I honestly believed I had everything together, but yet again Imm police find a new way to turn a beautiful day in paradise into manure. I am an American on an O-A Visa issued at the Thai Consulate in LA in June of 2016, I'm going for my 4th extension. A year ago I was looking at the conversations about Insurance being required and started shopping for coverage for two reasons; one, I might need it and two, maybe I can get coverage cheaper than in the states. Well I found a group, Regency for Expats thru CompareNow Broker that fit both reasons , at least for me at that point!  Anyway I picked up coverage in their "Thai Long Stay Insurance" program with minimal coverage required 40,000/400,000 Baht knowing if anything serious I can get to states for hospitalization. I did good, or at least I thought I did. Just an hour ago My Certificate of Insurance was rejected because the group Regency for Expats was not on the "Visa Type O-A" approved list, they gave me a copy. I was under the impression, I guess wrongfully, that since I was going for an "Extension" that Insurance wasn't required. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. My VISA expires the 16th!

This guy has looked around for useless Thai insurance @Peter Denis

Hopefully can assist you with insurance and for future point out how to switch to Non O

Edited June 11, 20206 yr by DrJack54

Since October 2019 a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy issued by one of the TGIA associated insurers is mandatory when applying for the 1-year extension based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.

You write that your current permission to stay based on that Non Imm O-A Visa expires in 5 days.

That's short, but if you act now you will still be able to subscribe to one of those thai IO-approved health-insurance policies.  Since the majority of those policies are basically worthless, I would recommend subscribing to the dead cheapest one, which is the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) that sells at an annual premium of 6.000 THB to 11.400 THB in the age bracket of 51 to 75 years).

An additional advantage is that that policy does not require an (expensive) medical.  You just need to fill in the comprehensive application form to subscribe to the policy and you will get the Health-Insurance Certificate that IO requires a couple of days later in your mail.  Obviously you should refrain from ticking any serious pre-existing conditions on the application questionnaire, as that might lead to LMG rejecting your application.  Since you only subscribe to the policy as an 'entry ticket' to meet the IO health-insurance requirement for your O-A retirement extension application, and probably will not make any claims under that policy, doing so should not be considered as fraud.

 

>> I also PM-ed you a comprehensive guideline document addressing all details/options on how to convert to a 90-day Non Imm O retirement Visa and subsequent 1-year extension.  The requirements/conditions when applying for such a Non Imm O retirement extension are exactly the same as for your present Non Imm O-A retirement-extension, but with the one difference that the Non Imm O does NOT require any mandatory health-insurance.

However, a conversion to a Non Imm O Visa requires a border-run (in order to 'kill' the present permission to stay of your Non Imm O-A Visa), which is not possible at the moment.

Therefore your best option would most probably be to bite the 'insurance bullet' and subscribe to that cheap thai IO-approved LMG Insurance policy, and then re-apply at your current IO for the 1-year extension based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.

Success!

 

I would also recommend you to contact your Regency for Expats insurer, and complain that the policy you subscribed to was not accepted by your local IO, because of RfE not being a TGIA associated insurer. 

Since it was sold under their Thai Long Stay Insurance program you were misleaded, thinking it would be accepted by IO when applying for the 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A (long stay) Visa for reason of retirement.

Obviously RfE will be aware of this (cunningly using the words 'long stay' in their program) and not clarifying  to you that their policy is not accepted by IO for a 1-year Non Imm O-A retirement extension, borders fraud.  If they are reluctant to cancel your policy and refund you, I would - jay dee / calmly and politely - raise hell and tell them that you will post your experience on all available Thai Retiree social-media.

However, when that RfE policy you subscribed to full meets your actual health-insurance needs, you could of course consider keeping it.  And simply add the cheap (but further worthless) LMG Insurance to meet the IO requirement for health-insurance.

 

I found this O-A compliant policy reasonable ...available from experienced Thai Agent. Speaks fine English, French and Thai.

Arawan Namak phone 081-912-4528

[email protected]

1 minute ago, travelerjim said:

I found this O-A compliant policy reasonable ...available from experienced Thai Agent. Speaks fine English, French and Thai.

Arawan Namak phone 081-912-4528

[email protected]

 

Yes, that's the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) I mentioned in my post #3.

Additional advantage - besides being the cheapest thai IO-approved policy on the market - being that it does not require a medical to subscribe to the policy.

