It isn't the end of the world, if you have to move to a nearby country in SEA. See the positive things!

[Shop mak]

See the POSITIVE THINGS rather than negative, IF any future Immigration laws make you not qualify for retirement extension. That is [breath inhale] if there will actually be any changes or possibly not

(keep it positive).

 

*Cambodia.

*Vietnam.

*Philippines.

*Laos.

 

+No 800k bank deposit required.

 

Some / many will say that these countries above are a step down, and they're likely correct. You will adjust, same you did the first 5 years moving and living here in Thailand.

Would you not enjoy to live without stress, about possible new immigration requirements? 

** No more 800k in the bank (use of agents are not the topic here)

Wouldn't it also be interesting and fun to explore a new country?

 

Cambodia come close to Thailand not only in distance, many things are very similar to Thailand. Ok, their infrastructure is not up to pair, but  a few trade-ins have to be made, in return for less stressful life and no 800k in the bank. Do you agree?

 

Reading this article, those into fun and nightlife would be ok.

https://davetheravebangkok.com/phnom-penh-bar-scene-2023/

 

Example of Apartments in Cambodia

https://www.fazwaz-kh.com/condo-for-rent/cambodia

A option to plan B.

 

Vietnam. Utube and the Net are full of reports from Vietnam expats, praising the many new apartment condos for rent there. Majority of new units seems fully equipped with kitchen, fast internet, large screen tv, microwave, even a laundry machine. For 300-500$ per month.

Example of apartments condos in Vietnam.

https://www.fazwaz.vn/condo-for-rent/vietnam

Another option to plan B.

 

Philippines and Laos.

Fewer seems interested in Philippines and Laos. I been there many times and longtime expats there seems happy. UK retirees are very happy in Philippines because their pension are not frozen there.

It's all about ones ability to adjust, be prepared, knowledge what to expect, and have a 'glass half full' outlook of life.

 

If future immigration requirements for retirement extension of stay would change, both Philippines and Laos would be my Plan C.

 

I'm prepared with Plan B and can put it into action on short notice. I sleep good at night, and don't listen to rumours or scare mongering. 

 

If you no longer qualify for retirement extension, and Must Relocate To Another Country ....

What positive things can you see in your future new home away from home, and where would it be?

 

Have your say.

 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, Shop mak said:

If you no longer qualify for retirement extension, and Must Relocate To Another Country ....

What positive things can you see in your future new home away from home, and where would it be?

They're all the same inside.  Pink and wrinkled.

 

(Sorry, I'm trolling some lefties on some other threads and that's put me in a strange mood)

 

[soalbundy]

All depends on the responsibilities one has here, for instance school age children

[Henryford]

If the new retirements conditions are too onerous i am definitely off to Cambodia. No 800k, no insurance, $300 a year visa, cheap living. I would like Vietnam but ASAIK there is no retirement visa option there.

[BritManToo]

Philippines and Cambodia are very easy to stay long term, visa is around $300/year.

Vietnam has no long stay visa for retirees at the moment, but $50/3years if you marry a local.

Laos is too rural for me, but great for guys that can manage living in Issan.

 

I'd be happy enough if forced to move.

[Grumpy one]

48 minutes ago, Henryford said:

If the new retirements conditions are too onerous i am definitely off to Cambodia. No 800k, no insurance, $300 a year visa, cheap living. I would like Vietnam but ASAIK there is no retirement visa option there.

You forgot NO decent hospitals

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

You forgot NO decent hospitals

Not sure Thailand has any decent hospitals either.

They seem to vary below the 'mildly incompetent but expensive' line.

Edited September 12, 2023 by BritManToo

[Adumbration]

Going to be some fire sale properties in the coming year mine included.

 

If they tinker with the 800K in any way whatsoever I am out.

 

I will have to get all of my pets put downs because I would not trust a Thai to take care of them properly.

 

I have been selling stuff for the last six months and continue to do so.  Anyone that is not preparing a bug out strategy right now will be caught off guard.

