Reader question: Can I start a new life in Thailand as a single woman?

“I can also continue to do my work from Thailand”…
That's just the question. For every work that a foreigner performs here, he/she must have a work permit and these are not issued just like that. In principle, this also applies to work that is carried out online from Thailand, for example. I do know people who do that here without a work permit, but they are – in principle – in violation. And I'm not even talking about the type of visa.

I would like to be kept informed about how you are doing when you move there.
It's been a dream of mine for years but I don't dare to take the step.
I am 65 and therefore no longer have to work.
What holds me back are my grandchildren, but I envy anyone who does make the move.
Much success and happiness,

Dear Valerie,
Of course, as a single woman you can build a new life in Thailand. however, the main question is where you want to do this. I myself have done it at about the same age after several trips in Thailand and have come to the conclusion that the best place for it is around Hua Hin. If you want some more information, just contact me. I will be happy to provide you with the necessary information.
Greetings and good luck !!!

The initial question is whether Valerie can start a new life, and whether it is safe.

A lot depends on you, do you look for danger and do you go bungee-jumping at an improvised stand…
In fact, it's as safe as you want it to be, or have it in the Netherlands. Thailand is a safe country as far as your person is concerned.
In some areas, the infrastructure is not as safe as we know it according to European directives. Especially electricity and drinking water, traffic. All this is not insurmountable, if you know that you can take it into account and protect yourself.

You can also stay in the country perfectly legally, provided you have the right visa. If your employer is not based in Thailand, and your work has no affinity with the country where you are staying, you can continue to do this perfectly.

It is already a good idea to watch the cat out of the tree before 6 months. You will get answers to your question automatically. Doing! And afterwards maybe let us know on this blog how it went for you.

Success.

Hi Valerie,

How wonderful .. just the thought of doing this. I've fallen in love with Thailand myself, I'm going this summer for the eighth time and started traveling around on my own for two months. Didn't feel unsafe for a moment, sometimes a bit lonely because I saw the Thai families with large groups sitting on the beach, but that's more a sense of what I didn't have at that moment.
I spent some time in Pattaya, and as a Dutch person I quickly made friends with the many Dutch men who had settled there. We went out and I also met the Thai women during dice games. It wasn't all that deep, but it was funny and relaxing. I had fun there with a massage course, learned to cook Thai...love the food...and cruised around on my rented scooter. I'm now 45... too young to leave because I have a nice job here and don't have enough money to settle there... but as far as I'm concerned... bring on that retirement... I'm sure I'll celebrate this in Thailand... Contradictory actually say..” “they always say...live as if it were your last 30 days.”” jSUccess!

I would Mrs. Valerie would like to recommend that you also take a good look at what the official authorities have to say about this. This, for example, to begin with. http://www.royalthaiembassy.nl/site/pages/visaservices/doing_business-study-other.html

You will find it difficult to classify your purpose in one of the categories. If you can do your work from Thailand, then you must be self-employed and in that case you want to open a company in Thailand. What you want is immigration and, just like in the Netherlands, that undoubtedly has an extraordinary number of snags. It will undoubtedly be true that a lot of things in Thailand don't go that fast, but in countries where that is the case, things can suddenly go that fast for reasons you don't understand and then you're pretty screwed.

I also have a link here to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs with much more information about visa types and residence permits. I saw something about work permits in passing. http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123

Dear Valerie,
I know a number of Dutch women who live in different regions of Thailand. Very different lifestyles. Perhaps they would like to talk to you and share their experiences with you. Please email your details to [email protected] if you would like me to put you in touch with them.
With greeting
Edith

Beautiful, 54, so a retirement visa, but… then you are no longer allowed to work!
Do show that you receive 65,000 THB monthly (from abroad, so cannot be done from work) OR 800.000 THB in a Thai bank account, or a combination of the two.

And IF you get caught, the plums are sour, the turnips overcooked.
But everything is going well… there is nothing wrong. I also met a farang in TH with no less than 12 YEARS overstay.

Adventures every year, whether you can stay another year longer. You can NEVER buy a house (= land) only a space in a condo.

Was all in all enough for me in 2006 at the age of 54 to leave TH again and go back to Europe, while I could have done my work better from “Bangkok” than now from “Breda”.
A French business friend came to the same conclusion 2 years ago: a beautiful country, if you fit exactly into the pattern, are retired with sufficient income, healthy and have nothing to do with any government.

