Dear readers.
Here is my story and my question.
March 2011 I go to Thailand with my brother. My brother had been in a relationship there for several years. Self had no idea of the country. Didn't appeal to me so much with the idea of heat, sweat, monsoon, poverty and of course the cliché sex. You heard the most extreme stories at home and often from people who had never been there. But I still wanted to convince myself of all kinds of stories that he had seen and experienced there. As an old trucker I had already seen enough of Europe. The rest, from Africa to the USA, was on longer holidays. So let's try Asia. I asked him to let his girlfriend look at her work for a person who was willing to act as a guide for a fee, since I wanted to see a lot of the country anyway. His girlfriend worked at SIU University in Bangkok, so there are plenty of options.
I had also worked at the university myself and knew what the possibilities were with students. And no preference for male or female either. I went for the country and not the sex!
At BKK airport we were welcomed by his girlfriend and another woman, who later turned out to be the possible travel guide. By later I mean it had to click between the two of us too. Surely you would travel together for some time. Not with my brother, because that was a sticker. Cabin, bar, water and doing nothing. Not my style.
His girlfriend had arranged a hotel, where we went. The first impression was beautiful and special. But later in the room my sentence had dropped considerably. 4 stars on the outside, worn out youth hostel on the inside. I immediately indicated that this would be for this night and no longer. Long faces, of course, because I found out she was getting commission for bringing in hotel guests. So I started learning everything right away. In the evening at dinner I got to know my tour guide extensively. Nice woman of 37 years old and also working at the same university. Her English language was sufficient and she had enough knowledge of the country to show me something.
In the room we looked for another place to stay in BKK and ended up at Lee Nova place where my brother and I would stay for a few days. I still wanted to see and experience a bit more of Bangkok. My tour guide had to work of course, so she was only available after work. Then rent a car and visit the sights with the tourist information card. During the day I was the tourist and in the evening I learned to experience the real Thai life with the help of the guide. After a few days I also knew a little more about my guide's private life and dared to take the step to ask her to spend the coming time together after work. During a nice dinner at a steakhouse Chokchai, she indicated that she would like to try it. Sounds teenage, but at 63 I still felt something for her. And so it happened, they say. After a week, my brother and I went to Ko Chang. We would stay there for about 2 weeks at the Orchid resort, where it later turned out that the owner was an old fellow townsman of mine.
So there I was again as good as at home, but still alone. I quickly left the island by car, so I took the ferry to the mainland to be able to see something. What my surprise. The ladies have taken leave and come to Ko Chang by van. My luck was running out. For two weeks I was able to enjoy a vacation just the two of us, which of course developed into a wonderfully serious relationship with all its consequences. And as many wrote before me, you either get it or you don't! After a few weeks back to Bangkok, where it was slowly time to prepare for the farewell.
In love with the country
I have now been back to my girlfriend and beautiful Thailand 5 times for a longer or shorter period of time. Was looking for all kinds of possibilities to be able to travel to be together with my girlfriend. Such as getting hold of a plane ticket for € 340 via Holiday Auctions or a 15-day trip through northern Thailand with a travel group from the German Lidl. My girlfriend has also come to the Netherlands twice for a wonderful holiday. Obviously a culture shock for her, but because I traveled through the Netherlands with her for more than a week, she learned a lot from the country. In the meantime she has also become part of my 2 children and family. I myself know enough about her family through visits to parents and siblings. I get on very well with her parents in Phathalung and other relatives in the Bangkok area. And all this without the clichés of Farang and money. It would be even better if I mastered some of the language, but I can't do it anymore. My girlfriend is better at that after I gave her a Dutch course. Contacting each other via Skype every day after work makes up for something.
But now comes the downer
Initially, I would move to Thailand after my retirement. This can't go on for the time being because I can't lose my house to the paving stones, or I have to accept a large residual debt. Not. In addition, I have become the victim of neuropathic pains, which slowly push me into the abyss. What then remains?
She wants to come to me to take care of me. Which, of course, would be a nice solution. But her family prevents that. As everyone knows, the children take care of their parents. Nothing wrong with that I think. But I recently learned that my friend not only supports her parents financially, but that other family members also expect regular support from her. This is simply because she has a good job, so a good and regular income. Even her brother with whom she shares the apartment in Bangkok appears to contribute nothing to the rent, etc. In other words. She cannot (may) not go to the Netherlands and I cannot go to Thailand. I myself had already thought of marrying her in the short term, so that she would already have some security for the future. And possibly have more opportunities to come to the Netherlands, after which she would still be able to provide support to her parents. I'm slowly starting to get a little desperate.
