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Move & Settle

The visa gets you in. This is everything after.

Moving is the part most people underestimate. Housing, a bank account, a doctor, a phone, the first 90-day report, and a hundred small things nobody warned you about. We help you land softly, before you arrive and through your first months here.

Plan Your Move Timeline

A PDC adviser welcoming a retired couple with their luggage in a residence lobby in Thailand

Your First Year

What happens when, and what we do at each stage

A move goes smoothly when each task is handled in a sensible order. This is the sequence we work to with clients, from the weeks before the flight to the end of the first year.

Phase 1

Before you fly

The decisions that shape everything else are made here: where you will live for the first months, how your money will move, what insurance you hold, and what to bring. We plan this with you by video call, so you arrive with a short list of things to do rather than a long list of unknowns.

  • First rental shortlisted and, if you wish, booked
  • Health insurance in place and understood
  • International transfer route agreed
  • Documents for banking and immigration prepared
  • Medication list and medical records organised
  • Shipping, pets and what to leave behind decided
Phase 2

Arrival week

The first days in a new country set the tone. Arrival support is for people who want a clear path after landing: someone to meet you, take you to your accommodation, walk you through the neighbourhood and sequence the first admin so nothing is done twice.

  • Airport meeting and transfer where arranged
  • Check-in and residence notification with your landlord
  • Thai SIM card, internet and essential apps
  • Orientation: supermarket, pharmacy, clinic, transport
  • Immigration address confirmation
  • Priority list for the first month agreed
Phase 3

First 30 days

Now the practical set-up: a bank account, which is the key to almost everything else, a doctor you have actually met, utilities in your name, and the lease and paperwork tidied. This is also when a long-stay visa or extension is often applied for, so the two workstreams are coordinated.

  • Thai bank account opened with the right supporting documents
  • Funds transferred and, where needed for the visa, seasoning started
  • Registration with a hospital or clinic
  • Utilities, bills and any vehicle arranged
  • Visa or extension application prepared
  • Local routines: markets, community groups, transport
Phase 4

Settling in: months two to twelve

Feeling settled takes more than completing the paperwork. Over the first year your priorities will change, questions will come up that you did not expect, and the immigration calendar keeps turning. We stay in contact, remind you when something is due, and help with the next practical step when it arises.

  • 90-day report reminders and submissions
  • Re-entry permit before any travel
  • Annual extension prepared well before the date
  • Help renegotiating or changing your rental
  • Introductions to trusted local services
  • Someone to call when something goes wrong

Services in Detail

The four areas people ask about most

Each of these can be taken on its own or as part of a coordinated plan with your visa work. We confirm the scope in writing before anything is arranged.

A retired couple reviewing housing locations on a tablet with a PDC adviser

Housing

Finding a practical first home

A good first home supports healthcare access, transport and the daily routine you want to test. We help you decide the neighbourhood, view properties that match your brief, read the lease, and complete the move-in paperwork, including the residence notification your visa depends on.

  • Neighbourhood shortlist built around hospitals, transport and community
  • Viewings arranged; lease terms and deposits explained
  • Rent-first planning, and referrals to independent lawyers if you later buy
A PDC adviser helping a retiree organise banking paperwork

Banking

Opening a Thai bank account

A Thai account is needed for rent, bills, transfers and, on most long-stay routes, the financial evidence for your visa. Banks apply their own rules about which foreigners they will open accounts for, and those rules vary by branch. We know which branches, which documents and which order.

  • Supporting documents prepared before you visit the branch
  • Account structured with the visa financial requirement in mind
  • Guidance on international transfers and keeping the evidence immigration expects
A consultation about healthcare and insurance planning for retirees in Thailand

Healthcare & Insurance

A doctor, a hospital and cover you understand

Healthcare planning should be connected to where you live, how often you travel and what support you may need in the first year. We help you register with a suitable hospital, locate a doctor for ongoing conditions, and organise the questions to put to an insurer. Coverage decisions themselves are confirmed with a licensed provider.

  • Hospital and clinic registration near your home
  • Continuity for medication and existing conditions
  • Insurance questions organised, including what your visa route expects
Street food vendors and stalls on a busy Bangkok market street

Everyday Admin

The small things that take a whole afternoon

A driving licence, a vehicle, a Thai tax ID, a pension letter that needs certifying, a parcel stuck at customs, a letter in Thai you cannot read. None of it is hard when you know where to go and what to say. Clients on ongoing support simply send us a message.

  • Thai driving licence and vehicle registration
  • Certifications, translations and official letters
  • Help with utilities, deliveries and local services

How It Is Arranged

Support shaped around what you have already done

Some clients arrive with a rental signed and a bank account open, and only want help with the visa and the first 90-day report. Others want one team to coordinate everything from the day they land. Both are normal.

Tell us what is already arranged and where you would value local help. We put the agreed scope and the fee in one written document before any work begins. Government and third-party costs, such as deposits, translation fees or hospital charges, are always shown separately.

Relocation support is arranged around the places our team can serve in person, and by phone and video elsewhere. We will be straightforward about what is available where you are settling.

Tell us about your move

Where you are going, when, and what is already arranged. We will come back with a plan and a written scope. No obligation.

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