The Retire-in-Thailand Handbook (The First Six Months)

Gerald Hogg

Description

My first six months in Thailand were frustrating. When I dreamt about retiring in Thailand, I thought that when I arrived, I would get my retirement visa, rent a condo, buy a vehicle, then spend my time exploring my new country, going to the beach, going out for meals and meeting new friends. Unfortunately, reality took over and I spent most of my time dealing with Thai bureaucracy and trying to sort out the endless problems that arise when moving to a new country. Back in Australia, I already had a visa, my own house, my own car, medical insurance, driving licence, bank accounts, credit rating, doctor and dentist. Moving to another country, I was more or less starting my life over and I needed to establish myself within the Thai system. Government, banking, medical, everything that was just part of my everyday life at home, I had to recreate in Thailand. Hopefully, this book will give you the information you need to avoid most of the problems that I had and allow you to retire to this wonderful country with confidence and assurance, as well as saving you time, money and your sanity. I wish I had been able to read this book before I left Australia.

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
• Date de parution: 29 novembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528965521
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The Retire-in-Thailand Handbook (The First Six Months)
Gerald Hogg
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-11-29
The Retire-in-Thailand Handbook (The First Six Months) About the Author About the Book Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgement Introduction Thailand Chapter 1 Why Choose Thailand as a Retirement Destination The Climate The Thai People Affordable Healthcare The Thai Lifestyle Low Crime Rate Access to Southeast Asia and Other Areas Chapter 2 Before You Leave Home What to Take and What Not to Take? Clothing Furniture and Personal Effects Libraries Cars and Motorbikes Vaccinations Medical Pets Chapter 3 O-A Retirement Visa How to Apply for a Retirement Visa Already Living in Thailand? Chapter 4 Opening a Thai Bank Account Banking Hours Chapter 5 Applying for a Thai Driving License Chapter 6 Renting and Buying a Motor Vehicle Motorbike Buying a New Motorbike from a Dealer Buying a Car Buying a Used Car Buying a New Car Chapter 7 Renting a Condo, Villa or House Condo, Villa or House? What Kind of Place Is Best for You to Rent? Condo Villa House Chapter 8 Buying a Property in Thailand What Happens if the Marriage Ends in Divorce? Where to Start? Do Your Due Diligence Taxes and Fees Involved with Purchasing a Condo Putting in an Offer Buying a Property on a 30-Year Lease What Is Superficies in Thailand? Chapter 9 Hospitals, Dental and Medical Insurance Question Answer Dental Chapter 10 Retirement Locations Within Thailand Chiang Mai Chiang Mai’s Weather Chiang Mai’s Cost of Living The Friendly People of Chiang Mai Chiang Mai’s Expats Food in Chiang Mai Chiang Mai’s Hospitals and Medical Facilities Koh Samui Koh Samui’s Weather Koh Samui’s Cost of Living Koh Samui’s Expats Food in Koh Samui Koh Samui’s Hospitals Bangkok Bangkok’s Weather Bangkok’s Cost of Living Bangkok’s Expat Community Food in Bangkok Bangkok’s Hospitals Phuket Phuket’s Weather Phuket’s Cost of Living Phuket’s Expat Community Phuket’s Hospitals Food in Phuket Hua Hin, Pronounced WhaHin Hua Hin’s Weather Hua Hin’s Cost of Living Hua Hin’s Expat Community Food in Hua Hin Hua Hin’s Hospitals Krabi Krabi’s Weather Krabi’s Cost of Living Krabi’s Expat Community Eating out in Krabi Krabi’s Hospitals Chiang Rai Chiang Rai’s Weather Chiang Rai’s Cost of Living The People of Chiang Rai Chiang Rai’s Expat Community Food in Chiang Rai Chiang Rai’s Hospitals Pattaya Pattaya’s Weather Pattaya’s Cost of Living Pattaya’s Expat Community Food in Pattaya Pattaya’s Hospitals Chapter 11 The Cost of Living in Thailand Chapter 12 Budgeting Chapter 13 Single Men and Women Retiring in Thailand Single Men Single Women Chapter 14 Helpful Tips and Ideas Driving in Thailand Beach and Water Safety A Few Tips on the Culture of Thailand Dealing with the Heat, Humidity and the Wet Season Expat Associations Thailand Chiang Mai’s Expat Clubs Phuket’s Expat Clubs Hua Hin’s Expat Clubs Bangkok’s Expat Clubs Koh Samui’s Expat Clubs Pattaya’s Expat Clubs Limited Companies Information and Usufruct Hospitals in Chiang Mai Hospitals in Bangkok Hospitals in Phuket Hospitals in Hua Hin Hospitals in Krabi Hospitals in Chiang Rai Hospitals in Koh Samui English Language Newspapers Visa Services Thailand Government Banks Medical Insurance Cars and Motorbikes for Sale and Rent Pets Women’s Expat and Social Clubs Notes
About the Author
Gerald Hogg is originally from the UK and migrated to Australia in 1974. Gerald has traveled the world working on cruise ships, Antarctic supply ships, custom patrol vessels, rig tenders, and oil tankers. In the capacity of his work as a chef, he has also lived in Jamaica, Bermuda, Singapore, the Falkland Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the USA. He has now retired to Thailand where he lives in Phuket and travels extensively throughout SE Asia.
About the Book
My first six months in Thailand were frustrating. When I dreamt about retiring in Thailand, I thought that when I arrived, I would get my retirement visa, rent a condo, buy a vehicle, then spend my time exploring my new country, going to the beach, going out for meals and meeting new friends. Unfortunately, reality took over and I spent most of my time dealing with Thai bureaucracy and trying to sort out the endless problems that arise when moving to a new country. Back in Australia, I already had a visa, my own house, my own car, medical insurance, driving licence, bank accounts, credit rating, doctor and dentist. Moving to another country, I was more or less starting my life over and I needed to establish myself within the Thai system. Government, banking, medical, everything that was just part of my everyday life at home, I had to recreate in Thailand. Hopefully, this book will give you the information you need to avoid most of the problems that I had and allow you to retire to this wonderful country with confidence and assurance, as well as saving you time, money and your sanity. I wish I had been able to read this book before I left Australia.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my children, Rebecca, Amanda, Rory, and James (JJ). Thank you all for a lifetime of memories.
Copyright Information ©
Gerald Hogg (2019)
The right of Gerald Hogg to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528965521 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
To the many expats I interviewed while doing research for this book, a big thank you for inviting me into your homes and sharing your life stories and experiences about moving to Thailand. Your knowledge and insight regarding living and retiring in Thailand as a “farang” was invaluable. Also, my appreciation to the many Thai people I have met who have welcomed me to live in their beautiful country and taught me the true meaning of friendship.
Khob Khun Khrap
Introduction
My first six months in Thailand were frustrating. When I dreamed about retiring in Thailand, I thought that when I arrived I would get my retirement visa, rent a condo, buy a vehicle and then spend my time exploring my new country, going to the beach, going out for meals and meeting new friends. Unfortunately, reality took over and I spent most of my time dealing with Thai bureaucracy and trying to sort out the endless problems that arise when moving to a new country. Back in Australia, I already had a visa, my own house, my own car, medical insurance, driving license, bank accounts, credit rating, doctor and dentist. Moving to another country, I was more or less starting my life over and I needed to establish myself within the Thai system. Government, banking, medical, everything that was part of my everyday life at home, I had to re-create in Thailand. Hopefully, this book will give you the information you need to avoid most of the problems that I had, and allow you to retire to this wonderful country with confidence and assurance as well as saving you time, money and your sanity. I wish I had been able to read this book before I left Australia.
Gerald Hogg
Phuket, Thailand
September 2017
Thailand


