Covid insurance requirement?

[Tom Parkinson]

I’m considering flying to the US in late September and am now working through all of the necessary steps to enter the US and return to Thailand.  

I’m looking at returning via the Phuket Sandbox to avoid total quarantine. I know that there is a USD 100k Covid insurance requirement for reentry. Can I use evidence of a dedicated fixed deposit account with a balance of >USD 100k to fulfil the insurance requirement?

[ubonjoe]

Only insurance for covid 19 is accepted. Money deposited in a bank will not be accepted.

You will need the covid 19 insurance for the length of stay you will get on entry.

A year of insurance is around 23k if you need it that long on this site. 

https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/product_detail

[Tom Parkinson]

Ubon Joe, thanks for your reply! I suspected that was the case, but I hoped that some more rational policy would apply.  I guess I will just have to ante up my 23k subsidy to one of the approved insurers. ????

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, Tom Parkinson said:

Ubon Joe, thanks for your reply! I suspected that was the case, but I hoped that some more rational policy would apply.  I guess I will just have to ante up my 23k subsidy to one of the approved insurers. ????

That depends upon what permit to stay you get on entry to the country.

What visa or extension of stay with a re-entry permit will you be using? For example if on a extension it only has to be valid to the day it expires.

[Tom Parkinson]

I’m on a non-immigrant “O” retirement visa. My renewal date is 31 October, but I will not clear Phuket quarantine until just after that. So I will have to renew before I leave. My visa will then be good for a year, so I assume I would need a year of Covid insurance coverage. 

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, Tom Parkinson said:

I’m on a non-immigrant “O” retirement visa. My renewal date is 31 October, but I will not clear Phuket quarantine until just after that. So I will have to renew before I leave. My visa will then be good for a year, so I assume I would need a year of Covid insurance coverage. 

You will need a year of coverage.

[Tom Parkinson]

Yes, I thought so. If I returned on 30 October with a renewal date of 31 October, would I only need coverage for one day? 

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, Tom Parkinson said:

Yes, I thought so. If I returned on 30 October with a renewal date of 31 October, would I only need coverage for one day? 

Yes but you would have 2 weeks of quarantine before you could apply for the new extension.

You could also leave without a re-entry permit and then enter visa exempt to get a 30 or 45 day entry and apply for a new non-o visa at immigration and then a then a new extension of stay.

[Tom Parkinson]

Starting the non-immigrant “O” process again would be a bit of a hassle, but it might be worthwhile to save 20k baht on Covid insurance! Thanks again. 

[jerseygirl]

Ubon Joe, you may be able to answer my question.  I am a permanent resident with a non-quota immigrant visa. Where do I get covid insurance to re-enter Thailand? There is no option for permanent residents in the website you posted above. Any advice appreciated.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, jerseygirl said:

Ubon Joe, you may be able to answer my question.  I am a permanent resident with a non-quota immigrant visa. Where do I get covid insurance to re-enter Thailand? There is no option for permanent residents in the website you posted above. Any advice appreciated.

I never noticed that before. Not sure it matters which status is selected. It has no effect on the cost of the insurance when it is quoted.

Perhaps contact them or the embassy where you will be applying for the COE.

[jerseygirl]

Ubonjoe, I remember reading somewhere that the covid insurance options available from the Thai insurance website you posted were not suitable for permanent residents.  Only for non-immigrants.  I'm in Thailand at the moment but may be traveling next year.  So of course, I would like to have this insurance requirement sorted out before I leave, so I'm not caught out from returning.  Thanks anyway.

 

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, jerseygirl said:

Ubonjoe, I remember reading somewhere that the covid insurance options available from the Thai insurance website you posted were not suitable for permanent residents.  Only for non-immigrants.

The best way would be to contact the TGIA that is in charge of the insurance program.