Who oh who can give me a serious answer to get out of here?
Regards,
Lambert
Can't you rent out your house until the market picks up again? If you could manage to do that cost-effectively, there might be opportunities there.
Only the story of your ailing health remains. Perhaps staying in the Netherlands is better in that respect.
I also think that getting married is already a good step in the right direction. If she were to come to the Netherlands, then you cannot escape it… From your story I understand that there is a considerable age difference between you (you are 63, she is a student). She will want certainty, especially if she goes to another country. I don't know how old she is exactly, but if you get married chances are she will be left alone at an age when finding another partner becomes difficult.
Taking care of her family does not necessarily have to be an issue, she can also work in the Netherlands and send money to her family. Or you have to buy it off with a sinsod. Only in the Netherlands you are again faced with the issue of integration, so looking for a job etc will not go without a struggle.
My humble advice: see that you can continue to pay for your house and rent a house in Thailand. Or move in with your girlfriend. The brother should go live somewhere else and you take his place. Then you do nothing but enjoy the time with her. Don't let everyone around you drive you crazy. She has a job, so can take care of herself and her family. Give her a small amount each month (for room and board and to show her you support her – i.e. love her).
People will start putting pressure on her. They will ask why she still works, how much money you give per month. Why you haven't bought anything yet and so on.
And why not try renting out your house? Do you have double taxation? So what? You also get money for your house, don't you? In connection with your health, you should also ensure that you do not break ties with the Netherlands. You will have to use insurance. In Thailand you will not find insurance that takes over your illness. On the contrary. The older you get, the more difficult it becomes to find good insurance.
And reading this you also fall under the cliché category of Farang and money…. They don't ask you directly about money, but they will ask your girlfriend.
And sorry, if I sow doubts…. is the brother really her brother? It wouldn't be the first time that after a long time it turns out that it concerns a husband... I would really wait a long time before making final decisions.
Courage!!!
Moderator: I would like a substantive response to his question. Other discussions are not allowed.
They always say good advice is expensive, but that relationship stops because in the long run they suck you dry because it is about making money. I will give you an example of a friend of mine who met a nice woman, married her and renovated her house and when it was all done, he could leave and she already had a husband. I have lived in Indonesia for 20 years, but there is little difference in the mentality of Thayland or Indonesia, many people try to cheat you and if you give a lot you have many friends. I myself am an old Marine who served in the Marine Corps for 4 years and was sent to Indonesia as a professional, so I returned to Indonesia after my retirement. My age at the time was 62 years and I have now lived here for 20 years. And during that time I learned a lot about the culture, I was in good health and I was lucky enough to have married a woman who owned a restaurant and a hair salon when she was 50 years old and I don't regret that to this day. Before I married her, there was also a woman following me, aged 21, from a young group that I sang with and played with 3 times a week and who wanted to marry me but, given my age, did not join.. They have always told me that the children who are born here in Asia have something in their body that makes them susceptible to corruption and are always hungry for money and always have family members who are sick and have to pay money for it. Furthermore, it will not surprise me that she already has a husband and is raising her monthly selaris on your back, stop that trade and let her continue swimming, then you can be sure that you are doing the right thing and not going into the boat as many have already gone. And there are always women who have good intentions, but they are difficult to find because, just like in the Netherlands, the good ones already have a family. I can write a book of work here, but yes, if you follow your [***] in Dutch, you will go into the boat and if you let them come over wild to the Netherlands and she is 37 years old and looks good You have to keep the front door closed because she still has her needs that you can no longer give her. So dear friend, stop that relationship because you think you have found gold but the result is not yet a rusty spyker nw sitton
Well, love. Green leaves, chivalrous feelings, a buddy for life.
I sincerely wish you lots of love and happiness for the future.
A few well-meaning comments:
Don't burn ships behind you: you can rent out your house. And let it be managed by a real estate agency. Possibly renting out on the basis of the Vacancy Act (info at the municipality). Set rental period to a maximum of 1 year, then look for a new tenant. Because every year that the tenant has been in it longer, he gets more rights.
That way you also keep a home and postal address in NL. And you will continue to be entitled to AOW accrual and NL basic health insurance (also take out the supplementary insurance because it has better coverage abroad).
