# To Thailand and Beyond



## StarvingSound (Dec 16, 2010)

Hello, 

I'm planning to move to Thailand in a few months and I have a few questions that I hope can be answered.

First let me describe my situation. I am 36 years old, half-Thai and I am medically retired from the Armed Forces. I make roughly 3900 a month in retirement. I have native family in Thailand - some who have pretty prominent positions I suppose - and I have been there once for about thirty days so I have a tiny taste in what it's like and I love it. 

I want to move there for at least a year if not more if things go well. So here are my questions and I'm probably missing asking for other important things of note. 

I've been looking for places to rent in Bangkok. Some are a bit pricey for fancy, bigger digs but I don't really need big or fancy. I've ran across some on the internet with A/C, pool, security, wifi, maid service etc for between 350 to 500 (converted) US dollars a month which is fine. But I was wondering on that note if there are places just outside of Bangkok I can look for but still have cheap, easy public transportation to Bangkok? I tried to Google but I don't know what to ask for. I'm just looking for general ideas. I'm sure when I get there some of my family will can find me other options as well. I"m just trying to get as much info as I can and from a Westerners perspective. Also, what area of Bangkok would be the best for a farang? Not that from what I read it matters as evidently by train it seems its easy to get across the city to anywhere you want to go. To add to that question how do you know where you are stopping and going to on the BTS?

My second question is do you think living off of around a 100K baht a month is good enough? I also have a good amount in savings to fall back on but I'd rather not ever touch that.

I don't plan on going clubbing a lot - if at all - in fact, I hate it but I won't speak in absolutes - but I probably will go to bars here and there. I plan on trying to live off of only street food which is my absolute favorite foodstuff in the world. That stuff to me was to die for and better than anything I've eaten in Western Thai restaurants or Western restaurants for that matter. 

The main reasons I want to live in Bangkok is because I've always wanted to live in a big city and why not move to one where I can learn my mother's culture as well. Plus - I want to travel around Asia and to Australia and it seems living in or near Bangkok because of the airport it would be easier. 

About traveling around Asia - do you have any suggestions on how to do it relatively cheap and easy? And safely? I might go on my own sometimes or I might bring one of my family members.

Now about visas and working. I have a cousin who owns a business in Bangkok. Is it possible for me to get "hired" by him and live there with a work visa? And who knows I might even work there if I can. 

I had more questions but I totally blanked out. Any advice you can offer would be awesome. Thank you.


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

*Visit again - then evaluate*

StarvingSound: 

My first question to you is why one year? What if you do not like it? Your "tiny" 30 day taste is not enough to make any real judgment on a place. To be fair to yourself you need to spend a few months on an exploratory visit to evaluate. Do not limit yourself to Bangkok, explore the many wondrous locations in Thailand. Visit and travel. After you have tasted considerably more of Thailand and Bangkok you will be much more capable of deciding on possible locations for a longer term residence. 

First issue is permission to stay in Thailand for an extended period of time as you speak of one year. I assume you are a US Citizen and travel on a US Passport. You need official permission to stay in Thailand. I refer you to the sticky thread "Thailand - visits and Tourist Visas" copied and pasted from this sticky thread is:

"Thailand - Tourist Visa - Double Entry"
Some consulates/embassies will issue an applicant with a Tourist Visa - Double Entry
Simply
60-day Tourist Visa (can be extended by 30 days)
make a border crossing (either by air or land)
on your re-entry to Thailand the second 60-day Tourist Visa will be activated (can be extended by 30 days)
So effectively almost 180 days from a Tourist Visa - Double Entry, if you make 30-day extensions both times, and do the one border-crossing.
The border crossing doesn't take much time (once you get there, depending where is closest), eg for me I could head to Ban Laem an hour from home, pay a US$25 fee for a Cambodian visa, buy a bottle of duty free single malt whisky (this is not compulsory, but a good idea!) then walk back through Thailand Immigration to start the second 60-day Tourist Visa.

This shows a method of staying for 180 days. This will allow you an adequate period to travel and explore. If you still feel the desire to reside in Thailand then you need to explore long term permission to reside in Thailand. I refer you to the Royal Thai Embassy link: <Royal Thai Consulate-General in New York>
for available visas and the criteria for such.


