Where to reside in ASIA, commute contract

[Mr.White]

Hi there!!

Im thinking to take a commute contract in Japan. Right know I life in south america and this is a commute contract so I have to decide from where Im gonna commute and south america is too far.

I really prefer to go to Asia to reside and not too far from Japan to spend more time with my family. I would really appreciate some advise about where I could reside with my family in Asia.

Tax issue is a big factor to take care of it, I know it´s very hard to find the right place but we are looking for a not too spensive, safe, and good schools place to life around Asia, Australia and New Zeland.

If you have any advise feel free to share it.

We have South american and European passaports.

Tks for your time and attention.

Mr.White:ok:

[NZ X man]

Mr White

Malaysia is nice, cost of living is probably lower than most places that still have a large city. Singapore would be cost prohibitive, as well Hong Kong.

It is a very scenic place, I lived in Singapore for 11 years, and would love to go back to Malaysia. I do not believe the immigration situation is overly complicated either, but I am not an expert on that subject. Vietnam might be another option, I would personally steer clear of the Philippines and Taiwan. But that is my opinion. There some areas of Japan that are really nice, smaller places that might still have a few ex-pats. Cost of living is a bit higher, but nice folks, especially when you get away from Tokyo.

[Skywards747]

Since the previous response mentioned Malaysia, I suggest you take a look at a scheme called "Malaysia, my second home" which grants foreigners some type of a semi-permanent residency status. It requires some investment.

Details are here.
Malaysia My Second Home (http://www.mm2h.gov.my/)

Thailand is also an option, but could be hazardous to your marriage.

[powerstall]

I strongly agree on that note, bangkok life is a bit cheaper than in KL but it may cost you your marriage.:ok:

[brasmelzuit]

I will suggest you to live in Bali..I heard that foreigner now can buy property in Bali (freehold for 99years) and you dont have to be an investor..It cost you 'only' US$ 75K for a 2-3 bedroom house with a small pool at the back yard..

[Metro man]

Singapore is excellent for safety, health, education, tax and easy air connections. Only negative is that it is expensive.

Australia is also worth looking at, will be cheaper, but avoid being classed as a resident or the tax will kill you. Student visas for the kids, visa for the wife to accompany them and tourist visa for you when you visit could be the way to go.

Malaysia is reasonably well developed, cheaper, has good air connections and is quite pleasant to visit. Nice food, beaches, mountains, jungle, scuba diving and Kuala Lumpur has normal western big city facilities. English is widely spoken. Be careful of security though, mainly bag snatching and petty crime.

Most of the other countries around the area are less developed and will be expensive for western standard housing/health and education

[PosClimb]

A question for people who live in these Asian countries on "tourist" visa's...

Doesn't immigration question you when you're constantly going in and out of the country on a Tourist visa?

What do you tell them each time? Even though you essentially live there, you can't really say that.

[crj705]

I am on a commuting contract in Japan and I have been living in Bangkok for the last 2 years. Besides Korea, I would say that BKK is the easiest commute there is.

Bangkok it cheap and there is always stuff to do, but after a while, it can start to wear on you. Taxis with no seatbelts, general disregard for anything safe, traffic, etc.

All in all I am relatively happy in Thailand. There are good and bad things, but for the near term, it fits the purpose of residing close to Japan. It's next to impossible to buy a house, but apartments and condos are easy. Prices can be high inside the city, but are very affordable once you get outside.

Be aware that you are limited to 90 days stay every 6 month period unless you have a non-immigrant visa. For you there would be no problem as you are going to Japan to work, but you would have to come up with some kind of plan for the rest of your family. As for me, my wife is Thai and I have a visa based on our marriage.

[watchyourairspeed]

G'day!

Your question seems a oddley vague. The options are immense (if not endless) and all of them with pro's and con's. Pprune might not ansewer your questions with pristine clarity (neighbours garden is allways greener). And on the other hand ...

... it really depends on what does suits your family and yourself. From Shanghai, HongKong and or Macao, to Singapore, passing through Bangkok, Ho Chi Mingh and or Kuala Lumpur you'll need to analyse all the outfits and tick/ or not tick the options in the box.

Kids education, housing, cummuting, safety, leizure activities and so on have to be considered.

