Etaoin Shrdlu

Do you use an insurance broker? A good insurance broker can give you very good advice and formally answer your questions. They may also be able to suggest an insurer that is more flexible when it comes to issues such as pre-existing conditions. Some insurers will exclude some conditions and others may simply charge a higher premium.

The release that is part of the proposal form would allow them to seek information directly with any hospital regardless of whether you have mentioned the hospital or not. An insurer could, therefore, make inquiries at any time and of anyone, including at the time they consider your proposal form or later if you submit a claim. I don't think an insurer would favorably consider your application for insurance if you did not agree to the release. It would be like waving a large red flag saying "non-disclosure". I also find it hard to imagine an insurer issuing a policy or paying a claim if faced with a situation in which one of their inquiries was met with refusal by a hospital to honor the release that the proposer signed. I think this is getting onto really shaky ground. At some point non-disclosure might be seen as insurance fraud, but I really can't comment on that.

Yes, the insurance company is completely within their rights to do so and it does happen more than it should. That's why it is so very important to make full disclosure when forming a contract of insurance. When the amounts are high enough, the insurance company will play hardball.

When a person applies for medical insurance, he or she will be required to sign a proposal form that states that all material facts relating to the proposer's medical history have been disclosed. The proposer also may be required to sign a release that would allow the insurer to obtain medical information directly from any provider. If a policyholder does not disclose a material fact, the the insurer may, depending on what they would have done had the disclosure been made, void the policy regardless of whether the information that was withheld was related to a claim. This duty of disclosure is actually specifically mentioned in the Thai Civil and Commercial Code. The insurance company is not required to specifically request information, the onus is on the proposer to provide it, so the lack of a specific question or inquiry by the insurer on the proposal form does not relieve the proposer of the duty to disclose. It is unlikely that an insurer would make inquiries to various hospitals at the time of forming the contract of insurance, however in the event of a large claim coupled with suspicion that information had been withheld, it may happen that an insurer would make inquiries and find out about the non-disclosure. My advice would be to disclose and remove the possibility of the insurance policy being voided just when it is most needed.

Make sure you check to see how long you may drive on an IDL and still have your vehicle insurance remain valid. Some insurers may require a policyholder to get a Thai driver's license after a specific period of time, typically 90 days or so. The IDL is really intended for tourists or short-term visitors and not those intending to stay longer periods of time. My suggestion would be to get a Thai DL and remove doubt about legality and insurance coverage.

"She said the government should have studied the consequences of such a move and closed any loopholes before going ahead with the legalization." The government had a better solution: no regulations, therefore no loopholes.

If the applicant resides in Thailand and it isn't a first-time adult passport, renewal can be done by mail: https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/#:~:text=Qualifying adult passport renewal applicants,only to U.S. Embassy Bangkok.

And I received the opposite response when I sent the FBU a pdf of the completed form and advised them that I intended to send the original to Wilkes-Barre

I have Thai Auto Channel stickers on one of the endorsement pages in my passport.

You will need to look into the details of the package the hospital is offering and get them to unbundle them for insurance claim purposes. How much of their package is comprised of surgical fees, how much is room and board, how much is hospital supplies, etc. The individual components of the "package" may be within the policy's internal limits. I would suggest you look at the policy to see what approvals you need to obtain prior to having the procedure done and get the insurer's sign-off as well as a clear understanding of how much of the cost will be covered. If you used a broker, ask your broker to assist.

The General Insurance Fund is managed by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. The OIC is under the Ministry of Finance, so you've already filed a claim for compensation under a fund managed by an entity that is part of one of the most powerful ministries in Thailand. I don't see how engaging the consumer ombudsman, an organ charged with helping consumers with complaints against the private sector, would provide any assistance. I have heard that the claims and potential claims for compensation under the General Insurance Fund caused by bankrupt and potentially bankrupt Thai insurers far exceed the amount in the fund. This may be why you've not received compensation. Whether claims against the GIF are eventually honored is likely a political issue. In my opinion, it would take a bailout by the government in order for the GIF to honor all valid claims. Unfortunately, the government's cupboard is bare and this may not be a priority in spite of elections looming by early next year.

