New members of the Thailand forum, introduce yourselves here - 2022

Hello,
My name is Mel. My wife and I will start building a house in Feb. near Nan. The plan is to retire there in about 3 years. My in-laws live in Bangkok.

Hello. My name is Yasu. A Japanese expat living in Thailand for quite long time.
I obtained Permanent Residency here and now I live in my house in Samut Sakhon with my Thai family.
I'm 60 now and retired but I would like to do something for others rather than just staying at home.
Being retired with nothing to do is something like mild torture.

I should post in job section later but If you have something to do with Japanese, I would be glad to help you.

DOMO ARIGTOU.

Hi

Name is Mark.

I'm planning to make the move to Koh Samui this summer between end June and August with my family. I'm waiting to finish up a few things here in the UK just before then so we can go.

I work remotely and am self-employed with my own software and consultancy companies, so relocating is not an issue and very preferable.

Research re visas and schools is already done and prepped, just diving into healthcare, finding a doctor+dentist+vet etc...
Property is pretty much researched - planning to rent for a year then buy or build, but want to get settled first....

Hoping to meet people here and hopefully do some research on the necessary remaining puzzle pieces for the move...

Hi Friends
We are planning to move to Thailand sometime this year. I have lived in Singapore for 8 years.
Looking to find some new friends and also a nice home and a helper. Please give me some ideas

Hello and welcome
You have a pretty wide open question. Where you want to live depends on many
things. Do you like the mountains, the beach or the city.
You want to live in urban or rural areas.

Some of it depends on your budget and lifestyle.
Many things to consider.

Taking a trip here and doing some touring would help a lot.
Good luck in your search!

Hi Meera again,
Looking to live close to the City. Prefer a two or three bedroom apartment.
Any suggestions
Reagds
Meera

Hi Julien,
My name is Meera and my husbands name is Bala. Our retirement Visa has just been confirmed and we planning to make the move in about 3 to 4 months.
Planning to visit Bangkok soon to rent a place close to Shopping Malls etc. Prefer to live close to the centre of the City but not sure as yet.
In Singapore at the moment and hope to have a great life in Bangkok
Regards
Meera

meera66 wrote:

Hi Julien,
My name is Meera and my husbands name is Bala. Our retirement Visa has just been confirmed and we planning to make the move in about 3 to 4 months.
Planning to visit Bangkok soon to rent a place close to Shopping Malls etc. Prefer to live close to the centre of the City but not sure as yet.
In Singapore at the moment and hope to have a great life in Bangkok
Regards
Meera

Welcome to the Thailand forum.

Now that you've introduced yourself, since you're looking for specific help, please consider starting a new thread where you can fully explain what you're looking for and you can have a back and forth dialogue with people.

Hello. Name is Eugene and I am not looking to move to Thailand but do travel there. I also go frequently to Cambodia and I am subscribed to the Expat Cambodia forum. As I do there I want to make use of the valuable information that all you Expats have. Look forward to connecting.

Welcome Eugene!
Where do you wish to travel in Thailand?
I am in Phuket and it is very busy pretty much back to pre-covid.
If you aren't into big crowds it may not be for you.
I should mention there are places on the island that are away from
the tourists and noise

Steve

Hi friends
We were in Phuket recently and loved the place. We plan to move to Thailand in a couple of months.We found Phuket very hilly and the houses /apartments were on different levels.
Coming to Thailand as a retiree we thought that the ups and downs at a later stage in our life would be very hard.  We are now thinking of Huahin or even Pattaya. Am I right in this assumption
Please let me know

Thankyou very much.
Looking for a three bedroom apartment somewhere close to town . Hope to find one and settle down soon

Hello all. I'm a Dutch expat, 64 years old, living in Pathumthani, Thailand for more than 15 years. I'm especially interested in your health insurance experiences.

Hi All

we are 51 and 53 yo European citizen (mixed married couple) who will retire february 2023 in SEA, mainly in Thailand as a home base.


My wife is from Indonesia, me myself am from Switzerland and we have been traveling to SEA the last 25 + years. Now, our children are already adults and live their own life, so its time for us to move forward.