If your health is less good, you still have a “safe haven” in NL.
When it comes to child benefit, people are already talking about the country of residence principle (lower benefit due to higher purchasing power in the relevant foreign country). The government needs money, so in the future this principle may also apply to AOW pensioners abroad?, so less money in your hands if you officially emigrate. You never know. To rule is to look into the future.
Dutch international health insurance (expat insurance), e.g. ONVZ, are also pricey.
Thai companies are often difficult and sometimes don't even pay out, after you turn 70 they kick you out.
AXA very pricey. I have now ended up with BDAE (Allianz) via Amazone Insurance (Jomtien): good coverage, decent premium, decent premium development. Difficult to enter, but then also apparently neat finish, German gruendlichkeit.
Once I was on a bus in Thailand, next to me was a teacher.
He told me: “Money is God”. And he meant that from the bottom of his heart.
And that principle applies to most Thais. Sometimes they literally die for that.
Love is also often tied to financial security (read: money).
“You take care of me, then I love you”. For many Thai people this is a business transaction.
If there is no longer any financial security, then the love of the Thai has often cooled very quickly. In NL we usually start from the principle “for better and for worse”.
That is not always the case in TH. There is a cultural difference.
why get married????
Certainty can also be different.
If, for example, you put land / house in her name, then perhaps it is better to also remain businesslike.
Immediately attach a lease-back construction to the contract, whereby you rent the property from her for a maximum of 30 years with an option for a further 2 x 30 years (total 90 years).
Include a clause in the lease (or, unknown to her, a separate last will with a lawyer) that the lease expires upon death, so that she has complete free ownership, not encumbered by a lease.
Or give her a nice gift for "eternal loyalty" every year: gold (do not show) or stock shares on the Thai stock exchange (is also a kind of pension insurance for her).
Note: older farang are often victims: several have died prematurely and involuntarily, because of their property or other rights.
If you want her to come to NL, be careful.
She does not speak / write Dutch, so possibly only rotten jobs, which can negatively influence her self-image. Also possibly missing her family. Women are often more sensitive in this regard.
Even if she is in NL, the family will find her for financial support.
Set financial limits anywhere. Let her hint to family that her farang is not a rich farang. Don't show off with gold watches and new cars.
Make a weekly household pot and set a limit there as well. What is left, possibly divide it together (also makes her more frugal, because spending less means she has more money in her own wallet; and she can then do what she wants with her savings, for example supporting family).
Hopefully, this thread of thoughts will be of some use to you.
Good luck.
Show,
For lambert and the "Good" reader a very good and substantive explanation, which many who read this blog can benefit from, my compliments
With best regards
Addition, without the intention of being complete:
Not officially emigrating (not deregistering from the GBA) has several advantages:
a: health insurance: friend and foe agree that the NL
health insurance is good and inexpensive. Also take out additional insurance.
And to be on the safe side, a continuous travel insurance (not expensive).
b: AOW accrual continues until you reach retirement age.
c: if you keep your own home, you can flee to the Netherlands during the hot months;
you don't have to rely on family, friends (lodges and fish stay fresh for 3 days)
or at a pricey holiday park.
Do: stay in NL for 4 months to avoid being classified as a ghost citizen
(some even speak of 6 months). Failure to comply with this rule may have consequences for whether or not you are covered for insurance and accrual AOW. The NL government has announced that it will pay more attention to ghost citizens, fines possible.
That 4-month obligation could coincide with the hot months in TH, which you can then spend in NL.
With this option you simply pay tax on savings, real estate in NL, etc
You retain a high degree of security and a social safety net.
When emigrating:
a: find good health insurance (named a name) + travel insurance;
you hang yourself on a commercial society; you have little grip on the
future premium development; after the age of 65 it is difficult to accept elsewhere
to become.
b: depending on the personal situation, the pension can be broken down into AOW
(state pension), company pension, annuities from single-premium policies.
It is possible that part of your pension can be enjoyed net (consult
pension specialist). Also information on thailandforum.nl.
c: if you emigrate before your retirement age, you will receive a discount on the AOW pension
(2% per year of foreign stay that you made in the Netherlands before your retirement age
lived abroad); this gap can be voluntarily insured via the Social Security
Insurance Bank (SVB): see their website.
What is not entirely clear to me: why Lambert cannot go to TH.
