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could anyone tell me cost wise the difference between a marriage visa,settlement visa,and retirement visa..also would it be possible if married to survive in Thailand on an English state pension..thanks.
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How much is an English state pension ?
OT...........
OT...........
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Barely enough from what I've read 
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Yer correct there Mark.............Aardvark wrote:Barely enough from what I've read
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Marriage Visa Need 400k in Thai Bank or can show 40k Baht coming in per month, Retirement Visa ( Single Falang ) Need 800k in Bank, Not sure what you mean by " Settlement Visa "stokiebaz wrote:could anyone tell me cost wise the difference between a marriage visa,settlement visa,and retirement visa..also would it be possible if married to survive in Thailand on an English state pension..thanks.
I'm Married & Will recieve my State PITTANCE from next April & Reckon We'll be able to SURVIVE on that up here in " The Sticks " But Deffo NO Holidays to the beaches....
Hope this helps !!!!
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For starters...in order to financially qualify for an extension based on marriage (marriage visa) proof of income of 40,000bt a month or *400,000bt annual.
An extension based on retirement (retirement visa) proof of income of 65,000 monthly or *800,000 annual.
*Annual income may be used to live on, but must be topped of before the next renewal.
Surviving on a state pension or any other pension for that matter would depend on your life style. I've heard some say they can do it on 30K a month.
An extension based on retirement (retirement visa) proof of income of 65,000 monthly or *800,000 annual.
*Annual income may be used to live on, but must be topped of before the next renewal.
Surviving on a state pension or any other pension for that matter would depend on your life style. I've heard some say they can do it on 30K a month.
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Not much OT..
Maximum basic (could be less if you have not got the number of years contribution in) for single person is £110.15 per week. If you live in the UK then you can get additional benefits on top. If you live outside the UK then you cannot.
So @ 48 baht to the £ equals not quite 23,000 baht a month...
For a married couple the maximum is £176.15 a week, so about 36,600 baht a month.
So some will depend if you can bring a married couple's pension to Thailand. That, I would think, would all depend on personal circumstances & something that you would need to absolutely establish in your case with the UK authorities...
I have no idea what you mean by a 'settlement' visa, never heard of it...
Can I person live in Thailand on 23K baht a month???
Depends completely on what sort of live style you require....Accommodation plus all the adds ons that come with it (electric, water, cable) are likely to set you back approaching 10K a month for a 'western standard'. You could certainly half that if you went very basic as far as room without aircon etc...
So yes, as long as you were looking at a very basic life style & little in the way of Falang style dining out or beer consumption.
As for two surviving on it...that depends completely on the female half of the partnership...
A frugal wife who was a competent cook with local produce & was happy on a motor bike - yes.
One who set great stall on face & the position of being married to a Falang - for about a week...
The other great worry of living near the 'margin' with money coming from the UK is that you can be thrown completely into serious financial issues just by changes in the rate between the Thai baht & the GBP. It is not something that you can budget for but if someone needs all their income every month just to scrape by then it is really a disaster waiting to happen...
Maximum basic (could be less if you have not got the number of years contribution in) for single person is £110.15 per week. If you live in the UK then you can get additional benefits on top. If you live outside the UK then you cannot.
So @ 48 baht to the £ equals not quite 23,000 baht a month...
For a married couple the maximum is £176.15 a week, so about 36,600 baht a month.
So some will depend if you can bring a married couple's pension to Thailand. That, I would think, would all depend on personal circumstances & something that you would need to absolutely establish in your case with the UK authorities...
I have no idea what you mean by a 'settlement' visa, never heard of it...
Can I person live in Thailand on 23K baht a month???
Depends completely on what sort of live style you require....Accommodation plus all the adds ons that come with it (electric, water, cable) are likely to set you back approaching 10K a month for a 'western standard'. You could certainly half that if you went very basic as far as room without aircon etc...
So yes, as long as you were looking at a very basic life style & little in the way of Falang style dining out or beer consumption.
As for two surviving on it...that depends completely on the female half of the partnership...
A frugal wife who was a competent cook with local produce & was happy on a motor bike - yes.
One who set great stall on face & the position of being married to a Falang - for about a week...
The other great worry of living near the 'margin' with money coming from the UK is that you can be thrown completely into serious financial issues just by changes in the rate between the Thai baht & the GBP. It is not something that you can budget for but if someone needs all their income every month just to scrape by then it is really a disaster waiting to happen...
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davecryan
- udonmap.com
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- Joined: January 21, 2009, 1:57 pm
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The value of a pension is secondary to how much you need each month to have a reasonable standard of living.
Work that out, including every eventuality and you have your answer.
Mind you if the MWP find out that you are non-domicile, they will freeze your Pension and reclaim what had been paid, from the time that they consider you entitlement invalid.
