Retiring to Thailand

Hi you as foreigners cannot buy land, but you can form a company that can, you will only own 49% of the company 51% has to be owned by one or more than one Thai. We as foreigners can buy condos. You really need to see a lawyer, there is one I know of down near the Tambaline market they speak good English.

Hi there many thanks for your reply.  We have spoken about forming a company etc and seeking legal advice.

I am interested in finding out how we would access the regular medication my husband takes once we are permanent residents

Hi mrso427, i am a 54yr  lady retiree of two years so far....and for as long as i can see. i am on regular hypertension meds etc. all your meds are available here in thailand. some are same brand some are thai generic. all my meds come from pharmacies in whichever town i have lived in. i. e. nong khai and now Korat city. there is usually one or at least two mega pharmacies that sell everything from meds to wheelchairs etc.
Stay away from Hospital pharmacies unless you have deep pockets.
i have been living here for two years and not had probs getting meds and yes they work ! just remember to budget for them on a monthly basis as when you have to live on a fixed income that is subject to the vagaries of currency fluctuations, it becomes a priority.
hope this helps?😉
p.s. things like diuretics are cheap as chips, i pay 1bht per tab. doxozin is about 450bht for 100tabs and natralix is 225bht for 30tabs or a box. my partner is on irbersartin which is more expensive at 1,100bht for 300mg x28tabs. which they cut in half as they work out cheaper than a box of 150mg, go figure??

extra footnote: bring your prescription slips from the UK . sometimes easier for pharmacist to understand than how we do or dont say the name. most good pharmas understand english versions. 😉

The dummy company thing is basically an end run around the laws of Thailand and they know it, so you are vulnerable if they ever decide to crackdown or close that loophole.  Liquidating assets can be problematic at times so I would not recommend attempting to purchase property.

It is hard to answer the medication question you have posed because it is far too vague.

If  you husband take more then 1 kind of medicine, I advice against going to a "pharmacies Shop" and buy a Thai product of it.
Remember a lot of this shop, People in them have no education or knowledge about medicine, So please be careful...

I did that when i move here, And end up with Thai generic medicine that cancel one of my others Thai generic medicine, I was lucky it was the medicine for my "gouty arthritis" (I think the English words is for it) that got cancel, And as i later found out.

When i got my  "gouty arthritis"  i go to hospital, And when they ask for what kind of medicine i take, I show them the Thai generic medicine i got from the "pharmacies Shop" , And right a way the Doctor say it was a mistake, And told me i was very lucky, If i got the other one, That one was going to cancel my hearth medicine.

So i think, First time go to a hospital, See a Thai Doctor, Get the Doctor to change you medicine to Thai generic medicine, And pay a little bit more for that the first time, And after that you can go to a "pharmacies Shop" and buy the medicine the Doctor tell you, Don´t let them sell you somethings else before checking with you Doctor.

Well that my advice...

Kindly.

Hi polum2 thanks so much for your reply thats really helpful.  Im 58 and my husband is 60.  I would love to chat some more to you about your experience of being a retiree in Thailand

Just a quick note, on a slight tangent from your question...
Whether or not somone is on medication, I suggest you thoroughly investigate the quagmire of health insurance, in case hospital treatment (inckuding regular health tests, blood tests, etc) becomes necessary.
. That means... the whole spectrum of options, including retaining an investment from the sale of your house, which will act as a "hedge" substitute for insurance through the (rather expensive) expat health insurance companies.
Note also, there are also  "local" health insurance schemes, run by Thai insurers like AXA, which won't cover you for the "luxury hotel" hospital stays, but can give you some basic cover.

OK, I digressed... I think everyone else has already made the main points about the medication...
See a good quality doctor at the beginning
-maybe from one of the big hospitals...but try to get your meds from outside the hospital pharmacy.
I recently started taking pills for hypertension...Bangkok Hospital's (group of big hospitals in the major Thai towns)  dispensary was expensive.
Find the "generic" drug name for the brand name you currently have. Boots (Thailand) are not cheap, but, for your first prescription in Thailand, they won't fob you off with inappropriate trash.

I've been here 3 1/2 years, and I'm 63.... happy to chat on broader subjects, if you want to send a private message.

Another prospect for health care is that of self insured. I know one man in Chiang Mai who puts the equivalent of a health care premium into a bank account and draws from that. He makes monthly deposits similar to what would be the premium. In Chiang Mai an international policy, under 70 years of age, would be around $2,500 a year. Last year I had a catastrophic event. In the states the procedure would have been $200 k or more. In Chiang Mai the bill was 118 k baht. In this respect it was an out of pocket event.

