Moving to thailand for good

[PinkBurnsBlack]

Hi there everyone, I am new in this forum so I hope I could get some useful information from the more experienced guys here.

Here are some details of myself:

-Singaporean

-20

-Male

-Want to move to Thailand with citizenship in 10years time

-Moving with my mother which would turn 58 in 10years time.

Now first up, here are some of the important things which I really want you guys to shed some light on :

1. How easy and how long does it take to gain citizenship for my mom and I(We may consider just 1 of us taking citizenship to own property).

2. What are the necessities to obtain a citizenship.

3. Is Phuket a good place to stay?

-Safe against natural disasters

-Safe against general crime like robbery and break-ins

-are the locals/expats living there generally easy to get along with/friendly

4. I would be selling my property in Singapore which would fetch around USD$485,000 and plan to buy a house similar to this http://www.phillips-property.com/phuketproperty/1181/for-sale-2-bedroom-villa-chalong-phuket-thailand/?FX=USD which would set me back USD$268,000(I may consider a less expensive house). I would then allocate USD$17, 000 to buy a small used car This would leave me with USD$200, 000.

5. Of the USD$200,000 left, I was thinking of setting up a small provisional shop with USD$50,000 which would earn approx USD$500-USD$1000 to cover things like food and utilities, leaving me with USD$150,000 to use for emergencies and whatnots.

So what do you guys think about my general plan? Would you think that this plan would be enough for me to get married to a thai wife and have 1-3 children?

I would hopefully retire at 30 as well...

Please let me know what do you guys think

Of course upon discussion with my mother, we have went into deeper detail but it would be too long to type it here and it would take the joy of discussions out of this thread.

Please, feel free to leave a comment/advise and let me know if there are various points i may have overlooked

Regards,

Paul

[Lite Beer]

Some Off Topic Posts have been removed.

[simple1]

OP: Suggest you first research Visa/Work permit requirements for Singaporean nationals to establish a small buiness in Thailand and legal ownership of a house. Could be wrong, but I understand AEC planned for 2015, does not include small business ownership for ASEAN nationals.

[Jasun]

1. Very difficult. Highly unlikely your mother will qualify, but things might change with ASEAN coming in.

2. Lots of threads on this subject.

3. Phuket is a lot more dangerous than Singapore, but still a nice place to stay. Tsunamis aside, it doesn't suffer much from mother n

4. The property you linked to is rubbish and over priced, you could buy something amazing with your budget, but you won't own it unless you qualify as a citizen. Also, be careful with real estate agents, it is an illegal occupation for foreigners.

[rfukata]

I would think moving to rural Isaan would be more cost effective (budgeting expenses) over i.e. Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai

the cost of living is much lower. Just choose a issan city where there is a airport and good accessibility.

[Gone]

The first thing you need to do is come here and stay awhile to see if it is for you and your mom. I would suggest 6 months first and then when you are here talk with a Lawyer who deals with this all the time. Many in Phuket and all over really. This way you are getting the correct advise. Maybe rent a car and drive around Thailand first and just use your vacation as a research vacation.

Thailand is such an unstable country right now for foreigners so best to get a GOOD knowledgable lawyer to speak with.

As far as Phuket goes, to me it is infested with crime, very expensive and just not a nice place except for it's beauty. That is the city I mean (Phuket town).

[honoluabay]

Most have given all the right info here, phuket is very nice beautiful beaches and so on... But first rent move around phuket to check the area's.

Don't buy anything!!!! Over priced

But I still love the place... Good luck

Sent from my A200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NCC1701A]

why come to Thailand? can a Singaporean have dual citizenship? i maybe wrong but i don't think so. if that is true, are you ready to give up your Singaporean citizenship? Can you speak Thai? Retire at 30 and you and your wife live another 50 years on what? Rental income? Interest? what if your business fails? Have you done a spreadsheet and really looked at the numbers stretching out for 50 years? what will taxes be like in 20 years? government restrictions? have you studied the effects of inflation over 30 years? medical for a family? what if you get divorced or your wife dies? Make sure you have life insurance living in Phuket.

I would go to Brazil first and look around. At least they give you citizenship after 2 to 4 years with a $100k USD real estate investment of any type that you own 100% with no hoops to jump through and they are really glad to see you, not like Thailand.

