bbi1

Would travel insurance & health insurance generally offer the same level of cover if needed to be admitted as an inpatient at a hospital & would they generally pay the hospital direct, rather than having to pay the hospital and claim back from the travel insurance company? Previously when I was spending up to a year in Thailand I got health insurance from a broker in Thailand. I was under the impressing (not sure if I'm right) it's best/cheaper to get insurance from a broker in Thailand than from western countries (I'm from Oz). At that time I had a policy with ACS Acs-Ami (dot) com which covered Thailand and also a few other neighbouring countries.

Actually, I think I should have 3 months free travel insurance coverage from my credit card company if I book a return flight using their credit card, but that would only cover 3 months of the 5 months, or how good the coverage really is. I'm also not sure if I will need to pay the hospital first for an inpatient stay, or if I just hand over the insurance details and the insurance company will pay the hospital directly.

Current age: under 40 years old. Looking to spend ~5 months in Thailand entering 45 days visa exempt with 30 day extension, then flying out to another Asian country for a few days then doing another 45 days visa exempt with 30 day extension. Looking for inpatient coverage only with sufficient coverage for the top private hospitals. 1. Any insurance companies & good insurance policies people here recommend looking at to cover these ~5 months? 2. Would it make any difference to the insurance company if you are not on a visa, but coming in visa exempt? 3. Since I'm only staying for 5 months all up, should I be looking at a travel insurance policy or a health insurance policy? 4. Does anyone have experience with the WorldTrips Atlas Travel Insurance and any thoughts?

Which of the onward ticketing sites do people here recommend? I've added a poll as well. What routes do you usually book out of Thailand on these sites? Who here has had positive/negative experiences with either OnwardFlights(dot)com vs OnwardTicket(dot)com? OnwardFlights(dot)com - $7 tickets OnwardTicket(dot)com - $14 tickets. Actually, when you go to book, then they change their prices to 14 Euros, instead of dollars. OnwardTicket(dot)com site says "Quickly book a Flight Reservation for your Visa Application. Verifiable on Airline's Websites." They also say on their site "Unlike some fake ticket providers, our reservations are 100% legitimate with a Passenger Name Record (PNR) code under your name that you can verify with the airline."

Doesn't getting a re-entry permit before you leave allow you to return and continue?

I presume they get this info to show up on their computer screen via TM30 via hotels and landlords, but if the hotel or landlord doesn't lodge a TM30 they won't have this info on where you stayed.

Ok, that's good to know. Is there a set amount of days between each entry back to Thailand for immigration not to consider them "back to back" entries?

So if you have a return ticket, eg. a business class ticket with Cathay Pacific (home country to BKK and back) but it's 5-6 months away, there's no need to use an onward ticket company for a ticket back within 30 days of original departure to satisfy the check-in airline staff?

Is this 100% the case that there's no limit for visa exempt entries via air? I confused now because others have said 2 entries by air is the max for visa exempt and doing a 3rd by air could result in being denied entry. Other's advised if I want a 3rd then to do the 3rd via a land border. See below thread:

Get an education visa and study Thai or another language for a year, or Muay Thai

I suspect this is only for people staying longer than 3 months but if leaving before 3 months there's no need? Or is it needed if you will get a 30 day extension at immigration after coming in visa exempt for 45 days?

Would there generally be some units available to rent if I just turned up at the reception window at The Base and enquired? I'll probably stay at a hotel for a few days when I arrive and sort out my longer term accommodation once I'm there.

Any particular time frame? Is over 12 months ago accepted?

Fully vaccinated is 2 doses or is it more than that?

From 1st October onwards is proof of fully vaccinated needed? What exactly is ok as proof, just a printout from your government site that you've had 2 doses?

Which are the good Facebook groups for Pattaya rentals? Thanks

Are 1 bedroom condos renting from 6k baht per month these days at The Base? I remember pre-Covid they were renting for about double that rate. Looking at Hipflat it looks like there are a number of them starting at that price range: https://www.hipflat.com/projects/the-base-central-pattaya-zuiltg It would be great if 6k - 8k baht per month was the going rate these days.

Aussie passport. Did Ho Chi Minh before once for a few days and yep, had to get a visa. Forgot how much I paid for it.

Any reasons why doing the 2 airport entries (instead of 3) would be close to impossible? Were there previous reports from some people who were unable to enter recently doing 2 visa expempt entries?

Not sure how people can avoid fingerprint scanners at the airport. There was no choice to avoid at BKK airport when I flew back home 2 years ago. Never done a land border bounce before. Seemed like such a pain in the ass and and a waste of a day, especially from BKK or Pattaya. Preferred flying and spending a few days in another Asian country while doing a bit of sightseeing.

Ok, thanks. Will stick with the 2 back to backs. Alternative would be to enter with another passport as a dual citizen, but I guess it's not going to help now ever since they've introduced those fingerprint scanners.

Yes, will spend a few days out before returning each time. So doing the original 3 entries visa exempt via airport before 31st March 2023 should be ok, or should I stick with only doing the 2 airport entries?

Used to be on METV a number of times pre-Covid. It's been over 2 years since I've stepped foot in Thailand. Any issues doing just the 1st two airport entries but not doing the 3rd? Not particularly keen on doing land border crossings. Prefer to just fly out, do a few days in a neighbouring country then fly back in. 1. 45 days + 30 days extension (mid October), then fly to another Asian country for a few days and fly back 2. 45 days + 30 days extension, then fly back home. I guess if the above is an issue then I might as well apply for a METV here in Australia, as I've done in the pre-Covid era. 45 days entry, 30 day extensions, as I've mentioned in the OP.

45 days visa exempt for entries from 1st Oct 2022 to 31st March 2023 - is this all 100% official now so we can all rely in this to be the case for eligible countries? Does anyone see potential problems with the below? I'm thinking of maybe doing the following: 1. 45 days + 30 days extension (mid October), then fly to another Asian country for a few days and fly back 2. 45 days + 30 days extension, then fly to another Asian country for a few days and fly back 3. 45 days + 30 days extension (prior to 31st March 2022), then fly back home.

Is the 2 visa exempt entries per calendar year, is this only applicable to land crossings or applies to air arrivals too?