Doing biz and Migrate

Hi fellow bros,

I'm a relatively 'young' guy in my late twenties that has been seriously contemplating living this place. I'm sick of the rat race and the hyprocisy that this place reeks of where everyone and everything seems so plastic. Hope to spend the later part of my life in a more laid back and 'real' place.

I enjoy travelling to those more 'backward' countries such as vietnam, cambodia, laos, thai etc and really enjoy myself. I was thinking of retiring in thailand, one of the beach resorts, opening a guest house for fellow backpackers and maybe teach diving(if i can get my certifications and have enough $$$)

Before that, i am currently doing some research and hope brothers here can advise on the legal part of doing biz in thailand. I heard it is mandatory to have a thai partner, is that true? Is it easy to get PR/citizenship in thailand for me + wife + kids??

Based on my idea of a guesthouse/dive shop, roughly how much savings (in SGD) would be enough? I'm targeting saving at least 200k before I make the leap.

Prior to joining this forum, I did not thought about my CPF at all, although its still very little now being that I started working full time only about a yr or 2 ago, but I was hoping to start my new life there by age 35 and if I really am to give up citizenship and withdraw the CPF, I'm very confident of 200k by then...

Please throw in your thoughts and ideas, will be grateful to all. Thank you.

If you have a family (wife & kids), it will be difficult to migrate to thailand.
Thailand doesn't welcome immigrant like in SG.

Try this website: www.thaivisa.com, you get more information over there.

biotope said:

Hi fellow bros,

I'm a relatively 'young' guy in my late twenties that has been seriously contemplating living this place. I'm sick of the rat race and the hyprocisy that this place reeks of where everyone and everything seems so plastic. Hope to spend the later part of my life in a more laid back and 'real' place.

I enjoy travelling to those more 'backward' countries such as vietnam, cambodia, laos, thai etc and really enjoy myself. I was thinking of retiring in thailand, one of the beach resorts, opening a guest house for fellow backpackers and maybe teach diving(if i can get my certifications and have enough $$$)

Before that, i am currently doing some research and hope brothers here can advise on the legal part of doing biz in thailand. I heard it is mandatory to have a thai partner, is that true? Is it easy to get PR/citizenship in thailand for me + wife + kids??

Click to expand...

Hypocrisy happens also in cambodia, myanmar, thailand, indonesia, just that its in a different way compared to when you are in singapore.
If you stay long enough (at least 3-6 mths period each), not those 2 week beach holiday or 1 month backpacking trip, you will realise life is not as easy as what you think.
Hypocrisy happens everywhere. As a foreigner, to be able to relocate there, the locals consider you as slightly more well to do than them. So being that, of course "opportunities" for them too. It's very hard to explain, you will realise what I mean when you start paying school fees along the way. :o

As for PR/citizenship in thailand, its not so easy as just throwing your pink singapore IC away just like that. You can say that you want to throw your pink IC, but does Thailand welcome you by giving you a citizenship? There are people waited for years still haven't get the citizenship, so what kind of status can you have?

The other way which happens in many countries, you need $$$, citizenship can be granted easily. Same as in Thailand. You want their citizenship fast, you need $$$. If not, you can slowly apply, slowly get PR and then slowly wait and see whether you can get the citizenship

Before that, i am currently doing some research and hope brothers here can advise on the legal part of doing biz in thailand. I heard it is mandatory to have a thai partner, is that true? Is it easy to get PR/citizenship in thailand for me + wife + kids??

Click to expand...

Have you thought of getting a Thai wife there? It will help you to stay there. Many countries allow you to migrate there to become a PR or citizen by marriage.

unless you are very familiar with the business cultures of the country else very dangerous just to go there and hope to start a business and strike it rich.
same also for migration,things always look better from the outside. just like others,they also think very highly of Singapore.
thatz why so many people migrate here or become PR here.

BlueCat said:

unless you are very familiar with the business cultures of the country else very dangerous just to go there and hope to start a business and strike it rich.
same also for migration,things always look better from the outside. just like others,they also think very highly of Singapore.
thatz why so many people migrate here or become PR here.

Click to expand...

Yup, try to stay there for a minimum of 6 mths to a year to check out the place and culture. Best is get a gf there and you know more about thai culture and language. No man can resist the charm of a thai lady.

bro.... its better to come to settle down in a small city in china... there are lots of them which are as safe as sgp.... you got to spend time travelling to these places (as your annual holiday).... don't trust anyone who offers you re-settlement help for a fee... you just got to go see and ask the locals yourself...

Give yourself a year or two to understand what are the options... then plan to buy a property there and rent it out.... then while you slog and rot in sgp... that little bright spark of hope will keep you going till you decide to call it quits in sgp....