According to the Bank of Thailand's website, Citibank's local banking operation is listed as a branch of a foreign bank. It would therefore be licensed as such by the BoT. Correspondence I receive regarding my account at Citibank's Thai branch is signed "Citibank N.A.". and not "Citibank Thailand" or similar. My apologies for not keeping up with Citibank's branch openings. I was advised in the past that foreign bank branches were limited in their ability to open branches. Either that has been liberalized or the restriction wasn't as narrow as I thought it was. The BoT's website can be found here: https://www.bot.or.th/English/FinancialInstitutions/WebsiteFI/pages/instlist.aspx#&&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

From a legal and regulatory standpoint, Citibank's operation in Thailand is a branch of the US bank. There may be regulatory or internal Citibank reasons why a branch in Thailand or in another country is unable to assist with issues relating to accounts in the US or other countries.

This is nothing new. Many hotels have been doing this for quite some time, but perhaps this is the first time that it has been explicitly proposed by the government.

Under both US and Thai banking regulations, Citibank's Thai operation is a branch of the US bank. I don't know enough about banking regulations or Citibank's internal protocols to comment on why Citibank's Thai operation can't help with US-based account issues.

Citibank operates as a branch of the US bank and is not a locally-incorporated entity. It is subject to the Thai banking regulations regarding foreign bank branches and is licensed as a branch of a foreign bank. This is why it only has one retail banking outlet in the entire country. Here is a partial screenshot from the Bank of Thailand's website. There is a separate drop-down menu item that lists Thai banks.

Both Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase have branches in Thailand, but they do not offer retail banking services.

I think I read somewhere that Citibank is the largest issuer of credit cards in Thailand. This is where their main revenues come from. As a branch of a foreign bank, Citibank is limited to having only one retail outlet in the entire country. Can't compete against the local banks when that's the case. Citibank will be keeping their banking license in Thailand, so I assume they will continue to be active in corporate banking here.

Citibank Thailand is an American bank. Citibank's operation in Thailand is actually a branch of Citibank US and not a locally-incorporated entity. The official name of Citibank in Thailand is "Citibank N.A.", with the "N.A." signifying that it is a national bank within the US banking system. Depositors at Citibank Thailand have the full balance sheet of Citibank's US bank as security. It is truly a shame that Citibank is selling its retail operations in Thailand as I believe it was the only foreign branch bank that was offering retail banking services. Citibank Thailand does have to follow all Thai banking regulations in addition to those of the US.

The only Western bank in Thailand I am aware of that is both a branch of the parent company and offers consumer banking services is Citibank. As a branch, its financial security is the same as the parent company's, although it is still subject to Thailand's banking regulations. Unfortunately, Citi is in the process of selling its Thai consumer banking operations to United Overseas Bank (Thai) Public Company Limited. As a locally incorporated entity, UOB (Thai)'s financial strength is only as good as the local company's balance sheet. After Citi finishes its sale to UOB (Thai), it appears that there won't be any Western bank branches offering consumer banking services in Thailand. There are other American, European, Japanese, Indian and Malaysian banks with branches in Thailand, but I don't think any of them offer consumer banking services. Your choices are then limited to Thai banks or the locally incorporated ventures of non-Thai banks. There are banks, HSBC comes to mind, that offer offshore accounts based in many of the world's financial centers, but Thailand isn't among them. If you're interested, google HSBC offshore account.

AIG Thailand offers their Travel Guard product here. Age limit is 85, although medical benefits for ages 76 through 85 are reduced. Israel is not an excluded territory. My suggestion is to use an insurance broker, especially if you need higher limits or broader cover than you can find from Thailand-based insurers. https://www.aig.co.th/en/personal/travel-guard-insurance/travel-guard-international

Thailand does not recognize trusts and such a legal structure will have no effect. In order to leave assets in trust to someone the assets need to be located, and the trust needs to be set up, elsewhere.

http://www.tarathaisilk.co.th/en/home.html

Influenza typically circulates here during the rainy season, so it could be regular flu.

Covid is only served in first class.