Types of Covid-19 Insurance actually accepted for COE for 1 year visa holders

[MichaelLams]

Does anyone have some recent examples of insurance that was accepted for a COE when returning to Thailand on a years visa, eg. a non-b visa with work permit? The issue is that all the information I have been able to find says you need $100,000 minimum cover for medical expenses arising from covid infection for a period which covers your entire visa ie. best part of a year if you have a non-b and are working in Thailand. This is very costly to do. Has anyone got recent experience of successfully getting a COE with insurance for a period of cover less than their visa expiration date? or a relatively inexpensive insurance that does cover all criteria? I am getting quotes of 32,000THB and more.

[Peter Denis]

You only need the 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment insurance for the period of stay of the permission to stay you would receive by border Immigration when entering Thailand.

So when you enter VisaExempt you only need it for 45 days, on a 60-day Tourist Visa you would need it for 60 days, on a 90-day Non Imm O Visa or STV you would need it for 90 days and when entering on a Non Imm O-A Visa you would need it for a full year.  When entering on a valid Re-Entry Permit from the 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O or O-A Visa you would only need it for the remainder of the period for which you would be stamped in on arrival.

There are several ways to meet hat 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment insurance requirement, and both Thai as well as foreign/international insurance or travel-insurance are accepted as long as they meet the 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment criterion.

When under 69 years of age SafetyWing travel-insurance can provide you with decent travel-insurance (covering any accident/illness you might encounter in Thailand) that meets the 100.000 US $ covid-treatment coverage.

Alternatively you could also make use of AXA Sawasdee travel-insurance, but that insurance has to be taken in chunks of 3 months (for an approx premium of 7.000 THB).  The advantage of that insurance is that it ALSO meets the mandatory 400K/40K health-insurance requirement mandatory for a Non Imm O-A Visa application or when returning on a Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.

Finally it is is worth mentioning that when you enter Thailand on an Emirates flight that the 100K covid-19 insurance is provided FREE and included in the ticket-price.  The period of coverage for a one-way flight is only 30 days (so not sufficient to fully cover the permission to stay you would receive on entry), but the full period of your trip is covered when you buy a return-ticket.  So when you foresee to fly back to your home-country it could be worthwhile to book a flexible ticket so that you can change the return-date flight if your schedule is not fixed yet and use that return flight at a for you convenient date. 

[MichaelLams]

I arrive back to Thailand on the 5th May 21 and my Non-B visa finishes on the 15 March 22 so I would need 10+ months of cover right? AXA would need to be 12 months of cover if it's in 3 month increments. 4 lots of 3 months at 7K a time is 28K basically the 32K I have been quoted from them. I am wondering if there is a cheaper alternative. I already have annual medical cover from Aetna provided by my Thai employer but that is only up to 600K THB for any one illness so not enough. The insurance premium is a large sum of money for essentially unnecessary insurance ie. I wouldn't have that cover if I had not returned to the UK for a month. I was wondering if anyone had been granted a COE with anything other than full insurance. eg annual multi trip, 3 months only etc. 

[treetops]

3 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Finally it is is worth mentioning that when you enter Thailand on an Emirates flight that the 100K covid-19 insurance is provided FREE and included in the ticket-price. 

 

Emirates' insurance covers outpatient costs also.  Would that be allowed to cover both insurance requirements?

[Peter Denis]

8 hours ago, treetops said:

Emirates' insurance covers outpatient costs also.  Would that be allowed to cover both insurance requirements?

No, it would not as Emirates will not be inclined to fill and sign the Foreign Insurance Certificate when making use of a Non Thai 400K/40K health-insurance policy to meet that requirement.

[Peter Denis]

9 hours ago, MichaelLams said:

I arrive back to Thailand on the 5th May 21 and my Non-B visa finishes on the 15 March 22 so I would need 10+ months of cover right?

Only if that Non-B Visa will provide you with a 10+ month permission to stay on entry.

Visa validity expiry date and permission to stay you receive on entering Thailand are not necessarily same.  E.g. when entering on an METV which is valid for 6 months from date of issue, you would only receive 60 days permission to stay on entry (and it is the latter which needs to be fully covered by the 100.000 US $ covid-19 insurance).

[Peter Denis]

9 hours ago, MichaelLams said:

... I am wondering if there is a cheaper alternative.

...

When entering Thailand on an Emirates-flight the 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment insurance is provided FREE and is included in the flight-ticket price.   You can't get much cheaper than that.  However, as the coverage is only 30 days for a one-way flight, you would need to book a return-flight with return date AFTER the permission to stay date you would receive on entry, as in that case Emirates covers your full trip with that free 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment insurance.  When booking a flexible ticket you could of course use that return-leg at a date of your convenience.