In my opinion he is now receiving a pension, at least state pension.
Please note: if he lives with a person at an address for a certain period of time, his state pension will be reduced, this is subject to control (long live privacy and personal interpretation of life).
In addition, possible rental income from the house.
Depending on where Lambert stays in Bangkok, living in TH may be cheaper than in NL. It is usually cheaper in rural areas.
With a tourist visa and border run, he can last quite a while in TH, in my opinion.
An alternative is a 1-year retirement visa (info at the Immigration office, eg Bangkok, Jomtien, this visa can be arranged much faster, easier and cheaper in TH than at the Thai embassy in NL). Do inform the NL health insurance company in advance if you are away for a longer period of time. And no longer than 8 months, otherwise you will become a ghost citizen. Alternative = emigrate.
Possible consideration: go to Thailand and during the hot period back to your own home for a few months in order not to be regarded as a ghost citizen in the Netherlands.
If possible, rent the house for part of the year.
Have a girlfriend work in TH (good job) and keep in touch with family.
During the holidays, possibly take her to NL for 1 or a few month(s).
Your girlfriend is happy, then you are happy too.
Don't let yourself be forced into a mandatory Sinterklaas role (because of family, you have worked hard enough yourself for pension and any savings; don't put your eggs in someone else's nest).
Determine your situation in advance in good consultation, determine the limits with her and stick to them. And check whether that brother is really the brother (ask neighbours, child photos); there are enough of them already.
I wish you a nice time.
small addition from another forum entry regarding lease:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/lezersvraag/lezervraag-kan-ik-thailand-iets-opzetten-om-ons-bestaan-te-voorzien/
Author: Ferdinand
Comment:
Beats. The only legal lease term is 30 years. You can of course include the option for a second, possibly 3rd term as an intention in the contract, but it is not enforceable.
It must also be properly arranged in the contract what is possible with her. death occurs while you are still alive, so that it is certain that the heir of the land is obliged to take over the lease. This also applies when the land is sold, stipulating that the buyer must also take over the lease.
In addition, you make a loan contract. You lend her an x amount (which she uses to buy the land), which she (or her heirs) will have to pay back at some point. With this you (hopefully) ensure that land is not simply sold or loaned by her or family. (it is best to also keep the original ground papers as security).
Lease is registered at the land office otherwise it is of no use.
You can also put the house itself (without the land) in your own name (also register at the land office). A foreigner is therefore allowed to own a house, but not the land.
Dear Lambert,
This is what I did:
I have two houses in the Netherlands and I rent out rooms (12 in total), with which I can generously pay all costs (mortgage, gas, electricity, water, taxes, etc.)
Then I paid for a house in Bangkok (bought my girlfriend) and immediately had a lease contract drawn up by a Thai lawyer (in English and Thai), that I rent the house for 30 years, with 2 x 30 years extension + a clause, that when sold (she owns it) she has to pay me back 50% of the sale price. (lawyer's idea) Tears streamed down her cheeks when the lawyer suggested this. The whole has been deposited with the “Land office” and (very important) I have a copy of it. We've been together for 7 years and we're doing really great.
I really think the lease contract is nothing, but the “pressure” that she has to pay back 50% has given her a certain resignation.
Why do I think a lease contract is nothing: she puts another padlock on the house and you can't get in anymore. You can't make a fuss anyway (then you have the whole neighborhood against you) and you don't go to court either.
That 50% is MONEY, isn't it, and you read it in every blog, that's what it's all about in Thailand.
I also have a WEEKLY household pot and in addition I pay when we go “somewhere”. This also works very well.
We have agreed very clearly that I will not pay money to other family members or “friends” but will pay school fees for all family children (4000 Bath monthly).
This will prevent them from asking for money every time.
Only with that flood last time did I give extra money.
When I die, the house automatically goes to her, because she is already the owner.
Then another question, you are 63 years old, so no state pension yet.
My advice: just stay in the Netherlands and go to Thailand twice a year until you are 2 years old + a few months (nice, isn't it, that Rutte) and then rent out your house as rooms (spreading the risk of rental income, for example internet banking is possible from Thailand arrange everything financially and try to buy a house in Thailand the same way I did.
Do officially emigrate, then you can have the house in the Netherlands transferred tax-free to your children after 10 years. You will also receive your state pension gross = net.
