# Moving to Thailand



## charlie52 (Jan 9, 2014)

I am an Australian expat working in Europe and my wife is Thai. I will be completing my work in about 2 years time and then we want to move back to Thailand. I am over 50 and from what I read I could apply for a retirement visa or a marriage visa. I notice with the retirement visa I bring our furniture back with us as tax free. Is this the same for marriage visa or not. Really not sure as which way to go as when I leave the job our furniture will be sent on to our house in Phitsanulok. Could any body advise, Thanks


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Hi Charlie and welcome,

Moving can really get complicated and it pays to get all the info possible. Hopefully there will be members here that will have some ideas and suggestions for you soon...


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## cnx_bruce (Feb 2, 2010)

Charlie, I think you may be getting confused with Malaysia as I am not aware of such a provision here in Thailand (google on "malaysia - my second home"). Further I would research the issue of bringing in personal items with others that have gone through the same process or you may get a large and unpleasant surprise when the guy in uniform tells you the cost to release your goods at the port.


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## Wayward Wind (Aug 28, 2011)

There are several provisions for bringing personal and household goods into Thailand, but the regulations specifically exclude those coming in on retirement visas.

All is not lost. There are provisions for returning Thais, so you need to focus on researching your wife's eligibility.

Here is a good place to start:

Customs English


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

charlie52 said:


> I am an Australian expat working in Europe and my wife is Thai. I will be completing my work in about 2 years time and then we want to move back to Thailand. I am over 50 and from what I read I could apply for a retirement visa or a marriage visa. I notice with the retirement visa I bring our furniture back with us as tax free. Is this the same for marriage visa or not. Really not sure as which way to go as when I leave the job our furniture will be sent on to our house in Phitsanulok. Could any body advise, Thanks


Charlie:

Copied and pasted from Siam Legal website:

RETIREMENT VISA
The retirement visa once approved allows you to stay in Thailand for one year. *You are not allowed to have employment while on this type of visa. Also you must report to Immigration every 90 days to verify your current address. *Please ensure that you obtain a Re Entry Permit at Thai Immigration prior to leaving Thailand for any period of time.

You have six months from your entry to Thailand to bring in from your home country your household items.

After you have been granted a permit to stay for a year in Thailand, your belongings will not be taxed. However, *if your permit to stay is for less than one year, these items will be taxed 20% import duty plus 7% value-added tax.* 
The period of six months starts the date that you initially entered Thailand on the retirement visa O-A visa, regardless whether you leave or re-enter Thailand after that date. However, the deadline is somewhat flexible. If your personal items are due to arrive in Thailand more than six months after the entry date, you should inform Thai Customs about this at least two months before the six-month deadline. 


MARRIAGE VISA
Thailand marriage visa is the popular term for "One Year Extension of Stay Based on Marriage". This type of visa is issued to the foreigner who is married to a Thai national and meets the requirements of the immigration bureau. *The Thai marriage visa holder is entitled to stay for a full year in Thailand without the need to exit the country. The visa is renewable every year and it can be renewed within Thailand given that the foreigner has met the requirements.*The Thailand Marriage Visa allows the foreigner to stay and work in Thailand provided that a valid Thai Work Permit can be obtained to go along with the visa. This is considered an advantage to foreigner’s employment prospects as the employer would only have to concern about the procurement of work permit. 


So; marriage visa allows for work permit. No decision needs to be made. You may or may not want to work in Thailand but you should always keep your options open and maintain the greatest flexibility possible. Retirement visa is restrictive.

As per Wayward Wind, call your local Royal Thai Embassy and have your wife speak to them concerning what is required to import your furniture without import tax and customs issues.

Hope this helps. Good luck.


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## charlie52 (Jan 9, 2014)

Thanks for all the help guys. Sound like marriage visa is the way to go. Also will get my wife to import goods under her name as she has been with me overseas for about 8 years.
Will give it a go


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## somtamboo (Jun 12, 2010)

Stednick's advice is spot on. Retirement and marriage visas are pretty different.


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