Long term stay - optimal actions

[jspill]

I'd do Ed visa for 1.5 years or so (or longer with advanced courses) then reevaluate after that, a lot could change in your plans in that time. It's also quite hard to get divorced if you marry here, so don't rush into that.

[tribalfusion001]

I'd do Ed visa for 1.5 years or so (or longer with advanced courses) then reevaluate after that, a lot could change in your plans in that time. It's also quite hard to get divorced if you marry here, so don't rush into that.

Divorce can be quite easy if it's a mutual agreement. Mine took about an hour, luckily enough I didn't have anything she could take, apart from my large suitcase which she kept. I didn't like it anyway, but it was more useful than a wife 555

Edited December 16, 2015 by tribalfusion001

[RichardThailand]

My formal education is irrelevant as i never proceeded what i once at young ages chose to study as time went by and our world and my view on life and mindset strongly changed,

I believe that along the way i have gathered some great knowledge skills interacting with many great minds whom all showed me one way or another coin sides of business world. Of course, there is tons more on that..But i don't feel it is the place to do so unless you can give me a good reason. By at the end of the day it does not matter. I have a healthy mind and i so far in life I been able do anything depending on the task I've tend to be on blast more often than not.

It sounds like you would be very qualified to start a successful business in Thailand.

[feelitwell]

You seem to be extremely optomistic about your qualifications and ability to succeed in business here. I wonder how your actual experience will turn out. I too used to think that academic qualifications were not needed by clever people but I was proven wrong.

Some posters seem to assume that we retirees can't speak Thai well but they are wrong. I studied Thai for six hours a day, five days a week, for an entire year before I came here.

Well, we can never know before we start doing something.

And you sir are rather exception than rule about learning language. Its take great consistency to learn some language, especially when you are around it from day to day. I too learned always little bit before moving to new country but best way is just to be around it and then focus on it.

has your GF mentioned the word Sinsod to you yet? And how much it will be, and if you will get any back?

I wholly agree with you about your previous education, it is not what you did but what you can do. Also I am

one of those guys who lived in Thailand for many years but did not even try to learn the language, but luckily

for me my wife spoke English and we now live in Germany and although we are not German we speak German

to each other as well as Thinglish (Mix of Thai and English)

I do know about sin sod and this is truly not an issue. It is not needed in my case neither my gf nor her family expect me to.

Im sad to hear that for many years you spent in Thailand you did not bother to learn the language as it is quite amazing, not that hard and a lot more is open for you when you can speak with locals.

I'd do Ed visa for 1.5 years or so (or longer with advanced courses) then reevaluate after that, a lot could change in your plans in that time. It's also quite hard to get divorced if you marry here, so don't rush into that.

Its reasonable depends how you look on that. I was just looking more into it and got a price tag of healthy 40k per year. This includes 1yr visa and 400h thai language study, so visa cost itself is around 1k baht per month(all included as 3x per year extension for 1900bx3, application for ED abroad for 2kB and some travel expenses.) And for study i pay around 2300b per month which is around 300baht per one class of 2h.

[JackThompson]

... The idea of her to be a business owner and me to be as employee is just a formal fact ...

That business will require at least 2 Thai employees to qualify to hire one foreigner. In many cases, 4 Thai employees per one foreinger. See other threads on that topic. Bottom line, you cannot get a work-permit if you and she are the only ones working for the business.

If doing online work, perhaps you can find 2 (or 4) Thais who can do your type of work and at least cover their own cost? This is something my GF and I have discussed, but the start-up costs for a business here (capitalization, etc) must be considered.

[MajarTheLion]

Getting married just to obtain a visa is a bad idea for several reasons.

Short term your options are to sign up for a language school and get a non 'ED' visa or go outside Thailand for a new tourist visa every three months. Maybe your father would give you 500k baht for a 5 year Thailand elite visa. With that you can stay for 5/6 years.

Long term, once you are married, for the right reasons, you visa problems end.

Working in Thailand is difficult for a foreigner even if married. You need a work permit and for that you need to be employed by a Thai company. Setting up companies/partnerships is expensive and often not practical for a small business.

My situation: I am married to a Thai national, residing in US. Does this mean it will be easier for me to move to Thailand when we retire? We will able to verify funds in bank and/or yearly income stream.

[Singerman]

Getting married just to obtain a visa is a bad idea for several reasons.

Short term your options are to sign up for a language school and get a non 'ED' visa or go outside Thailand for a new tourist visa every three months. Maybe your father would give you 500k baht for a 5 year Thailand elite visa. With that you can stay for 5/6 years.

Long term, once you are married, for the right reasons, you visa problems end.

Working in Thailand is difficult for a foreigner even if married. You need a work permit and for that you need to be employed by a Thai company. Setting up companies/partnerships is expensive and often not practical for a small business.

My situation: I am married to a Thai national, residing in US. Does this mean it will be easier for me to move to Thailand when we retire? We will able to verify funds in bank and/or yearly income stream.

You have the option of either applying for an extension of stay based on retirement or marriage.

In either case the process is easy and renewable on a yearly basis.

You would need a single entry non "O" visa based on marriage or being 50+ years of age prior to applying for an extension of stay.

[feelitwell]

Anyone actually have or do plan to make an Elite card?

I read some thread form couple of years ago and nothing good is sayd about that

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643383-thailand-elite-card-to-be-relaunched-in-june/page-2

Cant find a clear guide how for example

How does the five (5) year visa work?
The Member is granted a special five (5)-year multiple entry VISA with automatic approval of one (1)-year stay. The Member is also exempt from the requirement to leave Thailand extend length of stay but is subject to stay extension fee (1900 THB) as stated in the Thai Immigration and tzaion Service duty charges.

what means automatic one year stay, what about anothed 4years?

What about visa runs and leaving and entering country unlimited times?

[ubonjoe]

Anyone actually have or do plan to make an Elite card?

I read some thread form couple of years ago and nothing good is sayd about that

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643383-thailand-elite-card-to-be-relaunched-in-june/page-2

Cant find a clear guide how for example

How does the five (5) year visa work?

The Member is granted a special five (5)-year multiple entry VISA with automatic approval of one (1)-year stay. The Member is also exempt from the requirement to leave Thailand extend length of stay but is subject to stay extension fee (1900 THB) as stated in the Thai Immigration and tzaion Service duty charges.

what means automatic one year stay, what about anothed 4years?

What about visa runs and leaving and entering country unlimited times?

The only ones saying bad things about it are people that have never had one. There are people that have been here using Thai elite visas since 2003.

The relatively new 5 year membership allows you to get a PE visa that allows unlimited 1 year entries for 5 years. If you don't leave the country for a year you can get a one year extension at immigration for a fee of 1900 baht.

Info on Thai Elite is here: http://www.thailandelite.com/glimpse.php