New Immigration law/Insurance

[Badrabbit]

Just been told by an Insurance guy that from Sept 1st 2021 all coming to Thailand will need 3 million bht cover.

From 1st Sept 2022 you will need 3 million cover in order to renew your Visa/Extension.

Not seen any news regarding this only the guys work emails regarding new law.

[ubonjoe]

Probably another baseless rumor.

Did you mix up the years in your post. One is this year and the other is next year.

There is a 3.3 million baht ($100,000) requirement for covid 19 insurance to enter the country that has been required since last year.

[Upnotover]

Cover for what?  COVID cover is already required for entry.

[Havefunme]

[Badrabbit]

12 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

Cover for what?  COVID cover is already required for entry.

Hopefully I just misunderstood  and it it is for Covid, but he did say that I would need 3 million in order to renew my Retirement Extension in my case Oct 2022, if true news will follow if no news then its just hear say.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Badrabbit

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, Badrabbit said:

Hopefully I just misunderstood  and it it is for Covid, but he did say that I would need 3 million in order to renew my Retirement Extension in my case Oct 2022, if true news will follow if no news then its just hear say.

There is a proposal a proposal approved in principle to require covid 19 insurance for a OA visa and extensions of the entry from one.

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, Badrabbit said:

Hopefully I just misunderstood  and it it is for Covid, but he did say that I would need 3 million in order to renew my Retirement Extension in my case Oct 2022, if true news will follow if no news then its just hear say.

You will require no insurance for your extension unless of course you had a non O-A. Even then it's 40/400k.

The info you related is incorrect

[RichardColeman]

I think it would only be temporary if coming in. Imagine trying to check 40 million tourists for COE travel insurance or immigration refusing million of arrivals that did not have it on arrival. 

[BritTim]

17 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

I think it would only be temporary if coming in. Imagine trying to check 40 million tourists for COE travel insurance or immigration refusing million of arrivals that did not have it on arrival. 

That is why I believe the COE will be with us for a long time yet, and the airline required to verify that you hold a COE before checking you in for your flight. Checking the requisite insurance policy has been purchased will be the responsibility of the embassy before issuing the COE.

[RichardColeman]

3 hours ago, BritTim said:

That is why I believe the COE will be with us for a long time yet, and the airline required to verify that you hold a COE before checking you in for your flight. Checking the requisite insurance policy has been purchased will be the responsibility of the embassy before issuing the COE.

Embassies would not have enough staff to process 40,000,000-50 million applications. COE will like in my opinion by gone by end of the year, early next, simply due to staffing issues

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

Embassies would not have enough staff to process 40,000,000-50 million applications. COE will like in my opinion by gone by end of the year, early next, simply due to staffing issues

This is presumably based on a belief that there will be over 40 million arrivals in Thailand in 2022 (slightly more than in 2019) although current arrivals are running around 15,000 per month compared with 3-4 million per month in 2019. The TAT's own projection for next year is between 2 and 6 million, depending on how Covid develops here, and many observers consider this optimistic.

 

I am sceptical, both that arrivals will increase from about 15,000 to over 3 million per month, and that such a scenario would lead Thailand to abandon all its controls at the border over Covid, even should such an unlikely eventuality come to pass. Time will tell.

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

This is presumably based on a belief that there will be over 40 million arrivals in Thailand in 2022 (slightly more than in 2019) although current arrivals are running around 15,000 per month compared with 3-4 million per month in 2019.

No, it's based on the fact that during covid the embassy staff with the closures of the embassies have not really had much to do other than online queries and a few hundred COE's. The response times already are pretty poor. If the Embassy is fully opened and running as normal, they simply will not have enough staff to cover any increase in demand of COE's and checking. Besides when the silly men in the TAT see opening has had no effect on tourism later in the year, they will really start clutching at straws to stop tourists going elsewhere

[overherebc]

16 hours ago, BritTim said:

That is why I believe the COE will be with us for a long time yet, and the airline required to verify that you hold a COE before checking you in for your flight. Checking the requisite insurance policy has been purchased will be the responsibility of the embassy before issuing the COE.

And this will equate to no tourists.

[overherebc]

10 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

No, it's based on the fact that during covid the embassy staff with the closures of the embassies have not really had much to do other than online queries and a few hundred COE's. The response times already are pretty poor. If the Embassy is fully opened and running as normal, they simply will not have enough staff to cover any increase in demand of COE's and checking. Besides when the silly men in the TAT see opening has had no effect on tourism later in the year, they will really start clutching at straws to stop tourists going elsewhere

Don't worry, most tourists will happily spend as much on official letters, copies of signed by a lawyer, taxi and train fares, as they will on the holiday.

Sarky button, where are you?

[billd766]

I renewed my Non-Imm O marriage on Wednesday (proof of income) and there was no mention of compulsory insurance at all.

 

I finally retired on 26 May 2009 and have not left Thailand since.

