Report Thailand Tightens Grip on Retirement Visas Amid Wealth Shift

[LALes]

They'll make it harder for good expats to retire here but they'll still open the floodgates to all the world's riff raff to come for a 90 day douchebag spree.

Another case of the inmates running the asylum.

[watchcat]

2 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

The Philippines is going to win big time here. Better women, better beaches, easier visas.

 

It's a no brainer.

 

Mark.

 

Are they so easy to get if you want to stay say 25 to 30 years whitout going to the so called home country?

[harryviking]

14 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

Can't blame them for trying reduce the riff-raff.  It seems every day there's a news story about violent or criminal 'kee nok' foreigners. Today's story was the American guy trying to exchange counterfeit US 100 bills/notes embedded with the words: "For Motion Picture Use Only" 

Those are the regukar tourists! Not the retirees!!😫

[LivingNThailand]

3 hours ago, crazykopite said:

and a fresh start in the Philippines looks very much my next destination 

Have you ever been there? Going from Samui to PI is a HUGE difference in a lot of things, including safety, cleanliness, food quality, etc. Wish you luck my friend.

[arick]

A lot of waffle and no substance to that report. Nothing new

[Toby1947]

Who in their right mind would want to retire to a 10th world country anyway. Land of Smiles my ar@e.

[818Pilot]

Can I please get a refund for the wasted time reading this hard to read ridiculous article which said nothing ?!

[wwest5829]

I confess to being bent in my view due to being American. You know the only major country without a national healthcare program that, in fact, adds to the working middle class economic squeeze there. But, being in Chiang Mai for over a decade, I recognize working middle class retirees from many western democratic, capitalist countries retired here for the major benefit of affordability with access to world class healthcare. With the threat of taxation changes, I have reopened looking at a plan B. Again, due to being American … Mexico, Panama, Ecuador are possibilities. Personally, I would welcome Thailand recognizing a retirement stay of over 10 years with granting of Permanent Resident status and being able to purchase an affordable annual healthcare membership in the national healthcare scheme. But, hey, if Thailand does not want my modest, trouble free, retirement dollars … I am free to look elsewhere. Until that time, I am quite happy to spend my million baht annually here.

[norsurin]

Good luck to all expats in Thailand.Their coming for u now.Nothing u think ur the owner on is not safe at all 

[NickyLouie]

1 hour ago, Baba Naba said:

Says the Hi-So hǔa kuai...

 

u go be Baba somewhere else, m'kay ......

[natway09]

Stupid article that has the wrong end of the stick & goes right off the subject.

There is no sign of "refusing" goodstanding retirees on present qualification methods.

This forum for years has been advising the Thai Government to go for quality not quantity but is falling on 

deaf ears or they are just scared of loosing numbers

[thongplay]

15 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

I like higher standards for retirement or any other long term visa , way too many lo bang around here now ......

Hard to read? Yes. Easy to write? Yes. AI generated.

[Seeall]

16 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

Nice theory, but how do they hope to attract them?  Simply say you need to be rich to get a retirement visa and assume that will do the trick?

Well there's something in that I didn't know if it's a language or culture thing but often they say I want this I want that as if it suddenly going to be given to them at the goodness of everybody's heart.  Perhaps it's some kind of prayer. Or a statement of need that will be fulfilled by the universe.  Anyway I wish them good luck with that

[newnative]

1 hour ago, Hanuman2547 said:

Doesn't really affect me as I have no plans to retire in Thailand.  However, it does affect a lot of other people and it could impact their ability to stay in Thailand on a retirement visa.  I would just take a "wait and see" on this one.  Who knows how many times this idea might change.  

It doen't affect anyone as there is no change.  It's a nothing article.

[DjSilver08]

It's just ridiculous to call everyone over 50 for retired. Better to increase the age to 75 years.

[Brian Hull]

I lived in Thailand for 6 years up to COVID and in Cambodia for 3 years since then. There is no comparison between the two for being retiree-friendly. The Thai government wouldn't know if its ass was on fire and goes out of its way to make things difficult. Their policies are as changeable as Donald Trump's. While on the other hand, Cambodia couldn't be any easier - just pay your $300 per year, and no further government interference.

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

The Philippines is going to win big time here. Better women, better beaches, easier visas.