 

And for those scraping by on the Oz OAP.  They will be forced out by the exchange rate when the AUD collapses to 40c on the USD.

 

https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/why-the-australian-dollar-will-hit-a-record-low-in-the-next-five-years/news-story/2dec137f147d8ac624d93489e60dd353

 

https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2023/08/australian-dollar-40-cents-in-2024/

 

https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2023/08/australian-dollar-40-cents-on-track/

 

@4MyEgo is planning to spend two years away from his family in Australia to getting a piddling 40KTHB pension.  Thing is after two years inprisonment the exchange rate on the AUD will be so pathetic he will be lucky if he is getting 25K per month.

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Adumbration

[BugJackBaron]

Myanmar not on the list?

Just kidding.

[Adumbration]

18 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Not sure Thailand has any decent hospitals either.

They seem to vary below the 'mildly incompetent but expensive' line.

"grossly incompetent but expensive"  

 

I took the liberty to edit your typo.

[Henryford]

35 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

You forgot NO decent hospitals

Well if they kick me out of Thailand i don't have much choice. I wouldn't go back to the UK unless i was really sick.

[Expat68]

Could you use your Thai card for withdrawals, I had a problem in Vietnam when I went on holiday. If there aren't Thai banks how do you take your money with you or is it easy to open a bank account, bit dodgy taking it all in cash

[wwest5829]

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

All depends on the responsibilities one has here, for instance school age children

Certainly being married to a Thai national would complicate things for me. But, back to the wall ... if the Kingdom of Thailand forces me to leave? I am a free male and can leave, sadly. I will not be held hostage to money grabs.

[FruitPudding]

I'll just save more money and stay in Thailand, I think.

[FruitPudding]

4 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

Certainly being married to a Thai national would complicate things for me. But, back to the wall ... if the Kingdom of Thailand forces me to leave? I am a free male and can leave, sadly. I will not be held hostage to money grabs.

What money grab?

 

Is the cost of retirement visa going up?

 

I thought they just want to see you have an acceptable balance in your account to provide for yourself.

[topt]

21 hours ago, Shop mak said:

I sleep good at night, and don't listen to rumours or scare mongering. 

Seems like you are doing exactly that?

[FruitPudding]

29 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Well if they kick me out of Thailand i don't have much choice. I wouldn't go back to the UK unless i was really sick.

This thread should really be: the positives of going back your home country.

 

Rather than: move to Cambodia, Laos, or Philippines! 

 

Like, why move to a worse place than Thailand?

 

Positives of the UK for me would include:

 

-golfing

-fishing

-hiking

-cool climate

-seasons

-better food

-better drink

-healthcare

-nicer environment

 

To be honest, I'm looking forward to when I retire and having a 50/50 split between Thailand and my home country, if I can afford it, of course (but people have decades to prepare for retirement, so I'd say it's doable...........so is having 800k - or even double - in the bank for a Thai retirement extension).

 

 

[wwest5829]

23 minutes ago, FruitPudding said:

What money grab?

 

Is the cost of retirement visa going up?

 

I thought they just want to see you have an acceptable balance in your account to provide for yourself.

It has been a rumor for some time. Now upping the cost of the Elite Visa types. Rumor is Retirement Visa 800K balance or monthly income increase next. We will see. I am just saying there is a financial breaking point for me as I am only a working middle class financial refugee unable to afford retirement in my own country. Already voted with my feet from the US, hopefully, wiser heads will prevail here in the treatment of retired folk bringing in a steady stream of cash and not causing issues.

[soalbundy]

32 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

Certainly being married to a Thai national would complicate things for me. But, back to the wall ... if the Kingdom of Thailand forces me to leave? I am a free male and can leave, sadly. I will not be held hostage to money grabs.

deserting my 16 yr old son in the middle of his studies isn't something I could even contemplate.

