Moving To Chaing Rai Need Info On Visa

[Thailand-Sawadee]

I am considering moving to Chaing Rai, I am over 50 and would like to know the process for living there for at least 5 or more years.

I do not plan on working there but am concerned on the visa requirements. Some of the questions that come to mind are:

1. How long can I stay in Thailand?

2. Is it possible to live there legally for 5 + years?

3. Going to Burma from Chaing Rai, is this the best method for extending a visa?

4. What is the most cost effective way and to what location for a visa extention?

One last question: What is a realistic dollar (US) amount for living/eating/etc. in Chaing Rai?

A middle of the road ball park dollar figure would help me guage what is realistic ofr living there.

Thank you

My email address is:

//email removed//

[soap]

hello sawadee

welcome to chaingrai,in my opinion its the best place in the world i have lived here for over 15 years, been married to a diamond of a thai wife since i came here we have two wonderful kids and we are a really happy family. but beware i am sure many many farang will agree with me this is not allways the case plenty of relationships finish up on the rocks mabe the thai culture does not suit the western way of life.

visas= if you are married to a thai you can apply for a one year visa if you have 400,000 bhat in the bank you must come in on a non imigrant visa cat =O

if you are over 55 you can get a retirement visa if you have 800,000 bhat in the bank or can show cash in the bank and a good monthly pension coming in again you must have a cat=0visa

you can apply before you come in for i think but i am not sure a one year mullible entry visa that enables you to stay for one year as long as you go over the border a couple of times ayear this is no ploblem up here as the border is only 65k away.

i know many farang who dont have a visa they just go to the border once a month to get a 30 day extention

cost of living in my opinion is very cheap in chaingrai if you shop at the markets a lot of the fruit and veg comes in from china whitch is not that far away,i would say you could rent a decent house for 5,000 bhat depending on what you want, i would say i live very well but dont go overboard on 30,000 bhat a month and that keeps me and the family very well thank you.

if you are coming to live in chaingrai please beware like every were in thailand people want to sell you everything you cannot own land so beware before you spend any big money take advice from people who know

[lopburi3]

The requirements for an extension of stay for retirement are a monthly income of 65,000 baht as certified by your Embassy or 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account or a combination. The minimum age is now 50 years. You no longer require a non immigration visa before arrival as a 60 day tourist visa can be converted by Immigration inside Thailand. You also have the option to do this in your home country before arrival by applying for a non immigrant O-A visa. Money then does not have to be in Thailand until following years when yearly extension is due.

Thirty day visa runs may or may not be an option down the road as even now they sometimes balk at providing them long term. If you can meet the para one requirements it should be plan A.

[Maestro]

I am considering moving to Chaing Rai, I am over 50 and would like to know the process for living there for at least 5 or more years.

1. How long can I stay in Thailand?

2. Is it possible to live there legally for 5 + years?

3. Going to Burma from Chaing Rai, is this the best method for extending a visa?

4. What is the most cost effective way and to what location for a visa extention?

One last question: What is a realistic dollar (US) amount for living/eating/etc. in Chaing Rai?

A middle of the road ball park dollar figure would help me guage what is realistic ofr living there.

1. Indefinitely, with the right kind of visa and annual extensions. Lopburi has given you the visa information.

2. Yes.

3. No. You apply for and receive your annual extensions of stay at the local immigration office. When you wish to travel abroad, you must obtain a re-entry permit at the immigration office before leaving the country. (Can be obtained also at Bangkok airport, before flying out, but generally you may find it more convenient to get it at the immigration office)

4. There is a flat fee of THB 1,900 for the annual extension of stay; no discussion of cost effectiveness here. For location, see point 3 above.

If you’re talking about cost effectiveness of visa and extensions for 5 years, this is more difficult to answer.

Some people live in Thailand for years on end without ever getting a visa. They arrive without visa, get a 30-stamp on arrival, then do a border run every 30 days to get a new 30-stamp on arrival. Somebody else will probably tell you about the cost of such border run from Chiangrai, but as Lopburi says some border immigration officials are not always happy to see a foreigner getting too many repeat 30-stamps and sometimes would say “next time go to another border point”.

You place emphasis on staying legally and while continuous border runs are, strictly speaking, not illegal the best way to fit your described plan is to enter on a non-immigrant visa, category O. (In your visa application, give “checking retirement possibility in Thailand” as the reason) Upon entry, you will be granted 90 days and during the last 30 days you go to the immigration office to apply for your first annual extension.

The minimum 800,000 Baht in a savings account, remitted from abroad, you need to show as part of your application for extension remains your money, of course, to spend as you please, and therefore is not part of your cost of visa and extension. For subsequent applications for extension, you need not bring in 800,000 Baht every time; it is sufficient to top up the account to be over 800,000 Baht again, the required remittance from abroad depending on how much you spent during the preceding 12 months.

Or, as Lopburi mentioned, if you have pension income, give immigration a letter from you embassy to confirm that income (give Chianrai immigration 2 copies, keep the original for re-use). Also here, it is not necessary to remit from abroad the whole THB 65,000 Baht every month, just what you need for your expenses. When applying for your first extension based on pension income, you should already be able to show a savings account with some money in it so that immigration knows that you have some funds (and are not working illegally) to support yourself.

As to living expenses, that depends really very much on your living style. Perhaps you can find some answers in the Chiangrai Forum.

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Maestro

[Thailand-Sawadee]

Soasp, Lopburi3, Maestro:

Thank you all very very much!

Although all my questions have been answered, it has now raised other important considerations for me.

