Non-O visa, general health insurance required after all

[JackGats]

This is what read on the Thai embassy website in Austria:

 

  "Those with existing re-entry permit marked "Retirement" issued before 11 November 2020 by the Thai Immigration Office are required to purchase additional health insurance policy and upload it on the COE application platform during the final approval (Confirmation) stage. The insurance must satisfy the following conditions:

• Outpatient benefit with a sum insured of not less than 40,000 THB or 1,300 EUR, and
• Inpatient benefit with a sum insured of not less than 400,000 THB or 13,000 EUR.
• NOTE: This is different from COVID-19 health insurance. Applicants may submit one insurance policy *only if* that policy meets BOTH the general outpatient/inpatient benefit requirement AND expressly covers COVID-19 with minimum coverage of 100,000 USD. Insurance that covers COVID-19 alone must be supplemented by additional insurance that meets the above general outpatient/inpatient benefit requirement."

 

So there it is, the health insurance through the back-door of the COE. I wonder what surprises will be in store when I apply for my one-year extension in May.

 

 

[Suphawk]

Seems it was only a matter of time

[ubonjoe]

That is only needed to apply for a non-o visa at embassy and consulates to get a COE. IMO they did it to try and encourage people to get a OA visa instead.

You only need 90 days of insurance to apply for the insurance since that is the length of stay the visa will allow.

If you do not want to buy the insurance you can apply for a single entry tourist visa or enter visa exempt to get a 45 day entry and then apply for a a 90 day non-o visa at immigration that does no require insurance.

 

[PaulDee]

The question arose AGAIN last week when I extended my one-year Non-O visa.

Again it was resolved that Non-O visa holders are NOT required to have health insurance.

By all means get coverage, but do it for yourself because it's the wise thing to do.

[DrJack54]

5 hours ago, JackGats said:

. I wonder what surprises will be in store when I apply for my one-year extension in May

You will not require insurance. No need to wonder.

[Tanoshi]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That is only needed to apply for a non-o visa at embassy and consulates to get a COE. IMO they did it to try and encourage people to get a OA visa instead.

It's actually in reference to those on existing extensions of stay based on retirement and using a valid re-entry permit to re-enter Thailand. The 400/40K Health Insurance must cover any remaining period of stay they may be entitled to on re-entry.

 

Quote

 "Those with existing re-entry permit marked "Retirement" issued before 11 November 2020 by the Thai Immigration Office are required to purchase additional health insurance policy and upload it on the COE application platform during the final approval (Confirmation) stage.

 

[ubonjoe]

36 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

It's actually in reference to those on existing extensions of stay based on retirement and using a valid re-entry permit to re-enter Thailand. The 400/40K Health Insurance must cover any remaining period of stay they may be entitled to on re-entry.

Another website states this.

"( If you already have a valid visa/re-entry permit, please request the Certificate of Entry – COE at https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ )"

And no mention of it being needed if on a extension of non-o visa entry.

[JackGats]

6 hours ago, PaulDee said:

 

By all means get coverage, but do it for yourself because it's the wise thing to do.

I know it is wise to be insured no matter what. But I have Cigna world coverage for life from my ex-employer and what infuriates me is this my 1st rate insurance getting rejected by the Thai burocracy to force me to buy their Mickey Mouse policies.

 

100000 USD my foot. I'm covered for millions if it comes to that, but not in the infantile terms those Thai policies are framed.

 

[oldcpu]

35 minutes ago, JackGats said:

I know it is wise to be insured no matter what. But I have Cigna world coverage for life from my ex-employer and what infuriates me is this my 1st rate insurance getting rejected by the Thai burocracy

I also have similar superb world coverage Health Insurance (for life) from Cigna.

 

I actually contacted Cigna wrt asking them to qualify for the Thai requirements, but they refuse to adhere to the Thai requirements for Non-Immigrant (Type-OA Visa) new Health Insurance requirements (where Thailand wants the Health Insurance company to fill in the appropriate information in the Thai database).  Cigna said they did not understand the 400K in-patient and 40K outpatient, and further Cigna does not want to fill in the Thai database.  So Cigna is also stubborn in rejecting/refusing to cooperate with Thailand government (where Thailand government in turn rejects Cigna insurance).  ... I note the Thai hospitals do like the Cigna Health Insurance (as they can charge Cigna a lot of money).

 

I'm currently struggling with LMG Thailand (Health Insurance) to obtain (what I consider a throw away 200K deductible) Health Insurance, as LMG asked for my latest medical (which was done by Bumrungrad in Bangkok), and LMG are now asking for detailed follow up information on every very minor Thai doctor recommendations (where my European doctor, when asked for a 2nd opinion, with Bumrungrad medical test results in front of him, strongly disagreed that any follow up needed. My European doctor actually 'laughed' at the recommendations).  

