• Expat Retirement
• Overseas Retirement Information

by MacAlan Thompson
and Les Strouse

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Thai Visa Obtain a "NON-O visa" from a Thai Embassy abroad; it can be for 90 days, or for one year with multiple entries. If a one year validity, you need to depart Thailand every 90 days and reenter for a new 90 day period.

Closest border point to Bangkok is at Aranyaprathet-Poi Pet on the Cambodian border. Many people drive or go by train, bus, fly, to Nong Khai and cross over to Laos and stay in Vientiane for a day or two. Others head south to Malaysia, Penang, for example or go to Singapore for this "visa-run".

A Non-Immigrant Visa is necessary to apply for a retirement or any other long term visa. A tourist visa will not suffice.

Take a look at http//www.thaivisa.com, they have a lot of good up-to-date information regarding visa regulations.

Long Term Stays Highly recommended is that before you cut your ties at home, quit your job, sell your house, divorce your wife, etc, you move here for a longer term, rent an apartment where you think you want to live, and live like you're going to stay here. Thailand is not for everybody! There are frustrations, aside from just the language; make sure that this is where you want to stay.

Housing How and where do you want to live? 2-4 bedroom apartments downtown in the Sukumvit Road high price area will run Baht 20,000-baht 75,000 per month. A single bedroom apartment, not so fancy, way down Sukumvit Road, or in northern Bangkok might be had for Baht 5,000-10,000 per month.

Buy a house? Townhouse?? Condo??? Possible, and also in all sorts of price ranges. Baht 1,000,000 ($25,000), will get you something relatively decent, especially out of town. Prices are usually much less "upcountry" than in Bangkok. Foreigners cannot own land, thus houses and townhouse are out, but condos are permissible, up to 49% of the building. Note that there is no "condo law" as yet in Thailand so be cautious if looking at a condo for a home.

Where to Live Bangkok area?? Up country?? Down country?? Housing is much more reasonable in the suburbs of the city. Ring Roads and new highways and provide relatively fast access to the traffic jams downtown. New shopping malls are springing up all over the country. An example is Future Park in a Bangkok suburb. http://www.futurepark.co.th/index1.html. Local neighborhood markets (including 7-11's) are available for daily needs.

You can live in Pattaya or Hua Hin, on the beach, very reasonably, and within a 2-3 hour drive of Bangkok. An unfurnished townhouse goes for Baht 5,000 up per month, about same for a small apartment. If it is furnished, it is a bit more.

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