Is It Easy To Start A New Life In Thailand As A Westerner?

Are you feeling a little underwhelmed with your life? Maybe you have itchy feet and want to get out and see what life is like overseas? Or perhaps you’ve seen friends living it up on a tropical island in Thailand and you are wondering if this reality could be possible for you too? Whatever the case, this is an article worth reading. We’re going to talk about whether or not it is easy to start a new life in Thailand as a Westerner.

Is it Easy to Start a New Life in Thailand?

The short answer is: yes, and no! It’s complicated. It all depends on the following factors:

• What ties you have in your home country: if you have children or other familial obligations in your home country, moving to a new country can be complicated. That said, it’s not impossible. The same applies for pet owners; travelling with a dog for example, isn’t off the cards!
• What qualifications / work experience you have: Thailand has plenty of work opportunity for Westerners, but the type of work is limited;
  • Teaching
  • Real estate
  • Diving instructor
  • Embassy work
  • Hospitality
  • Multinational company work
  • Specialised IT work
  • Starting a new business
  • Etc.
• How much money you have behind you: if you have a job lined up, getting started in Thailand is easy enough, however, if you want to invest in property or start a business for an Elite investment visa, you’ll need significant savings.
• How old you are: if you are retired with a sizeable pension, moving to Thailand is easy. If you are young with little experience on the other hand, your options are more limited and you must do your due diligence.

Moving to Thailand is Easy With Research and Preparation

It might sound like moving to Thailand is complicated, however, it’s no more complicated than moving abroad to any other country. The fact is, once you know exactly what you need to apply for the right visa and how you plan to sustain yourself financially, the process becomes far easier.

If your skills and career aspirations align with the kind of work that foreigners are able to do in Thailand, the move will be easy. For example, you can get a Non-Immigrant B visa and work permit from your prospective employer and go from there.

Naturally, if you’re retiring, starting a new business or moving for love, the process changes.

What to You Need to Know?

• Where you want to live
• Which visa applies to your situation
• Whether you need a work permit
• What kind of work you are qualified to perform
• What your legal rights are
• What kind of property you are legally allowed to own (see condos for sale at The Lighthouse Sathorn for some inspiration)

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there’s a lot of red tape involved – but that’s not to say that moving to Thailand as a foreigner is hard. As long as you meet the right criteria, getting settled and starting a new life is effortless. The fact is, life in Thailand is wonderful, the people are great, the weather is better, and the food is out of this world. So, the question now is, what’s stopping you?