Anyway, good luck to you, at least you are looking forward, just give your plan a lot of thought.

Edited July 15, 2013 by NCC1701A

[ubonjoe]

Timeline to Citizenship if not married to a Thai lady. Work 3 years with work permit and paying taxes on a minimu income of 80K baht. Apply for permanent residency and wait for at the moment an unknown number of years for it to be approved. After getting PR wait for a minimum of two years (total of 5 needed) to a apply for citizenship with about the same requirements as PR and then wait an unknown number of years.

[TerryLH]

"Thailand is such an unstable country right now for foreigners..."

Gone, Can you give an example of that?

Thanks

[darrendsd]

With the ever changing visa requirements "Gone" has a valid point

What gets you a visa this year may not get you one next year

[giggles]

i would say you will burn thru your money very quickly and could run out ,i know guys with more than you and they burned it quickly ,you wanna be in poverty in your old age ?

go and live there 6 months before burning your bridges and joining the low flying balcony jumpers club

Edited July 15, 2013 by giggles

[PinkBurnsBlack]

Thailand is such an unstable country right now for foreigners so best to get a GOOD knowledgable lawyer to speak with.

As far as Phuket goes, to me it is infested with crime, very expensive and just not a nice place except for it's beauty. That is the city I mean (Phuket town).

Since you do not recommend Phuket, where would you recommend to have a bungallow/villa/good condo with a good view(eg. by the sea)?

Most have given all the right info here, phuket is very nice beautiful beaches and so on... But first rent move around phuket to check the area's.
Don't buy anything!!!! Over priced
But I still love the place... Good luck


Sent from my A200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thanks for your comment! I have been eyeing properties there because I would like my mom to retire in a nice home with a nice view like the beach. Any other ideas you can throw at me? It would be greatly appreciated.

why come to Thailand? can a Singaporean have dual citizenship? i maybe wrong but i don't think so. if that is true, are you ready to give up your Singaporean citizenship? Can you speak Thai? Retire at 30 and you and your wife live another 50 years on what? Rental income? Interest? what if your business fails? Have you done a spreadsheet and really looked at the numbers stretching out for 50 years? what will taxes be like in 20 years? government restrictions? have you studied the effects of inflation over 30 years? medical for a family? what if you get divorced or your wife dies? Make sure you have life insurance living in Phuket.

I would go to Brazil first and look around. At least they give you citizenship after 2 to 4 years with a $100k USD real estate investment of any type that you own 100% with no hoops to jump through and they are really glad to see you, not like Thailand.

Anyway, good luck to you, at least you are looking forward, just give your plan a lot of thought.

To begin, I am starting to dislike Singapore really much. Singapore does not allow dual citizenship(They MIGHT change it). Yes I have been learning/speaking Thai as my girlfriend is Thai and speak minimal English. The amount of money I stated here would come from liquidation of my current house in Singapore. I would have other assets.

I was thinking of running something like a provision shop to cover simple day to day expenses like food and utilities and have something for me to pass my time.

Those points that you made are vital but I really can't live in Singapore anymore. Maybe some help with that would be good. Thanks, you have shed good light in my life.

Timeline to Citizenship if not married to a Thai lady. Work 3 years with work permit and paying taxes on a minimu income of 80K baht. Apply for permanent residency and wait for at the moment an unknown number of years for it to be approved. After getting PR wait for a minimum of two years (total of 5 needed) to a apply for citizenship with about the same requirements as PR and then wait an unknown number of years.

Lets say if I do not plan to work, will the authorities check how much assets you are bringing into the country? I plan to bring a huge lump sum of money into the country and not work.

If I do get married, what would the timeline look like? Many thanks in advance!!

Thanks for all the constructive information you guys have supplied me with. Do keep them coming!

Any information of other location to retire would be good!

[Mario2008]

Visa requirements haven't change much, what has changed is that the rules are enforced more strictly.

[watcharacters]

Visa requirements haven't change much, what has changed is that the rules are enforced more strictly.

.

Are you suggesting that ฿20K for those financially challenged no longer works to forgive the 800K seasoned requirement?

[johntren]

Having lived in both countries I would suggest you think very carefully about this. The words frying pan and fire come to mind. Rent before you try to buy would be my advice.

Sent from my GT-S7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I would think moving to rural Isaan would be more cost effective (budgeting expenses) over i.e. Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai

the cost of living is much lower. Just choose a issan city where there is a airport and good accessibility.

