Returning to Thailand with a 12-month Retirement Visa : health insurance issue.

[gojuken]

Hi everyone. I hold a 12-month Retirement Visa ( I’m 71 ) valid till 31 March 2022. 

 

Currently in the UK ( I now have a Re-Entry Permit valid till 31 March 2022) and considering returning to Thailand on the Phuket Sandbox deal for 14 days and then onto another place in Thailand. 

 

The issue I desperately need advise about is the insurance needed to be granted a COE. I’m really confused!

 

I went onto ‘ tipinsure ‘ and it redirected me to a list of Thai insurance companies that stated I must get insurance for my entire stay in Thailand. I couldn’t make head nor tail of it plus I don’t know about my lengths of stay. I could be in and out until I have to renew my existing visa on 31 March 2022. 

 

Could anybody kindly help me out. 

 

Thank you all. 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

The $100,000 covid 19 insurance has to be valid for the length of stay you will get when entering the country and that will be the day your re-entry permit expires.

Whether you need 40/400k baht insurance for your length of stay can depend upon who approves your certificate of entry.

[gojuken]

Thank you Ubonjoe. The Covid $100,000 insurance isn’t a problem.

 

It’s the 40k/400k one that’s disturbing : expensive from what I have seen so far. 
 

Any companies that you might recommend?

 

 

[MasterBaker]

35 minutes ago, gojuken said:

Thank you Ubonjoe. The Covid $100,000 insurance isn’t a problem.

 

It’s the 40k/400k one that’s disturbing : expensive from what I have seen so far. 
 

Any companies that you might recommend?

 

 

i use AXA for 20 years, they have great website with the different options for every type of entry. You are 71 and that could be a problem for being insured in Thailand, call them or chat online and they speak perfect English, will point you in a right direction

[ubonjoe]

57 minutes ago, gojuken said:

Any companies that you might recommend?

Check this list of companies. https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

LMG offers a 200k deductible that reduces the cost substantially. 

[Jumbo1968]

9 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The $100,000 covid 19 insurance has to be valid for the length of stay you will get when entering the country and that will be the day your re-entry permit expires.

Whether you need 40/400k baht insurance for your length of stay can depend upon who approves your certificate of entry.

A colleague recently returned in May, he has a ‘Retirement Visa’,initially he paid the insurance up until his Visa expired in September.

After he had paid the premium, he contacted the London Embassy who said he only required 90 Days Insurance Cover ?

[Makoshark]

I am 71 as well. 

 

I use LUMA thru Mr. Prakan (as the broker) for in-patient insurance, as  and LMG for my Outpatient

 

I pay Luma 150,000 bht and LMG an additional 12,000 bht.

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, gojuken said:

Thank you Ubonjoe. The Covid $100,000 insurance isn’t a problem.

 

It’s the 40k/400k one that’s disturbing : expensive from what I have seen so far. 
 

Any companies that you might recommend?

The 400k+40k baht official list of companies is HERE.

 

If you look at LMG Insurance (like HERE) at take a self risk of 100k baht or 200k baht, you can obtain an affordable 400k+40k baht Long-stay insurance, entry age up to 75 years old and renewability to age 100 years; just click on "Application Form" to see the details and prices, at your age it can be as low as 11,400 baht for a year...????

[keithcresswell]

I thought the health insurance requirement depended on whether you had an O or an OA visa.

[Jumbo1968]

 

26 minutes ago, keithcresswell said:

I thought the health insurance requirement depended on whether you had an O or an OA visa.

You have to have Health Insurance for the Non O now if you apply in your country, the Covid Insurance I had for my COE covered it, I applied for my Non O from the London Embassy based in being receipt of the U.K. State Pension.

[Kinok Powell]

Hi,your post could have been my post.I am also in the Uk waiting for my 2nd jab then want to return to LOS via the Phuket Sandbox  thingy.

I am also on a retirement visa that expires 8/4/22,with a re-entry permit.I am 72.

Most of the COE form seems straight forward but again like you i am confused about the insurance.The 100,000$ covid insurance is not too bad but at our age the 400,000 baht +40,000 baht one is pretty expensive.

I know Ubon Joe has already replied to your post but if you are still reading this Joe could you please clarify exactly which insurance to buy because i would hate to buy an unnecessary policy,thanks in advance,KP.

[Jumbo1968]

7 hours ago, Kinok Powell said:

Hi,your post could have been my post.I am also in the Uk waiting for my 2nd jab then want to return to LOS via the Phuket Sandbox  thingy.

I am also on a retirement visa that expires 8/4/22,with a re-entry permit.I am 72.

Most of the COE form seems straight forward but again like you i am confused about the insurance.The 100,000$ covid insurance is not too bad but at our age the 400,000 baht +40,000 baht one is pretty expensive.

