Alternative Countries To Retire To!

[Nignoy]

Homeless

Give Bribie Island some thought, certainly has the beach and fishing is very good in the ocean or in Pumicestone passage. spent the better part of 20 years living on the mainland side of Bribie Island. Was there on a retirement visa but they changed the rules and made the renewal process very complex and appeared they no longer wanted retirees living there. So moved to Cha Am and are quite happy on the beach here. We live on Bribie Island, you must have lived in sandstonepoint,or ningi, There are now 8 retirement villages on Bribie and another 12 over the bridge a great area to retire to,you just have to persevere with the idiots employed by immigration

Australia is a enjoyable place to live and with your budget you will have no problems with money. If you like more excitement you can try the Gold Coast but it has gone down hill in tha last few years. Sunshine coast is in between Bribie Island and the gold coast for things to do. Easy to check them all out as they are within a couple hundred k's of each other and Brisbane in the middle.

Good luck on wherever you choose.

[torrenova]

If completely retired then Thailand is hard to beat but I tire of the constant battles here, there and everywhere and the sheer stupidity of people who think they are actually on your level.

I would look hard at Vietnam. I love the country but don't know about visas etc. Malaysia as said has a very good retiree visa scheme but it has some other problems. Don't know about Indonesia etc.

Outside Asia, then Oz or Spain.

[philliphn]

I suggest the Algarve in Portugal.

[Lucifer]

Any of you thunk about African countries?

Kenya sounds great. Sun, sand sea, and cheap too. Not sure about the women though.

[philliphn]

The Dominican Republic.

[jcon]

Florianopolis, Brasil. Hands down winner.

[Naam]

Regarding Brazil, there is an investment visa alternative. 50K USD invested in Brazil by your Brazil corporation gets you a 5 year renewable visa. You can use it to buy real estate or even stocks:

http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:hAfCZ1...lient=firefox-a

YAWNNNNN... been there, checked it out, discarded it! the investment visa requires you to run a VIABLE and TAX PAYING company with at least 2 brazilian employees (this number varies from state to state depending on unemployment figures); domestic employees do NOT count. i am too lazy to list all existing other bureaucratic hurdles which make the retirement visa in Thailand look like a walk in the park

[Naam]

read, forget private blogs/advice, and forget the investment visa in Brazil. government laws and regulations count. everything else is muito crap.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A PERMANENT VISA BASED ON INVESTMENT

Regulations:

Permanent visas based on investment may be granted to applicants who will invest a minimum of US$ 50,000.00 in Brazil.

Main aspects to be considered in the Ministry of Labor and Employment’s analysis of the investment project: compatibility of resources with the investment proposed, nature of the enterprise with its relevance in terms of technology transfer; productivity, and social interest.

Memorandum of association of the company to which the investment will be made, duly registered.

Certificate of registration of investment of foreign capital, issued by the Brazilian Central Bank (Banco Central do Brasil).

Technical details of the investment and a plan for absorption of Brazilian manpower.

All submissions must be made directly or through a partner or an attorney, at the Conselho Nacional de Imigração – CNIg ( National Immigration Council) at the following address in Brazil:

MINISTÉRIO DO TRABALHO E EMPREGO (MTE)

SECRETARIA DE RELAÇÕES DO TRABALHO (SRT)

Coordenação-Geral de Imigração (CGIg)

Esplanada dos Ministérios Bl. F Anexo B

2º Andar - Sala: 270

Telefone: (61) 317-6417

Fax: (61) 321-0652

CEP: 70059-900

Brasília - DF

Edited March 30, 2009 by Naam

[JR Texas]

I am impressed how much interest this subject found. Also nice, that all posts are friendly and positive. Obviously some people are looking for other/better options than Thailand.

Love the Australia idea, East Coast all the way up absolutely great and love the Aussie lifestyle. Everybody is so friendly and helpful. Did not realize you can stay longer than 180 days per year, since it means you are going around the Rules. Australia must be the best organized and controlled immigration system in the world. 6-7000$/mth. ok to live? Non drinker & -smoker!

US is easy enough, misc. options and with a possible retirement scheme it will get even better. Anybody on Bali, never been there?

Thanks to everybody!

WW.

Uruguay........please keep it a secret........it is the best place in all of S. America.......and they want you......gorgeous coastline, easy visa rules, very little crime........

[Jingthing]

Regarding Brazil, there is an investment visa alternative. 50K USD invested in Brazil by your Brazil corporation gets you a 5 year renewable visa. You can use it to buy real estate or even stocks:

http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:hAfCZ1...lient=firefox-a

YAWNNNNN... been there, checked it out, discarded it! the investment visa requires you to run a VIABLE and TAX PAYING company with at least 2 brazilian employees (this number varies from state to state depending on unemployment figures); domestic employees do NOT count. i am too lazy to list all existing other bureaucratic hurdles which make the retirement visa in Thailand look like a walk in the park

I don't doubt that you think that but I have heard differently. You may be right but I am not as certain as you are. Did you actually visit a Brazilian immigration lawyer?

