General health insurance for Non-Imm "O" holders: is this a new requirement?

[Camillof]

My question is: is this new or has it been like this for a long time (how long)?

 

Explanation: trying to help a friend who is willing to return to Thailand with a valid re-entry permit, I found that Thai embassies abroad now request also Non-Imm "O" holders to present a general health insurance policy (400'000 + 40'000 THB coverage), just as requested from "O/A" applicants. My friend is in Germany now, he has in his passport a valid permission of stay based on Non-Imm "O" visa, and the relevant re-entry permit. He applied for CoE with a Thai consulate there. To his surprise the consulate is requesting a general insurance policy too, besides the special Covid 19 policy. We checked the embassy's Website and found confirmation of this requirement...

[buick]

when i was looking at the requirements on how to come back to thailand early this year, the consulate in los angeles told me the requirements for non O with re-entry permit were the same as non OA.  that included the police/FBI clearance and health insurance.  then the vaccines arrived in the US so i decided to stay longer to get the vaccine.  it took until mid may to get the second dose and my permit expired end of may.  so i ended up coming back visa exempt.  but there was a recent thread on this same topic and a member of the forum said he worked with the los angeles consulate and came back on re-entry permit, no problem.  no health (other than covid insurance), no police checks.  in that somewhat recent thread, it appeared that some consulates eased the requirements and others had not.

[ubonjoe]

If you have a valid re-entry permit for a extension of stay that is extending a entry form a non-o visa based upon retirement the medical insurance and etc is not required.

If applying for a new non-o visa the insurance is required. 

[Camillof]

13 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If you have a valid re-entry permit for a extension of stay that is extending a entry form a non-o visa based upon retirement the medical insurance and etc is not required.

If applying for a new non-o visa the insurance is required. 

Thank you. That's what I thought, too. Yet, that's not what I'm reading right now on the Wesbsite of Thai Embassy in London. In the dedicated page: "Requirements for foreigners travelling to Thailand during COVID-19 travel restriction...", under

-> "Additional requirements for certain types of visitors"

-> "For other purposes"

-> "Required documents for the Certificate of Entry (apart from visa or re-entry permit)"

-> "7. For long-stay retirement visa holders (Non-Immigrant O/O-A/O-X) for people over 50 years old", I copy and paste (link below):

 

* * * * * * * * * *

- 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 covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand

* * * * * * * * * *

 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/requirements-for-foreigners-travelling-to-thailand-during-covid-19-tra

[Camillof]

39 minutes ago, buick said:

it appeared that some consulates eased the requirements and others had not

Thank you Buick, I'll report this to my friend ????

[BobinBKK]

32 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If applying for a new non-o visa the insurance is required.

Hi ubonjoe... Are you saying that the very first non-o visa a person receives insurance is required or does this also apply to the annual renewal of our current non-o extension of stay? I am still residing in Thailand.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, BobinBKK said:

Hi ubonjoe... Are you saying that the very first non-o visa a person receives insurance is required or does this also apply to the annual renewal of our current non-o extension of stay? I am still residing in Thailand.

Only if applying for a non-o visa at a embassy or official consulate and it only needs to be valid for 90 days.

Not needed to apply for a extension of stay.

[BobinBKK]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Only if applying for a non-o visa at a embassy or official consulate and it only needs to be valid for 90 days.

Not needed to apply for a extension of stay.

Much appreciated ubonjoe, thanks!!!

[Sato]

It seems that Thai Embassy in Switzerland also require an insurance policy (400'000 + 40'000 THB coverage) on a valid Non-Imm O / Re-Entry Permit. See attached Print Screen on the instruction for CoE on the Thai Embassy in Switzerland.

[Camillof]

On 8/30/2021 at 2:20 PM, Sato said:

It seems that Thai Embassy in Switzerland also require an insurance policy (400'000 + 40'000 THB coverage) on a valid Non-Imm O / Re-Entry Permit

Yes, I'm afraid that Ubonjoe is not entirely up-to-date this time. My friend who was in Germany with a valid re-entry permit based on Non-Imm "O" in his passport, as explained in the OP, had to do it, there was no way out for him... Due to his age (well over 70) he had some difficulties but at the end he managed to get the required policy just in time to receive the CoE less than 24 hours before travelling. I don't know how much he paid for the insurance policy but I know for sure that he doesn't need it, especially not the stupid OPD coverage. He is doing his quarantine in Bangkok right now.

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, Camillof said:

Yes, I'm afraid that Ubonjoe is not entirely up-to-date this time. My friend who was in Germany with a valid re-entry permit based on Non-Imm "O" in his passport, as explained in the OP, had to do it, there was no way out for him..

Not all embassies and official consulates are wanting it. I cannot answer what all of them want or even what the officer doing the approvals want.