[Gottfrid]

Easy to blow a big hole in your not the end of the world story. Here you only point your topic towards single retirees. There are many, that already have problems reaching todays minimum income level. At least if you read the complaints on this forum for a couple of years.

 

There are many of those who are married, have children, bought car and motorbikes as well as bought land and built a house. All for the reason to live in Thailand with the family in style and comfort.

The wife don´t want to sell, as she was never told there will be any problems. Neither does she want to relocate and nor will the children in school. Here we are talking about a lot of people living in Thailand, and you just start a topic that it´s not the end of the world. What do you think these people have to say about that?

[wwest5829]

2 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

deserting my 16 yr old son in the middle of his studies isn't something I could even contemplate.

The "middle way" might be to move the family to another SE Asia country. Bottom line is I have a limit to financial resources.

[wwest5829]

1 minute ago, Gottfrid said:

Easy to blow a big hole in your not the end of the world story. Here you only point your topic towards single retirees. There are many, that already have problems reaching todays minimum income level. At least if you read the complaints on this forum for a couple of years.

 

There are many of those who are married, have children, bought car and motorbikes as well as bought land and built a house. All for the reason to live in Thailand with the family in style and comfort.

The wife don´t want to sell, as she was never told there will be any problems. Neither does she want to relocate and nor will the children in school. Here we are talking about a lot of people living in Thailand, and you just start a topic that it´s not the end of the world. What do you think these people have to say about that?

My hope is that, due to the family reasons you cite ... Marriage Visas will not be changed as it would be too detrimental to Thais married to retired foreigners.

[Jingthing]

Come on man! 

Vietnam should NOT be on this list because of visa options. 

Laos interests very few people.

Obviously Phillipines and Cambodia are the main suspects.

Also Indonesia and at least one province in Malaysia that has lower financial requirements.

I agree with the OP. If Thailand pushes me out I'd go elsewhere. 

Good chance I would at least check out Cambodia but longer term the Phillipines or Mexico would probably be it.

For those that say too dangerous well you don't move to a country you move to a specific location in a country.

Pick a safer one. Not rocket science. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Jingthing

[Gottfrid]

6 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

My hope is that, due to the family reasons you cite ... Marriage Visas will not be changed as it would be too detrimental to Thais married to retired foreigners.

Yes, there is always that way to go.

[Celsius]

Unfortunately if you are a city person like I am, I don't see how can any cities in the other countries  compare with Bangkok.

 

I am just so used to all the conveniences, like food delivery, the choice of restaurants and really really cheap prices I pay here in general. They really delivered here on Western conveniences, shopping malls and rail network. The best part is you can live somewhere in Samut Prakan or Nonthaburi and pay extremely cheap rent, yet still have all the conveniences of a big city. 

 

Just because beer and visa options in Cambodia is cheaper I am sure you will be paying much more for other things.

[crazykopite]

When I came to Thailand 18+years ago I made up my mind that money invested was money i was prepared to lose that has been always the same as none of us know where we stand as governments chop and change the rules at the click of a finger . Yes I have a beautiful beach property by way of a company if it all went belly up I would lock the place up or rent out at a very modest price and move on to the Philippines where my U.K. pension would be increased at the current rate by £30+ per week as far as I am concerned it is the value of the beach land and not the two properties that are on the land and in time when my time has come to meet my maker my two adult grandchildren Brother and Sister will inherit all my possessions both here in Thailand and the U.K. all that is needed in Thailand is that the Company account are kept up to date on a yearly basis that’s unless someone knocks on my door with an offer I cannot refuse that happened with my last Thai property .

[JCauto]

21 hours ago, impulse said:

(Sorry, I'm trolling some lefties on some other threads and that's put me in a strange mood)

 

That's considerate of you to let us know you have no actual intention to debate and that you've no actual basis in your arguments but that was actually already understood and obvious. However, whenever one of you shows some consideration, it should be acknowledged. Not that it will become a regular feature or anything, but I will keep it in mind for the future.