 

It's a no brainer.

 

Mark.

The Philippines is a much more violent society, and the food is dreck.

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, Lacessit said:

The Philippines is a much more violent society, and the food is dreck.

Haha, Bob is still infiltrating the forum to plant subconscious doubts in people's minds about Thailand? 

 

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, DjSilver08 said:

It's just ridiculous to call everyone over 50 for retired. Better to increase the age to 75 years.

Thank God you're not in charge of anything. 

 

[connda]

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Philippines offers one of the most straightforward retiree visa schemes in the region. The Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) only requires retirees over 50 to demonstrate a monthly pension of US$800 or deposit US$10,000 in a local bank—accessible terms that come without Thailand’s stringent health insurance mandates or income ceilings. Despite its lesser-developed infrastructure, the country provides a low cost of living, making it a compelling option for those priced out of Thailand.

If push came to shove I'd head to the PI.  There SRRV visa for those of us who are US veteran is even easier to obtain with less of a financial threshold.  The PI, unlike Thailand, actually want retirees.  And you can even buy into the PI's health system. 
Although I don't see it happening, it is my Plan B.  FYI, I was stationed in the PI and I like the country and it's culture.  

[connda]

On the flip side in Thailand - the Plan B for many are agents, although that may be Plan A for many. 

[gejohesch]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

If I had a significant degree of wealth I might be spending a month or two of the year in Thailand, but I would be elsewhere for most of the year. 

 

That's exactly what I do, but usually more like between 3 and 6 months a year, definitely not more:

 

1) Visas are too complicated.

2) Thailand is overrated, and definitely not that "unique". There are several other attractive destinations with good food, good climate, good beaches, reasonable cost of living, nice people, interesting culture and so on.

3) I need to have people around me I can have sensible discussions with, once in a while. I get terribly starved in this respect when spending time in Isan (my case).

[connda]

Well written article.  Had Vietnam had a retirement visa option, I wouldn't be here. 

[Espanol]

4 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Even if the article does not say anything really new or any changes has been done, one must question why this becomes a discussion now? It might be so simple, that changes are coming, just out of the reason that foreigners of low class are creating too much problems in Thailand. If so, it will be like I posted before. many other foreigner will suffer because of the bad apples.

 

 

Most of the foreigners who cause problems are not residents, but tourists.

 

[connda]

Thailand

 

Retirees

[thaibreaker]

4 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

The Philippines is going to win big time here. Better women, better beaches, easier visas.

 

It's a no brainer.

 

Mark.

I can't agree with that. The Philippines has worse infrastructure, internet, and of course food. And that by far. More crime as well. The women and the beaches are pretty much the same.

Most retirees go the other way, moving from The Philippines to Thailand, because of the above.

 

Thailand will still be my retirement destination, at least for the next decade or so. It's pretty darn easy to extend my retirement visa each year. There are no plans to make that harder, as far as I know.

[mark63]

   So they offer an LTR now for the very wealthy.  So what?  Where is the part in your article which matches the headline: "Thailand Tightens grip on retirement visas.  It doesn't exist.   A few anecdotes from people who probably didn't have all the paperwork filled out properly were sent away to fix it?  Laughing out loud.

[flexomike]

40 minutes ago, Brian Hull said:

I lived in Thailand for 6 years up to COVID and in Cambodia for 3 years since then. There is no comparison between the two for being retiree-friendly. The Thai government wouldn't know if its ass was on fire and goes out of its way to make things difficult. Their policies are as changeable as Donald Trump's. While on the other hand, Cambodia couldn't be any easier - just pay your $300 per year, and no further government interference.

I will live with my 1900 baht a year cost.

[gejohesch]

9 minutes ago, thaibreaker said:

It's definitely not. Worse infrastructure, internet, and of course food. And that by far. More crime as well.

 

Thailand will still be my retirement destination, at least for the next decade or so. It's pretty darn easy to extend my retirement visa each year. There are no plans to make that harder, as far as I know 

I must say the Philippines are not on my radar. I've been there twice, found the food uninteresting, people way too "americanised", lacking culture "of their own", and/or untrustworthy.

[Lancelot01]

17 hours ago, Upnotover said:

Weird story, hard to read.  Did anything actually change....no.

I'll wait until it comes out in paperback.