If all these sounds too stressful.... then next option is to go buy toto twice a week...

silverfox@ said:

Hypocrisy happens also in cambodia, myanmar, thailand, indonesia, just that its in a different way compared to when you are in singapore.
If you stay long enough (at least 3-6 mths period each), not those 2 week beach holiday or 1 month backpacking trip, you will realise life is not as easy as what you think.
Hypocrisy happens everywhere. As a foreigner, to be able to relocate there, the locals consider you as slightly more well to do than them. So being that, of course "opportunities" for them too. It's very hard to explain, you will realise what I mean when you start paying school fees along the way. :o

As for PR/citizenship in thailand, its not so easy as just throwing your pink singapore IC away just like that. You can say that you want to throw your pink IC, but does Thailand welcome you by giving you a citizenship? There are people waited for years still haven't get the citizenship, so what kind of status can you have?

The other way which happens in many countries, you need $$$, citizenship can be granted easily. Same as in Thailand. You want their citizenship fast, you need $$$. If not, you can slowly apply, slowly get PR and then slowly wait and see whether you can get the citizenship

Click to expand...

Yes, I understand what you mean when u say hyprocisy happens everywhere. Guess its becos I see so much of it day in day out here in sg over such a long period of time it really drains me out.

I spent 6 mths in 2005 after my graduation backpacking the region, its not exactly an impluse decision or that I think the grass is greener on the other side. True, life may not be as comfortable as I am now, I'm not exactly looking to strike it rich, and I'm comfortable living at a lower standard than what I am used to now.

Understand that citizenship isnt 'sure get', which is the reason for this thread of 'how?' Whats the citeria of doing biz there or getting PR/citizenship for that matter?

tonychat said:

Yup, try to stay there for a minimum of 6 mths to a year to check out the place and culture. Best is get a gf there and you know more about thai culture and language. No man can resist the charm of a thai lady.

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haha, don't think my wife would be too happy with that!

Thailand is more like a place for singles to move over there rather than for already married couple. But i may be wrong.

BlueCat said:

unless you are very familiar with the business cultures of the country else very dangerous just to go there and hope to start a business and strike it rich.
same also for migration,things always look better from the outside. just like others,they also think very highly of Singapore.
thatz why so many people migrate here or become PR here.

Click to expand...

Honestly, if I'm not a singaporean, a PR here would sound very attractive.

Sad fact, FT gets treated better than local. thats one of the reason I want to leave. I feel like a 2nd class citizen in my own homeland. I cannot relate to this place anymore

biotope said:

Understand that citizenship isnt 'sure get', which is the reason for this thread of 'how?' Whats the citeria of doing biz there or getting PR/citizenship for that matter?

Click to expand...

You can get a lot of details from thaivisa.com but regulations are regulations. A lot of people thought that they could throw away their current citizenship and get one from Thailand. The problem is, it is not that easy to get citizenship FAST. Even if you marry a thai girl and do business in thailand.

biotope said:

Honestly, if I'm not a singaporean, a PR here would sound very attractive.

Sad fact, FT gets treated better than local. thats one of the reason I want to leave. I feel like a 2nd class citizen in my own homeland. I cannot relate to this place anymore

Click to expand...

If you do see FT gets treated better than locals, its not because they are FTs. It's because when they leave their country to come singapore, they are hungrier for success. If they can't produce results, they will just be like anybody. You feel like 2nd class citizen? When you go thailand, you will still feel 2nd class or even 3rd class. Don't feel unfair that your life is like this, because life has never been fair to everyone. Compared to many others, you are much more better off than them, so when you compare yourself to them, they will be the ones crying why LIFE SO UNFAIR.

silverfox@ said:

If you do see FT gets treated better than locals, its not because they are FTs. It's because when they leave their country to come singapore, they are hungrier for success. If they can't produce results, they will just be like anybody. You feel like 2nd class citizen? When you go thailand, you will still feel 2nd class or even 3rd class. Don't feel unfair that your life is like this, because life has never been fair to everyone. Compared to many others, you are much more better off than them, so when you compare yourself to them, they will be the ones crying why LIFE SO UNFAIR.

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Maybe you're right in that FT are hungrier than many locals. But if you look at the system currently, the rules are unfair to locals. We dun play on level field. Reservist, scholarships and the benefits for the entire family that brings along their bad habits and pollute the neighbourhood. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh as i also have good FT friends in my company but when i reach home everyday and see the ppl in my neighbourhood, sitting at the void deck, talking loudly in their own dialects, spitting on the floor, littering and when I told them off, they started threatening me and the police even had to get involved. I'm being threatened in MY OWN HOMELAND and there's nothing I or the police can do about it. Since I'm already a 2nd class citizen here, i might as well be one in a country that has more freedom, less restrictions and no reservist

biotope said:

Maybe you're right in that FT are hungrier than many locals. But if you look at the system currently, the rules are unfair to locals. We dun play on level field. Reservist, scholarships and the benefits for the entire family that brings along their bad habits and pollute the neighbourhood. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh as i also have good FT friends in my company but when i reach home everyday and see the ppl in my neighbourhood, sitting at the void deck, talking loudly in their own dialects, spitting on the floor, littering and when I told them off, they started threatening me and the police even had to get involved. I'm being threatened in MY OWN HOMELAND and there's nothing I or the police can do about it. Since I'm already a 2nd class citizen here, i might as well be one in a country that has more freedom, less restrictions and no reservist

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Don't be dishearted.
If there is a will, there is a way.
It can be done. I'v seen many of my S'pore & HKong friends done it.