Edit: I found this image on the TGIA site. But there is no mention of visa types.

https://covid19.tgia.org/Images/covidmain_EN.jpg

[jerseygirl]

The image you posted is for tourists and non-immigrants with a different origin country to Thailand.  My origin country is Thailand.  I already called the TGIA office a couple of months ago.  They were clueless about how permanent residents could secure insurance and said they only sold covid insurance to non-immigrant visa holders and foreign tourists.  Anyway, thanks for your help in looking into this.  I'll try asking at Immigration.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, jerseygirl said:

The image you posted is for tourists and non-immigrants with a different origin country to Thailand.  My origin country is Thailand.  I already called the TGIA office a couple of months ago.  They were clueless about how permanent residents could secure insurance and said they only sold covid insurance to non-immigrant visa holders and foreign tourists.  Anyway, thanks for your help in looking into this.  I'll try asking at Immigration.

Not sure the info you got from the TGIA is correct.

It does not mention visa types and etc on the infographic.

It has this. 

The best source of info would be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the embassy or official consulate where you would be applying for for the certificate of entry.

[khunPer]

23 hours ago, Tom Parkinson said:

Can I use evidence of a dedicated fixed deposit account with a balance of >USD 100k to fulfil the insurance requirement?

No, you need an insurance. You can find more information HERE on the official Covid-19 Insurance-site, where you also can buy an approved $100,000 Covid-insurance, or get a third party Covid-insurance approved. The insurance is going to be valid for the length of your stay...????

[fauxie]

I've got my visa (non-imm O from marriage) and I'm looking to get the Certificate of Entry now. What I don't get is how you need insurance at the outset for the CoE, and for that you need exact dates of travel, but I (like most, I would think) don't have exact dates set at this point of going for the CoE as the flight and hotel booking comes down the line in the CoE process. What gives?

[EVENKEEL]

22 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Yes but you would have 2 weeks of quarantine before you could apply for the new extension.

You could also leave without a re-entry permit and then enter visa exempt to get a 30 or 45 day entry and apply for a new non-o visa at immigration and then a then a new extension of stay.

If you depart from US and enter Thailand on a visa exempt, a round trip ticket is required by many airlines. Does buying a cheap ticket to a nearby country out of Thailand work?

 

When applying for the 3 month non O in Thailand the money in bank is needed or is that for the 12 month extension only?

 

Keeping my OA visa current is just a pain and when I leave Thailand and return I'll do as you wrote above.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

52 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

If you depart from US and enter Thailand on a visa exempt, a round trip ticket is required by many airlines. Does buying a cheap ticket to a nearby country out of Thailand work?

A round trip ticket is not require. You only need a onward ticket that can be a one way ticket to anywhere for a visa exempt entry. You can do a search for "onward ticket" and find many sites offering temporary tickets for a small fee.

 

55 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

When applying for the 3 month non O in Thailand the money in bank is needed or is that for the 12 month extension only?

To apply for a non-o visa at immigration the money only has to be in the bank on the day you apply. If you have not had the 800k baht in the bank for a long time you will need proof the funds were transferred from abroad.

Then 800k baht must be in the bank for 2 months on the day you apply for the extension of stay during the last 30 days of the 90 day permit to stay the visa allows.

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, fauxie said:

I've got my visa (non-imm O from marriage) and I'm looking to get the Certificate of Entry now. What I don't get is how you need insurance at the outset for the CoE, and for that you need exact dates of travel, but I (like most, I would think) don't have exact dates set at this point of going for the CoE as the flight and hotel booking comes down the line in the CoE process. What gives?

The $100,000 covid 19 insurance coverage only needs to be valid for the length of stay you get when entering the country. It has to start on the day you enter the country not when you apply for the COE.

[CANSIAM]

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

If you depart from US and enter Thailand on a visa exempt, a round trip ticket is required by many airlines. Does buying a cheap ticket to a nearby country out of Thailand work?

 

When applying for the 3 month non O in Thailand the money in bank is needed or is that for the 12 month extension only?

 

Keeping my OA visa current is just a pain and when I leave Thailand and return I'll do as you wrote above.

 

 

Can you get a Non O in the US and save yourself a step at Thai Immigration?  I'm going to kill off my O-A when leaving as well, recently learned the Thai Embassy at home is now offering the 90 day Non O Visa and will return with this. 