[Thaifan2]

Dont think anyone has mentioned Indonesia .Other than Thailand my next choice would be Bali ( Indonesia ) or the Philippines .Bali is a cheap place to live with friendly people and beautiful looking girls .The landscape is exotic and green with mountains and beaches .

[NanLaew]

^ I have heard tales of woe regarding land purchases in Indonesia where foreigners were ripped off and lost money. I understand that the Indonesian land laws are similar to Thailand when it comes to foreign ownership. However, Bali may be a different deal so I keep an open mind on that one.

[galowgala]

the crime rate is too high in brazil ,,,,wouldnt even think about going on holiday there.......give me thailand any day

the crime rate is too high in thailand ,,,,wouldnt even think about going on holiday there.......give me brasil any day

See how easily place names are interchangeable here? The crime rate in Brasil depends on where you are and type of crime. Some say the Pattaya street crime is worse than Bangkok and others say that Pratumnak burglaries is worse than the 'dark side'... infinitely debatable. I have a feeling this isn't the OP's first rodeo so I would discount crime rates as being a major factor here.

Regards Brazil, my first time there was 1999-2002 and the exchange rate was very handy. My second gig their was 2006-2008 and the forex was less beneficial plus they had just 'lost' Varig, their national carrier and domestic air travel was a disaster. Somehow the first tour was a lot more fun than the last one

I was disillusioned with Pattaya/Thailand in 1990 and left for 15 years, living and working in the US, Australia, Brazil and Cuba. Pattaya is OK for me right now but I still don't spend all my time here. To the OP, maybe you need a couple of seasonal bolt-holes; and by seasonal, I don't mean only the weather. Have somewhere else to go for a regular 'reality check'.

Hi Barry

Thanks. Great analysis. You read me very well. Couldn't agree more on all points. Pattaya imo has one of the worst crime problems i have seen in any place. And, yes you are right, I have been around.

Somehow I got stuck here. Like so many of us. But I don't want to grow old here. Would not mind visiting once in a while maybe. My top options at them moment are 50:50 Australia/NZ/FL:PI/TH?maybe. Unfortunately Australia is very restrictive with immigration. FL would be ok. with occasional trip to Asia. Brazil high up. Still easy to get in, especially in my case. Mexico? Greece, some other European destination? Tough choice!

Thanks for all answers.

WW.

If you think Pattaya has 1 of the worst crime problems your way off the mark, there many many more dangerous places to live, too many to mention. you need to get about more. i can give you a good opticians to go to and i have a spare white stick

[mmail2you]

I would suggest as an up and coming place is Phnom Phen or sihanoukville as a beach side location, sorry if spelling is not 100%

[Tokay]

I tire of the constant battles here, there and everywhere

I feel the same way. While I really enjoy most of my stay in Thailand, and have been here for a while, the non-stop battles over the smallest thing is wearing me down.

[Tokay]

Dont think anyone has mentioned Indonesia .Other than Thailand my next choice would be Bali ( Indonesia ) or the Philippines .Bali is a cheap place to live with friendly people and beautiful looking girls .The landscape is exotic and green with mountains and beaches .

Outside of the tourist crap, the rest of the island of Bali is stunning. Ubud or Sanur would both be places I could get into if visa laws allowed for it.

[torrenova]

I tire of the constant battles here, there and everywhere

I feel the same way. While I really enjoy most of my stay in Thailand, and have been here for a while, the non-stop battles over the smallest thing is wearing me down.

The thing is that without the family and some business interests I would be gone in 60 seconds. The negatives have started to outweigh the positives and though I might have found other places to have their own problems which encroach over time, the sheer stupidity whilst thinking they are actually clever is mind blowing here. Most places with stupid people don't have those stupid people actually thinking they know more than they really do know. Well, not on the same level as Thais for sure.

[popshirt]

I tire of the constant battles here, there and everywhere

I feel the same way. While I really enjoy most of my stay in Thailand, and have been here for a while, the non-stop battles over the smallest thing is wearing me down.

The thing is that without the family and some business interests I would be gone in 60 seconds. The negatives have started to outweigh the positives and though I might have found other places to have their own problems which encroach over time, the sheer stupidity whilst thinking they are actually clever is mind blowing here. Most places with stupid people don't have those stupid people actually thinking they know more than they really do know. Well, not on the same level as Thais for sure.

Perhaps this is just a bad day for me, but I tend to agree. I have family and real estate here, but I would probably leave as well if I were free to do so. Fortunately I am able to spend a few months twice a year in farangland which is becoming more and more attractive to me as time goes by.

[homeless007]

I tire of the constant battles here, there and everywhere

I feel the same way. While I really enjoy most of my stay in Thailand, and have been here for a while, the non-stop battles over the smallest thing is wearing me down.

The thing is that without the family and some business interests I would be gone in 60 seconds. The negatives have started to outweigh the positives and though I might have found other places to have their own problems which encroach over time, the sheer stupidity whilst thinking they are actually clever is mind blowing here. Most places with stupid people don't have those stupid people actually thinking they know more than they really do know. Well, not on the same level as Thais for sure.

