The Retire-in-Thailand Handbook (The First Six Months): Book 1 in the Retirees Travel Guide Series

By Gerald Hogg

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781528965521

Gerald Hogg

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.

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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

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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 suitable medical insurance cover?

Healthcare and dental costs.

Best retirement locations within Thailand.

Advice for single retirees.

Budgeting advice.

Helpful tips and ideas when moving to Thailand.

Useful websites for living in Thailand.

I have kept all prices in Thai Baht; there are many currency converters online to convert to your own currency. In all of the cost of living charts for recommended retirement areas, for comparison reasons I have compared all of the cities and towns to Chiang Mai, as I believe Chiang Mai to be one of the cheapest places to live in Thailand.

Chapter 1

Why Choose Thailand as a Retirement Destination

Nowadays many countries are opening their doors to allow retirees into their countries. Some of the more popular countries are Belize, Panama, and Mexico in Central America and Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines and emerging Vietnam in Southeast Asia. So out all the countries vying for your pension dollar why choose Thailand?

Being on a pension, the main criteria when looking to retire overseas for most retirees, is the low cost of living. Thailand is not as cheap to live in as it used to be, but compared with Australia, the UK, the USA, and most western countries, you can live a good lifestyle in a great climate for a fraction of what it will cost you to live in your own country. Depending on your retirement income, you can live a life of complete luxury or a live a more modest way of life but still have a great lifestyle, in a tropical climate whatever your income. Eating out is very affordable, phone calls are extremely cheap and free if you use Viber, Line or Skype. Internet in Thailand is also very good and cheap. It is usually free in most hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. Internet is also usually included in your rent if renting a condo.

Other reasons to consider Thailand are:

The Climate

Thailand’s weather is wonderful for at least eight months of the year. OK, you have the rainy season, I find that quite relaxing and fulfilling. I have used the time during the wet season to improve myself by writing this book and learning the Thai language.