Any country is allowed to set their own immigration rules and aliens – that means ‘us’ – have to like it or lump it, isn’t it that simple?
Just look at Australia and their tough immigration rules and as such, they have a beautiful country with common decency among each other. If you had no standards then as a country you are going to have trouble and the fact that Thailand is such a desirable country to live just compounds the issue as lots of people want to live here.
Retirees should not be a liability for the country
Thailand has struggled for years with foreigners coming to live in Thailand with minimal money and consequently no health insurance and when they fall sick it causes a huge problem – Who pays their medical bills when they are rushed to Accident and Emergency?
The recent rumblings within expat circles are all centred on the 800,000 baht having to be in a retirees bank account, with talk that they will check 3-months down the line to make sure the funds are still there. During the course of each one year visa, your savings should show no less than 400,000 baht. The alternative is to show 65,000 baht coming in a month on a pension. Surely it is Thailand’s prerogative to set the rules they see as fair and aligned to shaping a future the country wants to pursue. As guests to this country, I think we forget that Thailand calls the shots and not us.
If anything Thailand is just catching up on the rest of the world in terms of immigration rules and maybe it has just been a bit too relaxed in the past. Thailand is no longer a third world country and is a desirable location.
If you are retiring then you need to have enough money to live, and all Thailand wants to ensure is that this is the case.
Let Dan know where you need help and he will send you recommendations and help you get set up
Subscribe to Newsletter
It wouldn‘t be difficult to impose & control health insurance on retirees, either from Thailand or their home countries and ease on the rest of the restrictions!