Non-immigrant OA visa applicants required to have ฿3m health insurance

[OJAS]

On 11/17/2021 at 1:17 PM, wrazoru said:

They are now... Here's the list of requirements that was shown to me at Phuket immigration, room 103 for retirement of extensions... Which at the bottom is written about health insurance requirement.

But, according to the link which @ubonjoe has provided, the health insurance requirement at Phuket only applies to retirement extensions based on original non-OA visas issued since 2018. Hopefully that will still be the case after next September.

 

At all other immigration offices this requirement applies to non-OA visas issued since the year dot.

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by OJAS

[britishjohn]

So as I understand this, extensions of OA's will only require 3m cover if done after 1st Sep 22.

 

New applications will require 3m cover but can be with an overseas insurance company.

 

Previously I have 2 health policies, one from LMG just for the OA extension, and a proper health policy from Cigna. Does this mean in future I may be able to use the the Cigna one only and scrap LMG ?

[tonray]

2 hours ago, britishjohn said:

So as I understand this, extensions of OA's will only require 3m cover if done after 1st Sep 22.

 

New applications will require 3m cover but can be with an overseas insurance company.

 

Previously I have 2 health policies, one from LMG just for the OA extension, and a proper health policy from Cigna. Does this mean in future I may be able to use the the Cigna one only and scrap LMG ?

Yrs but of course you could have done this all along as long as the Cigna policy stipulated 400/40 coverage minimums and was able to produce appropriate certificate. I did same as you only because to add outpatient to my Aetna policy was far more expensive than acquiring LMG policy with high deductible.

[DoneTravelling]

The requirements for O-A visa extension are specified on the TGIA web site

Guidelines Non-Immigrant Visa (O-A) - Health Insurance for Long Stay Visa in Thailand (tgia.org)

 

Renewal (before Sep,1 2022)
The applicant must have the valid local health insurance policy with the minimum of coverage of 400,000 Baht for inpatient treatment and 40,000 Baht for outpatient treatment.

 

[Badrabbit]

14 hours ago, DoneTravelling said:

The requirements for O-A visa extension are specified on the TGIA web site

Guidelines Non-Immigrant Visa (O-A) - Health Insurance for Long Stay Visa in Thailand (tgia.org)

 

Renewal (before Sep,1 2022)
The applicant must have the valid local health insurance policy with the minimum of coverage of 400,000 Baht for inpatient treatment and 40,000 Baht for outpatient treatment.

 

Can you explain please, I'm here on an Non o retirement extension for the last 12 yrs, I have never had to show Insurance, my Extension expires Oct 2022 do I need to show Insurance at my next extension, I converted to Retirement Extension  when I got to Thailand in 2009.

[tonray]

42 minutes ago, Badrabbit said:

Can you explain please, I'm here on an Non o retirement extension for the last 12 yrs, I have never had to show Insurance, my Extension expires Oct 2022 do I need to show Insurance at my next extension, I converted to Retirement Extension  when I got to Thailand in 2009.

Non O does  not require insurance

[DoneTravelling]

8 hours ago, Badrabbit said:

Can you explain please, I'm here on an Non o retirement extension for the last 12 yrs, I have never had to show Insurance, my Extension expires Oct 2022 do I need to show Insurance at my next extension, I converted to Retirement Extension  when I got to Thailand in 2009.

Insurance was never applicable until Covid came along, I doubt it will ever be dropped as the government has wanted this for years. As for a Non O visa I have no knowledge as I have always had O-A visa. I suggest you ask your local Immigration office.

For Non O if insurance is not applicable do you think it is wise to be here without even basic insurance?

Edited February 13, 2022 by DoneTravelling
Adittional comment.

[Badrabbit]

47 minutes ago, DoneTravelling said:

Insurance was never applicable until Covid came along, I doubt it will ever be dropped as the government has wanted this for years. As for a Non O visa I have no knowledge as I have always had O-A visa. I suggest you ask your local Immigration office.

For Non O if insurance is not applicable do you think it is wise to be here without even basic insurance?

I have always had Insurance but not 3 million hence why I asked.

[Andrew Dwyer]

5 hours ago, DoneTravelling said:

Insurance was never applicable until Covid came along, I doubt it will ever be dropped as the government has wanted this for years. As for a Non O visa I have no knowledge as I have always had O-A visa. I suggest you ask your local Immigration office.

For Non O if insurance is not applicable do you think it is wise to be here without even basic insurance?

The mandatory health insurance started on 31st October 2019  and was discussed some months before that.

Covid19 , I believe, first started in December 2019.

[oldcpu]

On 11/24/2021 at 8:47 PM, britishjohn said:

New applications will require 3m cover but can be with an overseas insurance company.

The details here still need to be provided .... and often the devil is in the details.  It could be that this 3m foreign insurance, if applicable to an extension of one's permission to stay in Thailand, could require some piece of paper to be signed by the overseas insurance company (my worst-case speculation) or could require the over-seas insurance company to fill in some piece of paper signed by directors (again my worse-case speculation).  I know for certain Cigna overseas will NOT do that (as I already contacted them on this).

 

We won't know how easy or difficult it will be for the 3m cover until the details are promulgated. 

 

Does anyone know the details yet for extensions on the permission to stay?

 

On 11/24/2021 at 8:47 PM, britishjohn said:

 

Previously I have 2 health policies, one from LMG just for the OA extension, and a proper health policy from Cigna. Does this mean in future I may be able to use the the Cigna one only and scrap LMG ?

IMHO likely not able to use your overseas Cigna - but it would be good if you could. 

 

I have European insurance from Cigna (exceeds the 3m) but last year to obtain an extension on my permission to stay, I ended up buying LMG (with a crazy high deductible) as Cigna was not accepted.

 

Now I note Cigna is recently on the list of Thai insurance companies, so I asked my European Cigna if they would satisfy the Thai requirements (such as complete Thai immigration database). Answer: No. Nor would they, a European Cigna, would not give me any sort of letter saying they met Thai requirements.

 

So I then contacted the Thai branch of Cigna, advised them of my European coverage, and asked if they would then complete necessary paperwork for Thai immigration for an extension of my permission to stay (given my Cigna coverage was adequate). Their Answer: No. Definitely No.

 

Thai Cigna advised if I wanted them to fill in the needed paperwork to meet Thai permission to stay requirements I had to buy their specific Thai package from their Thai Cigna branch.  Whether I dumped my superior (subsidized by my pension) European Cigna insurance was up to me (ie for all they cared I could double insure myself with Cigna).  Thai Cigna refused to recognize the European Cigna coverage for advising Immigration that I met Thai requirements.

 

So again - devil in the details - I ended up applying for an extension based on marriage to a Thai - so to avoid paying double insurance.

 

My hope is in the future, the ability to prove one has superb insurance will get easier.

Edited February 15, 2022 by oldcpu