# thinking of moving to thailand



## jasmine_ann

i need to gather some intel before i go any further.
what i need to know are the following things.
#1 what is required to move to thailand, visa'a and so forth and who do i contact regarding this.
#2 what is the cost of living like? i am disabled and recieving social security disability and get around $900 a month
#3 what is medical care like there and how costly is insurence for medical.
#4 can i get my disability check sent to thailand ?
#5 i understand i cannot own property but i can own or rent a condo, how costly is it to rent a nice apartment or condo ?
#6 can you own a gun in thailand, i have a concealed carry permit where i am now, what are the gun laws like there?
#7 what is a nice area to live in ? not too expensive and a nice area.
#8 how hard is it to learn the local language ?

if i could get some answers to theese questions i would be most greatfull.
thank you kindly
Jasmine


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## oddball

*moving to Thailand*



jasmine_ann said:


> i need to gather some intel before i go any further.
> what i need to know are the following things.
> #1 what is required to move to thailand, visa'a and so forth and who do i contact regarding this.
> #2 what is the cost of living like? i am disabled and recieving social security disability and get around $900 a month
> #3 what is medical care like there and how costly is insurence for medical.
> #4 can i get my disability check sent to thailand ?
> #5 i understand i cannot own property but i can own or rent a condo, how costly is it to rent a nice apartment or condo ?
> #6 can you own a gun in thailand, i have a concealed carry permit where i am now, what are the gun laws like there?
> #7 what is a nice area to live in ? not too expensive and a nice area.
> #8 how hard is it to learn the local language ?
> I think your monthly income is too low to 'Move' to Thailand , you can get an entry visa at a local embassy or 'Visa on arrival in Thailand'
> Cost of living is good and well within your $900.00 range , but will not stretch to a 'Nice apartment or condo'
> Medical care is excellent , cost of insurance will vary a great deal on your current disabilities .
> Why do you need to carry a gun ? Area to live? Dependant on your needs and mobility .
> Learning the language , not easy unless you are gifted towards languages , but not too difficult to learn passable wordage to help you navigate.
> There are more knowledgable people who subscribe to this forum who can advise you on the state of affairs in Thailand at this time , but this will at least put you in the picture . Colin


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## prince20260

#1 what is required to move to thailand, visa'a and so forth and who do i contact regarding this.
if you are > 50 u can get a one year visa. Under 50 years only 9 month visa.
#2 what is the cost of living like? i am disabled and recieving social security disability and get around $900 a month
It depends on your living style, if u only want eat only a rice ( kao pad thai) three times a day 20.000 Baht would be o.k. Normal is 40.000 Baht up. And, a single must put 800.000 Bath on the bank for get a long time visa.( Non-O-visa) Do have this money ?
#3 what is medical care like there and how costly is insurence for medical.
Info u get here: bangkokpattayahospital Think about: No money - no honey !
#4 can i get my disability check sent to thailand ?
I do not know
#5 i understand i cannot own property but i can own or rent a condo, how costly is it to rent a nice apartment or condo ?
It is easy to rent, prices start 2.000 Baht, normal price for a good condo is 10.000 Baht. 
#6 can you own a gun in thailand, i have a concealed carry permit where i am now, what are the gun laws like there?
For what u need a gun for ?
#7 what is a nice area to live in ? not too expensive and a nice area.
The one million dollar question. In Thailand u must have a money. Even the Tourist police wants u to have about 40.000 Baht a month. I think u can not live in Thailand with only 900 Dollars ( 27.000 Baht)
#8 how hard is it to learn the local language ?
The local laguage is the Thai Bath. Most thai people want your money and they are not interested in talking with u for free. But if you make a present, say 500 bath per day, they talk with u all the day long ! But u have only 27.000 Bath, so u must calculate 15.000 for "talking".


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## oddball

I think there is a reasonable amount of information in the post from Prince that is misleading .
You cannot get a long time visa with less than 800,000 Baht that has been in a thai bank for 3 months,you cannot rent an apartment for 2,000 baht a month, you do not need to pay some one to talk to you and the tourist police have nothing to do with your income , etc ???? I left Thailand almost 3 years ago so i am not up to date with the constantly changing reqirements . Colin


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## synthia

Have you ever been to Thailand?