 

Latest chat with LMG has them going back over my medical again, to see if they are willing to create some sort of Exclusion clause (for imaginary pre-conditions) so to obtain their Health Insurance ... but I am not optimistic, as to the best of my knowledge (and the strong opinion of my European doctor) I have no pre-conditions. With no pre-conditions, how can they make an insurance clause with a pre-condition?

 

I suspect I will be asked to go for another medical - and this time I need to ensure no 'frivolous/trolling (for test $)' recommendations thrown in the medical results (which is not always easy to do - as IMHO Thai hospitals when conducting medicals do tend to troll for extra tests to collect extra $ ).

 

I think the Health Insurance 'system' , while nominally a good idea, still needs some work.

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Another website states this.

"( If you already have a valid visa/re-entry permit, please request the Certificate of Entry – COE at https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ )"

And no mention of it being needed if on a extension of non-o visa entry.

The Thai Embassy UK states.

Checklist for the documents each passenger need to have for going to Thailand. They must present these to the airlines and the Thai authorities.

1. Valid visa or re-entry permit, except visitors under the 45-day visa exemption scheme

2. The Certificate of Entry 

3. Fit to Fly health certificate, issued within 72 hours before departure – this is a statement by a doctor that you are free from symptoms and fit to fly (must be separate from COVID test)

4. COVID-19 test result with a laboratory result indicating that COVID -19 is not detected (COVID test must be by RT-PCR method), issued within 72 hours before departure -- Some airlines do not accept home kit tests so please check specific requirements with the airlines you are travelling with.

5. Copy of insurance policy which covers COVID and no less than 100,000 USD – please print the insurance certificate and all pages of the terms and conditions on the COVID coverage and medical benefits (some people were refused to board the flight because they could not show that their insurance meet this requirement)

6. Copy of confirmed ASQ hotel booking (or AHQ and permission from the Ministry of Public Health in case of medical treatment)

7. T.8 Form

8. Declaration form

 

No mention of Health Insurance there, but further down it gives additional requirements for certain types of visitors.

 

7. For long-stay retirement visa holders (Non-Immigrant O/O-A/O-X) for people over 50 years old

- Copy of health insurance policy which covers medical treatment in Thailand (non-COVID-19 diseases) for outpatient not less than 40,000 Baht and inpatient not less than 400,000 Baht for the whole period of your stay in Thailand

- Copy of health insurance that coversCOVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand

 

It's not as clear as the Austrian website but it means the same.

If you have a 1 year extension based on retirement your classed as a long stay visitor, from a Non O, so if you have a re-entry permit, the Health Insurance 400/40K is an additional requirement.

 

I'm not agreeing, or saying it's morally correct, but it is what it is.

You can't tell me that some top Thai officials that negotiated and 'approved'  these Thai Insurers haven't got their hand in the bucket and will apply it as often as they can, to as many as they can get away with.

[JackGats]

Yeah. Anyway I'm trying to get my CEO application through and it is not working (page keeps churning after I click "save"). I had someone on the phone asking if I'd clicked the upload buttons, and which browser I was using etc. Then after it was clear everything was ok on my side he said there was some computer problem in Thailand and they were trying to fix it. I've already spent 8000 Baht on an insurance and if the embassy can't certify my CEO was rejected that's money down the drain. If the server is not able to acknowledge an initial application for a CEO, how are they going to settle a flight change in last minute?

 

 I am very close to throwing in the sponge.

[Rob Cook]

Like others mentioned before, I too have great health insurance with world wide coverage from a western company via my previous employer, yet they wouldn't jump through the Thai hoops and issue a certificate outlining all the minimums required to get the COE.  I bought a cheap travel policy that covers the COVID requirement and others for the length of original entry (90 days), then let it expire (unless you plan to come in and out of the country over the next year or so while this COVID mess is still happening).   That's what I did and had no issues. 

BTW: my wife sells health insurance here in Thailand for Allianz Ayudhya and the travel policy was still a cheaper/better option.  But if you want, hit me up with your email and I'll have here communicate with you for a quote.  

[JackGats]

I now realise I have the needed coverage. I thought I hadn't since what I went for was a "Covid insurance", but here it is. Cost me just above 8000 Baht. 

 

My COE registration got through after I mailed the embassy and they sent me a 6-digit code by mail. I'd tried about 15 times online before that but I never got to the stage where my registration was acknowledged. The page kept churning endlessly after I hit the "Save" button. Felt like the server was overloaded. That would suggest many people are applying for a CEO instead of just a handful.