[EricTh]

18 hours ago, Havefunme said:

 

Do we still need this health insurance after we have been fully vaccinated? It makes no sense.

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Do we still need this health insurance after we have been fully vaccinated? It makes no sense.

Yes

There have already been cases where people were fully vaccinated and then tested positive positive after arriving.

[overherebc]

8 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Do we still need this health insurance after we have been fully vaccinated? It makes no sense.

 

 

 

Physically you may not need the insurance but you have to think about the poor insurance companies that need your money. Others too might need a bit of it.

[BritTim]

24 minutes ago, EricTh said:

Do we still need this health insurance after we have been fully vaccinated? It makes no sense.

The Covid insurance is still required for the fully vaccinated in order to receive your COE. It is certainly less important that vaccinated travellers are covered than unvaccinated. However, it is not true that the vaccinated have no risk of needed medical treatment for breakthrough Covid infections. I am actually surprised that there are not insurance companies offering lower premiums to the vaccinated.

[EricTh]

56 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Yes

There have already been cases where people were fully vaccinated and then tested positive positive after arriving.

I wonder how Thailand verify whether these vaccinated records are genuine or not.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2021 by EricTh

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, EricTh said:

I wonder how Thailand verify whether these vaccinated records are genuine or not.

The embassy officials should be familiar with the vaccination certificates of the country in which they serve, and how to check they are genuine. In many countries, it is possible to interrogate an online database based on a code given on the vaccination certificate to double check in cases of doubt.

[Richard 2020]

Email from the Thai embassy in Germany, September 30, 2021

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

Pensioners who have pension certificate have possibility to apply for special permit to enter Thailand. If you do not have a valid visa or Re-Entry Permit, you must apply for a visa before registering for the issuance of CoE (Certificate of Entry).Non-Immigrant Visa "O" Please send us the following documents in advance by mail to the Royal Thai Consulate General (Please use a secure envelope!!). Alternatively, you can deliver the documents to us in person after making an appointment. To make an appointment, please send us email with subject appointment via [email protected]. Processing time is about 3-4 weeks.
Please book your flight ticket and accommodation after you have received your visa from us!!!
Non-Immigrant Visa "O" Single Entry: 90 days stay
Required documents for visa application
- Fully completed visa application form https://thaigeneralkonsulat.de/files/ima...dified.pdf
- Original passport and copy of the first page
- 1 recent passport photo, not older than 6 months
- Copy of pension certificate with monthly amount of at least 1.200,- Euro
- for foreign passports (non-German applicants) additionally: copy of the registration confirmation (Residents Registration Office)/ copy of the residence title
- Copy of the rental contract in Thailand and a copy of the house register from the landlord or a letter of invitation from the guarantor in Thailand and copy of the Thai house register and passport from the host/guarantor

- Copies of the overseas health insurance certificate
1. health insurance must cover for the entire duration of stay in Thailand

Outpatient (OPD) benefit must be at least 40,000 THB/year (1,300 EUR/year)
Inpatient (IPD) benefit must be at least 400,000 THB/year (13,000 EUR/year)
2. overseas medical insurance certificate covering all medical treatment costs of at least 100,000 USD, including medical treatment costs for COVID-19. overseas medical insurance certificate must be in English.

- Visa Fee (Single Entry 70,00€)
- A self-addressed envelope with postage of 4.05€.
- Consular officers may request additional documentation.
- *** Citizens of the following countries must pay additional attention to the request:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Sao Tome & Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Sri Lanka, Yemen ***
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If you already have a valid visa or Re-Entry Permit, you can register for the issuance of CoE (Certificate of Entry) at the website http://coethailand.mfa.go.th of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. You can follow the registration process in the following VDO. https://m.youtube.com/watch?d=n&feature=...c1dNaXv0mM.
You will need the following documents:
- Copy of the first page of the passport
- Copy of visa and re-entry permit for Thailand. If you do not have a valid visa or re-entry permit, you will need to apply for a visa as well.
- International health insurance certificate covering all medical treatment costs of at least 100,000 USD, including medical treatment costs for COVID-19. International health insurance certificate must be written in English and explicitly certify coverage of at least 100,000 USD.
- Copies of the foreign health insurance certificate
1. health insurance must cover for the entire duration of stay in Thailand
Outpatient (OPD) benefit must be at least 40,000 THB/year (1,300 EUR/year)
Inpatient (IPD) benefit must be at least 400,000 THB/year (13,000 EUR/year)
2. overseas medical insurance certificate covering all medical treatment costs of at least 100,000 USD, including medical treatment costs for COVID-19. overseas medical insurance certificate must be in English.
- Confirmation of reservation of alternative government-provided quarantine accommodation https://thaiest.com/blog/list-of-alterna...s-thailand
- Copy of flight confirmation
For foreign entrants, the Fit to Fly certificate is waived, but they are still required to show the result from the RT-PCR in English, which must not be older than 72 hours at check-in.