Advice wanted for a family move to Thailand

Hi there,

Look at the Thai embassy in London for visa : http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/4

For international school in Thailand, list can be found here : http://isat.or.th/schools ( just filter the area ) - Where I live british international school accreditated Cambridge International Examination ( CIE ) see the website : http://www.cie.org.uk/i-want-to/find-a- … ge-school/ cost for my daughter around 200,000 THB per year for Y4 and go up to 350,000 THB for Y12

Sorry I don't live near the sea, other will give you advice.

As foreigner you can buy condominium, but if you are looking to buy villa, you can lease 30 years the land as foreigner can not buy land.

Lhasalover wrote:

hello there,

We are a small family with dog looking to move from the UK to Thailand - I think Koh Samui but again advice is welcome. We are looking for a place near the sea so we can swim and enjoy the marine life. I have a 4 yr old daughter so we are looking for advice on pre-school/primary schools, and looking for somewhere with a good community feel. We have travelled a lot and have realised the value in finding friends so the community is really important to me.

We run an internet based business so internet is a must. Also if you could direct me to a good website for Visa information? Is it the same as Malaysia with basic tourist visa of only 90 days?

Thanks in advance for all your help,

L

I'm sure one of the Thai Islands or the Gulf Coast or Krabi might well suit your needs. However before you get too excited there is one very important issue you need to address i.e. a Thai visa. I notice you mention a good visa site so I guess you are aware.

No Thailand is not like Malaysia on a number of things including visas. Back to back tourist visas could be an issue here. Working remotely is less of a problem but you need to understand you would be flying below the radar and the risks that attracts.

Your daughters schooling might not be an issue, providing you land near an international school and can fund her education. On the other hand the dog might be an issue. No problem bringing it, providing you comply with the Department of Livestock regulations, they have a website. However it can be a "dogs life" for a pampered pooch here in Thailand were the feral dog population is not well controlled. It's also bloody hot here for a hound used to northern climes like Macclesfield :-)

For some free and unbiased visa advice check out ThaiVisa

This reply may sound a little negative but I am a northerner too so I guess you might understand. Mind you perhaps not looking at the flags on your profile

Lhasalover wrote:

We are a small family with dog

You will find all explanations about Passengers Traveling with Pets ( into or out of the country ) on below link :

http://airportthai.co.th/main/en/687-pa … -with-pets

The main department in charge of this in Thailand is called "Department of Livestock Development" : http://www.dld.go.th

Good luck to your family and your dog..

Can I ask a question which might be relevant?  Wont it be difficult to get a child accepted into a school without a formal immigration status?

Gravitas wrote:

Can I ask a question which might be relevant?  Wont it be difficult to get a child accepted into a school without a formal immigration status?

The school will provide all the documentations necessary to obtain this type of visa.

Some school will have on their website the form to download for visa in same place as the form for admission and fees !! ( whole package )

Some school will process everything as they have department dealing for teachers visa and they have fast track entry point in immigration ( like visa company ).

Thai law states that school tuition must be paid in full for the entire school year in order to obtain this type of visa ( Student visa / ED Visa )

School can not enroll or allow a student to attend school if they do not have a non-immigrant visa.

No - what I mean is - if the parents don't have a formal immigration status (not sure what the minimum would be) they are not able to accept the child into the school.  e.g  people on tourist visas will not be able to have their child enter the school. Sorry for not being clear. Who has to have the non-immigrant visa? Parents and child?

Yes, the visa does seem to be the biggest (or ultimate) problem. I was hoping that there may have been a visa like the MM2H but it looks like we have nothing to offer Thailand! I will keep looking though - maybe I could train as a teacher?

As for the dog - she came with us to Malaysia so she is able to cope with the heat (in fact she loves a good sunbathe and dip in the sea). Obviously though I don't want to put her through all that flying if there is a chance we would get deported after 60 days.

The reason we were looking at Thailand was really to give our daughter an education in a culture that is more about enjoying life, food and nature, rather than having money and possesions. All the kids here seem to talk about is iPhones and Tattoos.

Maybe I will look at Malaysia again?

This one is an extract from immigration FAQ ( I think it is what they call guardian )

35. Question : What are the requirements for The Foreigner wishing to stay in The Kingdom on The purpose of staying with his/her child/children studying in Thailand?

Answer : 1. Firstly Foreigner (only father or mother) has to obtain  Non-immigrant Visa
                2. Proof of relationship

     - In case of children, they must not be married , must live with the alien as a part of the family and must not be over 20 years of age.   
     – In case of parents only father or mother must have deposit account in a bank in Thailand.
     -  Only father or mother must have deposit account in a bank in Thailand under the father's or the mother's name of no less than 500,000 Baht for the past three months. For the first year only,  proof of a deposit account must have been maintained no less than 30 days prior or to the date of application.

Malaysia MM2H has very high qualifying factors and deposit the under 50s.  Back to back 90 day visas would not enable you to enrol your daughter. However, there can be guardian/parent visas depending of the age of the child. I think the youngest is 6 years old. You would need to show employment and income to get a g/p visa.