What is your plan B if you cannot renew your retirement visa in Thailand?

While we're sorta on the subject...I was living in Thailand for 20 years, retired there at the age of 50... Came back to Ireland for a holiday in 2020 just before the COVID struck and got stuck here. I got a blood and other tests done while getting the vaccine and it showed I had type 2 diabetes, prostate problems, bladder problems and they found fluctuations with my heart...I was put on tablets (6) a day and get regular tests done ever since. My question please...Has anybody found themselves in the same position and did you return to Thailand...if you did how did you manage the medical problems.

I miss Thailand terribly,.. am living alone here. My brain tells me the wise thing to do is stay here for medical reasons...My heart tells me ...Get back to Thailand, even if it means an earlier death. I'd rather die early and happy...that live longer at home totally depressed and miserable. I'm almost 75 now.

Physically, I feel no different now than I felt before coming back in 2020.

Apologies for the long post.

The world is open for you

C'est une bonne question....

how about some information on retirement homes

Maybe Dubai or Cyprus.

All the folks poo pooing the food in the Phillipines ? Is it really Bad? Cant comment as never been, but if you are a Brit, ( and on Pension) at least you can get the annual increase. Was in Vietnam last month , and enjoyed it, so it's on my list.

Develop an eternal squint and learn to drive like there's no tomorrow

My plan B is, to always cross my bridges when I come to them. Why fuck up your life worrying about something that may never happen.

Vietnam probably

Home is where you are !

Just cross a border..any one. You're not starting over, just continuing on a different piece of land.

Unless have family w/ roots, kids in school etc.

relocating is just a bus,train, or plane away from anywhere. Travel light !

I'm always ready to leave

It seems like they used to restrict poor foreigners but now they only want rich foreigners.

I never bought land, or house or even car and am ready to leave when the day comes I don't meet visa requirements

Been here 30 years and most of my mates have already left for Vietnam

I used to work in Africa and really like uganda but ugandas probably not to everyone's taste.

With so many having a plan B I'm wondering why you have a plan B not judging but why? Maybe I'm delusional, I think i better get a plan B to, 😆 serious. Happy 6 years and a set of twins, but you never know, 😡🤬🤬 mother-in-law, 😳

A friend recommends Kampot.

Plan B DaNang Vietnam 🇻🇳 👌 :)

Still have house in UK been rented out for the last five years ask the tax man

Anyone who says move to the Philippines and hasn’t spent a few months there, has no idea what they are talking about. That would be one big backwards step if you have lived in Thailand

Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery.

There in only Now.

Do you have a backup for a serious handicap due to an accident that may occur Tues at 2:33....ah good !

What about the undetected tumor ?

Why instill fear, where there is none ?

Usually it's someone selling something....Shame!

Wtf is a plan ?

Always have a planned retreat.😎😎😎

A good question. Never spend more than you can afford to lose or walk away from in Thailand. This means that you should have somewhere in your home country to come back to if it all falls apart in Thailand.

Interesting question and one that's actually appropriate for me as I live here in Thailand at age 53 earning money off my property investments in Ausjailia which the Ausjailian government are thieving badly these days from which is only going to get worse.

My plan b would be to move me and my girl (very risky in itself) back to Ausjailia to live in Wollongong and get a dog and too part time work for a bit.

Da Nang, Vietnam looks amazing. Just watched a digital nomad video on u tube😀

Divorce threatening to cost me half my private pension, so already had to rethink Plan A (retire full-time to TH). My plan B is 51% in AU, 49% TH. That way I can get rent assistance and other benefits (medical etc) in AU and dont lose 32% of pension as non-AU-resident. Can get cheap emergency travel insurance for about $500/yr instead of the useless mandatory thai health insurance if resident in TH… by alternating 2 months at a time, can get into TH on 60-day visas, not too long between boom-booms 😂.. downside is transient nature of airbnb accommodation in TH, unless I pay for 6 months when I’m not there (might do that if I dont lose too much of my pension to the Witch).

This takes us back to the class assignments we give to our pupils.what is our plan b.Teachers have always retired poor coz of not having plan b

I would recommend Panama as plan B

Georgia 🇬🇪 you can live 365 days without any visa - or I would just move around and travel to places I can live 3 months at a time - there’s always something

I have a permanent (SRRV) in the Philippines

Plan C is super easy long term visa in Siam Reap

Moving would be a pain in the butt, but I have no particular attachment to Thailand. My Plan A is Cambodia. My Plan B is Vietnam. The only real problem I see with either (and others) is medical facilities as against Thailand.

Fly to Malaysia. Which I’m already doing in 10 days bc I’m tired of getting food poisoning here.

If I could no longer stay in Thailand I would likely bounce between Phils and Bali.