For an answer to a specific question you posted, USD $3,900/month is adequate to live a very good lifestyle in Bangkok, or anywhere else in Thailand at this point in time. As is living off 100k Baht per month. 

Concerning work and working visa's, cross that road should or when you get to it. In your shoes, for a long term stay, I would go the education visa route learning the oh-so-fun linguistic wonders of the tonal Thai language. A very good place to start learning your mothers culture, many Thai language schools available to help. Easiest route I see. Although, your mother's nationality may help you. Perhaps something you may consider to legally review.

One other avenue I suggest you explore is Bangkok VFW Post 9951 VFW Bangkok, Thailand this will give you some ex-military retirees with boots on the ground in Bangkok.

Good Luck.


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## TomC (Jan 23, 2012)

If you were born in Thailand, you should be able to get a Thai passport. From my understanding, Thailand allows dual citizenship. Whereas, the US looks the other way. It used to be that if you take on citizenship of another country, it's akin to renouncing your US citizenship. But attitudes have changed and as long as you don't renounce your US citizenship, you are still a US citizen. See if you can find the birth certificate or house registration listing your name if you were born in Thailand. If not, then I think Ed visa is the way to go for long term (more than 6 months) stay in Thailand as you will need to learn Thai. I don't see how anyone put up with the border runs or not learning the language if you're going to spend any time in Thailand. But of course, I don't have 'foot on ground' so take my advice with lots of salt. Good luck.


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## StarvingSound (Dec 16, 2010)

Thanks.

Oh. I think it's enough time to tell that I love the place. The time I went we went all over Thailand - all the way North, East, South and West. And I have family there so it's not like I'd be completely miserable. Which I know I won't be. Plus - I'm hardly going to stay just there in Bangkok. That's just going to be my hub as I plan on roving all around Asia and anywhere else I can go for cheap from there.



When you say "Educational Visa" are you saying I can get one for learning Thai? Or are you saying that I should try to teach English?


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

*You attend school in Thailand*



StarvingSound said:


> Thanks.
> 
> Oh. I think it's enough time to tell that I love the place. The time I went we went all over Thailand - all the way North, East, South and West. And I have family there so it's not like I'd be completely miserable. Which I know I won't be. Plus - I'm hardly going to stay just there in Bangkok. That's just going to be my hub as I plan on roving all around Asia and anywhere else I can go for cheap from there.
> 
> ...



StarvingSound:

Educational Visa in that you enroll in a school that teaches the Thai language to foreigners in Thailand. An "ED" category non-immigrant visa. 

Back to questions, are you an American Citizen? Do you have Thai citizenship?

If you are not a citizen of Thailand, you need formal permission to stay in Thailand. In Florida you use the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington DC for consular service. Royal Thai Embassy, 1024 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Washington D.C. 20007 Tel. (202) 944-3600 Fax. (202) 944-3611 
This would be where you would apply for a tourist visa should you desire one. 

You, ? An American Citizen traveling on an American Passport ? are eligible for a 30 day "permission to stay in Thailand" passport stamp if you arrive by air and have a return or departing airline ticket. This allows you a 30 day visit to Thailand. The whole visa, passport, visa run, boondoggle is discussed at length in many threads in this forum. Confusion and frequently changing rules, enforcement criteria, and the subjective interpretation by Thai immigration and custom agents lead this to be a topic of considerable interest among Expats. No clear answers.

See Royal Thai Embassy, Washington D.C. for formal Thai Embassy information. 

For long term permission to stay, visit, in Thailand, your easiest method (in my opinion) would be what is commonly referred to as an educational visa. This is a Non-immigrant visa to study. On the Thai Embassy website it is under the non-immigrant category ED headings. 

Anyway, study, read up on the Visa criteria and see where you fit. You do need to comply with all Thai laws. In your shoes I would be investigating the possibility of gaining Thai citizenship.

Good luck.


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## StarvingSound (Dec 16, 2010)

Oh. Yeah, I'm an American citizen but not a Thai one. I wasn't born there but conceived there - which accounts for nothing sadly. 

Thanks for the info. I've got more researching to do. I plan on doing charity work do you think that would that count towards a work visa? I'll see if it says anything about that elsewhere. I"d love to learn Thai so the education visa would be a nice way to go about it too. Though I know Thai is going to be hard as hell to learn. I thought Italian was impossible but at least they you use the Latin alphabet.


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