 

You have to get one of the approved insurances.  Immigration does not want a copy of your policy.  They want a letter the insurance gives you stating that it complies with the requirements.  Similar to this:  https://longstay.tgia.org/document/overseas_insurance_certificate.pdf

Being older the cost of insurance for my visa, insurance that would have had exceptions for preexisting conditions so basically worthless, would have been ridiculous.

 

I found a visa service company that arranged for a less expensive insurance option as part of their doing my visa renewal.  Still more expensive than me doing the renewal myself in the past but it did save me a lot of money for the worthless insurance I would have had to buy if I had tried to do the renewal myself this time.

 

Consider this as one of your options.

Edited June 12, 20206 yr by HarrySeaman

5 minutes ago, HarrySeaman said:

Being older the cost of insurance for my visa, insurance that would have had exceptions for preexisting conditions so basically worthless, would have been ridiculous.

 

I found a visa service company that arranged for a less expensive insurance option as part of their doing my visa renewal.  Still more expensive than me doing the renewal myself in the past but it did save me a lot of money for the worthless insurance I would have had to buy if I had tried to do the renewal myself this time.

 

Consider this as one of your options.

The (easy) road that provides you with the most options is of course to switch from your present Non Imm O-A Visa retirement extension, to a 90-day Non Imm O retirement Visa and subsequent 1-year extension.  The requirements/conditions of the Non Imm O-A and the Non Imm O retirement extensions are exactly the same, except that the Non Imm O does not require any thai IO-approved health-insurance.

Doing so will allow you to opt for an affordable health-insurance policy that fully meets your needs (be it a foreign or thai one, and that will really cover you in case of catastrophic illness/accident) and not having the issue blurred by limiting your choices to a thai IO-approved policy just to meet the IO health-insurance requirement for your Non Imm O-A retirement extension.

It was my understanding, and I'me sure I will be told I'm wrong, that the insurance requirement was only for your first non O-A visa as thereafter when renewed you now have to retain Bt400,000 in the bank at all times, which is the level of insurance that is required.

11 minutes ago, stoutfella said:

It was my understanding, and I'me sure I will be told I'm wrong, that the insurance requirement was only for your first non O-A visa as thereafter when renewed you now have to retain Bt400,000 in the bank at all times, which is the level of insurance that is required.

That is how it appeared to be on the immigration order for it but they started asking for it at immigration so it seems that read the order differently.

The 400k baht in the bank number is coincidental that it matches the inpatient coverage for the insurance. 

They accept only one of the 13 Insurances they proposed, so you have to choose one of them

I had no problem renewing my OA extension based on retirement in January of this year(no insurance required). This post has now raised doubt that my next extension could be problematic. 

Question: can i change the reason for extension to marriage on my OA extension so that the insurance is not required, i could also go down the dependant route as i have a child

I don't really want to go down the non o visa route as this requires leaving the country every 3 months (only normally here for 3 months at a time but there may come a time when things change) Not married yet but will deal with that when necessary

Clarification would be appreciated

 

I have been on marriage extensions for about ten yrs, I am over 75 with many many serious preexisting  things and thus uninsurable, I am happy I can fund necessary medical as required while still here

 

WHEN DOING MY RENEWAL IN ABOUT A MONTHS TIME AM I GOING TO HAVE TO PROVIDE MEDICAL INSURANCE

 

Help and clarification greatly appreciated

Just now, Dene16 said:

Question: can i change the reason for extension to marriage on my OA extension so that the insurance is not required

Yes

12 minutes ago, spornb said:

Clarification would be appreciated

 

I have been on marriage extensions for about ten yrs, I am over 75 with many many serious preexisting  things and thus uninsurable, I am happy I can fund necessary medical as required while still here

 

WHEN DOING MY RENEWAL IN ABOUT A MONTHS TIME AM I GOING TO HAVE TO PROVIDE MEDICAL INSURANCE

 

Help and clarification greatly appreciated

Check to see if you entered non O or non O-A.

The latter requires insurance if extensions based on retirement.

Your extension is based on marriage then insurance not required

Edited June 12, 20206 yr by DrJack54

8 minutes ago, spornb said:

Clarification would be appreciated

you will need to state what visa your extension is based upon

Drjack54 got there before me

Edited June 12, 20206 yr by Dene16
addition

How much does it cost a company to get onto the holy list of insurances? 

