Dec06
Retire in Thailand?
itsbobusa asked:
Is it economically advisable for an American to retire in Thailand? What are Immigration requirements (i.e., how long am I allowed to stay on a tourist visa)? Are apartments or condo’s reasonably priced near the ocean, etc.?
Tags: Apartments, Immigration Requirements, retire in thailand, retirement in thailand, Tourist Visa
December 8th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Your best source for this information would probably be escapeartist.com. Subscribe to their newsletter and they have all the info you need from real estate to effectively buying a new home abroad.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
many people retire in thailand, and you can stay there on tourist visas but you will have to regularly leave the country to get new ones, which is a pain in the backside. In theory you can only do this a certain number of times before having to spend longer outside of the country but in practice, as long as you look financially secure and act in a dignified manner, you will rarely, if ever, encounter problems from immigration.
if you hook yourself up with a thai woman and marry you can apply for an ‘O’ type visa which gives you leave to stay although you have to deposit around 400k thai baht in a thai bank account and have an income of around 40k per month coming in from outside the country.
buying property is very problematic and you can forget about owning your own house and land in your name, unless you have about 1 million US $ to invest in thailand. you can purchase a condo but there are rules governing that as well.
If you are single or are married to a non-thai and plan to remain that way, your best bet is to do the tourist visa thing, and rent your own apartment which can be done cheaply compared to western prices.
start practicing jumping through hoops as the thai authorities delight in making you do this at every opportunity.
however, thailand is a wonderful country with lovely people and a great place to spend your golden years. you can find more info out and get a better answers to your questions by visiting and posting on the ex-pat forum.
good luck and i hope you enjoy your new life in the land of smiles!!!
December 8th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Great place for retirement!! — – I am an American retired here and would have to, with all respect for others opinions, disagree w/some of the above answer. I have a retirement visa which allows me a yr stay before renewal and I found the Thai officials very very helpful. You do have to meet certain requirements.
Compared to other places, you will find the cost of living in general far less expensive than USA.. or other foreign nations that are specializing in retirement. I would certainly recommend renting for various reasons, for at least a year. But it has all the wonders of a tropical paradise, great food, exceptional medical faciliites – and a unique and exotic population who truly make the environment special.. The choices of potential locale for you are quite wide – - from toursity places w/movies & shopping & international restaurants – to more quiet and secluded on a sliding scale.. If you have never been here before, I think a visit first is a must, just to check the place out.. but most really love it here.. I know many retired people on all sorts of budgets, but the lifestyle here is not easy to beat.. Most lack or want for nothing and find more here than possible back home.. well, I can go on but if you want more info, feel free to contact me and let me know more of what you are interested in as to a retirement locale..