Is your disability such that you have difficulty getting around? Because there are steps that are too high, rough roads, sidewalks that are used as parking spots, restaurants, and stores, forcing you off and on curbs. The concept of 'handicapped accessibility' just isn't there.

I agree that $900 is not enough, especially if the baht rises again. The baht went from 37 to the dollar to 30 to the dollar in just a few months. Only a few years ago, it was at 42. 

If you are American and get social security disability, I'm pretty sure that they will deposit your money there. However, with the prevalence of ATMs, that probably isn't necessary.

If your disability check is adjusted annually for inflation, remember that it will be adjusted according to inflation at home, not where you are lliving. So if you are American, and checks are adjusted by 2.3% (this year's figure), and inflation in Thailand is more than that, you will lose even if the exchange rate stays constant.

I am looking for a place to retire, and am concluding that the places for the truly low income retiree are disappearing rapidly.


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## oddball

You did not say you had chosen Bangkok specifically , the first time i came to Thailand i stayed in an area called Rangsit which is situated just outside of BKK proper . A very clean , small town with everything you may need , the living was cheaper at that time and the side-walks less restrictive , i paid only 1,250 Baht for a small house in an enclosed enclave , own restaraunt , park , security etc . Check it out on the web . Still need the 800,000 or show 65,000 monthly income to qualify for Ó'visa . Colin


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## KhwaamLap

OK, my two satang's worth...probably not much different from OddBall's...

#1 what is required to move to thailand, visa'a and so forth and who do i contact regarding this.
Several ways, but much to remember - and much dependant on your circumstances.
If you are over 50, you can get an OA (usually get and O and then convert to OA in Thailand) - this is a retirement VISA. If you are single you will need either 800k Baht in the bank (documented and for at least 3 months) - some consulates want this to be in Thailand, others do not have this requirement - or 65k/month (proof of this is required - usually from your embassy) or a combination of the two. If you have a Thai wife, its halved. 
If you are under 50 and are married to a Thai, you can get an O visa, but will have to report every 90 days and leave every 12-15 months to renew the VISA - will need to show 40k/month of joint income (with proof) - there is no bank deposit (lump sum) variant any more. You can get a job/company (Americans can get Amnity status) and get an O B, but needas a work permit otherwise it expires. Otherwise, you can get an ED Visa (O ED) to study, say, Thai - you will need to report every 90 days and pay 1.9k each time and renew out of country each year. You can do this for a maximum of 5 years (if your courses advance), but rarely more than 3 so I hear. Other than that, a tourist Visa gives you 60-90 days and you can VISA run, but have to be out of country for 3 months in every 6. The 3m investment visa is no more, but there is a 10 m illion version still oipen. Or, if you're a gambling man, you could purchase a Gold Card. Look all this up on THAIVISA.COM.
#2 what is the cost of living like? i am disabled and recieving social security disability and get around $900 a month
With a weak Dollar and strong Baht, its painful. This is not enough income for OA or even marriage Visa. At around 27k Baht, you would struggle to survive unless you can suppliment that. Depending where you live, your rent will eat most of that. BKK will probably eat it all for anywhere half decent. Car insurance and electricity is also expensive. Western food is around about the same as in the west. Thai food is cheap, as is eating out, especially roadside. I personally think you would need more to have a happy life here. Medical is cheap, but still costs. I would suggest somewhere like Chiang Mai, housig is cheaper, here are a lot of expats, many retirees - has better weather than BKK and good hosptals etc. There are regular meet ups etc with other CM expats - and help groups.
#3 what is medical care like there and how costly is insurence for medical.
Insurance isn't that cheap - I suppose it depends on your profile and age too. Medical care is cheaper than the west generally. Hospitals are generally clean, efficient and very good. Chemosts can 'perscribe' drugs too (i.e. they can sell some stuff over the counter that are perscription only in some western countries) and are good for run of the mill complaints.
#4 can i get my disability check sent to thailand ?
Check out THAIVISA.COM forum, someone will be doing this and already explained how
#5 i understand i cannot own property but i can own or rent a condo, how costly is it to rent a nice apartment or condo ?
You can not own land (legally, although there are some loopholes if you are a gambling man). You can own a Condo (if over 50% are Thai owned in the block). Technically you can own the buildings, just not ther land. This can be protected using USUFRUCTs (discussed here before). You can lease for 30 years with a 30 years option on top (contracted). Renting is safer, but not much of an investment. Thais do not need much in the way of planning permission, so that beautiful house you just bought could suddenly be inbetween a night club and a motocycle repair shop (Thais often run such businesses from their houses, so being in a ready made street may not help this much) - renting avoids this, you move.
#6 can you own a gun in thailand, i have a concealed carry permit where i am now, what are the gun laws like there?
No you can not - unless you are a Thai citizen or have special exception (such as embassy guards etc). It is a serious offence to have one, and in Thailand, bloody dangerous as you could well be shot by the BiB (Boy in Brown - cops) - or by someone wanting to steal it or rob you.
#7 what is a nice area to live in ? not too expensive and a nice area.
Chiang Mai is my suggestion based on the very limited information you gave. It is cheaper to live in the sticks (almost anywhere around the edges that is not coastal), given your medical needs and apparant lack of knowledge of Thailand, I would go somewhere were it is easier to get fellow farrang (westerner) help and english speaking emergency services etc.
#8 how hard is it to learn the local language ?
Assuming you mean National Thai (Central Thai) and not LAOS, LANNA, etc, there are many schools and methodologies - some will help you with your Visa too. As a language, its tonal (like Chinese), so hard for the western ear and tongue to reproduce at first. However, perseverance wil pay dividends. Reading Thai script is much easier than pictographic texts (Chinese/Japanese/Korean/etc), but still quite difficult. This isn't too much of a problem though, many expats live here for decades and can not say much more than a few words - especially in major tourist areas.

