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Travel insurance is in addition to Thailand COVID insurance?

moojar

By moojar
in COVID-19 Coronavirus

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moojar Advanced Member

moojar

Posted
Posted

My (Thai) wife and I (Australian) will be spending around half of each year in Thailand after we retire in mid-2022.  I'll either do tourist visas or spouse visas and rely on regular travel insurance, as I have always done. 

 

I have switched off following Thailand events during the pandemic, not being able to visit.  So I'm not much across the entry requirements.  Just starting to look at it now, and hoping ASQ / sandbox / CoE requirements will be much reduced by the time we visit in six or seven month's time. 

 

One thing I don't expect to go away for a few years is the 'USD$1,000,000 COVID insurance'.  

 

I understand this can be purchased from a non-Thai company, but as it seems to be a farang-wallet-lightening scheme they ... prefer we use Thai companies.  On this first visit I'll probably just suck it up and pay the tax for ease of entry.  

 

Will I need regular travel insurance on top of the COVID insurance though?  I am mostly concerned about being repatriated to my home country should I be badly injured / ill.  The COVID insurance I have looked at would only repatriate my ashes; I'd rather not let it get that far.  

 

Edit: Luma covers repatriation, costs THB27k for 6 months tier 3 (THB3m for repatriation.)  Seems a bit steep, and only covers "as soon as you pass Thai immigration".  Might be worth getting a basic COVID policy + regular travel insurance then. 

 

The premium table shows 30, 60, 90, 180, and 365 days.  I'll need to find out of they cover for, say, 190 days without having to pay for 365 days.  Best do that before I book my return flight. 

internationalism Platinum Member

internationalism

Posted
Posted

it's only $100k, not 1mln.

The cheapest you can get is for 1 year 15k baht.

The other ones are charging 1500-2500b month (that depending from which country you are entering).

Travel insurance is not required to enter thailand.

If you are going to stay in thailand for 6 months probably cheaper would be health insurance bought in thailand.

  • Like 1
treetops Platinum Member

treetops

Posted
Posted

Travel insurance covers you for different factors (as well as health issues) so always good to have in addition to any compulsory Covid insurance.

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moojar Advanced Member

moojar

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 hours ago, placeholder said:

The Luma covid insurance is travel insurance. They just make sure to explicitly cover covid expenses in their policy order to satisfy Thai Immigration's requirements.

While it is travel insurance, covering more than I initially thought, the problem I have with it is that cover only commences once I clear Thai immigration.  So if I'm turned back over a technicality with my paperwork, as I have heard of with others, I'm not yet insured.  Likewise if some emergency stops me travelling at all, or I have issues in transit, etc.  

 

I shall probably shop around for the least expensive basic policy that satisfies the Thai Covid insurance requirement, bought from a Thai company for ease of entry, and also get regular TI from my home country.  Annoying to face the extra costs, but the travel environment we knew is gone. 

GregBow Senior Member

GregBow

Posted
Posted

Hi. I am just doing a variation on this  I was about to get local health insurance via PP when I decided to look at which had international travel also. 

Found a couple but was unsure of covid so asked.

The response from Pacific Prime was 

"Insurers treat covid19 as a usual medical condition".

Is it so and thus do we need covid insurance?

 

internationalism Platinum Member

internationalism

Posted
Posted

no, if you have a very good and expensive medical insurance, covering $100k, you don't need covid insurance.

For an upgrade from my existing basic insurance with PP to one over $100k I was quoted 61k baht. Probably they would deduct some 10k from cancelling my existing one, but it would be still a large money to fork out, as I don't need such large cover.

Covid insurance you can get from 1500b month, depending from which country you are entering.

Some consulates require 3 months, some others only 1 months, even if your visa and extension is longer.

Many expats are now extending their stay for 1 year, so if they travel abroad this year, they would need 1 year covid insurance. It's probably worth to get one for 15k for year, because thailand might be facing more waves

placeholder Star Member

placeholder

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, GregBow said:

Hi. I am just doing a variation on this  I was about to get local health insurance via PP when I decided to look at which had international travel also. 

Found a couple but was unsure of covid so asked.

The response from Pacific Prime was 

"Insurers treat covid19 as a usual medical condition".

Is it so and thus do we need covid insurance?

 

 

14 minutes ago, internationalism said:

no, if you have a very good and expensive medical insurance, covering $100k, you don't need covid insurance.

For an upgrade from my existing basic insurance with PP to one over $100k I was quoted 61k baht. Probably they would deduct some 10k from cancelling my existing one, but it would be still a large money to fork out, as I don't need such large cover.

Covid insurance you can get from 1500b month, depending from which country you are entering.

Some consulates require 3 months, some others only 1 months, even if your visa and extension is longer.

Many expats are now extending their stay for 1 year, so if they travel abroad this year, they would need 1 year covid insurance. It's probably worth to get one for 15k for year, because thailand might be facing more waves

It doesn't matter if your policy will cover it. You need a policy that explicitly states it will cover covid insurance. If it doesn't explicitly state that, immigration won't accept it.

  • Like 1
placeholder Star Member

placeholder

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, GregBow said:

Hi. I am just doing a variation on this  I was about to get local health insurance via PP when I decided to look at which had international travel also. 