Perhaps this is just a bad day for me, but I tend to agree. I have family and real estate here, but I would probably leave as well if I were free to do so. Fortunately I am able to spend a few months twice a year in farangland which is becoming more and more attractive to me as time goes by.

I keep hearing similar statements more and more. Let's hope we can get even more info about alternative countries on this thread. Will check with Aussie lawyer if the yearly renewal of long stay visa holds up, since it would actually represent a "going around" immigration laws. It is pretty much the same in the US, they will hardly question you, if you show the funds and seem to be a bona fide tourist.

Just talked to a couple of guys who live very happy in Palawan/Pi's. Easy lifetime residence with 25K$ in bank.

Regards! WW.

[Jingthing]

How about Cuba? As an American I can't even travel there legally yet but I know it is popular with Spanish retirees. There is a good chance the US travel restrictions will be lifted led by St. Obama so does somebody know about retirement visas there?

On the Australia long stay tourist visa, it sounds pretty good, but I would also have questions (similar to Thailand) about being up for review every year. Any year they have the power to say: you have been a tourist too long, you are now too old, you are now too sick, you are now too broke ass, we don't like your face, and boot you out, and if you have been there for years, you would lose an awful lot.

My understanding about the USA is that you CANNOT live there all year on tourist visas as you can in Oz, only six months of the year.

Palawan? Isn't that a high risk area for being kidnapped or having your head chopped off by Muzzies?

Edited April 1, 2009 by Jingthing

[popshirt]

Uruguay........please keep it a secret........it is the best place in all of S. America.......and they want you......gorgeous coastline, easy visa rules, very little crime........

I have heard very good things about Uruguay recently from friends who have traveled and stayed there.

Montevideo is quite a cosmopolitan city and the beaches are stunning and clean.

Cost of living is low, probably less than Thailand.

I don't know anyone who has actually lived there for a period of time but I think it is worth investigating.

For me a big plus is that I speak Spanish and that would be a nice change.

[steelepulse]

I'd like to find a place where the ability to own land easily as a foreigner is possible, as well as a place where the tax rate is low if you are not earning or working in said country.  Anyone have a list of countries where foreigners can own land as well as the climate being warm?

[Jingthing]

I'd like to find a place where the ability to own land easily as a foreigner is possible, as well as a place where the tax rate is low if you are not earning or working in said country.  Anyone have a list of countries where foreigners can own land as well as the climate being warm?

Ecuador

[steelepulse]

Anyone been to Belize?  Looks pretty good viewing some property websites. Bullet points below from a property website.

Belize is English speaking

Acquire full title to land and property

Easy access from North America

Belize Residency Program

No Inheritance Tax

No Capital Gains Tax

Good standard of living

Stable government

Member of the British Commonwealth

Member of the United Nations

 

[JR Texas]

Anyone been to Belize?  Looks pretty good viewing some property websites. Bullet points below from a property website.

Belize is English speaking

Acquire full title to land and property

Easy access from North America

Belize Residency Program

No Inheritance Tax

No Capital Gains Tax

Good standard of living

Stable government

Member of the British Commonwealth

Member of the United Nations

 

I will add: great fishing, scuba diving........close to interesting archaeological sites........nature preserves........easy trip to Cancun for a bit of a change

[runner]

been to Indonesia before. might consider it one day. the ladies there sure are cute. heheh.

[klikster]

Chile .. almost any kind of weather you could desire. Property ownership, price level isn't bad, easy visa, (90 day VOA at any border crossing). Very low population density. Realistic residency permit. Great wines. Transparency .. almost first world.

[Jingthing]

Chile .. almost any kind of weather you could desire. Property ownership, price level isn't bad, easy visa, (90 day VOA at any border crossing). Very low population density. Realistic residency permit. Great wines. Transparency .. almost first world.

I don't think they offer a long term retirement visa. Retired people get older and older. Visa runs get tired!

[klikster]

Chile .. almost any kind of weather you could desire. Property ownership, price level isn't bad, easy visa, (90 day VOA at any border crossing). Very low population density. Realistic residency permit. Great wines. Transparency .. almost first world.

I don't think they offer a long term retirement visa. Retired people get older and older. Visa runs get tired!

Not sure about a "Retirement Visa", but residency is about as easy in Chile as a retirement extension of "O" visa in Thailand .. and yes runs get tiresome, especially the 90 day reporting..

[sorensen]

Chile .. almost any kind of weather you could desire. Property ownership, price level isn't bad, easy visa, (90 day VOA at any border crossing). Very low population density. Realistic residency permit. Great wines. Transparency .. almost first world.

I don't think they offer a long term retirement visa. Retired people get older and older. Visa runs get tired!

Argentina could be another option. I lived 1 year in the south and that was a bit cold and remote, but the north is very nice. Real estate prices were very affordable a few years after the Argentinian financial crisis. Not sure how it is now.

Edited April 3, 2009 by sorensen