[NoshowJones]

On 8/13/2021 at 7:56 PM, Tom Parkinson said:

Ubon Joe, thanks for your reply! I suspected that was the case, but I hoped that some more rational policy would apply.  I guess I will just have to ante up my 23k subsidy to one of the approved insurers. ????

Make sure your insurance kicks in right away, some don't.

[EVENKEEL]

2 hours ago, CANSIAM said:

Can you get a Non O in the US and save yourself a step at Thai Immigration?  I'm going to kill off my O-A when leaving as well, recently learned the Thai Embassy at home is now offering the 90 day Non O Visa and will return with this. 

Yes I saw the 90 day Non O is available in LA but it seems like an easier process to simply get the 90 day in Thailand. I'll have to research the whole process in the US more closely.

[EVENKEEL]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

A round trip ticket is not require. You only need a onward ticket that can be a one way ticket to anywhere for a visa exempt entry. You can do a search for "onward ticket" and find many sites offering temporary tickets for a small fee.

 

To apply for a non-o visa at immigration the money only has to be in the bank on the day you apply. If you have not had the 800k baht in the bank for a long time you will need proof the funds were transferred from abroad.

Then 800k baht must be in the bank for 2 months on the day you apply for the extension of stay during the last 30 days of the 90 day permit to stay the visa allows.

I'll be using the monthly deposit method into my Thai bank, do the same time frames apply?

 

And thank you.

[ubonjoe]

20 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I'll be using the monthly deposit method into my Thai bank, do the same time frames apply?

No

But immigration only accepts proof of income from a embassy to apply for the non-o visa. But they may accept the transfers if you have a year of 65k baht transfers from abroad.

See: https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/8-1.pdf

[EVENKEEL]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

No

But immigration only accepts proof of income from a embassy to apply for the non-o visa. But they may accept the transfers if you have a year of 65k baht transfers from abroad.

See: https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/8-1.pdf

May have to go the other route and claim my minor child as reason for 90 day Non O. 

The "onward ticket" is a winner it looks like.

 

[ubonjoe]

17 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

May have to go the other route and claim my minor child as reason for 90 day Non O. 

The "onward ticket" is a winner it looks like.

You could apply for a single entry non-o visa based upon being the parent of a Thai at a embassy or official consulate before traveling.

No need for a onward ticket or any insurance other than 90 days of covid 19 insurance.

[fauxie]

8 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The $100,000 covid 19 insurance coverage only needs to be valid for the length of stay you get when entering the country. It has to start on the day you enter the country not when you apply for the COE.

Thanks. This is what I thought. It's just a pain that COE requires insurance right at the outset when until I'm further into the COE process I won't know exactly when those 90 days need to start. Maybe it's just me, but I can't commit to the dates just yet when it could yet be a little while before I can go ahead and actually book the flight and hotel and be 100% sure of the dates. Looks like I'll be trying to get insurance with a company that will let me choose, say, 110 days or 115 days, or whatever amount just to make sure it'll cover the eventual actual period.

Sorry to go off-topic a bit, but on the 90 day O visa how soon before it's up would you say it's best to apply for the 1-year extension? Like if I open a Thai account and get the money in asap after coming out of the quarantine hotel, could I season it for 2 months and still apply for the extension without needing to go get a 2 month extension on my initial O visa?

[fauxie]

I'm going to get 180 days of coverage from TGIA because I don't know yet when I'll fly. It's double the cost, but I guess it can't hurt to be covered for longer. I'll apply for the 1 year extension. Will I ultimately need covid insurance to cover that period, too?

[fauxie]

51 minutes ago, fauxie said:

I'm going to get 180 days of coverage from TGIA because I don't know yet when I'll fly. It's double the cost, but I guess it can't hurt to be covered for longer. I'll apply for the 1 year extension. Will I ultimately need covid insurance to cover that period, too?

And presumably I can say when getting the insurance that my arrival will be Sept. 1st, say, but should it be on the 10th or whenever that I actually book the flight I'll just have lost a few days of coverage, right?

Edited August 15, 2021 by fauxie