Thailand is among the 50 largest nations in the world. Located in Southeast Asia, Thailand is the only nation in the region that has never been colonized by Europeans. Living in Thailand is not very expensive, but you need the right documents. Tourists who extend their stay in this country and those who go to Thailand for work can rent an apartment and eat dishes from different cuisines. While English is generally spoken in Thailand, learning to speak Thai will help you settle in peacefully among the people of the "Land of Smiles".
Steps
Step 1. Obtain the required documents for entry into Thailand
- Apply for a passport if you don't have it yet. A passport is a form of identification document that certifies your nationality and allows you to travel to other countries.
- Check if you need a visa to enter Thailand. This is required for some visitors from certain countries. A visa is a document that authorizes a non-citizen to enter a country. Visas are issued for a limited time and for a specific purpose. For example, a business visa allows a foreigner to work in Thailand for a specified period of time. US citizens can enter Thailand without a visa, but must have a valid passport. They can stay in Thailand, with their passport only, for 30 days in case of arrival by air and 15 days in case of entry through a neighboring country. Your stay in Thailand can extend up to 90 days in any 6 month period. After that 90 day period, you need to apply for a visa to stay.
- Make sure you get a tourist visa or a retiree visa before entering the country if you intend to live in Thailand for more than 90 days or if you want to retire there. Contact the Immigration Office of Thailand or the Thai Embassy in Rome. You can get a work permit through the Thai Embassy; however, if you have accepted a job offer from a company operating in Thailand, the company will arrange to obtain the visa on your behalf.
Step 2. Find accommodation and find out about transportation
- Choose your accommodation based on the proposed length of stay. Thai hotels offer modest or more expensive accommodation for short stays in the country. For longer stays, foreigners can rent an apartment or house, live with a host family, or buy an apartment in an apartment building. In Thailand, foreigners can only buy condominium apartments. It is not difficult to find accommodation after arrival, depending on the season (in high season or during the holidays it is more difficult).
- Find out about the cost of electricity, water and telephone bills, and learn how and where to pay them each month if you are not going to stay in a hotel. In general, these services and mobile phone costs are relatively cheap when compared to other countries. An exception is the use of air conditioning, which can inflate the electricity bill by € 75-150 per month, and even more if used continuously. Residents of some housing estates, for example, receive a detailed statement at the end of the month, which includes rent and utility bills.
- Check your transportation choices. In urban Thai areas there are often bus, taxi, mototaxi, samlors (also called rickshaw), train and ferry services available. Walking is an option to consider, based on where you live and whether you're close to work, shopping, and entertainment. The daily, weekly and monthly rental of motorcycles and bicycles is widespread. Even buying a motorcycle (new or used) is much cheaper if you stay in Thailand longer than 6 months.
- Non-citizens can buy cars and motorcycles in Thailand.
Step 3. Work in Thailand
- Consider teaching English, a very popular job for non-citizens in Thailand. The salary for teachers in Thailand is modest. Work permits are required for all cases of wage labor.
- Look for companies that operate in Thailand and hire workers from other countries. The industries that offer the best opportunities to non-citizens are those of the financial, computer and industrial engineering sectors. Many companies operating in Thailand offer potential foreign employees packages that include job offers and housing benefits.
Step 4. Open a bank account
If you are planning to live and work in Thailand, having a bank account will help in everyday life.
Decide the type of account you are going to open, considering whether or not you have a work permit. Banks and branches tend to have different rules, but with some banks it is possible to open an account with a tourist visa. Some banks require proof of residence, which can be proven by a rental agreement or an affidavit issued by the embassy or consulate. The vast majority of bank accounts are used as savings accounts, which include an ATM and the Visa / Mastercard logo. Some banks place restrictions on where the Visa / Mastercard function can be used (SCB Bank), others do not (Kbank, Bangkok Bank). Almost no one uses a checking account, apart from a few businesses. Checks are rarely used. Wire transfers are much more common and can be done using ATMs or online. Paypal is also active in Thailand, and although they do not have a credit card option like in other countries, it is possible to transfer funds between the Thai Paypal account and Thai banks and US banks
Step 5. Learn the language
- The vast majority of residents in Thailand speak some form of Thai, and most business is done in this language. In tourist areas and those that welcome foreign customers, there are often customer service people who speak English (for example, this is the case of the most important branches of mobile phone and internet service providers). It is wise to learn as many Thai words as possible in order to better acclimate to everyday life among the locals.
- Possibilities for learning Thai include facilitated courses by native Thai people; learn to read Thai using Thai-English textbooks and dictionaries; hire a native Thai to make conversation; or start an online course that offers free and paid material.
Step 6. Explore Thailand
Step 7. Thailand offers numerous sites and forms of entertainment, as well as a great variety of eating options
The food ranges from the particularly cheap to the most expensive, and you can also find fast food chains. The nation, largely Buddhist, offers meditation retreats and tours of a large number of temples and places of worship scattered throughout. There are also cruises, cultural theatrical performances, and boxing matches for your entertainment.
Advice
- Some jobs in Thailand are reserved for local people: among them, the hairdresser, the beautician, the carpenter and the secretary.
- The Thai Baht (THB, ฿) is the currency of Thailand. The US dollar and other currencies are rarely accepted, although most banks are able to exchange them.