Many costs in rural Issan are higher than costs near to ChiangMai.

[NanLaew]

I would think moving to rural Isaan would be more cost effective (budgeting expenses) over i.e. Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai

the cost of living is much lower. Just choose a issan city where there is a airport and good accessibility.

Many costs in rural Issan are higher than costs near to ChiangMai.

For example?

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I would think moving to rural Isaan would be more cost effective (budgeting expenses) over i.e. Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai

the cost of living is much lower. Just choose a issan city where there is a airport and good accessibility.

Many costs in rural Issan are higher than costs near to ChiangMai.

For example?

16kg propane refill, CM 300bht, 50bht more in Issan Village

[Issangeorge]

PinkBurnsBlack, instead of selling your house in Singapore, why don't you rent it live off the income come to Thailand and travel around and see if it's for you. You said you have a Thai girlfriend, if you are fhinking of marring her, I would suggest you check out the area of the country she comes from first. Don't worry about citizenship so you can own a house, there are many ways to protect yourself without actually owning it. However you already own a house in Singapore, rent it out and then rent here, you can always sell it and buy here later.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NanLaew]

I would think moving to rural Isaan would be more cost effective (budgeting expenses) over i.e. Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai

the cost of living is much lower. Just choose a issan city where there is a airport and good accessibility.

Many costs in rural Issan are higher than costs near to ChiangMai.

For example?

16kg propane refill, CM 300bht, 50bht more in Issan Village

Agreed. At 1 gas bottle every year, that's the equivalent of (almost) a couple of bottles of lao khao so not insignificant.

[NanLaew]

In the OP's eyes, what are the benefits of getting Thai citizenship? I appreciate that there's a growing dissatisfaction in Singapore but I understood it was mainly with the older generations... like the OP's mother? Hard to see where a 20 year-old would have experienced enough to give it all up. Unless that US$485,000 property isn't really the OP's. If indeed it is, the last place I would think of parking my arse is LOS.

[Naam]

the OP wants useful information. so instead of telling him the price difference of a gas cylindre bought in Chiang Mai or in Nakhon Nowhere he should be told "give up your juvenile wet dream about moving to Thailand!"

[Morakot]

Want to move to Thailand with citizenship in 10years time

[...]

would be enough for me to get married to a thai wife and have 1-3 children

[...]

I would hopefully retire at 30 as well...

Start learning to walk before trying to run.

Welcome to Thaivisa!

We feel you will be a welcome addition to this forum.

Edited July 16, 2013 by Morakot

[wprime]

Considering your young age you will find it easy to acquire citizenship. The pathway to this would be to learn Thai, enroll in a degree at Chula. Demonstrate that you're hard working and will be an asset to Thai society, someone high enough at the uni will assist you with getting citizenship.

Phuket is not a good place to stay, it's not safe from natural disasters, it's not safe from crime, some locals are nice, some aren't.

Your plan is workable but keep in mind you're still young, many things will change over time. You may find yourself bored of Thailand after a while and considering the amount you'll invest, you may very well regret it.

[farang000999]

OP why do you need Thai citizenship? Just keep your Singaporean citizenship. That is like wanting to trade in a Ferrari for a used Volvo. Keep your money invested in Singapore and live off the interest. Start a Thai business if you want to. Foreigners cannot own land in Thailand so I would only purchase a condo not a home.

[StreetCowboy]

Have you done your military service? It would be worth checking whether time in the Thai military could count against you NS obligations in Singapore, as the Thai requirements are much less onerous.

SC

[Naam]

Considering your young age you will find it easy to acquire citizenship.

all what you need is to find a bottle with a "Jinn" to release which will grant you three wishes. an alternative would be to talk to the Tooth Fairy and ask for assistance.

[Morakot]

Considering your young age you will find it easy to acquire citizenship.

all what you need is to find a bottle with a "Jinn" to release which will grant you three wishes. an alternative would be to talk to the Tooth Fairy and ask for assistance.

Especially you need to ask her to make you old enough to be exempt from conscription in order to be legally entitled to apply.

Edited July 16, 2013 by Morakot

[Gone]

"Thailand is such an unstable country right now for foreigners..."

Gone, Can you give an example of that?

Thanks

If you actually need examples then I suggest you read more.