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Home » Reader question » How can I emigrate to Thailand?
How can I emigrate to Thailand?
Dear readers,
I recently registered on your site and have the following question: I am a Dutch man of 54 years old and I am married to a Thai woman. Now I'm thinking about emigrating to Thailand when I retire, but I don't know much about how best to do that.
We recently bought a piece of land and want to have a house built in the meantime and living financially by the time of retirement is no problem. What about health insurance, tax and benefits, a Dutch bank or a Thai bank?
Who can best advise me on this?
Regards,
Johnny
Editors: Do you have a question for the readers of Thailandblog? Use it contact form..
Johnny, read this blog carefully and the tips will fly around you! You are here at the best address.
Your questions (I assume that you live in NL and will soon have income from NL….)
Health insurance fund? I think you mean health insurance. It expires as soon as you deregister from the Netherlands. If I may give you a tip: start looking in good time for a good policy in the Netherlands or elsewhere.
Income tax; that depends on the type of income you have after retirement. AOW is taxed in NL and also in TH, but the latter country must give a reduction. Company pension is taxed in TH, civil servant pension is generally taxable in NL. See the advice here from Lammert de Haan. Incidentally, this applies under the existing treaty, but that may have changed when you retire.
Bank account. I would definitely keep an account in NL and also open an account in Thailand. No and/or because not all Immigration offices accept and/or bills.
There are a thousand and one things coming at you so start by reading a lot, reading a lot and reading even more and draw your conclusions.
Success!
Dear Erik,
“bank account”
You mean most likely that he should now have a Dutch bank account and open a Thai bank account?
Because if you live outside the EU and are not a Dutch resident, it is no longer possible to maintain a Ned bank account.
@PEER
“Because if you live outside the EU and are not a Dutch resident, it is no longer possible to maintain a Ned bank account”
A bit of a bold statement. There are indeed known cases in which the Dutch bank account has been canceled. But that is certainly not always the case. I have been officially deregistered from the Netherlands for 2 years, but I still have two Dutch bank accounts.
In any case, it seems sensible to open more than 1 account in the Netherlands.
Is that so Pear.
I have been living here in retirement for years and, apart from being canceled a few years ago by ABN Amro, I still have accounts with two other Dutch banks.
But once you reside permanently in Thailand, it is difficult or no longer possible to open a bank account with a Dutch bank.
Or am I wrong, speaking from experience.
Jan Beute.
PEER, yes, that is what it looks like now, but we will be ten years later, so I would like to wait and see. I have no experience with a WISE account but something like this could very well be the future.
The impossibility of having a Dutch bank account if you live abroad is a common comment that is not 100% true.
Indeed, a year or so ago, some Dutch banks (including ABNAMRO) made this impossible from one day to the next.
However, I am sure that this is not the case with ING Bank in particular. I have a bank account there at my Thai address without any objection from them and even a credit card. I do pay a small extra amount on top of the ¨normal¨ bank costs: the so-called foreign surcharge. After informing the bank, it appears that there are no plans to cancel this facility. The possibility of an address abroad also applies to ASN bank and probably also to various other Dutch banks. There is also the possibility of opening typical ¨internet¨ banks such as N26 or BUNQ that are great to use to transfer money to Thailand and also to make any local payments in the Netherlands.
Researching and arranging things in advance is of course desirable.
Ton, that is also my experience, but what is not can still come….
The importance is clear: there are people who, after emigration, still have obligations in NL/BE or who simply want to buy things there or who do not want to transfer part of their income to Thailand for whatever reason. Maintaining a current account in NL/BE or elsewhere in the EU is important for this.
Dear Johnny,
you are now 54. By the time you can retire you will be able to read and inform yourself enough.
Someone else can't prepare something like that for you, you have to do that yourself. After all, nobody knows your situation.
Read a lot: there are various forums where you can do this and make your own decisions.
I think you better ask your questions about 10 years of art here. No one can already predict what it will look like when you retire in 2032.
I don't want to discourage you, but building a house in Thailand from a distance is asking for trouble. Who will supervise?
I built while I was already in Thailand. The works were followed up by myself, my wife and my father-in-law. Even then we had to constantly comment and even have certain works broken down and started again. It was crying with the cap on!
I sincerely hope that you have a reliable person (with expertise) who can be constantly present during the work. Thai (skilled) craftsmen are very rare. Not to mention the cheating when it comes to money.
Good luck!
And so it is Arthur, you have to stay on top of it daily.
And I have experience, a simple afternoon shopping trip to a shopping mall or similar can be fatal.
If you don't know anything about it, better buy something that has been standing for years, then you can see the structural condition of what you are buying, and also the type of neighbors you will be living next to.
Jan Beute.
Furthermore, there is a good chance that your new house is already occupied by several family members before you move in.
It seems to me an illusion to use the house only for you and your partner..
Thai people have a very close family structure and many feel that they have every right to live in and use the house that you have paid for.
It often seems that all the investments you make are not so much for your well-being, but for the woman's family.
Not strange in itself, because this occurs in many cultures.
I remember a statement by a Dutch Ambonese young woman on Dutch TV.
The family is the basis and the spouse for some stages.
you are tolerated because it is convenient for the family.
It is indeed a long time before you get to that point. About ten years. I certainly wouldn't build anything right now. Just come on holiday every year, rent something and then you can see what you want to do.
As for a bank account in the Netherlands: I haven't had a bank account in the Netherlands for years. Uncalled for. Even if you still have to make (automatic) payments, a bank account is actually more often a burden than a pleasure. If something is going on, they sometimes want you to come by in person. Just go do that.
Wise is an excellent alternative. I have part of my pension directed to this and can then also make my mandatory payments in Europe with it. Another part goes directly to my Thai account.
Given the low rents, renting is indeed better than building something for the first few years.
Often the woman wants her own home in Thailand for her and especially for the family.
That is expected of her.
This is also often the case in a village where the average farang has little to do except to devote himself to alcohol and make friends with the local stray dogs.
They will also be in front of the gate in a few months.
For enthusiasts who love the countryside, gardening, space, unexpected circumstances and have little or no need for any social contact and can moderate alcohol consumption, such a rural location is fine.
I myself am in favor of spending only the winter months in Thailand.
This despite the fact that we are both already of retirement age.
Not officially emigrate. Leave some ties with the homeland intact.
Seems sensible to me.
MVG Josh
It is the safest method.
Who knows, the conditions of residence will not be adjusted and you will be left out in the future.
Private circumstances can also change.
The basic rights of a farang in Thailand are very limited.
Everyone resides on a temporary residence permit that must be renewed annually.