moojar Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 (edited) 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. Edited October 7, 2021 by moojar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internationalism Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treetops Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 (edited) Travel insurance covers you for different factors (as well as health issues) so always good to have in addition to any compulsory Covid insurance. Edited October 7, 2021 by treetops 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeholder Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moojar Posted October 7, 2021 Author Share Posted October 7, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chomper Higgot Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Aetna, sponsors of this sub forum, have part year Insurance policies designed to meet the needs of people who spend extended periods in Thailand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregBow Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internationalism Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 (edited) 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 Edited October 8, 2021 by internationalism Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeholder Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 (edited) 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. Edited October 8, 2021 by placeholder 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeholder Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunsetT Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeholder Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 (edited) 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. Edited October 8, 2021 by placeholder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie12 Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Can anyone tell me which company provides Covid insurance for 1500 Baht per month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeholder Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 32 minutes ago, Scottie12 said: Can anyone tell me which company provides Covid insurance for 1500 Baht per month. Rates depend on age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internationalism Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 this one from 1500b. not age related. covers up to 99 yo for the same rate https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/step_1 the one for 15k per year is a flat rate for all countries and age Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilly07 Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internationalism Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeholder Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 1 hour ago, internationalism said: this one from 1500b. not age related. covers up to 99 yo for the same rate https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/step_1 the one for 15k per year is a flat rate for all countries and age For thailand it says "renewal only" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyB Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treetops Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeholder Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 (edited) 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 Edited October 8, 2021 by placeholder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunsetT Posted October 9, 2021 Share Posted October 9, 2021 (edited) 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. Edited October 9, 2021 by SunsetT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeholder Posted October 9, 2021 Share Posted October 9, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notrub Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 On 10/8/2021 at 12:28 PM, internationalism said: this one from 1500b. not age related. covers up to 99 yo for the same rate https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/step_1 the one for 15k per year is a flat rate for all countries and age cannot find 15K THB / year from that link. Comes to 42,000 THB for ret visa persons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internationalism Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 that one is 15k per year, but only up to 75 yo, no underlying. Also 14 waiting period https://www.tuneprotect.co.th/en/portal/coronavirus-covid-19-insurance/ONCOVIDL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunsetT Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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