I myself did all the thai PR documents myself.
In another 3 more years, I can legally apply for their thai citizen.
It actually very simply, it just ppls like to make it 'sound' so difficult.
You just have to be patience & never give up attitube.

Don't be like 'someone' when faced little setback here, quickily buy a plane ticket & take the next flight home.:p


I knew a S'poreon (60yrs now) who own a diving shop in Phuket. He has been living in thailand for the past 30yrs. He is enjoying his retirement time here and at the same time doing diving business. His hobby is to spear shooting for fish which he never get to enjoy if he is still in SG.

Just don't give up.

biotope said:

Maybe you're right in that FT are hungrier than many locals. But if you look at the system currently, the rules are unfair to locals. We dun play on level field. Reservist, scholarships and the benefits for the entire family that brings along their bad habits and pollute the neighbourhood. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh as i also have good FT friends in my company but when i reach home everyday and see the ppl in my neighbourhood, sitting at the void deck, talking loudly in their own dialects, spitting on the floor, littering and when I told them off, they started threatening me and the police even had to get involved. I'm being threatened in MY OWN HOMELAND and there's nothing I or the police can do about it. Since I'm already a 2nd class citizen here, i might as well be one in a country that has more freedom, less restrictions and no reservist

Click to expand...

There is no such thing as playing on a level field. If today you are rich and powerful, will you make use of what you have or decide to forgo what you have and play fair with the rest of the playing field?

talk about violent behaviour, what you encounter is small case. In thailand, a car knocked my car and a group of thais want money from me. Even the police came told me to pay them and settle the case, that is amazing thailand for you. Your car gets banged and yet you have to pay these people.

You may think a country that gives you freedom, less restrictions, no reservist, but you got think about how stable the country is and what kind of safety your family will have compared to what you have here or in other countries. It is very easy to say more freedom, out of rat race, but there is no perfect country, neither perfect system. You have to sacrifice. I think Thailand is a country where money makes the mare go. In business, you need connections and for connections, you need money.

When I was working in MNC then, always have to mingle with some politicians. They knew I had some properties then and told me of some business ventures. Of course I did asked about thai citizenship which they told me they can expedite for me instead of the required requirements. (click link below)
http://www.thaivisa.com/301.0.html

Of course, must make it win-win for them. I have not consider thai residency after staying, working more than 2 years there because I feel this country is not as safe, country instability, changing of business rules as and when they like, and even if you get thai citizenship, you will still be 3rd class if not 2nd class. Opportunities compared to other countries such as hong kong, cambodia, china are even lesser after the coup.

1st class are thai royals, 2nd class are thais, 3rd class are foreigners.

That is why for those who feel singapore is too stressful for them, they go thailand they don't encounter the kind of stress when they are in singapore. But 20 years down the road, you will bear the fruits of what you reap. Maybe you will be in your 50s, 60s, but the ones who will encounter all these will be your children. I looked at some of my thai peers children then playing with designer drugs. When thaksin was cracking down, people start to fear, now he is not around, these kind of problem came back.

So making migration plans is not just pack bags and leave and start applying. More in depth knowledge of the country must be found out before making the plunge.

biotop. if you really feel that you wanna get out and move to thailand. just go over frequently to have a look and check it out by YOURSELF.

What you need is just a ticket there and then slowly network yourself there. Then you will really know if that is for you.

Try other countries as well, not just thailand and see for yourself, with your wife of course. You need really sometime to research it yourself, no sweat, it's fun.

Finding another place that you feel right for yourself is something that everyone should do and if you can afford to do such research, then go for it.

biotope said:

Honestly, if I'm not a singaporean, a PR here would sound very attractive.

Sad fact, FT gets treated better than local. thats one of the reason I want to leave. I feel like a 2nd class citizen in my own homeland. I cannot relate to this place anymore

Click to expand...

You are not the only one who feel this way, there are many others as well.

It is kind of sad to think that the leader of a country runs the country till its citizen aim is to work hard and leave rather than to work hard and retire.

So much for being a leader.

tonychat said:

Thailand is more like a place for singles to move over there rather than for already married couple. But i may be wrong.

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The kingdom is so big, with 76 provinces for occupancy... singles or married going there r subject to individual's agendas. whether they qualify or not has its own set of algorithms/probabilities.

suteerak1099 said:

The kingdom is so big, with 76 provinces for occupancy... singles or married going there r subject to individual's agendas. whether they qualify or not has its own set of algorithms/probabilities.

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out of the 76, many amphurs have only baarn norks. so depends on individual on whether they want a village style of life or still be able to set up some small (really small) business enough to feed own family. If stay in the city and work, I feel the standard of living is not really that cheap either.

Can 20000baht survive every month? Can of course, but don't get to save much.