If you also have money left over from the rental (depending on your mortgage) you are baked in Thailand.
Health insurance: you can take out insurance with a foreign health insurer. You usually have to be under 65 years of age to be accepted.
Then costs claws of money, almost everyone has to pay more and more every year and when you are 75 years old they throw you out.
The hospitals in Thailand are without a doubt very good and the costs are a fraction of the costs in the Netherlands. If you put € 150 every month in a special bank account and you are a private insurer yourself, after 1 year you will already have € 1800 in that account or about 70.000 Bhat, if you get through the first 5 years unscathed, then you have you have 350.000 Bhat in your account and with that you can pay for a lot of operations. Private insurers sometimes ask € 500 per month. (after 5 years 1.200.000 Bhat)
and you can have a whole lot to choose from
If you want to come and live in Thailand permanently, you have to go to the immigration service every 3 months with proof that you have assets in a Thai bank account of 800.000 Bath or an income that is more than just the state pension.
Dear Nico,
there are some good things in your overall advice.
However, a note in the margin: neighbor in our TH apartment building developed serious health problems, had no insurance, ended up in a good (commercial) hospital. End of the story: his savings ran out and he was allowed to sell his flat worth a few million THB to pay the hospital bills.
It can be. Does anyone want to take that risk?
You don't know if and when something serious or chronic will happen to you, maybe after a few months. Then you are also saddled with a financial challenge that can ruin your entire old age.
Emigration may have some advantages (pension may be partially tax-free), but not emigrating also has advantages, such as being able to continue to rely on the neat and affordable NL health insurance. In NL, the insurance company has an acceptance obligation.
With a (more expensive and possibly less covering) health insurance abroad, exclusions will probably be included in the insurance cover due to the current medical picture.
What is worth more?: both in finance and in security.
Walking around uninsured is a big risk. Only after years have you saved up a considerable buffer, and that too can quickly become insufficient.
Only if you already have a very large piggy bank (a few tons of EUR), could you consider taking the risk and not insuring yourself.
A personal consideration. Personally, I would strongly advise against walking around uninsured.
My advice: after a long time together (regardless of the age difference) you often get conflicts of culture, and you are usually seen as an extra source of income. Find a nice divorced Thai woman in the Netherlands, who is integrated and has a job.
The advice to look for a divorced Thai woman in the Netherlands does not seem so great to me, I mean by saying that after a divorce or after the husband has died, those women do not so much want to have a relationship with a much older man and -excuse- when she is still sick, weak and nauseous, she doesn't really like that either.
Know several Thai women in the Netherlands who afterwards, without any exception, have a Dutch man of about their own age, in fact, I know a woman where he is younger and she has recently become pregnant.
Incidentally, I notice that not only in the Netherlands but also in Thailand that after a divorce or death of the farang they do have a Thai man again who is approximately her age..
While it was first said that the Thai woman does not want a Thai man because he prefers to lie in the hammock all day with a bottle of HongTong within reach.'
Read that 'slogan' often uttered on the various forums and here too it has been quoted several times in responses by various bloggers, I say not without some irony.
In fact. Even if there was no farang involved. I never see a young woman go with a much older Thai here. When you're out in a Thai bar I only see couples around the same age.
Dear Lambert,
Given your health situation and your home, it is not advisable to deregister.
Try to get your girlfriend to come to the Netherlands for a longer period of time, then the financial and moral burden on her by her family will be less. Then you can always spend longer holidays in Thailand.
When I met my wife, age difference of twenty years, in addition to a permanent job, she also had a weekend and evening job. All this to support her family in the south and her sisters studying in Bangkok. Every time I went to Thailand she had to quit one or more jobs for short and longer periods of time. When we got married, I took over the sisters' study costs for two years. Once in the Netherlands, it turned out that her three brothers could also contribute to their parents, and later the other two sisters, who had since graduated. After ten years of relative peace, we now live in Thailand, where the family is on the phone every day for money or other material help. That is one of the reasons why my wife would rather return to the Netherlands.
Incidentally, the previous writer has a point regarding the brother. A woman of 37 without a relationship?
Check well.
Succes
Dear Lambert,
Despite all the good advice from well-meaning blog readers and reading your story
to have. I think there is only one piece of advice, try to get her to the Netherlands. Break with the family. Don't spend any more money on that.
Your health and your own home problem is then solved.
She disagrees. Also fine. Let her stay in Thailand.