Found a couple but was unsure of covid so asked.

The response from Pacific Prime was 

"Insurers treat covid19 as a usual medical condition".

Is it so and thus do we need covid insurance?

 

You should pose this question where the experts are the visa, work permit, etc. forum.

SunsetT Gold Member

SunsetT

Posted
Posted

If u can fly with Emirates for return flights they automatically include travel insurance up to $500,000 health cover which specifically includes Covid19 cover that satisfies Thai immigration requirements. Single flights only provide a maximum of 31 days cover. All info. on the cover can be found on Emirates websites. I have read a couple of 1st hand reports of their paying out for Govt enforced asymptomatic hospitalisation during quarantine when their Western travel/health would not.

  • Like 2
placeholder Star Member

placeholder

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

If u can fly with Emirates for return flights they automatically include travel insurance up to $500,000 health cover which specifically includes Covid19 cover that satisfies Thai immigration requirements. Single flights only provide a maximum of 31 days cover. All info. on the cover can be found on Emirates websites. I have read a couple of 1st hand reports of their paying out for Govt enforced asymptomatic hospitalisation during quarantine when their Western travel/health would not.

But if you're staying for longer than 31 days, you've got a problem. The insurance has to cover the entire length of your stay or, if you are here on a retirement visa or something similar, the insurance has to last until the visa expires. 

chilly07 Gold Member

chilly07

Posted
Posted
On 10/7/2021 at 12:36 PM, internationalism said:

it's only $100k, not 1mln.

The cheapest you can get is for 1 year 15k baht.

The other ones are charging 1500-2500b month (that depending from which country you are entering).

Travel insurance is not required to enter thailand.

If you are going to stay in thailand for 6 months probably cheaper would be health insurance bought in thailand.

My experience is that travel insurance is cheaper than health insurance but then I am over 75- only draw back is that they will insist on repatriation for anything seriously long term but that wouldn't be a problem for you

internationalism Platinum Member

internationalism

Posted
Posted

travel insurance has limitations for expats or long stayers.

You need periodically come back to country of origin of that policy. To keep it valid you might need to return every few months.

Might require minimum stay in that country per year.

 

 

BusyB Platinum Member

BusyB

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, GregBow said:

Hi. I am just doing a variation on this  I was about to get local health insurance via PP when I decided to look at which had international travel also. 

Found a couple but was unsure of covid so asked.

The response from Pacific Prime was 

"Insurers treat covid19 as a usual medical condition".

Is it so and thus do we need covid insurance?

 

 

This is exactly what my insurer told me (ERGO) - if a condition is not explicitly excluded then it is covered - they regard COVID-19 simply as another disease. The exception is of course if there's a travel warning concerning a country. Traveling there would invalidate the policy there. Alternatively if already there when the warning is issued, you get 7 days to leave as is normal if a state of emergency is declared or war breaks out or the such like.

The Thai authorities want to see a certificate that the insurance covers COVID-19 or you have to buy theirs. I've been told I'll get that along with the other certificate for the 40k/400k scam once I sign up.

 

treetops Platinum Member

treetops

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, placeholder said:

But if you're staying for longer than 31 days, you've got a problem. The insurance has to cover the entire length of your stay or, if you are here on a retirement visa or something similar, the insurance has to last until the visa expires. 

If you've bought a return ticket you have removed that obstacle.

placeholder Star Member

placeholder

Posted
Posted
35 minutes ago, treetops said:

If you've bought a return ticket you have removed that obstacle.

Clever. The only problem I can see with that is often, bizarrely enough, one way tickets cost more than 2 way tickets. And some airlines will bill you retroactively for a one way flight if you don't use the return portion of your ticket

SunsetT Gold Member

SunsetT

Posted
Posted
On 10/8/2021 at 11:20 AM, placeholder said:

But if you're staying for longer than 31 days, you've got a problem. The insurance has to cover the entire length of your stay or, if you are here on a retirement visa or something similar, the insurance has to last until the visa expires. 

I already stated that. Can book a return flight and cancel or rebook to return later.

placeholder Star Member

placeholder

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, SunsetT said:

I already stated that. Can book a return flight and cancel or rebook to return later.

It seems your plan is a good one. Ubonjoe, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of immigration rules agrees that your plan would work.

 

SunsetT Gold Member

SunsetT

Posted
Posted
On 10/9/2021 at 3:11 PM, placeholder said:

It seems your plan is a good one. Ubonjoe, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of immigration rules agrees that your plan would work.

 

I didnt actually mean it in this way. I meant it as an option for an Expat returning or someone travelling to Thailand to stay indefinitely and normally booking a one-way ticket and who would have to purchase separate insurance would be better off booking a return with Emirates and benefit from the free insurance for as long as they needed it up to the return flight date they booked (Emirates limit is 364 days). They could then, before the return flight date, cancel it for a refund or rebook the return flight for possible future use which is when the insurance cover would end or be extended with the flight rebooking. Depending, or course, on the Emirates rules on refunds and rebooking, which have been very liberal with Covid19, but may change or may have changed already. I dont think that there is any requirement for insurance to convert to any other visa types, or extend, once in Thailand except for the OA visa extension of stay.

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