Proof of Insurance Required with Multi Non-O/A?

[Will Power]

I entered Thailand on August 4, 2019 with a Multiple Entry Non-O/A visa, before the health insurance requirements took effect (Oct 31, 2019). I was issued a one year stamp with permission to stay until August 2020. I left Thailand on December 2, 2019 and will be returning on December 30, 2019. Will I have to show proof of insurance when I return? My hope is NO, since I originally entered before the new regs took effect and was given a one year stamp and will be returning on the same visa. But you never know. Thanks for any input.

[jacko45k]

You should not be required to show insurance. The reason is more to do with when your Visa was issued, not your entry. You will be given a new 12 month permit to Stay and the previous one is irrelevant without a Re-Entry Permit. 

I am assuming your Non-IMM-OA will still be valid in December.... 

[Will Power]

thanks jacko45K, yes my non o-a is valid until July 2020. I did not get a reentry permit before leaving Thailand on December 2 because my o-a visa is multiple entry and I was told I did not need a reentry permit with a multiple-entry visa. Was this information wrong?

[lamyai3]

42 minutes ago, Will Power said:

Was this information wrong?

No. If by chance an immigration officer tells you the insurance is required and tries to stamp you in for 30 days, ask for a supervisor. 

[Sheryl]

As above. If asked, be polite but firm and point to the visa issuance date and say not required because visa before 31 October; if necessary ask for

 a supervisor. Entries on still valid OAs issued before 31 Oct 2019 do not need insurance. And you will be stamped in for another 12 months from date of entry i.e. Dec 2020.

 

Neither do you need imsurance for entry on a re-entry permit which is what you should get  if you leave again and plan to  return after July 2020. When you do that you don't get additional time  i.e. you would be stamped for the same date as your existing permission to stay. Timed right you could thus get up to July 2021 on this one visa. 

 

However as things currently stand and barring any change you would need proof of insurance from one of the listed Thai companies to do an in-country extension of stay thereafter so if that was your plan might want to work out alternatives.

 

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, Will Power said:

thanks jacko45K, yes my non o-a is valid until July 2020. I did not get a reentry permit before leaving Thailand on December 2 because my o-a visa is multiple entry and I was told I did not need a reentry permit with a multiple-entry visa. Was this information wrong?

No, absolutely correct. A re-entry permit, when the Non-Imm-OA is still valid, is redundant, or more exactly a bad idea. All Non-Imm OAs are multiple entry visas. Just consider that if you wish to leave Thailand and the Visa expires while you are out of the country, or before, a Re-Entry permit then becomes a  good idea should you wish to return. (A Visa run trip just before it expires gives you the best mileage from the Visa). 

Edited December 13, 2019 by jacko45k

[johnnycthedog]

Question -

 

I always get a Non Imm O-A multi entry visa from my home country [Aust] every 12 months.  I then spend considerable periods of time in Thailand and surrounding countries each year over about 3 trips per 12 months.  I always have full travel insurance cover sourced in Aust. for every trip.  I do not reside in Thailand but can spend more than 6 months there every year.

 

If I enter Thailand after 31 October 2019 am I required to have full insurance cover sourced from a Thailand based Insurance company, even though I can show my home based travel insurance cover?

 

I do not seek to get extensions of the 12 month Non Imm O-A visa when in Thailand.

 

From what I have read to date I suspect I may have to get the Thailand based insurance cover as well.

[Peter Denis]

8 minutes ago, johnnycthedog said:

,,,

If I enter Thailand after 31 October 2019 am I required to have full insurance cover sourced from a Thailand based Insurance company, even though I can show my home based travel insurance cover?

I do not seek to get extensions of the 12 month Non Imm O-A visa when in Thailand.

When you apply for a Non Imm OA in your home-country you are now required to have health-insurance that meets the IO requirements (400.000 THB in-patient / 40.000 THB out-patient coverage).  

There is a list of thai-approved insurance-company schemes that meet that requirement from which you can choose to provide that insurance, but not sure whether you can get that thai insurance when you are not in Thailand.  The cheapest policy (with worthless coverage) would be approx 25.000 THB for a 60-year old.

But when you APPLY for a Non Imm OA there is also the option that you provide a Certificate in which your insurance-company states that your policy meets the thai IO requirements.  The problem is that most insurance-companies will not fill in and sign that Certificate as it refers to thai legislation which is unknown to them.  Till now afaik only 2 insurance-companies have been willing to sign the Certificate.  But of course it is worth a try, and most probably the health-insurance part of your travel-insurance will easily cover the requirements, only problem being to have them sign it.

But in your case, travelling extensively outside Thailand and being less than 6 months per year in the Kingdom, there are many other options than the Non Imm OA Visa which is now mostly shunned because of the thai-approved health-insurance it now requires. 

 

[mike787]

Should be fine, though nothing is 100% with immigration except they are consistently inconsistent.

[Peter Denis]

13 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

But in your case, travelling extensively outside Thailand and being less than 6 months per year in the Kingdom, there are many other options than the Non Imm OA Visa which is now mostly shunned because of the thai-approved health-insurance it now requires.

 

13 hours ago, johnnycthedog said:

I always get a Non Imm O-A multi entry visa from my home country [Aust] every 12 months.  I then spend considerable periods of time in Thailand and surrounding countries each year over about 3 trips per 12 months.  I always have full travel insurance cover sourced in Aust. for every trip.  I do not reside in Thailand but can spend more than 6 months there every year.

In your case, applying for an METV (Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa) in your home-country, is most probably the best solution (when you meet the requirements) to avoid the expensive and basically worthless thai-approved health-insurance which is now required for a Non Imm OA - retirement Visa.

