fallen in love with Thailand

Hi Richard
Welcome aboard...well i think your wife would love this country as for anyone that haven't been here before...there are many things you need to find out first hand...can be complicated because everything is written in Thai so language is a barrier..you might take a while before you settle down...as for visa maybe i could help with some advice...it is part of i'm doing actually..kind of experience in this line...there are different types of visa and depends how long you want to be here in Thailand. About housing,you can't own a land as foreigner but renting one is easy with choices depending budget..you could buy a property if you own a company..there is a way of doing it..all this can be included as a package with visas etc...for you and your wife..much easier..

You can email me at travelasians@gmail.com

All the best
Jude

Richard,
     I also am looking to make the move, but to Udonthani, I have found a site called * Legal Services that will give you all the information on any type of visa you need to know, and you can acquire their services if needed, they are founded by an American attorney who is married to a Thai lady, and he now practices in Thailand with his own firm.

     Good luck on your transition to Thailand, and convincing your wife that Thailand will be the best for the both of you. You do know that you cannot own land in Thailand, only Thais can own land, so you will have to lease the land for 30 yrs., and build the house, or buy the house, and lease the land for 30yrs. That is the only draw back about living in Thailand.

     The * Services can answer all those questions for you without any mistakes, and give you detailed information, and peace of mind...haha, before you step in to deep to fast.

Hi Jude:

Thanks for getting back with me and volunteering to advise me.  Having traveled to Thailand numerous times, I familiar with many but not all of the issues relative to relocating, visas, etc.  I have a very close friend (Thai National) who lives in Bangkok who will also give me advise and council.  I'm aware of the landownership issue.  It's our intent to rent from the get-go, then if ownership is desired, we will begin investigating how to go about it.  At this stage the first major step is we will visit Koh Samui for 10 days +/- specifically to see if and how we will adapt to the life style, culture, etc.  With the tsunami on the Western side of Southern Thailand, my wife is "nervous" about this issue.  This is one of the main reasons we have targeted Samui.  Another option is Chiang Mai.  I've visited Chiang Mai and really like everything about it - except for the hot & humid summers and since we will be retiring, I've always wanted to live within walking distance of a beautiful sea shore.  Hopefully Koh Samui will meet our needs & desires.  I will keep you posted as we make flight & accommodation reservations.  In what area of Thailand do you reside?

Best Regards,

Richard

Hi Richard
Well Samui could be probably one of the good choice rather than Phuket honestly speaking..i rather reserved the Phuket issue maybe next time unless if you ask why not Phuket...and Chiang Mai can be cooling towards year end till early new year or Bangkok would be perfect..is where i live now..living cost here is still ok compared to some of the islands or even coastal lines like Hua Hin can be costly but still a nice place..
If you need some help on bookings on Samui or anywhere in Thailand,i could probably get you some of best prices around for hotels,bungalow etc and mind you flights to Samui is the most costly in Thailand especially return tickets for Bangkok-Samui-Bangkok...Bangkok Airways owns the route and the airport in Samui..
Make sure to check on the seasons...Just to remind you services in Thailand like Visa services,engaging lawyers etc... can be very costly but you can still find one which is comparably cheap and honest trust worth it...speaking from experience...

Best wishes and good luck
Jude

Since you have 4-5 years before retirement I would check out other cities in Thailand to live.  I think living on the mainland rather than an island is a better option but that's a personal choice.

You do not need costly visa services to obtain necessary visa.  I assume you will be over 50 when you retire so the visa process will be very easy provided you meet financial requirements.  Your wife will then be able to piggy back as your dependent.

As mentioned you cannot own land so avoid people that say otherwise.

hi mate, I live in Surat Thani(gateway to the islands) and the ferries to the islands leave not far from here. AS mentioned it may be easier to get somewhere to live on the mainland as there are still a lot of places near the  beaches, you cant own land but you can own a condo and there are heaps of them. Visas are not that hard to do, a retirement visa requires  you to have 800,000 baht(roughly 30 baht to the dollar) in the bank and is renewed yearly, start with a 3 month tourist visa and then you can change to a retirement visa in Thailand. There are some great forums on Thailand, thailand visa has a lot of relivent info on all the visa, housing etc advice you will need so it will pay to visit it. Very easy to fall in love with this place, I did and there is no way I will ever go back to Australia to live, just remember that there are several thais that will take advantage of you if they get the chance, here money means everything so you have to be a bit savvy as the their scams but you will pick up on it pretty quick. Another great place near the water is Trang(andaman ocean), still reasonably cheap to buy there but it is below Phuket so its a long way from Bangkok and a lot quieter(I am looking at land there at the moment right on the beach, 1200 sq mtrs backs onto the sand for 3,000,000 baht,I have a  thai wife), you really need to check out a lot of the country before settling here to make sure you are happy and at different times of the year to see the real climate, here we average 30c all year but have a wet season from may to november, each area is different.