In this report, I will share what I believe to be the easiest way to retire in SE Asia.
I left the US 18 years ago. I never buy round-trip tickets. I move forward through the world slowly, one country at a time. I visit the US for a week or two, every other year.
I slowly explore the world, with my feet on the ground, reporting to you, the best places to retire on social security, all over the world. I have lived in 73 countries so far.
I share all of the tricks and tips I have learned myself and from interviewing 150 expats who live all over the world. I have 1200 videos, 300 written reports, and two courses. One course teaches how to retire cheap overseas, the other teaches how to make money on the internet with your favorite hobby.
Why are so many expats annoyed or angry these days
In order to understand the easy way to retire in SE Asia, or anywhere else in the world, I need to explain why so many expats are disappointed in the old way of retiring overseas. Once you understand what is wrong with the old way, you will understand why I believe the new way is actually easier and more fun.
It will just sound crazy to you if you don’t know what so many expats are complaining about around the world.
Basically, expats all over SE Asia are angry, tired, or bored with all the changes governments are making. Every expat absolutely loves their favorite country in Southeast Asia. Many like me love all of the countries in SE Asia. Loving SE Asia is not the problem.
The problem is that the governments in Southeast Asia keep changing the rules faster than the expats can keep up. The average viewer of my channel is between 50 and 75 years old. They are tired of government bureaucracy of any kind, not only in their home country, but also overseas.
They just want to relax in retirement in their favorite countries. They don’t want to wake up in the morning and start worrying about what their government will do next. They just want to spend their sunset years relaxing and having fun.
They don’t want to do research or begin studying what they need to do differently, every time their home country or their new country decides to make changes. That is why people all over the world are upset these days.
So I will give you the short story on why some expats in SE Asia are annoyed these days, and then I will explain my new easy way to avoid all the headaches, not only in SE Asia, but all over the world. Okay, here we go.
Example Expat Annoyances in SE Asia
Expats in Thailand are tired of all the changes. The Thai government keeps changing the visa rules faster than anyone can learn and use the old rules. Plus, Thailand just started taxing expats, and the expat tax laws are not written clearly, which just creates unnecessary fear.
Some accounts believe there are loopholes in the tax law, but many expats left their home country to avoid these kinds of headaches. So it leaves a bad taste in their mouth.
Thailand also keeps changing the procedures and documents you need to provide when you need to renew your visa. So, some expats have begun moving to other countries or back home.
In the Philippines, for what seemed like decades, expats were able to enter the Philippines on a tourist visa and stay for up to 36 months just by paying tourist extension fees. But the Philippines has started to ask some people to leave the Philippines when they try to extend their tourist visa.
It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it happens often enough to make expats worry. Now, every time they go in for a visa extension, they wonder if they will be the unlucky ones asked to leave before the 36 months.
Plus, the Philippines keeps increasing the renewal fees and shortening the number of months you can extend per visit to immigration. So expats spend more time and money in immigration offices, which is annoying them. They just want to enjoy their retirement worry-free.
Some expats fear the Philippine government will make them apply for a retirement visa instead of tourist visa extensions. In that case, expat retirees would need to put 10k USD in a Philippine bank.
Some expats in the Philippines don’t have the extra $10k. Others would rather keep the $10k in investments where it can earn income. Plus, putting large deposits in foreign banks requires many expats to report foreign bank accounts to their home country.
Other expats in the Philippines worry that the Philippines will start applying expat taxation like Thailand.
Expats in Cambodia are not complaining about the government yet because obtaining a visa is easy so far, and the cost of living is reasonable. However, expats in Cambodia worry that the healthcare is not as good as in other countries in Southeast Asia.
Many expats who visit Malaysia love it. Malaysia is one of the most developed countries in Southeast Asia, with great medical care and a reasonable cost of living. But very few new expats can retire in Malaysia because the retirement visa is way overpriced.
So, most new expats realize they will only be able to visit Malaysia for 90 days as a tourist. Luckily, Malaysian expats who qualified for the affordable retirement visa 5 years ago are still being allowed to renew their retirement visas based on the old terms.
Laos has a long-term visa that is neither difficult nor complicated. The only complaints I hear from Expats in Laos are that the healthcare is not as good as in other SE Asian countries. So Laos is similar to Cambodia in that regard.
Indonesia also has a retirement visa that is neither difficult nor complicated, but requires about $3000 per month to qualify. The only complaint I hear from retired expats in Indonesia is that inflation is too high.
That leaves Vietnam. Vietnam has no retirement visa, but thousands of expats retire there. They just do visa runs every 90 days. That means they just leave Vietnam every 90 days, apply for a new 90-day visa, and then return.
Vietnam is one of the cheapest, most beautiful, and safest countries in the world. That is why expats tell me they are willing to do four visa runs per year to retire in Vietnam. Some people say Vietnam will have better visa options later, but I will believe it when I see it.
Now that you know what expats around SE Asia are complaining about, here are the complaints the new easy way to retire in SE Asia solves for you.
Complaints Solved by The Easy Way to Retire in SE Asia
These complaints are solved for most passport holders of Western-style cultures, such as the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, along with many other countries with favorable international passports.
One. No expat income taxation
Two. No application for retirement visas.
