The Realities of Living in Thailand as a Foreigner

About visa: If you are working and/or under 50 years old, the Visa process, such as 'Non-O' can be very annoying, even when your purpose is 'taking care of Thai wife'. However, those elder 50Y living here after retirement can get the easy retirement visa (cost 1,900 Baht); you'll get it the same day. All you need is one formula, an actual picture, some few PP copies, an actual bank statement (same day!) confirming that for several months you're always been above 400,000 Baht (10K €) when married or the double, when unmarried. If this little money is an issue, stay at home. Not asked for this kind of visa, but strongly recommended: a sufficient health insurance! The 90-day extension can be easily made online; no cost. Good luck.

If you live and associate with the wealthy and government leaders and do not try and be local. There are never any issues. This is true of all of South East Asia. The business community accepts you. They actually question you for paying attention to middle class and poor people because they don't. This is my experience in the last 25 years

Living in Asia mellows you or you go mad...

The underwear! its not deep enough!

I would like to add a comment about social structure. Imagine a totem pole with Buddha at the top, underneath comes the King, then their Thai family members all the way down to the family pets, and just underneath the pets will be the foreign spouse. As a foreigner you will never be treated like a member of any Thai family. If you don't mind that, good for you.

This is one of the best videos I’ve seen about expat life in Thailand

The sensible reason why they make getting long term visas so difficult, is that they don't want their country taken over by wealthy foreigners, or any foreigners for that matter. They don't want foreign land or property speculators or financiers, and they are fiercely proud of their culture - quite rightly so. Just look at how large areas of UK cities have been taken over by different racial & foreign national groups, plenty of no-go areas in shithole England.
Also, until fairly recently, they had foreigners abusing the 3 month visa on arrival arrangement, repeatedly coming & going the 'visa run' whilst working in Thailand illegally.

Crazy driving? Go to Cambodia. My Thai friends who have nice cars drive extremely carefully. The fires in Laos are an appalling ecological tragedy, and getting WORSE.

I had the privilege of living / working in Thailand for 3 1/2 years FORTY years ago, as a volunteer, would not have missed that for anything, worked entirely amongst Thais, made friends for life, I feel more at home there than in the UK. Whilst I will always be a foreigner, I feel most of the time treated like any other Thai person as I speak the language pretty well. I avoid the areas / resorts for foreigners.

But what brings most UK people back home eventually, is our National Health Service, because medical fees are becoming extortionate.



Nice vid, thanks.

Do you mean to say, that the diamonds in the diamond Rolex I bought on a street market in Bangkok for 25 bucks are not real? LOL 🤣

Love Thailand, been on many Motorcycle taxis there, but prefer Bolt or Buses.
I got a bus up to Nakhon Ratchasima from Pattaya,and was good value travel really

Im good bro actually being valued by the women there is worth it for me, a feminine wife, you can kiss that shit goodbye in the uk, especially if youre ethnic

Just bc someone couldn't make it in Thailand or any place else ,that doesnt mean others cant make it .....best way is without listening to others ,,experience the life yourself ......not everyone likes popcorn in hell

I lived in Thailand for ten years. In 2014 I moved back to the USA. My wife(Thai) and two daughters (Thai) and I will be moving back to Thailand next summer full time. To each his own.

Chiang Mai is Thailand's second city. But it is NOT second in population size. That is Nakhon Ratchasima ( Korat ).

Of course .. you're white/Caucasian you will always be a Foreigner there. Just like I'm Asian and will always be a Foreigner here in the U.S. even though I've lived here for almost 50 years. .. But thank you for a great video.

Visas are easy. Just hire someone that has contacts. They will get it done. Ya it cost but not thousands. Hundreds and it done. It’s affordable. As far as taxies what are we talking in chaing Mai. Maybe a dollar more. You end up with a reliable driver that will show up anywhere. These Guys don’t make much. They have to rent the tuk tuk. Most are poor and appreciate I little extra. I met a lady in a guest house. Who wouldn’t deal them. She sat in the lobby all. Day.She was there one more week and used tok tuks twice a day. I asked her if she was willing to be up set and ruin her trip for $15 after spendings thousands to get there. I gave her $20 and told her never mind have a good day. She gave it back and moved on. It’s a few dollars aa day. Price of lunch.

Clothes. What I do is take a Thai person with me to market and by the material I want. Then ask a Thai person who make clothes and then make your stuff. I bring I few things that fit well for a pattern. Easy and not expensive. Have a Thai person bring you. You will get Thai prices.

From what I've seen, America gets more extreme weather than we've known since it's been colonised.

There is a thing called an airport fuckoff

This is beyond mad you can not find a t shirt that fits you this is pathetic