Moving from Thailand to Malaysia due to poor air quality
Dear readers,
We have lived in Thailand with my son for over 5 years and regularly suffer from respiratory problems. In the Netherlands and on holiday in Malaysia we had no problems and did not have to use nasal spray, nasal rinse water and allergy tablets. The specialists here say it is due to the poor air quality in Thailand. The IQ air meter shows that the air quality in NL/Malaysia is light to dark green almost all year round, while in Thailand it is orange-red almost all year round (green is 0-50, red is 150-200).
Now we are considering immigrating to Malaysia, partly because my son wants to do IT work in Malaysia or Singapore. In connection with this I have the following questions:
- Can I already open a bank account in Kuala Lumpur?
- Is it possible to rent or buy a house/apartment in KL?
- Can I also take my state pension with me to Malaysia?
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Arnold
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Arnolds, yes, you can take the AOW with you to that country, but due to BEU legislation you will receive a maximum of 50% benefit in that country. So even if you are single, you will receive the lower married/cohabiting benefit. Just check with the SVB. In Thailand you will not have any restrictions because Thailand has concluded a treaty with the Netherlands for this purpose.
I would thoroughly investigate how that country works visa-wise, and that also applies to the health insurance policy.
Of course you can already open a bank account in KL. Why wait? You and your son will know best how far you have progressed in the process from considering to finalizing/deciding and moving. I assume that you know MY and KL respectively, have been there and know which bank you can open an account with. This also applies to being able to rent/buy an apartment. If you plan to leave in the foreseeable future, it would not be a bad idea to have a place to stay somewhere in KL.
I would say: go there for a few weeks, find out, look around, and make a decision.
As far as the AOW is concerned, all answers can be found on the SVB site. All you have to do is click on the name of the country you are interested in. In your case, Malaysia. MY is not a treaty country. So the BEU Act applies. The site says that income support will expire, but entitlement to AOW will be retained. I recommend sending an email for more information.
https://www.svb.nl/nl/aow/aow-buiten-nederland/u-gaat-buiten-nederland-wonen
Dear,
I wouldn't be at all sure of good air in Kuala Lumpur, it is a big city and also suffers from traffic pollution, the emissions from vehicles there will also count!
Malaysia also has a lot of industry and therefore a lot of air pollution, the only thing in their favor is that the country is narrow and slender and can enjoy sea breezes, making it better than Bangkok.
If the respiratory problems are that bad, I would certainly not settle in a big city, but in a rural area by the sea, which you can also find in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, like Bangkok, is just away from the sea and I fear for about the same air quality, perhaps slightly better due to more sea breeze.
Furthermore, the fact that it is a Muslim country is not that bad in itself, but there are mandatory things that you have to follow.
And you can do IT work anywhere, you just need good internet
Gret Marc