I know Ubon Joe has already replied to your post but if you are still reading this Joe could you please clarify exactly which insurance to buy because i would hate to buy an unnecessary policy,thanks in advance,KP.

I bought TUNE Insurance 8000 baht for 90 days, it covers people up to 74 years of age.

[Kinok Powell]

32 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

I bought TUNE Insurance 8000 baht for 90 days, it covers people up to 74 years of age.

Are you on a retirement visa?

 

[treetops]

There are several discussions here on TVF whether the 400/40 insurance is required when returning in the OP's situation.  The outcome seems to be that the Thai Embassy in the UK does not require this extra insurance, which is at odds with some other embassies but seems to be correct from actual experiences reported.

[Havenstreet1940]

8 hours ago, Kinok Powell said:

Hi,your post could have been my post.I am also in the Uk waiting for my 2nd jab then want to return to LOS via the Phuket Sandbox  thingy.

I am also on a retirement visa that expires 8/4/22,with a re-entry permit.I am 72.

Most of the COE form seems straight forward but again like you i am confused about the insurance.The 100,000$ covid insurance is not too bad but at our age the 400,000 baht +40,000 baht one is pretty expensive.

I know Ubon Joe has already replied to your post but if you are still reading this Joe could you please clarify exactly which insurance to buy because i would hate to buy an unnecessary policy,thanks in advance,KP.

I thought the Phuket Sandbox scheme was only for tourists and not for people previously living in Thailand who want to return to their house/condo.  Grateful for clarification on this point. 

[Jumbo1968]

15 minutes ago, Kinok Powell said:

Are you on a retirement visa?

 

I booked my COE with the 45 day Visa Exemption, it was from the London Embassy. I later applied for a 90 Day Non O Single Entry Visa based on being in receipt of my UK Pension, the TUNE Insurance covered the health requirement insurance for that as well.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Jumbo1968
Update

[Kinok Powell]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

I booked my COE with the 45 day Visa Exemption, it was from the London Embassy. I later applied for a 90 Day Non O Single Entry Visa based on being in receipt of my UK Pension, the TUNE Insurance covered the health requirement insurance for that as well.

Thanks.

[Makoshark]

I'm 71 on retirement visa with pre-existing conditions.  I use Luma for in-patient 170,000 bht and LMG for out-patient- 15,000

 

Good Luck

 

 

[Sheryl]

On 6/28/2021 at 11:40 PM, treetops said:

There are several discussions here on TVF whether the 400/40 insurance is required when returning in the OP's situation.  The outcome seems to be that the Thai Embassy in the UK does not require this extra insurance, which is at odds with some other embassies but seems to be correct from actual experiences reported.

It seemed they did in the beginning but no longer do now (ditto in the US) for people whose original visa type is non-O.

 

it is required, everywhere, for people whose original visa type was O-A.

 

OP has not stated his visa type. But I suspect non-O, as if it were O-A he'd already have had to have OA compliant insurance.

[Soup Dragon]

I obtained my 90-day non-imm O visa from London with a 90-day covid only plan ($100k coverage) from Tip Insure website. Cost 6,800 baht. Most of the 40k/400k health care plans seem to be annual, which doesn't make sense for a 90-day entry visa. And most of companies offering the annual plans are specifically stating O-A, not O. I think the 40k/400k plans come into play when you apply for a 1 year extension of 'O'. But I could be wrong. I hope they don't refuse me entry at Swampy next week because I don't have a 40k/400k annual plan. Even though I have the visa.

[Jumbo1968]

4 minutes ago, Soup Dragon said:

I obtained my 90-day non-imm O visa from London with a 90-day covid only plan ($100k coverage) from Tip Insure website. Cost 6,800 baht. Most of the 40k/400k health care plans seem to be annual, which doesn't make sense for a 90-day entry visa. And most of companies offering the annual plans are specifically stating O-A, not O. I think the 40k/400k plans come into play when you apply for a 1 year extension of 'O'. But I could be wrong. I hope they don't refuse me entry at Swampy next week because I don't have a 40k/400k annual plan. Even though I have the visa.

When you apply for a Non O at the London Embassy you have to have Health Insurance not a Covid only plan, your policy must have been a 90 Day Health Insurance plan. 
I got a Non O from London and the Health Insurance covered both the COE and the Non O from Tune Insurance, 8000 baht, it wasn’t a Covid only policy.

[Soup Dragon]

Nope. It's covid-related illnesses only plan limited to 90 days. It's not a annual general health insurance plan. You can see for yourself on the Tip insure website. The embassy website is not clear to me as they put health plan, covid insurance together so I wrote and asked them.  And they said covid-only insurance from Thai insurer for duration of stay .I.e 90 days was fine. I also have accident and emergency insurance too. I have a Non-O visa in my passport.