Good question and good read. I am presently in VN. Had been looking to sell my properties in US, now have decided against it. Better safe than sorry, I think

Kept property in home country & rented it out, you never know what the future will bring

Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Yes, everyone should have a plan B and a plan C

Fortunately, I own properties in 2 other countries. My options are open!

I've considered the Philippines and possibly Mexico. I prefer to stay here, but who knows what the future will bring?

Vietnam

Yes, of course. If you do not, one is already planned for you. I recommend a resourceful place that has the resources to plan and execute. This happened to me a year after I redid my Non-O, by which latter in that year the Immigration Officer was convicted, and they further invalidated all her approvals and I then had a 1 year overstay. Fortunately, my spouse is a Misisteri staff member and worked everything out. However, as part of the following years Non-O, I had to leave the country and re-enter from my home country after I personally picked up paperwork from the Thai Embassy and fly within 72 hrs. Plan for the worst.

I'm open to living anywhere in SE Asia. I hear Laos and Cambodia are both cheaper that Thailand. Less onorous visa requirements too. And I can visit Thailand as often as I like

That is why I don't agree on cutting ties completely with our home country. My hubby loves Thailand and seems like he would not want to go back to Canada and thinking of disposing all out properties. But I disagreed, because I know something can change here in thailand. So we still have a 3 bedroom condo and a piece of land back in ontario..if we need to dispose it can be either of the two but not both to have that option b for later.

For anyone who doesn't have a plan B: The Philippines.

You get to stay up to 3 years on a tourist visa exemption every time you enter the country. No issues, no visa agents, no bribes.

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Mexico, Guatemala and Egypt are options. Mexico and Guatemala have straightforward residency or retirement visas, with climates and costs similar to Thailand. Antigua or Atitlan are the usual Guatemala go-tos, while Mexico has about a dozen cities that are easy picks for foreigners (de Allende $$$$, Playa del Carmen $$). Mexico has Internet like Thailand; Guatemala's is fairly slow. Private health providers in Quintana Roo (southern Mexico) are very pricey (think USA), public almost free. I think Guatemala's private are less expensive than MX.

Egypt's most popular hotspot is Dahab, followed by Sharm Esh (El) Sheikh on the Gulf of Aqaba. Both are excellent scuba destinations. Housing is generally cheaper than Thailand, restaurants pricier, markets similar, but the access to a variety of foods (you're in the desert) much less. I don't know if Egypt offers retirement visas, but in the past it was easy to renew six-month visitor visas for a low fee indefinitely. Like Mexico, public health affordable; private, much less so. Dahab is one of the most multicultural (Bedouin, Nubian, Egyptian, Jewish, Russian, Ukrainian, etc.) places you can find.

Some of the choices mentioned above by others are expensive compared to Thailand.

Malaysia (particularly Penang) offers extremely affordable luxury housing, plus outstanding, low-cost private/public health. However, its long-term visa choices have been constantly revised over the past five years, some being shut down months after their launch. Others reportedly have had very few takers. The ones I've seen involve a multitude of hurdles, including locking up a large amount of money in a low-interest account with a currency that has historically declined regularly against the USD. Furthermore, a large chunk of your application fee ($$$) has to be paid up-front. Visa waits can be months--or much longer.

Nobody knows the future. But one thing is for sure is laws and rules constantly change. Always have a backup plan in place.

I've kept my property in the UK.

I did..dont take anything in Thailand as fact or true..the rules change on a regular basis.. buton that note I think they are trying to become more Democratic..lets see🤔

I do not live in Thailand yet but I’m going there in a few weeks with the intent of retirement. For now, it is difficult for me to imagine a stress free retirement life, that I have to report my stats every 90 days and always worry about how I’m going to be taxed each year. I will definitely have a plan B as I will keep my house in my home country. And the Philippines is definitely Not an option! I do not want to live off Jollybee for the rest of my life.

I think it’s best to have a plan B and even plan C.

At age 90…where can you go without health insurance, it is impossible to afford at that age. Coming from Canada

Cambodia, Portugal

Arnold Schwarzenegger says that a plan b is a plan to fail and I tend to agree. So I have no plan b.

You can buy plan B at any pharmacy

Move to Laos , Vietnam or Philippines, depending on my age, if 85 + go home with my Wife as my Carer

Another option is the Philippines.

I have lived in several countries and so I am fine with moving again if necessary. I have many backup plans.

I have visited 78 countries (43 solo) and there are many great places out there.

Most likely I would move back to Turkiye or Oman. I keep updated on other options on the YouTube channel called the Nomad Capitalist. Andrew does a great job of updating best visa and passport options in the world. Luckily, I opted for the 800k thb in Thai bank which will make it easy to have moving money if I need to leave.