I knew the first time I visited Thailand 35 years ago that this would be the country where I would retire. I have traveled all over the world and lived in many countries, but no other country had the same effect on me as Thailand did. It was love at first sight. Even though the “Land of Smiles” is a magnificent country to live in, and the people so accepting of overseas visitors, the government bureaucracy and the reams of paperwork that go with it can be daunting to even the most knowledgeable and well-informed traveler. This book is not about telling you what a great country Thailand is, and all of the fantastic things you can see and do here, I have assumed that you have either visited Thailand as a tourist or read or watched everything you can get your hands on about Thailand if you are considering retiring here. There are so many blogs and websites out there that explain how beautiful Thailand is. This book is a guide to get you through the most difficult and most important time of living in a new country, the first six months. The first six months can either make or break you.
I arrived in Bangkok in February of 2017 ready to start my new life in retirement. Within the first half hour, I realized that I had made my first big mistake by entering Thailand on a visa-on-arrival visa, (the visa I always came to Thailand on). From then on, I continued to make lots of costly mistakes in most things I did in my first six months here. One of the main reasons I have written this book is to help future retirees avoid the pitfalls and frustrations that cost me time and money when I retired here. This book will help you through the Thai government system and the obsession it has with paperwork, which you will have to deal with regularly if you intend to make Thailand your new home in retirement. Other important topics this book covers include:
What to bring and what not to bring to Thailand with you?
How to apply for a retirement visa from your own country?
How to apply for a retirement visa from within Thailand?
How to open a Thai bank account?
Transferring your pension to your new Thailand bank to avoid bank fees.
How to buy a motor vehicle?
How to apply for a Thai driving license?
How to rent a condo, villa or a house?
How to buy property in Thailand?
How to obtain s