Our plan is, to live most of the year in Thailand and travel forth and back to Indonesia, sometimes to Europe too. 

Challenges ?  A lot, most hard will be the Thai language, at least the basic one. German, English, Bahasa Indonesia and a bit of Japanese we cover already but Thai....Also the Visa and health insurance issue is a part which matters and still under researching.  We will see as it goes, as we'll end up in Pattaya and join there more the expat community and less the local crowd.

So long

Indo-CH wrote:

Hi All

we are 51 and 53 yo European citizen (mixed married couple) who will retire february 2023 in SEA, mainly in Thailand as a home base.


My wife is from Indonesia, me myself am from Switzerland and we have been traveling to SEA the last 25 + years. Now, our children are already adults and live their own life, so its time for us to move forward.

Our plan is, to live most of the year in Thailand and travel forth and back to Indonesia, sometimes to Europe too. 

Challenges ?  A lot, most hard will be the Thai language, at least the basic one. German, English, Bahasa Indonesia and a bit of Japanese we cover already but Thai....Also the Visa and health insurance issue is a part which matters and still under researching.  We will see as it goes, as we'll end up in Pattaya and join there more the expat community and less the local crowd.

So long

Welcome to the forum.

The first thing that comes to mind that you might want to know: when you start reading about income requirements for retiring in Thailand, those are requirements for one individual and they do not cover the entire family.

So if you and your wife meet all of the qualifications for retirement in Thailand, the income requirements will be much higher.

Someone else can tell you what those specific numbers might be.

Hi  we are a couple over 65 years looking for a retirement home.
We will be travelling to Thailand in mid October for a month in search for a town where we can retire.
Ideally by or close to the sea, not to far from  a city (hospital, airport). Quiet neighborhoods doesn't mean dead ones. With expats around or close by.
Is there such a place?

Arturo1956 wrote:

Hi  we are a couple over 65 years looking for a retirement home.
We will be travelling to Thailand in mid October for a month in search for a town where we can retire.
Ideally by or close to the sea, not to far from  a city (hospital, airport). Quiet neighborhoods doesn't mean dead ones. With expats around or close by.
Is there such a place?

(Copying from my reply to the previous post with similar circumstances)

Welcome to the forum.

The first thing that comes to mind that you might want to know: when you start reading about income requirements for retiring in Thailand, those are requirements for one individual and they do not cover the entire family.

So if you and your wife meet all of the qualifications for retirement in Thailand, the income requirements will be much higher.

Someone else can tell you what those specific numbers might be.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Indo-CH wrote:

Hi All

we are 51 and 53 yo European citizen (mixed married couple) who will retire february 2023 in SEA, mainly in Thailand as a home base.


My wife is from Indonesia, me myself am from Switzerland and we have been traveling to SEA the last 25 + years. Now, our children are already adults and live their own life, so its time for us to move forward.

Our plan is, to live most of the year in Thailand and travel forth and back to Indonesia, sometimes to Europe too. 

Challenges ?  A lot, most hard will be the Thai language, at least the basic one. German, English, Bahasa Indonesia and a bit of Japanese we cover already but Thai....Also the Visa and health insurance issue is a part which matters and still under researching.  We will see as it goes, as we'll end up in Pattaya and join there more the expat community and less the local crowd.

So long

Welcome to the forum.

The first thing that comes to mind that you might want to know: when you start reading about income requirements for retiring in Thailand, those are requirements for one individual and they do not cover the entire family.

So if you and your wife meet all of the qualifications for retirement in Thailand, the income requirements will be much higher.

Someone else can tell you what those specific numbers might be.

Arturo1956 wrote:

Hi  we are a couple over 65 years looking for a retirement home.
We will be travelling to Thailand in mid October for a month in search for a town where we can retire.
Ideally by or close to the sea, not to far from  a city (hospital, airport). Quiet neighborhoods doesn't mean dead ones. With expats around or close by.
Is there such a place?

If you haven't got a clue where to stay one month won't cut it. But you could try Rayong province. A lot of places along the coast and not that expensive and it meets your requirements.

So the 800 thousend bath is for one individual and a married couple has to bring 1.6 mio? Is that correct?

