Moving to Thailand, any help appreciated!

[synthia]

I'm talking about this from a totally selfish perspective. While I should care that perhaps the people that burglarized my house in the US did it because it was the only way to support their kids, I don't. I care that my house was invaded. And I think that the men who dole out the money to some of these women care about what happened to them, not the whole history.

Also, just because it is a part of their culture and economy, doesn't mean I have to like. The first slaves arrived in the US in 1609, on, I think, the second ship. That really makes slavery a basic part of our economy and culture. It doesn't make it any less horrible.

I don't blame the women, I know what the situation is. I used to know a bar girl who was married with two kids, her husband was still with her, but he just couldn't bring in enough money.

I'd legalize prostitution in the US, as I've never quite understood why it should be a crime.

[400peet]

Hi i am new here and have hear that retirement visa (1y) can i get from starting age at 50Y right? or is it 55Y now?

I have travel in thailand for 11y and have now thaivife and soon baby girl in denmark with me but we think about future with living there.. some can help me? Peter

[Ted88888]

It's not really a "retirement visa", but rather an extension of an existing visa for retirement purposes.

But, yes, 50 is the age.

[400peet]

I am happy and i will do save money to be older so i can retire later...

do you have some experiences about if i am married in thai and we want company togeter how to do fore "marrige visa" think we should have income about 40000bht and pay tax from this about 5% and have about 400000Bht at a acount then same roules as retirement??? do somebody know this?+

Smile from Peter and Napa

[Ted88888]

Personally, I found the "retirement visa" quite easy to do. The paperwork was fairly simple, straightforward and easy to do.

Marriage visa stuff - has also changed a little bit in terms of being more stringent about meeting the requirements and documenting the marriage. By far the best place to get advice is:

Thailand Forum

It's where I go every year a few months before it is time to renew whatever visa I am on at the time - just to check and see if there are any changes or complications. People there are quite helpful. However, it is like any online forum, you do have to sort through the barstool experts to get to the people who really know and have experience with it.

[400peet]

Super thanks ted.. maybe we will come back if we need more good informations..

Super thanks fore given us the time:-)

Where was you living now?

Peter

[Ted88888]

My pleasure Peter. Good luck.

I live on Phuket - my home has been here for six years. I love it!

[Winkie]

Don't forget health issues. Senioer people suffer from them more than we (I) do.

You need to have correct insurance. Hospitals are wonderful her, adn yes, very affordable too.

But I think Open Heart surgery, and medivac is best covered by insurance rather than personal expense.

Accidents can easily happen in thailand.

[Ted88888]

Only my personal opinion, but medivac is not necessary here - there are excellent hospitals in regional centers and Bangkok and world-class facilities in Singapore if you doubt what you can get here - all at a fraction of what they would cost in the West. And, I tend to believe - much better care.

You can get health insurance in this part of the world - far less expensive than in the West as the hospital and doctor expenses are far less.

Family was visiting about a month ago and my elderly sister-in-law took a bad fall (actually the fall was at LAX where they shoved her on the plane and did everything they could to cover their liability a*sses - but nothing to care for the PERSON). My wife and I took her to Bangkok Phuket Hospital where she saw an EXCELLENT ortho specialist - got x-rays - saw the doc again - for about US$30 - all on a walk-in basis.

Self-insuring here IS AN OPTION - at least for non-catastrophic illness and injury.

The physicians I have seen here have been far superior to any of the HMO garbage I got in the States. Doctors here will spend time and talk to you, listen to you AND pay attention. Since I've been in this part of the world I have solved several long-term nagging health problems that NEVER seemed to get solved in the West - partly because the physician was ALWAYS in a huge hurry and never listened, numbers was their game - to pay for the Mercedes and the trophy wife . . .

Just my opinion.

[Ted88888]

Further on the issue of horrible legal-issue-oriented health care in the "West" - when I was back in the States a few years ago a niece was in ICU on the edge of death and I went to visit her with her FATHER - my brother - and the staff at the hospital REFUSED to give her FATHER any information about her status!

Yeah, yeah, I understand the legal issues - but such stupidity just doesn't arise in this part of the world. The girl's FATHER for God's sake - at her death bed . . . what foolishness.

And the West constantly tries to tell the East how to do things . . .