Oman makes it easy to live there permanently if you are willing to buy a condo for about 120k usd in specific developments. I loved working there for 6 years. Muscat has an amazing opera house and amazing beaches and super nice Omanis and many people speak English well and were very patient with my hearing loss. Almost bought a condo in the lovely Sifah development since super nice area but no good hospital nearby yet since too far from Muscat. Good medical care in Muscat but medical insurance is tougher to get since all the citizens have birth to death free medical care. Public transport is minimal but they have Uber equivalent. Driving is on the right side and easy.

Turkiye used to make it easy to stay there long-term with very little investment but currently they have too large an influx of foreigners so they have made it more difficult. But beaches in Antalya were amazing (Konyaalti is my fav) and nice people. Turkiye is great for exploring since such diversity in landscapes. It is also another country where many people go for medical and dental procedures since good and affordable. When I lived there for a year, I paid cash for a lot of preventative stuff for way less than my home country of the usa. Also it was easy to buy medical coverage via Allianz etc. Just leave money outside Turkiye if you can since the currency is still losing value. Plus lots of inflation now. Recently Turkiye made it easier for usa passport to visit on 90 day visa exempt tourist visa.

If you have a USA passport, Albania lets you go there without a visa for up to a year. Nice beaches but gets too cold for me. I also considered Bulgaria but also too cold for me at times. Bulgaria and Romania are both affordable and just joined Schengen area in March 2024. I enjoyed wandering around Eastern Europe for 7 weeks (2 weeks in Romania) and lots of good potential there if you don’t mind being colder.

I am also hopeful that Malaysia will have affordable residency plans again if I ever need to leave Thailand. Enjoyed many visits there.

I also have a 5year tourist visa for India and I can stay there 6 months per visit. Lots of friends in various cities and always enjoy my 10+ visits there. I also enjoyed visiting Sri Lanka a couple of times and have friends who could help me settle if I chose that location.

I have a 10 year multiple-entry tourist visa for China and enjoyed multiple trips there but another place that gets too cold for me. Hehe

I have visited South/central America a couple of times and lots of options there but I have always been a bigger fan of Asia. I still want to visit Panama and Costa Rica since those both still seem like good retirement options. I have visited a few countries in Africa but none called to me like Asia.

I currently have a 2-year residency card in Portugal but the d7 visa I have is too strict about time in Portugal (8 months per year) for my needs so I won’t be renewing.

I spent a month in Greece and I am hopeful they will figure out they could have great retirement visas in the future.

I spent a couple of months in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE, and enjoyed my time there. It can be expensive or affordable depending on your lifestyle choices and I am hoping they will have better options for affordable retirement visas. Really liked their public transport and healthcare while I was there.

I visited the Philippines a couple times and I keep them on my list of possibilities.

Loved working in Singapore for 4 years and had an affordable place at the time but too small a place for them to have affordable retirement visa options.

It is very unlikely I would move back to the usa. I have already visited all 50 states and lived in Missouri (too cold for me) and Hawaii (Lahaina is too expensive after the fires) and Florida (insurance companies are too nutty there now and dropping customers). Life has been pretty great and affordable for me outside the usa for the past 12 years so it would be a bit too much of reverse culture shock.

I keep my maths teaching license updated in Florida USA, so I could go back to work and live in various countries on a work visa if I get bored with my early retirement. I would renew my subscription to the search associates job platform to quickly get interviews.

I use numbeo.com to get estimates of living expenses for cities I am considering. It is like Wikipedia where it can be accurate if you see recent updates by others like yourself.

I guess the hard part for me would be picking a new place since there are still so many great options as a backup plan. As Andrew says on his Nomad Capitalist YouTube channel, “go where you are treated best”.

Or you could go back home and spend your remaing years in a tiny room on state benefits ….. not for me🤣🤣🤣

Many other choices:

1. Laos

2. Cambodia

3. Viet Nam

4. Philippines

5. Malaysia

6. Japan

7. Taiwan

8. South Korea

9. Indonesia

Not necessarily in that order.

Cambodia

Elite visa is an option, Vietnam also is pretty good...

Maybe Malaysia… ive never actually been, so im just going by things ive heard/read… i would say Philippines- but i couldnt find a decent meal in all the months i spent there.. not even exaggerating, the food is that terrible .

I do plan to keep my retirement visa if I leave, because if I want to move back, they may raise the amount you have to have on deposit to an amount I can’t afford. 

That is my question to you. What is your plan B?

Under those circumstances your two options are the only ones. Return home or change country. Or see how long I can hide in my village for.

Yes. Mai pen rai 😉😅😁

A very good question and one I have been increasingly thinking about. It is always good to have options.