Along those lines, if you are an American, formalizing a health insurance account can give you a pleasant tax deduction as well. Making contributions to an HSA is a tax deduction. Then again so is a medical out of pocket expense.

I know here some people get an inexpensive accident policy to health bridge the gap. I understand Bangkok Hospital offers one of those plans.

You have boots the chemist  also watsons the chemist,  if and when you come to Thailand  I am sure they will be able to help you , also when I came to live in Thailand my UK doctor gave me  a six month prescription but I find thai chemists very helpful  , I hope that this helps you  👍

Hi guys

I'm finally making the move to Thailand , I leave Sunday the 29 April , spend a few days in Bangkok and then to Chiang Mai on the 5 May ... can anyone recommend a hotel in Chiang Mai , I am hoping to just stay a short time in a hotel and then find a place to rent ..
I'm looking for something close to the main streets in the city  for easy transport until I get to know the area ..

Best to get a good B&B where you can get a lot more information than what you would get at a hotel. I know one really great place where you can hang out in a central courtyard, have a great breakfast, talk with folks all day. But I cannot advertise for them here. Just find yourself a place with those qualities. Cheers.  dcb

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One hotel I can recommend in Chiang Mai - the Chiang Puack Hotel. It's a pleasant traditional style hotel and reasonably well located, a few long blocks from the Chiang Puack Gate. There's another hotel, Princess Royal or Royal Princess (I would have to further check it specifically). It's a modest and modestly priced hotel with good accommodations. It has a breakfast buffet included and is located close to the down town area.

You might try contacting Perfect Homes or Chiang Mai Properties for some help. This is not a commercial plug. They cater to the Farangs. You might also try word of mouth.

From the north west corner of the moat there is a major street. Looking west it's a two way street. Looking east it's a one way street. You can see the Chiang Mai Ram Hospital looking west and slightly south. That is one hospital many Farangs use. But, if you follow that street going west you will see an old shopping center on the left, Kat Soung Kow (spelling). If you continue to walk down that street you will see a Shell gas station on your left. If you cross the street right there, there will be a Soi or alley way. That area has many short term rooms or condo's where many Farang live. Having the ability to compare notes with other English speaking people would be very helpful, especially for a first time visitor to Chiang Mai. 

It might be helpful to get an international driving license, with motor cycle endorsement, before leaving. Driving a motor bike is potentially dangerous, but brings the ability of expanding ones environment. Being confined to walking or commercial transport has it's limitations.

I drove by the other hotel I was referring to. I think it's the Royal Peninsula. If nothing else you can get a B2B or Guest house, just to get started. At this very time business is slow so you shouldn't have any problem finding a place. This is from a boots on the ground observation.

Hi, my name is Barry, I am a retiree aged 69 from Australia I have been chatting with a Thai lady from Korat for a number of months. I will be coming to Thailand 25th May to meet her in person for the first time. At this stage, I may not go to Korat as she will first meet at Bangkok airport and fly to Chiang Rai for a holiday together.She has asked me to extend my holiday and visit Korat. I believe she has been honest with me in our chats online. When talking in person I read people fairly easily so before I make up my mind to even move to Thailand I would like to ask expats questions eg, the cost of health insurance, rent etc and do you personally like Korat and its surrounding area.
Thanks, Barry.

Long ago I learned not to get involved with budding online relationships or any other romantic entanglements, even geriatric ones, especially if it is between a Thai and a foreigner.  I will make an exception for an old Thai friend getting serious about a new relationship but that is about as far as I will go.

That said the weather here in Chiang Rai is unpredictable at this time of year.  It has been very hot recently but today it is raining as I write this and a bit cooler.  The rain does help with the pollution from burning but all it takes is a couple of dry days for the smoke to come back in full force.  There is no way to accurately predict the weather when you arrive next month and there is no way to predict how things will go for you.

Just try to relax into this little adventure and be open to new experiences without being too judgmental or goal oriented.  Take it one day at a time and give yourself sufficient time and space to internalize things a bit before making any decisions.  Good luck.

As for Korat, I am not a fan of the Isaan region in general but it is where many foreigners end up.

She not from Korat, she has her work there and her child goes to university. That is why we will be in Chiang Rai to get to know each other well away from her friends.