Work that out, including every eventuality and you have your answer.
Mind you if the MWP find out that you are non-domicile, they will freeze your Pension and reclaim what had been paid, from the time that they consider you entitlement invalid.
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taffinudon
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I think if you had in place already house transport etc then it's doable but if them costs have to come out of the pension first there wont be much left in the pot, Another couple of point to bear in mind is Health Care costs and that there is no annual cost of living rise to your pension if the UK authorities are aware you are living in Thailand.
A fair bit to consider!!
A fair bit to consider!!
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Easy answer.....yes....because millions of Thais live on less.
More difficult answer......no.....because you're not a Thai and don't want to live like one who's making that amount of money. I don't mean that in a negative sense......but the fact is, you're a foreigner who's accustomed to a different standard of living than most Thais. When it's cold, you want to use hot water. When it's hot you might want to use air. After a few months of spending hours a day taking songtaews or city buses, you'll want some transportation of your own. You come here on a vacation and eat street food every day and enjoy it, but when you live here, you'll tire of it quick enough. Milk, cheese, butter, ham, cereal, bacon, potatoes....what many expats consider essentials.....are considerably more expensive here than in the US (and from what others say, the UK as well).
If (rather, when) you become ill or break a bone, you don't want to find yourself in an open ward less than 3 feet away from someone who's on their last legs of life, surrounded by family. If you think you'll wing it back to your home country in the event of an emergency health problem, I've seen several folks who haven't been so lucky.....a stroke or other serious illness makes them incapable of long-distance travel.
If (rather, when) the bottom falls out of your native currency, you could find your monthly income down by 5%, 10%, or more because of the change in exchange rates.
If you had, say $50-100k stashed away that you could use to help get settled and use for contingency purposes, then living on the income you mention is doable. Life won't be very pretty or exciting, but survive? Yes. Without a stash, I'd have to say, No. I'm sure lots of people will disagree.
More difficult answer......no.....because you're not a Thai and don't want to live like one who's making that amount of money. I don't mean that in a negative sense......but the fact is, you're a foreigner who's accustomed to a different standard of living than most Thais. When it's cold, you want to use hot water. When it's hot you might want to use air. After a few months of spending hours a day taking songtaews or city buses, you'll want some transportation of your own. You come here on a vacation and eat street food every day and enjoy it, but when you live here, you'll tire of it quick enough. Milk, cheese, butter, ham, cereal, bacon, potatoes....what many expats consider essentials.....are considerably more expensive here than in the US (and from what others say, the UK as well).
If (rather, when) you become ill or break a bone, you don't want to find yourself in an open ward less than 3 feet away from someone who's on their last legs of life, surrounded by family. If you think you'll wing it back to your home country in the event of an emergency health problem, I've seen several folks who haven't been so lucky.....a stroke or other serious illness makes them incapable of long-distance travel.
If (rather, when) the bottom falls out of your native currency, you could find your monthly income down by 5%, 10%, or more because of the change in exchange rates.
If you had, say $50-100k stashed away that you could use to help get settled and use for contingency purposes, then living on the income you mention is doable. Life won't be very pretty or exciting, but survive? Yes. Without a stash, I'd have to say, No. I'm sure lots of people will disagree.
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stokiebaz wrote: would it be possible if married to survive in Thailand on an English state pension
old-timer wrote:How much is an English state pension ?
Stokiebaz, survival in Thailand on a UK state pension is possible, however you would need to live like an Isaan rice farmer. Coming from Stoke I would think that would be quite a challenge.BobHelm wrote:for single person is £110.15 per week.
Also please take into account that an Isaan rice farmers wife is normally well ugly and a bit mental due to the lifestyle he provides her.
OT.................................
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arjay
- udonmap.com
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- Location: Gone to get a life, "troll free"
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To clarify, I assume you mean "non resident" for UK tax purposes, in which case he will still get his UK pension, but won't get the annual cost of living increases if he lives in Thailand. His domicile will remain unchanged.Mind you if the MWP find out that you are non-domicile, they will freeze your Pension and reclaim what had been paid, from the time that they consider you entitlement invalid.
I doubt one could realistically live/survive in Thailand on only a basic UK state pension of around £110pwk taking into account current exchange rates and supporting a wife.
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Legalities:
Your Visa - if married (with the paper) you need 400,000 baht in the bank or 40,000 per month income to get the annual married visa. Also need to consider cost each year of getting those documents (letter from bank or letter from embassy, cost of visa; say 3-5,000 baht).
So, your state pension will not get you a married visa. You need other savings/income. Alternative is to get 3 month visas from Vientiane, but that's going to cost you 10,000 baht a year or more.
As said, enough to live on? Depends on your needs .... I would hate to try it on less than 30,000 as a couple. And health issues is another, you really need insurance or a healthy bank balance.
