Expat & Expat-Thai: The Decision To Become an Expat

• Not an easy decision – When you have spent the majority of your adult life (and probably whole life) in the country of your birth there will be so many questions which need answering.

• So many things to give up at home:

• Things I wanted to give up least – Good food and real ale. (Coming from the UK, the real ale was the hardest decision for me!)

• Things I wanted to give up most – Expensive housing costs, travel costs, high taxation. Wanted to get away from the impersonal lifestyle & not least - the bad weather.

• We often imagine that "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence". But -if you don't go and at least have a look, you'll never know! 

• So for you to have somewhere in mind that you would like to emigrate to, you'll need to have visited enough times to capture your interest and also to inspire you live a better life.
  
• We are talking about something which requires extremely careful thought. You must have had enough experience of your prospective new country to give you the confidence to even consider this momentous decision.
  

Read more about the exhaustive planning required and some things you could possibly overlook:

Getting rid of more than 90% of your belongings and starting in a foreign environment, isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world.
So, the more research you do, the easier the actual act of relocating will be.

Sure, if you move to South America, Europe, anywhere Down Under and numerous other countries throughout this big beautiful world, you’ll most likely get by. But when you become an Expat in Thailand, we are talking strictly “alien” - as defined by the Thai government (but friendly alien).

We’re talking about a country and culture that not only dates back to the 12th century, but is the only Asian country that has never ever been colonized by anybody (the Thai perception). Now that’s not to say that there haven’t been those that tried to impose their influence. For whatever the reason, thankfully they did not succeed. I say that because I am the one that can enjoy this beautiful, peaceful and reverent society.

There is also a good amount of planning to contend with. If you don’t already have a valid one, get a new passport.
Regarding obtaining a visa - read our visa & working page.

If you’re of an age and have not yet started drawing a pension, then it still all needs looking into - see our pension page.