As a woman in Thailand, you may have already experienced that it is safe. By the way, older people get more respect than in Europe.

Don't be in the spotlight by displaying prosperity. On the other hand, make sure you integrate into your neighborhood so that no suspicion arises.

Enjoy Thailand in moderation. I still need to clarify which visa and whether “working online” is allowed.

Good luck!

Many of us are quite jealous. But enjoy it, you're welcome.

With a 'retirement' visa you have the advantage that you don't have to do a 'visa run' but simply register every 90 days at any immigration office (or where there is none in the area, at the police station). You can continue with annual 'extensions of stay' (until you need a new passport unless you carefully prepare for its renewal). The disadvantage is that in principle you are strictly not allowed to work at all (not even volunteer work) and it is absolutely impossible to get a work permit, and that you must be able to transfer the equivalent of 800.000 baht income from abroad or that amount to a Thai bank account every year. proof (combination of income/savings is also allowed).

Thailand is certainly not a very stable country for outloaders. Rules are changed without any reasonableness to your interests. Only the sometimes very short-sighted Thai interests as they are seen at a certain moment apply in this. You will also never obtain rights that are almost automatically granted in other countries after a long stay, and you will remain at a great disadvantage. For example, you cannot own land and in practice it will appear that no baht that you invest in Thailand can be recovered. An interplay of sometimes deeply hidden rules ensures that if you ever turn your back on Thailand, you're broke; so always keep your reserves out there.

I read above that “in Thailand, disputes are settled a bit faster with a fight or worse”. That is contrary to my experience (and that of many). Only a big mouth (not by Dutch but by Thai standards and these differ considerably), unpaid [gambling] debts, or getting involved in drug cases, are abnormal risk factors. If you also carefully avoid that your activities or presence are seen as an obstacle to the financial interests of a Thai, then your physical safety and well-being is nowhere as optimal as in Thailand: Conflicts are avoided as much as possible and a reasonable solution is sought in which everyone can feel comfortable. can find without loss of face; you just have to learn to become a little Thai in that regard. That goes for men and I would say it's easier rather than harder for women. Violence by men against women is probably much more exceptional than in Europe, but above all a woman should realize that she should not make a Thai man lose face in particular and it takes some insight into the culture to know where his prestige lies. Women are as envious, mean, false and underhanded (or if you like, 'normal') as elsewhere, but as a foreigner you may not be particularly harassed; your lesser communication skills in Thai can be a problem to get women on your side if necessary or to keep yourself handy. [No, I'm not a misogynist, but men's sensitivities and stereotypes are different and I can make them sound as bad or worse].

The latter also means that a practical solution can often be found for what would in fact be legally “impossible”. There may be some bribery or a favor to friends involved, but that is not always necessary. However, this can also reduce your own (as a foreigner very limited) rights in the reverse sense. If someone close to you ever wants you to leave, chances are you'll move out - there are many tricks to this and not all of them are legal. Every foreigner, regardless of the remaining duration of a visa, can perfectly legally be issued with an official piece of paper with the order to leave the country [finally] within 7 days - it will then be very difficult to arrange something and from the abroad you can completely forget about that.

For all these reasons, it is necessary to maintain an alternative base or an option to return to it quickly, with the necessary financial reserves always entirely outside Thailand.

All in all, life in Thailand can be very good. I (man) lived alternately in Thailand and Belgium every six months for five years and also met such others, including Dutch and other 'farang' women, but not yet single. Their perception and also satisfaction appeared to differ widely, but seldom negatively. The considerations above are in line with what many of them also realized.

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Dear Valerie,

Lots of info already in the posts above. What I'm missing is a recommendation for Chiang Mai. CM has a large and good diversity in expat community. The cultural and social life here is also at a high level. The cost of living here is lower than in the “beach” destinations. CM also has the advantages of being a “large” provincial city with universities, good hospitals and various shopping malls. I advise you to orient yourself broadly for your place of employment in Thailand. Vwb living it is recommended to rent short term. Depending on your wishes, of course, this can be done well in CM and can be realized from around 7000 baht per month for a small home. I wish you luck in your search and advise you to try out a few destinations before settling down more permanently.