Your Visa - if married (with the paper) you need 400,000 baht in the bank or 40,000 per month income to get the annual married visa. Also need to consider cost each year of getting those documents (letter from bank or letter from embassy, cost of visa; say 3-5,000 baht).
So, your state pension will not get you a married visa. You need other savings/income. Alternative is to get 3 month visas from Vientiane, but that's going to cost you 10,000 baht a year or more.
As said, enough to live on? Depends on your needs .... I would hate to try it on less than 30,000 as a couple. And health issues is another, you really need insurance or a healthy bank balance.
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thanks for all the replies guys,very useful..think my best bet looks like 6 months uk.6 months Thailand.,unless laos is a better option.
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sstokiebaz wrote:thanks for all the replies guys,very useful..think my best bet looks like 6 months uk.6 months Thailand.,unless laos is a better option.
Stokie,Don't want to depress you too much but unless you have very good savings I would forget it. My friend has just had emergency medical treatment in Thailand equivalent to £8000. Don't forget your 6 months idea will cost you up to another£2000 in air fares You will never be able to eat English food, in Thailand , the cost would probably amount to twice as much as the UK. You've got the additional expense of visas ( You'd have to get a yearly one and do the Laos trip). Talking of Laos i don't think it's a lot cheaper than Thailand. My Thai wife stayed with me in the UK last year she loved it especially the food. Yes electric and gas are expensive in UK but certainly no more than our 5000 baht bills at out house in Thailand Air Con. Don't let your heart or any other part of your anatomy rule your head. Best of luck
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On a single state pension ONLY, say 21,000 baht/month... not feasible unless you want to become a total hermit. I would say that 30,000 baht is the absolute bare minimum monthly stipend one would need without living like a pauper. Some guys report on getting by on that in Pattaya but there's LOADS of balloons to chase down that way. They mostly eat the local street food and would be unable to enjoy the sumptuous burgers and pints of OSH at Chern Chim.
If the OP has property in the UK, KEEP IT. Unless it's a stately home, don't sell it to part-fund a retirement in LOS.
The time-share option would be nice with summers in UK and winters in LOS but apart from airfares, hotels would be prohibitive so the alternative could be a rental... if you found someone willing to share. He would need to be on reciprocal calendar; maybe a southern Antipodean who likes a hot Christmas down south but wishes to escape the summer snow and come to LOS (but the neighbours will talk).
As you can see, the annual fiscal demands for a marriage or retirement visa extension are pretty lumpy as well.
Health insurance needs to be in place before you become a certain age where you will be denied cover. There are quite decent local, state hospitals but they might be limited or totally incapable if something serious ails you.
If the OP has property in the UK, KEEP IT. Unless it's a stately home, don't sell it to part-fund a retirement in LOS.
The time-share option would be nice with summers in UK and winters in LOS but apart from airfares, hotels would be prohibitive so the alternative could be a rental... if you found someone willing to share. He would need to be on reciprocal calendar; maybe a southern Antipodean who likes a hot Christmas down south but wishes to escape the summer snow and come to LOS (but the neighbours will talk).
As you can see, the annual fiscal demands for a marriage or retirement visa extension are pretty lumpy as well.
Health insurance needs to be in place before you become a certain age where you will be denied cover. There are quite decent local, state hospitals but they might be limited or totally incapable if something serious ails you.
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Hi,
I was on a marriage permission to stay in Thailand.I heard a M.P. to stay was being increased to 800,000B, Being as my pensions were about 800,000B I decided to get a retirement P.to stay. A lot less hassle than a marriage one. A marriage one took me about 2 days, plus it has to go to Head Office to be approved, This took 3 weeks. A retirement one, after I got a letter from the B. Embassy stating my pensions, the letter costs 2,200B if you go to the Embassy yourself, or a extra 100B plus postage if you want to do it by post. It took about 10 mins to sort out my retirement permission to stay at Udon immigration, in my case.
I was on a marriage permission to stay in Thailand.I heard a M.P. to stay was being increased to 800,000B, Being as my pensions were about 800,000B I decided to get a retirement P.to stay. A lot less hassle than a marriage one. A marriage one took me about 2 days, plus it has to go to Head Office to be approved, This took 3 weeks. A retirement one, after I got a letter from the B. Embassy stating my pensions, the letter costs 2,200B if you go to the Embassy yourself, or a extra 100B plus postage if you want to do it by post. It took about 10 mins to sort out my retirement permission to stay at Udon immigration, in my case.
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OT's not trying to be nitpicky here but surely 110 pounds a week in the UK is worse than 110 pounds a week in Udon.stokiebaz wrote:think my best bet looks like 6 months uk.6 months Thailand.
OT.....................