One thing tough, why Thailand? Is there a reason? CamboIia and Vietnam are both up and coming areas, much loved by new expats and your money will go a lot further (and their authorities seem to want expats unlike Thai authorities).


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## oddball

*thinking of thailand*

Hello Jasmine,
Please may i try to put this problem into perspective , you are on a pension of $900.00 per month , you would like to move to Thailand(why?) , you can rent a furnished apartment in a guest house for 8/9,000 Baht per month,you cannot afford a car ,taxis are reasonable any-way , western food is reasonable in some areas , thai food is much cheaper and available everywhere(if you can eat it),it gets very hot at some times of the year and very wet at others , clothing etc is cheap(by comparison) , buses are frequent and very cheap to use , you can usually find a person who speaks English to help you or converse with you , health care can be expensive even though it is far less than 'back home', but i found it to be good to excellent , if you have no problems walking , you will be able to navigate the streets .
Your visa is your main problem .Sorry , this is the smallest nut-shell i could find to put it all in . Colin


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## Erynn

I am Thai, speak Thai , can also work in Thailand. However, if I'm living on pension $900.- I will not choose Thailand as the place to retired , unless I want to live in a temple as a homeless one who just needs enough food and shelter. You can recieve free medical care from every teaching hospital/university including dental works, and most 10-30 beds hospitals. Nevertheless, it will drive me nuts to be in this beautiful country without the means to go around, see things, and eat delicious food. I agree that spending $900.- in Vietnam or Combodia would be wiser spending. If you can get around the VIsa problem, you can survive in more remote places of Thailand- No BKK, Pattaya, Chiangmai, any big city. Try Pangha, Krabi, Lumpoon, Srisaket, ect. And you can rent a room from locals instead of an apartment or a house.


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## Steve-W

I hope al goes well for you with your move


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## Hugh Jarse

*Shipping belongings to Thailand*

Can anyone recommend a removals co. who can ship household goods, books CD's etc, and a few pieces of furniture. Planning on moving from London to Chiang Mai in late August.Thanks in advance for any useful info.


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