An METV is valid for 6 months from date of issue, and it allows you to stay 60 days in Thailand.  After that you need to exit Thailand (or apply for an extension of stay of 30 days).  On re-entering Thailand you will be once again stamped in for 60 days permission of stay.  When well-timed you can thus get almost 9 months of stay in Thailand from the METV.

 

[Alotoftravel]

I read the “ showing insurance “ ,

are we to always bring our insurance policy when we travel ? 

 

I just assume once you have an o a extension after oct 31, 2019, we already showed we have insurance coverage during the extension process ?

 

maybe the immigration entry m they have a computer data base that show we have insurance instead of being asked to show insurance ! Any thoughts?

[Peter Denis]

21 hours ago, Alotoftravel said:

I read the “ showing insurance “ ,

are we to always bring our insurance policy when we travel ? 

I just assume once you have an o a extension after oct 31, 2019, we already showed we have insurance coverage during the extension process ?

maybe the immigration entry m they have a computer data base that show we have insurance instead of being asked to show insurance ! Any thoughts?

Indeed, any holder of an OA Visa issued after Oct 31, 2019 has already proved that he meets the health-insurance requirement, otherwise the Visa would not have been issued.

However, when such a post 31 Oct issued OA Visa holder enters Thailand, Immigration will want to see proof of insurance as the PoliceOrder clearly states that the holder will be stamped in for 1 year or for the validity period of the insurance, whichever is shortest.

It is foreseen that the embassy issuing the OA Visa will have put a note on the Visa that you meet the health-insurance requirement and the expiry date of your insurance-policy.

That should be sufficient, but still I think it would be wise to have a copy of the Certificate with you, issued by your insurance-company and stating that your policy meets the IO requirements. 

Note 1: When you re-enter Thailand during your OA Visa validity period, you will not be stamped in for the full year you were previously entitled to, but only for the validity time of your insurance-policy.  So when applying for an OA Visa it would be smart to take a 2 year health-insurance policy, as that would allow you to make use of that second year you can squeeze out of the OA Visa without being forced to take a thai-approved health-insurance to cover that 2nd year.

[TBKK]

Be advised that a obtained a multi Non O-A Retirement Visa on June 26, 2019.

When I entered Thailand on Dec. 10, immigration officer said I needed insurance.

I told him it my understanding that I would not need insurance since visa was obtained before October 31, 2019. After about 5 minutes he finally agreed to let me enter and he informed me that he will put in the computer that the next time I enter Thailand on this visa, I would need proof of insurance. He said that I would be allowed to enter without insurance on my first entry but all entries after that I would need proof of insurance. Since he stamped me in for one year until December 8, 2020, I did not bother to argue with him further.

It appears that a lot of these immigration officers don't understand the rules and it is the luck of the draw regarding whether or not one will have a problem. Since he stamped me in for one year, i will just assume that he was confused and if I have a problem the next time I enter Thailand on this visa I will request to speak to a supervisor.

[LivinLOS]

8 minutes ago, TBKK said:

Be advised that a obtained a multi Non O-A Retirement Visa on June 26, 2019.

When I entered Thailand on Dec. 10, immigration officer said I needed insurance.

I told him it my understanding that I would not need insurance since visa was obtained before October 31, 2019. After about 5 minutes he finally agreed to let me enter and he informed me that he will put in the computer that the next time I enter Thailand on this visa, I would need proof of insurance. He said that I would be allowed to enter without insurance on my first entry but all entries after that I would need proof of insurance. Since he stamped me in for one year until December 8, 2020, I did not bother to argue with him further.

It appears that a lot of these immigration officers don't understand the rules and it is the luck of the draw regarding whether or not one will have a problem. Since he stamped me in for one year, i will just assume that he was confused and if I have a problem the next time I enter Thailand on this visa I will request to speak to a supervisor.

I have been trying to emphasize that variability for a while.. 

I think it will only get tighter over the next year as the date gets farther and farther from Oct 31.. 

[Sheryl]

As of 31 October 2019, when an OA visa is issued you must first show proof of insurance. It can be a foreign policy for this purpose. You are supposed to have your insurance company sign a specific form which can be found here:

 

http://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

 

(Click on "Download Overseas Insurance Certificate")

 

This is often difficult because of the wording. If your company will not sign you can try contacting the Embassy or Consulate where you apply for the visa and ask them if they will accept instead the policy documents. Some will, some may not, it is up to them.

 

If they accept and issue you a non-OA visa they will make a notation on the visa stating that insurance requirements have been met and the date until which your policy is effective. It is this notation which the Immigration official who stamps you in will look for.

 

[Alotoftravel]

Anyone who has gotten oa extension recently ;

Care to show a picture that says you have met health insurance notation on your passport I want to make sure that is what I expect when I renew mine . Thanks 

[Peter Denis]

On 12/17/2019 at 2:42 AM, Alotoftravel said:

Anyone who has gotten oa extension recently ;

Care to show a picture that says you have met health insurance notation on your passport I want to make sure that is what I expect when I renew mine . Thanks 

Not sure whether your local IO will put a note re health-insurance in your passport on extension of stay of your OA Visa.  They will limit the date of your extension of stay to 1 year or the validity date of your insurance policy, whatever is shorter.

The note in your passport re health-insurance will be made when you apply for an OA Visa at a thai embassy in your home-country (and it can be longer than 1 year, when you have taken an insurance-policy that runs longer). 

Edited December 18, 2019 by Peter Denis