[OJAS]

22 minutes ago, Camillof said:

Yes, I'm afraid that Ubonjoe is not entirely up-to-date this time. My friend who was in Germany with a valid re-entry permit based on Non-Imm "O" in his passport, as explained in the OP, had to do it, there was no way out for him... Due to his age (well over 70) he had some difficulties but at the end he managed to get the required policy just in time to receive the CoE less than 24 hours before travelling. I don't know how much he paid for the insurance policy but I know for sure that he doesn't need it, especially not the stupid OPD coverage. He is doing his quarantine in Bangkok right now.

Did your German pal obtain his policy from a Thai or German insurer? If a German one then he did remarkably well in finding an insurer who was willing to confirm that they were fully au fait with the provisions of a Thai Cabinet Resolution dated 2 April 2019 in signing the required overseas insurance certificate!

 

https://longstay.tgia.org/document/overseas_insurance_certificate.pdf

 

[Camillof]

24 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Not all embassies and official consulates are wanting it

According to this discussion we can list 5 already: USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy

[ubonjoe]

13 minutes ago, Camillof said:

According to this discussion we can list 5 already: USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy

The US and the UK do not require it. Many reports of it not being required to get the COE. Only needed when apply for a new non-o visa.

[Camillof]

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The US and the UK do not require it. Many reports of it not being required to get the COE.

Thank you Ubonjoe. If so, so much better! Unfortunately member Buick reported above about the consulate in Los Angeles requiring it. As for the UK, it is required black on white on the Webpage of the Thai Embassy in London (reported above by myself).

 

Is that enough to conclude that "it might be required"? If yes, back to my original question: is this new or has it been like this for a long time (how long)?

[Camillof]

51 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Did your German pal obtain his policy from a Thai or German insurer?

I don't know, I will ask him on first occasion.

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, Camillof said:

Thank you Ubonjoe. If so, so much better! Unfortunately member Buick reported above about the consulate in Los Angeles requiring it. As for the UK, it is required black on white on the Webpage of the Thai Embassy in London (reported above by myself).

Is that enough to conclude that "it might be required"? If yes, back to my original question: is this new or has it been like this for a long time (how long)?

What is posted on the website are easily misread due to the wording of them. In reality it has not been required. As I wrote people have not had to supply it to get a COE when they have a re-entry permit for a extension of a non-o visa entry.

Apparently there are few embassies and consulates that are actually wanting it.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, Camillof said:

As for the UK, it is required black on white on the Webpage of the Thai Embassy in London (reported above by myself).

 

Is that enough to conclude that "it might be required"? If yes, back to my original question: is this new or has it been like this for a long time (how long)?

The rules written on the Thai Embassy London website in relation to COE for Non O retirement re-entry have been that way since returning for retirees was allowed last year. It is unclear if the insurance provisions were ever enforced. I can tell you that embassy websites are often inaccurate. I assumed the website was correct on COE requirements initially, but (as @ubonjoe has assured you) there is plenty of evidence that general medical insurance has not been required for the COE for many months, at least. (Obviously, the $100,000 Covid insurance, required for all foreigners, is definitely necessary.)

[Camillof]

2 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I can tell you that embassy websites are often inaccurate

Thank you. Inaccurate or not, I take note that the same rule is indicated clearly enough also on Websites of the embassies in Germany (in German), in Italy (in Italian) and in Switzerland (in English as posted above by Sato).

 

5 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I assumed the website was correct on COE requirements initially, but (as @ubonjoe has assured you) there is plenty of evidence that general medical insurance has not been required for the COE for many months, at least

That's good news. Now we know the Frankfurt consulate in Germany requires it. I have another friend in a similar situation (valid Non-Imm "O" re-entry permit) who is due to come back here from Italy. I will check as soon as possible what are the requirements for him.

[OJAS]

7 hours ago, Camillof said:

USA

Only the Los Angeles Official Consulate would appear to require a 40k/400k health insurance policy according to @buick. Not a dickey-bird mention of this requirement on the Washington Embassy website as far as I can tell.

 

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

Any recommendations for a 90 day insurance plan.

[Camillof]

3 hours ago, OJAS said:

Not a dickey-bird mention of this requirement on the Washington Embassy website as far as I can tell

 

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/

 

Thank you but look better on that page...

- Scroll down to "Type of visa to Thailand"

- Select "For Thailand long stay/retirement visa (O, O-A, and O-X) or who is currently holding re-entry permit for such visas"

- Click on "(click here for more information)"

 

In the page that opens up, you will see that they require it for Non-Immigrant "O" and "O-X". Strangely, they do not require it for "O-A". The page is this: https://thaiembdc.org/2020/09/30/nonimmigrantoaox/

 

So, one more official Thai embassy Website requiring it in clear letters.