You may not feel very comfortable at first.
Before you put yourself in a wasp's nest that you can never get out of.
In retrospect you will realize that it was the right decision.
J. Jordan.
Bring her to the Netherlands and break with the family.
Jordaan you apparently have little to no knowledge about the culture of those people, they never break with their family point.
And that brother who lives with her is probably her gik or husband, so that person is better off without her and he has no use for comments from people who see everything through rose-colored glasses. You don't have to be a scientist to realize that they are abusing the making of that person while he is at a weak point in his life/his illness.
Moderator: Your comment is full of generalizations. That is not allowed by our blog rules.
Moderator: no response to the question or please don't respond.
Hey Lambert,
Proposal "You have health problems in NL, but you will of course also have them here in Thailand. So that's a while, and they have good hospitals here, which are not too expensive and may still be reimbursed by your health insurance fund from NL.
Rent out your house wisely and store your personal items somewhere and come to your sweetheart in thailand.
Life is not too long so don't worry too long and age difference doesn't matter, especially here in Thailand. As long as you are fun and happy.
Good luck with your choice but follow your heart.
gr
Hallo,
Giving someone 63 years old advice on whether or not he should continue a relationship and on the situation described is, in my opinion, fairly pointless. anyone who has a good balance between their emotions and reason, lives consciously, is well informed and has some normal human knowledge knows what to do. There are so many emotional and practical factors that are unknown to outsiders that are important that unambiguous advice is impossible. Only if you have too little information about practical matters can this make a choice more difficult. So you could fill the gap in information by asking for practical information. Health is simple: you only get high insurance, both in the Netherlands and/or Thailand, if you think living with a serious condition or physical disability is worth it. In such a case, I personally opt for suicide, which is possible with current knowledge in both countries. So the cheapest Dutch basic insurance ZEKUR is sufficient for me.
HEALTH INSURANCE
Health insurance is the cheapest in the Netherlands. The advantage is that existing ailments are also insured. In Thailand you will have to take out private insurance. Existing ailments are not included in the insurance. Lawton Asia will take you up to the age of 72, existing ailments are not covered, everything else is, except dentist (additional insurance is possible). But only for Thailand. The annual premium is approximately € 2500 (exchange rate € 1 = THB 38). If you are going on a trip, continuous travel insurance is a good and cheap solution. In general, the standard of healthcare in Thailand is just as good, sometimes even better, than in the Netherlands. The climate is also more favorable for many ailments. Health in general does not have to be a reason not to live in Thailand.
EMMIGRATION OR NOT
You can emigrate to Thailand if you want to stay in Thailand for more than 6 months consecutively. According to the law, you are obliged to deregister from the registry office in the Netherlands after a longer absence. However, this is just a formality. Ask yourself how often someone has come to check whether you really live where you live. Formal emigration has little financial benefit for someone with an AOW and a normal pension from, for example, Zorg en Welzijn or the ABP. With a company pension you may save €150, but that very much depends on your personal situation. The advantage of emigrating is that you can stay here with a Non-Immigration visa. Are you over 55 with a Non-immigration retirement visa? The condition for such a visa is that you have a foreign income of at least € 1720 per month. That you can prove a residential address in Thailand and that you are of impeccable conduct. To prove this, you need a consular letter, which you can request from the embassy. Unfortunately, the Dutch embassy will only provide you with such a letter if you can prove that you have been deregistered from the registry office in the Netherlands. So if you only have Dutch citizenship, getting a Non Immigration visa is only possible if you emigrate. Unless you have two nationalities with corresponding passports, you can often receive such a letter for a visa from another foreign embassy in Thailand because the country in question has different rules. If you only have Dutch nationality and still want to stay in Thailand longer, you will join the many foreigners who enter Thailand on a three-month tourist visa. The visa run has been organized for them. Every three months you go to the Cambodian border, buy a visa for Cambodia, walk across the border and back and you get another three-month visa for Thailand. For a little extra money you can enjoy this run with many foreign fat bellies, especially from Bangkok, on an organized bus tour (€ 65) every three months. Of course you can also go on holiday elsewhere for a week or two, as long as you leave Thailand.