Thats a lot cash for just laying arrournd on a bank account...

Indo-CH wrote:

So the 800 thousend bath is for one individual and a married couple has to bring 1.6 mio? Is that correct?

Thats a lot cash for just laying arrournd on a bank account...

It has to be 800k/person 2 months prior to the application for the 1 year extension. Then those 800k have to be in the account for another 90 days. Then NEVER below 400k until it's time for next 1 year extension when you have to top it up again. The 400k is to be considered as some sort of self insurance if shit happens. But there's no mandatory health insurance for a Non-immigrant O Visa holder. So you can spend 400k during 7 months, BUT don't forget to top it up again, otherwise you're screwed. If you have at least 65k/month in pension, you can use that instead of using the money in the bank method.  The method which might be the best if not having 800k or 65k/month is the combination method. Then you can have some money in the bank + the rest in monthly deposits. You can go 50/50 = 400k in the bank and the rest covered by the monthly pension income. 60/40, 40/60 or what suits you. Everybody with a normal pension or less should meet the financial requirements when using the combination method.

Hi!

I am 30 years old with a Thai wife of the same age. She has been living in Norway for 12 years. We have been together about 7 years, married for a couple of months now in my country Norway, and have twin girls together now 4 years old.

My wife is a professional  hairdresser, and I am a professional mechanic and born and raised farmer.

We plan to move to Thailand permanently, near Buri Ram. My wife and the kids at the end of this year, and me after settling things at home.

We will be living with her family, she is the oldest of two sisters,  tending rice fields and raising some beef cattle. 

My wife will start a business as a hairdresser and build on that, to provide steady income. 

I will work at the farm, and start a one-man workshop for repairing farmgear, tractors, scooters etc.

As i understand it, as long as I am married with a Thai National and have 400k THB in MY bank account, I am allowed to stay in Thailand with my family.

But I dont understand how I can legally work at the farm, especially at my workshop.

Is there anyone here that have and like to share some knowledge and advice regarding my situation? I dont really have someone to talk to about this at home Except my wife.

Thanks in advance for any responce

Tabaek2020 wrote:

Hi!

I am 30 years old with a Thai wife of the same age. She has been living in Norway for 12 years. We have been together about 7 years, married for a couple of months now in my country Norway, and have twin girls together now 4 years old.

My wife is a professional  hairdresser, and I am a professional mechanic and born and raised farmer.

We plan to move to Thailand permanently, near Buri Ram. My wife and the kids at the end of this year, and me after settling things at home.

We will be living with her family, she is the oldest of two sisters,  tending rice fields and raising some beef cattle. 

My wife will start a business as a hairdresser and build on that, to provide steady income. 

I will work at the farm, and start a one-man workshop for repairing farmgear, tractors, scooters etc.

As i understand it, as long as I am married with a Thai National and have 400k THB in MY bank account, I am allowed to stay in Thailand with my family.

But I dont understand how I can legally work at the farm, especially at my workshop.

Is there anyone here that have and like to share some knowledge and advice regarding my situation? I dont really have someone to talk to about this at home Except my wife.

Thanks in advance for any responce

You can not work legally at the farm. Period. You are not even allowed to help out at the farm. That's manual labour meant for Thai people or guest workers, meaning it's a prohibited job for foreigners. So, no work permit. There's no way around it.

Ok thank you for replying. 
But do you know how I can get a work permit for my own workshop?

The rules are hard to comprehend

Tabaek2020 wrote:

Ok thank you for replying. 
But do you know how I can get a work permit for my own workshop?
The rules are hard to comprehend

In my opinion,you won't as a foreigner get a work permit if working in a common workshop even if it's yours. Those work shops are everywhere in Thailand. If the workshop was highly specialized compared to others and you were a skilled engineer it might work, but you would be working with exactly same products as the other workshops. It's one thing being a skilled worker working for a big company, a totally different thing having your own company  and work yourself. That's the problem. Labour laws are very strict in Thailand and very protective to local workers. Read this article (there are many more online):

https://thailand-construction.com/why-i … -thailand/

Thanks again for good answers.