I guess you'll need to dig deeper to find a real good living outfit, making everyone happy.

Saludos!

WYA

[ZFT]

crj705

Be aware that you are limited to 90 days stay every 6 month period unless you have a non-immigrant visa

This rule was changed in 2008. Now no longer the case. The tourist visa validity is currently either 15 or 30 days dependent upon whether you enter via land or air (and further complicated by which passport you carry).

There is no restriction on the number of 'back to back' tourist visas (at present!).

[Captain Stravaigin]

I would concur on the least bad option being Malaysia. :ok: The air links are good from KL. English is widely spoken, safety and security are good (albeit with a lot of street/petty crime) and cost of living is low. The Political situation is very stable by Asian standards and with no major fault lines and being below the typhoon belt the only real worry is flash floods and buying an apartment on a 20 degree slope just b4 heavy rains and the subsequent landslide.

MY itself has a lot of places worth exploring whilst KL culturally has a lot to offer, a Philaharmonic orchestra, a couple of football teams and a very good selection of restaurants (to mention a few)

The rules on working under Malaysia My 2nd Home have changed yet again. Apparently the new limit is 20h per week within the country - so not applicable to you. This gives you a visa (10years I think) for multiple entries and a few other minor benefits. The major downside is that you have to deposit a large wedge of cash with a Malaysian bank. For this reason I have never bothered with it.

I would rule out TH and ID on the basis of political instability. I have visited other countries in the region - but am not competent to judge how they compare.

I have lived here for the last 4 years and am happy with my choice.

Gud Luck !

[crj705]

I was referring to a visa free entry as I assumed he would do with a commuting job in Japan. It is not really feasible or helpful for him to get a tourist visa every month to Thailand. One, because he would never exceed the limit on days with a visa free entry and two, it wouldn't help his family stay longer.

He could theoretically have his family do visa runs every few months to get another tourist visa in the region, but I can't imagine that is what he is looking for. If the OP was seriously interested in living in Thailand, I would suggest looking at the Non-Immigrant Visa option for his family. Depending on his age or investing ability, he might have a few options.

Visa free entry to Thailand is typically 30 days (dependent on country). Visa on arrival is typically 15 days. And a tourist or non-immigrant visa would allow 90 days stay at a time. Multiple entries are allowed for Non-immigrant visas, but not allowed on tourist visas. Only single, double, and you use to be able to get a triple entry tourist visa in the region, but no more.

There is no limit on back to back visas, but that applies to real visas that you have to get at the Thai embassy abroad. Visa free entries, which I think you are talking about, are limited to 90 days every 6 months. That was the change in 2008 along with visa free entry at land crossings cut from 30 to 15 days.

[zedoscarro]

Why you guys say that Bangkok life could hurt the guy's marriage?

[Che Xindamail]

Too many girlie bars in BKK.

Regarding the Malaysia 2nd Home Programme, for a family you deposit MYR300,000 with a bank which will give you 3.7% interest/year in a time deposit.

You can purchase as many properties as you want, most are freehold. The legalities are based on the British system = much more straight forward than Thailand.

Any income from overseas is tax free. You do not need to file a tax return in Malaysia.

English is better spoken than in almost all other Asian countries.
A very good country to live in.

[ZFT]

crj705

There is no limit on back to back visas, but that applies to real visas that you have to get at the Thai embassy abroad. Visa free entries, which I think you are talking about, are limited to 90 days every 6 months. That was the change in 2008 along with visa free entry at land crossings cut from 30 to 15 days.

Sorry to harp on but even the 15/30 day visas upon arrival are (currently) not limited to 90 days every 6 months. This regulation was relaxed when the 15 days across a land border was brought in.

[crj705]

I stand corrected... Given that, it would be possible for his family to live there with him, but it would entail border runs every 30 days..

[ZFT]

.........but only provided the border runs are via an airport entry, else 15 days via land borders, so not a very practical solution. Additionally the visa rules have a habit of changing frequently with no element of grandfather rights ever being considered. (This I discovered to my cost a few years ago when a new requirement for WP renewals came in and resulted in a "7 days to get out of Thailand " stamp in both mine and Mrs ZFT's passports!!).