Have you noticed how many people are talking about leaving the United States. A friend of mine is getting ready to move to Thailand and I was quite surprised. They are leaving because they do not like the current administration. That really shocked me. In my opinion if you tune out the news and don’t pay attention to the noise that is coming from Pennsylvania Avenue you will be fine. They did not see it that way and they feel that it is best for them to move out of the United States. I can’t imagine moving to a place where I cannot speak the language. Yes, I know I can learn to speak the language but at 74 years of age that is not what I feel like doing. I have noticed on social media that a lot of people young and old are singing the praises of Thailand and they say their money will go so much further there.
Flights to Thailand typically take 17–22 hours from the United States, with nonstop West Coast routes around 17–18 hours and East Coast flights often 20–24 hours including layovers. A US citizen can move to Thailand, but long-term residence requires obtaining the appropriate visa and meeting specific financial, employment, or retirement criteria.
US citizens cannot simply stay indefinitely on a tourist visa; long-term residence requires one of several visa types:
- SMART Visa: Designed for highly skilled professionals, investors, executives, and startup entrepreneurs in targeted industries. Requires endorsement from the Board of Investment and meeting income/employment criteria
- Retirement Visa (O-A or Non-O): For those aged 50+, requiring either a Thai bank deposit of 800,000 THB (Thai Baht) or proof of monthly income of 65,000 THB.
In case you are wondering, 65,000 THB is equivalent to $1,959.75 US dollars. Now that we have piqued your interest, come back next month for the rest of the story. Where can you live and what will you do.
Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com
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