JimmyS

Hello to all,

I saw some discussion on this site about recent changes that have been made regarding the possibilities of foreigners buying property in Thailand. As posted by user Aldo entitled 'Forget Buying a Place in Thailand'. (In short, the government has changed the rules).

But, what's the story now? I was giving very serious consideration to buying a place there to retire to, but if it becomes a nightmare then, I may have to look elsewhere, though my heart was set on Thailand, around the Pattaya region.

Also, on a slightly different tack, it would be good to know if anyone in Thailand has ADSL internet access at home and if it was a problem to set up.

Thanks to all in advance of your replies,

Jim

Jockstar

Ok. Let me try to address your questions. Yes the rules are supposed to be changing. But you can ALWAYS buy a condo. No matter what that is not a problem. Farang(foreingers) can't buy property 100 %. The way they got round this was to have it 49% in the owners name(farang) and 51% in silent partners. But they are supposed to be changing this. If you are married then you can sign the property over to the wife/husband. Totally legal. But then if you split up, You will be entitled to **** all. Anymore questions then just ask here. Or check out Thaivisa.com.
BTW regarding ADSL. I believe it wont be a problem. But then again i live in Bangkok and not shittaya. Sorry Pattaya. Hope this helps.

Anne18

Rules have not changed, they are making sure they are followed, mainly checking into the thai shareholders and how they have paid for their shares etc.
As previous post farangs cannot own land 100%, the house on the land can be owned, all very complicated!

forum at www.thaivisa.com is useful and also new article on this at http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ22/R..._Thailand.html

Have wireless broadband in Phuket

lifeouteast

I live in Thailand at the moment and have spent a total of about 7 years here, on and off. We moved back here last year after a blissful four years in the UK.

The problem is that people come here for a holiday or even extended holiday and see a blurred vision of what Thailand is really like. It is not a place that generally welcomes foreigners. You can't buy and own a house here. Many will tell you that you can. You can break the laws and exploit loopholes but problems will be encountered and when the s*** hits the fan you're a foreigner and entitled to nothing under Thai law.

Foreigners are tolerated and not particularly welcome. Don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful people here and 'enlightened' Thais can make great friends. Generally, they couldn't give a monkey's d*** about foreigners and many see you as a source of income.

To give an idea check this out:

1 You can't buy and own land.
2 You can never, ever become Thai, regardless of what might be said on some internet sites.
3 Having children here or marrying a Thai will get you no status. I have both and I'm entitled to nothing under Thai law and the maximum visa entitlement is 1 year (my wife has full resedency in the UK which she got without any fuss).
4 You will not be given interest on any money you place in a bank account - foreigners are not entitled to interest under Thai law.
5 At any time the authorities are entitled to relieve you of your property and money and you can do very little to stop it.
6 Throughout the country there is a two-tier pricing system, with prices for foreigners inflated by anything from 100% to a 1000%.

The list goes on and on but you get the point. Other countries in the area are far more welcoming and have a better and fairer system in place. Should you ever get into trouble (your own doing or not) in Thailand you can be sure that you will NEVER get a fair trial. In one murder case some years ago the judge told the jury to remember that the killer was a fellow Thai citizen and the victim was only a foreigner so there is no need to be too harsh. Thais that do get sentenced for killing foreigners are generally released on amnesty as soon as the media attention has died down.

I really would advise anyone who is thinking of investing in Thailand as a home to think very carefully. My wife is Thai and we have a child and we live here but I keep my money back in the UK. I have not invested any money in this country and probably never will.

It has some wonderful things to offer, some beautiful countryside and interesting food but is not the paradise that many think it will be.

Be warned.

gretra.com