Three. No delivery of banking documents to visa agents or immigration officials.
Four. No monthly or annual reporting for retirement visas.
Five. No monitoring of changes to retirement visa rules.
Six. No monitoring of changes to expat income taxation rules.
Seven. No payments to visa agents or fixers.
Eight. No fear of retirement visa changes or expat income taxation changes.
Okay, now it is time to share the easy way to retire in SE Asia.
The Easy Way to Retire in SE Asia
First, I will explain the easy way to retire in SE Asia, and then I will tell you the pros and cons of this new method. And believe me, I know the pros and cons because I have been doing it this way for 15 years. Okay, here is the idea, and then I will share the pros and cons.
One. Retire in a region of the world instead of a specific country. That means you retire in the region of Southeast Asia instead of getting a retirement visa in any specific country in Southeast Asia.
Two. Stay in each country within that region as long as they allow upon entry.
Three. If you enjoy the country. Apply for a tourist extension if they have one, or exit and move to the adjacent country, traveling in a circular motion around the region to save travel expenses.
Four. Each time you are in a country in the region, develop contacts with accommodations, favorite markets, and restaurants that fit your budget. Each time you return to that country, use those contacts to give yourself a cost-effective soft landing in that country.
Five. As your knowledge of the countries in the region develops, pick your favorite cities in each country and return to the cities, and the knowledge developed, to increase your joy of each country.
Pros of Region Retirement Instead of a Single Country
These pros can change over time, but here are the current benefits.
Pros: No retirement visas, no foreign banks, no income taxation, no retirement visa extensions, no providing sensitive documents to immigration officials, no fear of retirement visa rules changes.
More Pros: No Groundhog Day, no boredom, no reporting foreign banks to your home country, no dual income taxation, spend time in your favorite 3 to 4 countries per year, try new cities when you need a change, make friends in multiple countries, do housing swaps with people living in your favorite countries, diversity of foods, diversity in cultures, embrace minimalism, travel light, really see the world, stay longer or return more often to cities in the region you love most, live free as a bird, return to your favorite countries for healthcare, be a worldly citizen.
Now I will tell you the cons of regional instead of country retirement. After I tell you the cons, I will give you an example of one of my favorite region retirement paths through SE Asia.
Cons of Region Retirement instead of Single Country
Con 1: You can’t take your all your shit with you. We travel with one checked bag and one backpack. But you will never get the feeling of Groundhog Day or boredom when you live in 3 or more countries per year. If your like me, you will gladly get rid of 90% of your shit once you feel this freedom.
Con 2: Rents cost more. You can get lower rent on a 1-year lease than you can on a 30-day lease. You can offset most of that by reading my report, How to find perfect apartments around the world.
Con 3: Trains, buses, and planes to 3 or 4 countries per year cost more than sitting in one place all year. True. But if you travel on the ground whenever possible between countries, you will often find a bus or train that only adds $20 to $50 to move between countries.
Con 4: When you travel to a new city, it can take time to identify the tasty local restaurants with the best prices. True, but we have hundreds of reports all over the world with our favorite tasty restaurants at local prices, and you can also return to your favorites each time you return to one of your favorite cities.
Con 5: It takes time to find your favorite things to do in a new city. True. But the excitement of discovering a new city is stronger than the boredom you will feel when you have already seen everything in the same old city.
Final Thoughts on Region Retirement
Why won’t you pay income taxes anywhere in SE Asia?
Tourists are not taxed anywhere in the world presently. Most countries, but not all, follow a 180-day rule. If you stay less than 180 days in that country during any calendar year, you will not be subject to income taxes. But if you open accounts in any country or buy real estate, or open a business, or establish residency, or do any other number of things that make you show up on any country’s radar other than a tourist, you are unlikely to get a bill from the tax man in that country. However, I am not an accountant, and rules change frequently, so please consult with your accountant if you decide to attempt this way of living. As an American, I pay income tax on my worldwide income.
Why won’t you have to go to any government office in Southeast Asia and apply for a long-term visa?
Because a tourist extension is not a long-term visa, you may or may not decide to apply for a tourist visa extension, but do not overstay what the country gives you, and do not stay in any country for 180 days unless you want to risk taxation consequences.
Why you won’t have to go to any government offices in SE Asia and report when you change your residence.
I slowly travel the world as a tourist. I have never been asked to report to a government office as a tourist when I move locations within a country. Some countries require hotels to report when tourists are staying with them, but I have never been required to report that to the government myself. That may change someday, but so far, so good.
Why you won’t have to open any bank accounts in SE Asia.
Throughout my years of living in countries on a tourist visa or visa exemption, I have never been required to open a bank account in a foreign country. That may change one day, but I can’t imagine why a country would make you open a bank account when you are present on a tourist visa.
Why you won’t have to report any foreign bank accounts to your home country.
If you retire in a region of the world like this, but don’t take up permanent residence in any country but enjoy the region as a tourist, staying in each country less than 180 days per year, and you never open any foreign bank accounts, you won’t have any foreign bank accounts to report to your home country.
I am just a guy on the internet who reads and travels a lot. I am not an accountant or an international tax specialist, so please don’t use any of these ideas until you have cleared them with a licensed professional.