Based on some of your answers it has stimulated interest in that I must plan this very carefully otherwise my dream of relocating to Thailand may not materialize.

Example of considerations:

I am 54; I have a family, wife and son who are not Thai nationals.

Obviously, I cannot purchase land so this presents some additional challenges.

What I do know is that I am adamant about settling in Chaing Rai since it has much of its natural beauty, the people seem caring and genuine, and I felt good about my recent experiences having visited there.

I recently made a trip to Thailand (without the family) and I am now spell bound with Chaing Rai. I have been to Thailand before, visiting Chaing Mai 22 years ago. As you all know, it was much cleaner then.

A few weeks ago, I revisited my footsteps and although Chaing Mai still had charm, it was extremely crowded and the air was thick.

From Chaing Mai I took a 2 hr. ride (by car) to the pier. I climbed onto a long tail boat, taking a boat ride for 6 hours enjoying the Makok River to Chaing Rai. A couple of times along the way, I stopped off to visit a Tribe where I brought some food for the children. It was quite an experience for me. Seeing the families along the water edge, feeding the children, made me feel good and made me think that I could somehow do more for them in the future.

My finances - not what I would like them to be:

Example, I do not have a pension.

I am not eligible for retirement Social Security until 62, 66, or 70 years of age.

I can pullout my retirement savings early but have to pay a heavy penalty of 30%.

If I sold my house and my material belongings, I could probably have in my hands approximately 10 million baht, which is really not that much long term. This of course would have to hold me until 62 years when I become eligible for Social Security. Of course, that assumes that Social Security would still be available to me. (Assuming that you may not be aware the US government is considering major changes to the SS system)

I realize that this account of my personal information probably seems unwise to some of you. However, I am trying to fulfill a dream to move to Thailand and I am somewhat frustrated because I would like to do it now and not have to wait years to make it happen. The other frustrating aspect is that I am not aware of all the legal requirements to make such a move and what the Thai immigration expects of me. From what I am hearing, with a pension, 800,000 baht has to be available each time I renew my visa for extension. This would essentially freeze funds exclusively for showing Thai immigration.

Contingency plan – If I am not able to pull this off, my contingency plan is to relocate to Taiwan. My wife is Taiwanese and apparently, I would be able to live in that Country with her without to many obstacles. The cost would be somewhat higher than Thailand (Chaing Rai) but food and medical expenses would not be inflated like the US. Taiwan would also be close enough to Chain Rai (3 hour or less). If I could fly there a couple times a years for 1-3 months, I think I could be happy.

Why am I even considering this?

As I get older, I am realizing that with the cost of medical expenses here in the US, it can and most likely eats all my funds/savings and I cannot let that happen.

Thailand is the only place in the world (my opinion) where the people genuinely open their hearts to foreigners. If you smile at them, they will smile too. It is a warm friendly place and it all feels so right. As I get older, I am looking for a simpler way of life with all the stress. I want to live Sabai, Sabai.

Again, thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge on my original questions.

[lopburi3]

You obviously still have the rose colored glasses on - I would urge you not to leap until you have long term experience. The tourist life and life living here can be very different. Not everyone can adapt. As for medical expense, if there are no facilities I guess you would not have much expense. But if you do require treatment for anything major it can cost here also. Not as much as the US of course but if you have no insurance/medicare it could be a problem. Having a wife from Taiwan I would think that to be the better choice. You mention a son but give no details. If school age that will be a major expense. If adult he will have to make his own way. Retirement provides no customs exemptions so anything sent here would be subject to full duties.

From what I am hearing, with a pension, 800,000 baht has to be available each time I renew my visa for extension. This would essentially freeze funds exclusively for showing Thai immigration.

It would not freeze funds but at the same time each year it would have to be topped up to that level. If you have pension income as certified by Embassy (when SS kicks in) it only has to be enough to make up for the monthly shortfall - not the full 800k.

[Thailand-Sawadee]

It sounds like I need to do some additional research on the medical portion. One of my major considerations for relocating had to do with the raising cost of medical expense in the US. Fortunately, I do not have any medical issues to deal with at this time but Father Time may change that.

As for the rose-colored glasses, I somewhat agree in that I am a dreamer but always have been. I do not feel that it would be that difficult to adapt provided my health remains good. There has to come a point in the decision making process where you make the change from tourist to reality, right? I have always had the dream to go to Thailand and the first time I visited there, I fell in love with the place. Admittedly, it had a lot to do with the girls at that time but that was not all. The people, the setting, the climate, environment, natural beauty, temples, the cost of most items all were attractions.

I have been visiting Thailand each year for the past 22 years and I have not changed in the way I feel about the people and my dream to someday live there. Early on, I was married to a girl from Ubon and quickly learned the hard way with broken heart and lost money. Now, I am married to a gem and my interests have changed in that regard.

The people of Thailand amaze me in how they seem to treat me with so much respect. In turn, I do the same. I am always allowing myself to be open to whatever I experience and I do show respect to the people. I have seen a lot of tourist act absurd and disrespectful to the people with little regard for the Country. This in no way represents the way I am.

As for my Son, he is only 15, and there is no way that he wants to live in Thailand. I may have to wait it out and not be so selfish until he grows up and is able to be on his own. Today, I do not know when that will be! It may be 21, 25 or 30. I will have to see how things go. In the mean time, I may just have to keep being the yearly tourist until that special day comes when I am able to make the change. My hope is that Chaing Rai will still be a nice quite place to settle down and relax.