I will have to dig more to find what i want to do

Hello,

My name is Jed & I just got transferred in Thailand this month. I'll be staying here for the next 3 years. I am enjoying the city as it is very foreigner friendly. I look forward to meet fellow expats here to connect and perhaps build lasting friendship. See you!

Hello all
Greetings!

I intended setting up a business in Thailand with a partner and funding it and shuttling between my country in Asia where I live, and Bangkok.
If the business thrives I am think of relocating at least partially to Thailand, maybe. How easy is it to find a business partner? I have only limited means to fund the business but would like to do my best and fund it to the optimum . Most of all I want to fund a business partner who is trustworthy and is willing to put up some of the funds.

Fledge234 wrote:

Hello all
Greetings!

I intended setting up a business in Thailand with a partner and funding it and shuttling between my country in Asia where I live, and Bangkok.
If the business thrives I am think of relocating at least partially to Thailand, maybe. How easy is it to find a business partner? I have only limited means to fund the business but would like to do my best and fund it to the optimum . Most of all I want to fund a business partner who is trustworthy and is willing to put up some of the funds.

It seems like you haven't read up on how it works to open a business in Thailand as a foreigner. The short version: It's not that easy. I suggest you google it.

Thanks for the reply.
No haven't googled it but I will.
However I do notice that there is a ‘find a business partner' section on this very website, and if there is such as section, I presumed, business with foreigners must be entertained, if you get my drift?
However, you seem to be saying it's a tall order?
I will certainly do the research and thanks much for the reply …
Cheers,

Fledge234 wrote:

I do notice that there is a ‘find a business partner' section on this very website, and if there is such as section, I presumed, business with foreigners must be entertained...

"This very website" is built on a shell which offers the same options in all of the listings for all of the countries around the world.

There is no customization for individual countries, thus it's inevitable that some features don't apply for all countries.

Hi
You will like Nan it is a lovely place I used to go there alot when I lived in Phreae.  Any way good luck.

My wife and I recently moved  to Hua Hin from America. Received my retirement visa today! My wife is a Thai and an American citizen  and I am a retired lawyer. We have been married for 12 years and lived in America during that time. We love Hua Hin because it is so expat friendly and very laid back. The weather is great and it's centrally located to travel to the north or the south. We love to travel and eat at great local eateries!

Hey folks,

Just moved to Phuket!  Middle aged American, formerly living in Singapore for the past few years (and lived in Sweden and Canada previously as well).  Planning to base myself in Phuket and don't know a soul yet, just know I really enjoy the island lifestyle (I've been here numerous times while living in Singapore).  Currently in Patong, but plan on exploring a bit more once I get my bearings.  If anyone is around, would be awesome to meet other local expats!

meera66 wrote:

Hi friends
We were in Phuket recently and loved the place. We plan to move to Thailand in a couple of months.We found Phuket very hilly and the houses /apartments were on different levels.
Coming to Thailand as a retiree we thought that the ups and downs at a later stage in our life would be very hard.  We are now thinking of Huahin or even Pattaya. Am I right in this assumption.
Please let me know

You started with saying you wanted to stay in downtown Bangkok. Now you're going for Hua Hin or Pattaya? Those two places are not even remotely the same type and certainly not the same as Bangkok. Have you ever been there? You need to visit both of them to be able to see which place and type of place you like the best. But it's still a pandemic going on and at the moment life here is not the same as before the pandemic.

Hua Hin is my suggestion for you to check out. There is a nice Expat community down there and it's very easy to get around even if you don't speak the language.  Makro is down there and nice Malls. People are friendly & helpful.   We spend a lot of time renting different places.  Patrick

Hi Julian

Thanks for the welcome email.

I am Anjana Radhakrishnan,  a Chartered accountant from  India. I am moving to bangok this May as my husband got promotion with transfer from India.

Currently I am looking for the opportunities as an "Auditor" in Bangok. It would be great if you can help me with this.

Regards
Anjana

Hello everyone my name is Scott, I'm new to the forum. I am about to move to BKK with my wife Pop after living on an island for the last 5 months. Excited for the change but a little daunting to move to BKK after being on a quiet island. I'm looking forward to exploring this site further and meeting new friends.