You Could Live In Thailand For Just $60,000
If you’ve ever fantasized about dropping everything and leaving it all behind to relocate across the world, now’s your chance. The Thai Government is offering “elite” residency visas to wealthy foreign citizens who are interested in moving to Thailand.
There are three different packages to choose from. The most expensive of the bunch is the “Elite Ultimate Privilege” plan, ringing in at $60,000 for 20 years.
This plan reportedly makes living in Thailand easy. It entitles you to have access to agencies dealing with driver’s licenses, work permits and more.
Pruet Boobphakam, president of the Thailand Elite program, told Business Insider, “We rise to the occasion for our members. We can apply for a work permit if they’d like to. We can apply for a driving license if they’d like to. We are helping them to get those licenses.”
Also included are complimentary return flights, an annual private hospital check-up, and 24 spa treatments and golfing trips per year. Which makes this start to sound like a permanent vacation. Not bad, huh?
According to This Is Money, this initiative is aimed at anyone looking to escape from the EU after the Brexit.
If you don’t want to sign on for the full 20 years (because let’s face it, that’s a long time), there are also cheaper packages for five and 1o years. Either way, if you were hoping to retire somewhere soon, Thailand is definitely making it easy for you.
And that’s what they’re banking on. Boobphakam told Business Insider he’s expecting 1,000 people to apply for the program.
“If you would like to retire today somewhere abroad as a UK citizen, then suddenly because of Brexit it’s not as clear that you can do that. You have to wait for the next two years to see if you can settle in the EU … but with Thailand it is clear,” Juerg Steffen, of Henley & Partners, an international residence and citizenship advisory firm, told This Is Money.
“So with Thailand you pay 15,000 US dollars (£12,033) and you can stay there for five years. So from that perspective, it’s very interesting for people who would like to retire abroad in the next few years.”
If you’re willing to take a risk and mark “living in Thailand” off of your bucket list, this is definitely worth looking into.