32 minutes ago, Brayka said:

They accept only one of the 13 Insurances they proposed, so you have to choose one of them

Yes. And it seems Regency is engaging in false advertising....to put it mildly.

I don't understand why anyone over 50 and/or married goes for this non O-A visa?

Edited June 12, 20206 yr by Keyser Soze666

28 minutes ago, Dene16 said:

 

I don't really want to go down the non o visa route as this requires leaving the country every 3 months (only normally here for 3 months at a time but there may come a time when things change) Not married yet but will deal with that when necessary

 

You don't have to leave the country every 3 months on a NON - O. 

4 minutes ago, Paiman said:

You don't have to leave the country every 3 months on a NON - O. 

With a multiple entry Non O visa, you certainly do need to leave after 90 days unless you get an extension of your permission to stay.

39 minutes ago, spornb said:

Clarification would be appreciated

 

I have been on marriage extensions for about ten yrs, I am over 75 with many many serious preexisting  things and thus uninsurable, I am happy I can fund necessary medical as required while still here

 

WHEN DOING MY RENEWAL IN ABOUT A MONTHS TIME AM I GOING TO HAVE TO PROVIDE MEDICAL INSURANCE

 

Help and clarification greatly appreciated

No

25 minutes ago, BritTim said:

With a multiple entry Non O visa, you certainly do need to leave after 90 days unless you get an extension of your permission to stay.

Thank you. The Australian that lived by me (now returned to Australia) was on this for many many years. In fact he claimed that everyone he knew was on also on it. 

I use LUMA HEALTH.  they are terrific.  The Broker is Mr. Prakan

 

i kept my insurance in the USA for '<deleted>s n giggles".  Make sure you buy both in-patient and outpatient ! ! ! 

 

I just had the problem yesterday at BKK immigration.  You will find both Peter and Ubon Joe are experts at this stuff.

 

LISTEN TO WHAT THESE GUYS HAVE TO SAY.  Sheryl as well

 

Mr. Prakan Support Team | Customer Service

T: 02-985-9123 | M: 087-927-8118

E: [email protected]

W: www.misterprakan.com

55 minutes ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

I don't understand why anyone over 50 and/or married goes for this non O-A visa?

Because they could do it from their home country Thai Embassy , and keeping the money on home country account (or using borrowed money ???? ….) , not liking to keep 800k Thb on Thai bank , and also could stretchy it up to 2 years by doing a border run just before expiring date at the end  first year ,an so become another year extra .

 

But as always cheap buying becomes expensive bought .

 

I love my  "O" simple , even with the need of 800K on Thai bank !….." flash-speed " ret.ext  year by year if doc. in order at desk 8 Jomtien Immigration , no need of  "agent "

Edited June 12, 20206 yr by david555

5 minutes ago, david555 said:

Because they could do it from their home country Thai Embassy , and keeping the money on home country account (or using borrowed money ???? ….) , not liking to keep 800k Thb on Thai bank , and also could stretchy it up to 2 years by doing a border run just before expiring date the first year .

 

But as always cheap buying becomes expensive bought .

 

I love my  "O" simple , even with the need of 800K on Thai bank !….." flash-speed " ret.ext  year by year if doc. in order at desk 8 Jomtien Immigration , no need of  "agent "

Oh ok, wasn't aware of that. Cheers.

58 minutes ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

I don't understand why anyone over 50 and/or married goes for this non O-A visa?

The O-A visa enables you to stay for 2 years before applying for an extension.

You can also keep your money in your home country bank ( if you wish ) until the extension is required or apply for another O-A .

Many people lived on O-A’s quite happily for a number of years with out the necessity to keep money in a Thai bank.

It is only recently, with the mandatory health insurance ruling that the O-A is a bad move .

 

EDIT: okay, just seen David already covered this.

Edited June 12, 20206 yr by Andrew Dwyer

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Yes. And it seems Regency is engaging in false advertising....to put it mildly.

Have they claimed to be on the IB-accepted list?

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Your extension is based on marriage then insurance not required

For now.

 

2 hours ago, Paiman said:

You don't have to leave the country every 3 months on a NON - O. 

I think what he means is you can get a 60 day extension if married so a total entry of 150 days each time.

Edited June 12, 20206 yr by KhaoYai