@Kevin *******

only if you qualify to get the full age pension from NZ and don’t need time spent in Australia to get it. You would have had to spend five year after the age of fifty to do that. If you need to use time spent in both countries to qualify then you can’t make it portable to Thailand as it’s not a SSA country.

I see you are ten years off age pension but I'll tell you this anyway, as a kiwi on the SCV you will qualify for age pension under the SSA between NZ and Aussie but they won't let you make it portable and take it to Thailand. Also there is a 5 year visa you can get for partners of SCV holders that allows you to bring your partner from a non SSA country in with the right to work. I'm not sure of your plans or situation but just thought I'd let you know.

Just give your Thai GF your money and let her do the rest. You just sit back and cash in on all the profits. Too easy, and you can drink all day...the best life.

@Michael *******

exactly

@Gregory ******

well you must be marrying a person who can speak Thai

Pay an agent in Thailand. Why put yourself through all the hassles? Come in on a visa exempt, the first thing you do is see an agent, get the 60 day extended if needed and apply for a bank account through the agent, then apply for the O type visa here through them, then extend it 3 months later to the retirement visa. You need to eliminate problems to make your transition to living in Thailand easier.

@Jenny *****

you also have the option of showing 65,000 baht a month going into your account every month for a year instead of the 800,000 baht. Obviously you have to put the 800,000 in for the first year then start the 65,000 monthly for 12 months so you can show when you do you next 12 month extension

You have to be an Australian resident for at least 10 years, including at least five years in a row to qualify for age pension. It's not based on citizenship. I ran into this nonsense because I had lived in Australia for 20 years as a kiwi on a SCV visa which a kiwi automatically gets on arrival and ceases the minute you leave the country. So they wouldn't pay me in Thailand as when I left the country I had zero residency status.

@Arnold *********

You have to be an Australian resident for at least 10 years, including at least five years in a row to qualify. It's residency not citizenship.

@David *******

wrong. Age pension isn't based on citizenship it's based on residency, how long you have resided in Australia. You have to be an Australian resident for at least 10 years, including at least five years in a row to qualify. You can't become a citizen then apply for age pension.