in the U. S..

The visa they will be applying for is a 90 day Non Immigrant, "O" visa, ("O" meaning "other"). After they've been here for a while, if they wish to stay, and retire in Thailand, they will have to apply at the Thai Immigration Office for an extension of their NI-O visa for the rest of the year, (nine more months), and this has to be done during the last week of their 90 day visa, before it expires. At that time he, or she, will have to be able to prove thay have a combination of monthly income, (X 12), and funds in a Thai Bank Account totalling 800,000 baht, (monthly income X 12 plus Thai Bank Acct.).

(Obviously, they don't want people coming over here and not be able to support themselves, and eventually becoming a financial burden on the Kingdom).

The extension at the Immigration Office will cost 1900 baht each, (just over $50 each at today's rate of exchange), and each year after, they will have to renew their visa, in ther same manner at approx. the same date, if they wish to remain in Thaiand.

In addition, each and every three months they are required to report to Thai Immigration, their current address. Forms are provided at the office for this purpose.....(fairly simple.....less than thirty minutes.)

If I've left anything out, I'm sure someone on this board will correct me. It all sounds rather complicated.....but in reality, it's not at all, and as I said, everything in the U.S. can be done by post.

I hope this can be of some help to you.....cheers, ErnieK......(Formerly California).

[tommiexboi]

I'm sure this has been asked a lot on this forum, however, i feel a lot more comfortable asking myself because it's a bit different.

My parents who are growing older wants to retire in Thailand around next year. But we really don't know the process of my parents moving out there. My parents are South Korean Citizens but they have permanent residency in the United States. My sister and I were hoping we could get my parents to get a permanent residency in Thailand, but we read on this site that they have to have visited 3 years. So we're not quite sure how this will work out. My parents never been to Thailand until this year and they are in love with the country. The main problem we are encountering is how my parents can get an apartment, condo, or home in Thailand. A friend of mine told me that you have to be a citizen to own a home in Thailand.

Please please please, help my parents out. Any information will be greatly appreciated,

Thank You

Tom

Lopburi is absolutely right......I may be able to expand on his info, as follows.

You, or your parents, write to the Thai Consulate General in Denver, CO., and ask for information about the subject you described in your post. All the business can be done by mail.....no problem.

She will send you an application for each of your parents, and all the info you need.

With your help, have them fill out the application, and mail it to The Consulate in Denver, along with both their passports, (have to be valid for at least a year longer), one passport photo each, one Postal Money Order, from the post office, (NOT a personal check), or a bank certified check, for $50, for each of them. Buy two 5 X 9 brown manilla envelopes, (available at the post office). Self-address one of the envelopes, and have the post office employee apply the necessary postage. Fold it, and enclose it with the application, passports, etc.....and mail it all to the Denver Consulate.

In about ten days you will recieve their passports back from Denver, with the visa stamped in the passport, and must be used within 90 days.

AFTER they get to Thailand, (airfares will drop in late September), Condos and apts. are plentiful, and will be considerably cheaper than what they are paying in the U. S..

The visa they will be applying for is a 90 day Non Immigrant, "O" visa, ("O" meaning "other"). After they've been here for a while, if they wish to stay, and retire in Thailand, they will have to apply at the Thai Immigration Office for an extension of their NI-O visa for the rest of the year, (nine more months), and this has to be done during the last week of their 90 day visa, before it expires. At that time he, or she, will have to be able to prove thay have a combination of monthly income, (X 12), and funds in a Thai Bank Account totalling 800,000 baht, (monthly income X 12 plus Thai Bank Acct.).

(Obviously, they don't want people coming over here and not be able to support themselves, and eventually becoming a financial burden on the Kingdom).

The extension at the Immigration Office will cost 1900 baht each, (just over $50 each at today's rate of exchange), and each year after, they will have to renew their visa, in ther same manner at approx. the same date, if they wish to remain in Thaiand.

In addition, each and every three months they are required to report to Thai Immigration, their current address. Forms are provided at the office for this purpose.....(fairly simple.....less than thirty minutes.)

If I've left anything out, I'm sure someone on this board will correct me. It all sounds rather complicated.....but in reality, it's not at all, and as I said, everything in the U.S. can be done by post.

I hope this can be of some help to you.....cheers, ErnieK......(Formerly California).

Thank you SOO much for this information.

It does sound pretty complicated, but knowing that it can all be done by post. It makes me a lot more comfortable. How long would this process actually take (sending information to consulate and doing all the mailing). Was it quite easy for you to get the visa? and als what do you mean by x 12? My parents do have plenty of saved up money around so they can put it into the thai acct. but I would really like to know the exact amount.

Again

Thank you

[lopburi3]

I really don't know how to make it any clearer. The bank account method requires 800,000 baht, or more, as I said below.

65k pension/income as verified by Embassy or 800k baht in Thai bank account for previous 3 months or a combination of the two.