A Non immigration (retirement) visa does give the obligation to report every 90 days. (only if you can get a good contact with an employee of the immigration office who sometimes wants to arrange that for you). A visa costs € 50 and is valid for one year. If you want to stay in Thailand for a long time, but you want to formally stay in the Netherlands to maintain your health insurance, you can ask friends or family if you can use their home address as your place of residence in the Netherlands. You formally live with them. As long as they let you live in for free, it has no income tax consequences. In the event of a serious accident with emergency admission abroad, every Dutch health insurance policy will reimburse. State hospitals in Thailand are good. The more you pay yourself, the faster your treatment. Private hospitals often have the appearance and amenities of five-star hotels. The treating specialists are often the same as in the state hospitals. You have the dentist from super luxury clinics to small independents. The standard is good to excellent. The price always less than in the Netherlands. In short, if you plan to spend the winter in Thailand for 6 months every year, you can do with a tourist visa and a visa run. Longer than 6 months, you only stay for a year, you don't have to change much in the Netherlands, and you do four visa runs. However, if you want to emigrate semi-emigrating, then a home address in the Netherlands is useful for maintaining your health insurance. In Thailand you then have a tourist visa and you do four visa runs per year.
THE THAI SOCIOLOGY
All the comments you read about Thai people their penchant for money exploitation etc. have some basis of truth. As in any society, you have prostitutes, and people who use strong emotions in a way that is less ethical. The poorer a society is and the less it is a welfare state (the government sees it as its task to take care of the general welfare and risk management of the citizens and therefore levies fairly high taxes), the more the citizens depend on each other. In Thailand, the state provides little, with the exception of health care, so the only thing you can fall back on is your family. If a privileged (you come from a highly developed industrialized welfare state) foreigner becomes part of the family, it is self-evident in Thai society that your status and income alone mean you have a significant share in the risk management within Thai existence. If you can think about it without (pre)judgments, that is not at all different from the fact that in the Netherlands you pay the fixed monthly costs of existence together within a relationship, which are then for the most part the contributions to the costs incurred by the state for the risk everyone runs during life. You are probably cheaper within a Thai family. In any case, more flexible, because you can still largely determine to what extent and how much you contribute. Go there at the Dutch mortgage bank and the tax. However, all the stories of foreigners living in Thailand (I know Dutch people who have been living here for 45 years and who still proclaim the greatest possible noncence about Thai, purely from a lack of knowledge) show a poignant lack of knowledge about Eastern people and more specifically Thai sociology. Anyone planning to stay here for a long time would do well to realize that all Easterners, including Thais, think differently, even look differently. Those differences are big. Thais look at and experience the world completely differently than Westerners. They have completely different priorities, different social structures, different social symbols. If you don't know them, if you are too lazy, cowardly or uninterested, to properly inform yourself about these differences, you will get the often generalizing stories that you can read on almost all forums. If you want a satisfying relationship with a Thai, you cannot avoid informing yourself about what Thais have learned about manners, but also about their sociology. No Thai can tell you that because they grew up in it and don't know any better. You will have to get that knowledge from people who have studied, collected and researched it and made it accessible to lay people: The geography of thought Richard E. Nisbett ISBN 0-7432-1646-6 How Asians and Westerners think differently….and why. Inside Thai society Niels Mulder ISBN 974 7551 24 1. You can also learn something through trial and error, then you learn what you shouldn't do or say, but you will never understand why. So you are often faced with unpleasant surprises. This is how the experiences are created that you can read about in blogs and forums. How stupid Thai are, they don't understand logic, what Thai don't understand even if you tell them over and over, how they exploit you, lie, don't keep an agreement etc etc. To be able to distinguish between who in Thailand is stupid, corrupt, lazy, an exploiter or otherwise very unpleasant, and a normal Thai, you must know how Thai sociology works, what priorities Thai people know, how they thinking and what the state and religion has indoctrinated. So whether you want a relationship with a Thai, falling in love is, in all honesty, an even bigger leap in the dark than with a fellow countryman. Especially in the beginning, an angel's patience is a beautiful thing, an open mind, no judgment, especially no prejudices, which cause reality to be colored, or too positive or too negative. Moreover, of course you also have to deal with a certain personality.
Without sufficient knowledge of the overall situation, many make the mistake of making social as well as personal, economic and emotional investments without a proper risk analysis. Investing when you can lose little is always a perilous business, without risk you can hardly expect a nice return. To be able to make these considerations properly, knowledge about who and what you are and what your passions and interests are is the most important thing. You only have to read the blogs and forums to see that that's where it's most lacking.
Greetings.