[JCauto]

Having lived and worked in all countries mentioned other than the Philippines, I'd say this is a reasonable take for older Thai-based expats.

 

Cambodia is basically coming on like gangbusters and Phnom Penh is starting to resemble a "mini-Bangkok" but will obviously have quite a ways to go to get to the level of the "Big Mango" if that is your ideal. On the other hand, the food there is becoming good and diverse and there's tons of high-end spots to party at to go along with the usual low-end dive and girly bars. It is definitely more expensive than Thailand on a day-to-day basis, and always has been. No 800K issue or likelihood of someone deciding to turn the screws on the expats. Health care getting better, but the best plan is to get on a plane to Bangkok if seriously ill or in an accident. Siem Reap is becoming a nice little enclave a la Chiang Mai, but has a ways to go to get there. The other towns like Battambang and Kampong Cham would be similar to living in Isaan. The beach is there for the modern age hippies in Kampot and the Chinese in Sihanoukville, but it's second-rate compared to Thailand.

 

Laos is like living in Isaan when I arrived there over 30 years ago. There's quite a bit of charm to that, but I understand this is mostly not what the older and better-heeled expat crowd are looking for. There's great food also in Vientiane; it's the cheapest and best place for high quality European food in the region in my opinion. Rent is cheap, living can be cheap, beer is less expensive than soda and the people are laid back and pleasant. Countryside is spectacularly beautiful so hikers, bikers and nature lovers will enjoy it immensely. Working here is a source of frustration for most due to the lack of industriousness prevalent in Lao society. This again can be more of a positive than a negative depending on your perspective. Health care is located in Thailand, if you are in peril here you're in trouble. So probably not the best place for most older people (I'm over 60 and I love it, but not the norm). Also no girly bar and other action sufficient for the many sexpats on TV considering a move. Lao currency is volatile and not convertible and the government has put themselves in rather a bit of bother financially, so there are concerns it could all blow up at some point. But probably not, this is after all Laos. They just float on by.

 

Vietnam is a place I've worked a number of times and always enjoyed the work - but I wouldn't want to live there. There's a fundamental difference between the Theravada Buddhist countries and the Confucian ones, and the former are quite a lot warmer than the latter in terms of human interaction and general attitude. Vietnam is also a more insular place and one where there's a longstanding tension between actual communist bureaucrats and the private sector and between the North and the South. Can't really comment on the costs or pros/cons of living there since I haven't spent long periods. Food is okay, but overrated in my opinion. Provincial food gets pretty similar and pretty old pretty quickly. Love the vibe of Hanoi, but again, not a place I'm keen to live especially given its awful weather. Saigon just doesn't do much for me.

 

Myanmar was a fascinating place, but until they get rid of the Junta, it's going to be one for development aid workers and adventurous travelers, not expats. China...no. Philippines has little interest for me due to terrible food and an ersatz culture with disaster management being the default government mode. I'm also happily married so have no interest in the bar scene other than non-girly bars.

 

Malaysia is probably the most similar to and likeliest bolthole for the better-off expats, they offer a lot better deals for long-term residence and have all the modern conveniences in KL and Georgetown. Their government is pretty stable and unlikely to collapse or suddenly take away the privileges of the expat community. There's no problem drinking and the food is good and can be great.

Singvegas is like someone dropped a Western city into the tropics. Better have a lot of dough and if that's your style, why did you move here anyway?

 

 

 

[biggles45]

'I thought they just want to see you have an acceptable balance in your account to provide for yourself.' 

 

Well that was the original idea but the latest rules knocked that on the head. Let the balance drop below 400k during the year and IO can refuse to renew your extension. 

 

Philippines has very easy immig rules. You can actually enter on a visa-free 30 day, (or a 60 day tourist visa) extend it every 2 to 6 months (for a fee) upto 3 years. Leave for one day and start again, I know several who are doing this. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by biggles45

[JimTripper]

Is Vietnam still giving out one year visas at the airport?