Moving to Hua Hin soon

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timmymac
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Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by timmymac »

Greetings from sunny Chandler Arizona in the USA. I retired about 6 months ago, and have made a couple of trips to Thailand to check out the country as a retirement destination. Last trip (Oct/Nov 2015), I decided that I want to live in Hua Hin at least for the initial move to Thailand. My girlfriend has moved from Phuket to Hua Hin last week, and has rented a place for 6 months.

I'll be coming to visit for a few weeks in Mar/Apr 2016, and then coming back to the US to continue unloading my stuff. The current plan is to load a 20 foot cargo container with my favorite furniture/computer/stuff, sell my house and car in the US, and come to Thailand.

During this upcoming visit in Mar/Apr, I will be:
1. looking for a reputable language school to expedite learning Thai and setting up an education visa to transition to a retirement visa.
2. Establishing a Thai bank account for holding funds for the visa requirements.
3. Checking out the local area a little better.
4. Spending time with my girlfriend (long distance relationships are difficult.

Anyway, that's enough about me... I'm really looking forward to getting to Thailand permanently.
Tim
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by migrant »

Good luck! Retired from California in October. We are south of Hua Hin a couple hours but really are enjoying Thailand!
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by BOZ »

Congrats on your up coming move!! I am currently doing a semi retired thing now from MA.. I spend 4 months a year here in HH, my wife does 7 months.... We are absolutely thrilled with our decision to make Thailand our new home country.... She is Thai and that does help in making our transition easier.. We have really been getting some serious Emerson in the country doing some travel by car and motorcycle. Love getting away from "civilization" going "up country", the locals are so sincerely friendly and are happy to meet us Falang and all.... Having your girlfriend with you will help you get settled and through the local rules and regulations.. This forum has a ton of valuable info for your use also.... My advise to you is, get here, allow some time to get settled in with your personal stuff. (We shipped a 40ft container, bring what we wanted over was important to us and it was a very positive decision by us.) Then explore your new home country, not just Hua Hin... There is a lot to see and do here... I have 4 hobbies that I that are all available to me and keep us busy and happy at a great return on our dollar.... Have fun and enjoy your new life!! :cheers:
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions that I can answer for you. Migrant and I have yet to meet but stay in touch on email....
Boz

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hhinner
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Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by hhinner »

Yes, good luck. Hope you like it here.

It's very laudable to want to learn Thai, but you don't need an Ed visa to do that and an Ed visa might be more hassle than it's worth. Just get your visa sorted out (e.g. non-O) then your 1 year extension for retirement. You can study Thai while you're here.

Example:

Obtain non immigrant 'O' visa from Thai consulate in US.
Come to Thailand, getting 90 day stay.
Enrol in Thai class as soon as you want - or not.
Open bank account with money needed for retirement extension. Funds need to be in account for 2 months on first time.
During last 30 days of stay go to immigration to apply for 1 year extension on grounds of retirement.

Also, remember that the funds needed for retirement can be: 800,000 in bank, regular monthly income of minimum 65,000 (requires affidavit from embassy), or a combination of income and banked money.

Another visa choice could be a non immigrant O-A. Do some research on this forum and elsewhere.

Others with recent experience will probably come on and set you right about details. I just really wanted to steer you away from the Ed visa idea. Of course, if you're not yet 50 years old the Ed visa could be a short term solution.


Cheers

(edited incomplete sentence)
oakdale160
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by oakdale160 »

Somebody please contradict me if I am wrong. I have met some expats here who are fluent in Thai, but ALL of the ones I know learnt their Thai when they were working here. I have not met any expat who arrived here as a retiree and learnt and became fluent in Thai. AND, having a Thai wife/partner/gf strangely makes it less likely that you will become fluent.
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by T.I.G.R. »

Amen to that.....and welcome.
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by hhfarang »

oakdale160 wrote:Somebody please contradict me if I am wrong. I have met some expats here who are fluent in Thai, but ALL of the ones I know learnt their Thai when they were working here. I have not met any expat who arrived here as a retiree and learnt and became fluent in Thai. AND, having a Thai wife/partner/gf strangely makes it less likely that you will become fluent.
Yep, my wife seemed to actually discourage me from learning Thai. She said when foreigners try to speak Thai it never sounds right and makes them look bad. I think it was because she didn't want me to understand what she was saying about me to her Thai friends. :D
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
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JamesWest
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by JamesWest »

timmymac wrote:Greetings from sunny Chandler Arizona in the USA. I retired about 6 months ago, and have made a couple of trips to Thailand to check out the country as a retirement destination. Last trip (Oct/Nov 2015), I decided that I want to live in Hua Hin at least for the initial move to Thailand. My girlfriend has moved from Phuket to Hua Hin last week, and has rented a place for 6 months.

I'll be coming to visit for a few weeks in Mar/Apr 2016, and then coming back to the US to continue unloading my stuff. The current plan is to load a 20 foot cargo container with my favorite furniture/computer/stuff, sell my house and car in the US, and come to Thailand.

During this upcoming visit in Mar/Apr, I will be:
1. looking for a reputable language school to expedite learning Thai and setting up an education visa to transition to a retirement visa.
2. Establishing a Thai bank account for holding funds for the visa requirements.
3. Checking out the local area a little better.
4. Spending time with my girlfriend (long distance relationships are difficult.

Anyway, that's enough about me... I'm really looking forward to getting to Thailand permanently.
Tim
i am a retired american from los angeles and welcome to the new wild west that is Thailand. yahoo! any questions about the best banks, drivers license, retirement visa, immigration office location, 90 day reporting, best place for american style groceries, (sort of) scooters or motorcycle purchase, cellphone, internet, thai markets, best hamburgers, forget about margaritas, gun stores, (just joking) or anything i can help you with, let me know.

i might suggest you bring every last thing with you because the quality of products here is really terrible. and what is good quality is really expensive. buy yourself a few pair of running shoes because hard to find shoes that fit that are not really expensive. reading glasses, sunglasses, wallets, flashlights, tools, coffee makers, kitchen stuff, any cameras and accessories, computer accessories, cellphone cables and cases, all crap or very expensive.

things that are illegal to bring into Thailand:
sex toys, two way radios, police scanners and wide band receivers, radio antennas, guns, ammo, hunting or self defense knives, cards to play poker with. that is why i had to leave most of my stuff behind. :)
I really like this forum because there are no personal attacks. All the members contribute in a positive way to my posts.
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T.I.G.R.
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by T.I.G.R. »

Just a quick note: Check your power source requirements for anything with a motor. Lots of appliances purchased in America will only work on 110. If it says 220/110 you are good. If it doesn't it will be ruined as soon as you plug it in a 220V circuit.
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by Homer »

hhinner wrote:Also, remember that the funds needed for retirement can be: 800,000 in bank, regular monthly income of minimum 65,000 (requires affidavit from embassy), or a combination of income and banked money.
The embassy doesn't require proof of the 65k. By notarizing your form, they're only confirming you are who you say you are. Which may be someone who just lied to the US gov and is about to do so to the Thai gov, as many do in the same situation. There are too few Americans discussing such matters on this forum for me to know how that currently works with Thai immigration.
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dtaai-maai
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by dtaai-maai »

Homer wrote:
hhinner wrote:Also, remember that the funds needed for retirement can be: 800,000 in bank, regular monthly income of minimum 65,000 (requires affidavit from embassy), or a combination of income and banked money.
The embassy doesn't require proof of the 65k.
The British Embassy does - or it does in the case of a pension, at least.
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Dieter78
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Re: Moving to Hua Hin soon

Post by Dieter78 »

Welcome and all the best Tim. Hua Hin is great!
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