Insurance for O-A visa

[Kilick]

I am looking for insurance coverage for my visa application . Is the coverage for 3m thai baht now. 400,000 inpatient and 40,000 outpatient. Any suggestions on a decent company and price? I am trying to do the visa in Canada on the thai e-visa site. I tried calling and emailing the consulate in Vancouver but nobody answers the phone or returns an email. 

[Gsxrnz]

What visa?  STV?

[KhunBENQ]

4 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

What visa?  STV?

Non O-A visa. A "popular" topic.

Avoid it if there is an alternative.

[stag4]

AA Insurance  Pattaya 7700 baht at age 65.

Policy by LMG

[ubonjoe]

The consulate website appears to be out of date. http://www.thaiconsulatevancouver.ca/th/retirement-visa/

This what the insurance website states. https://longstay.tgia.org/guidelineoa

"The applicant is-invalid required toast have a valid-feedback health insurance policy, either form Thai or from Overseas insurance companies, which the minimum coverage of 100,000 USD accounting for 3 million baht and it includes the treatment of Covid-19. The insurance certificate is strictly required to be presented to the immigration."

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, stag4 said:

AA Insurance  Pattaya 7700 baht at age 65.

Policy by LMG

He is applying for the OA visa at a Thai consulate on the e visa website not immigration.

[sqwakvfr]

Something to think about is my case:  I am between 55 and 60.  I just renewed my health insurance that provides the following coverage:  3.5 Million Baht for IPD and this includes Covid 19.  This policy will be compliant even when the new requirements come into effect in September 2022.  Annual premium was 61,000 Baht.  

 

Unlike the past(where getting a Non OA was great)  the best path might be to come into Thailand on a Visa Exempt or short term visa and they convert to a Non O?  

[Mike Teavee]

10 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Something to think about is my case:  I am between 55 and 60.  I just renewed my health insurance that provides the following coverage:  3.5 Million Baht for IPD and this includes Covid 19.  This policy will be compliant even when the new requirements come into effect in September 2022.  Annual premium was 61,000 Baht.  

 

Unlike the past(where getting a Non OA was great)  the best path might be to come into Thailand on a Visa Exempt or short term visa and they convert to a Non O?  

I (policy started the day before my 55th bday) have the “Visa Friendly” policy with Pacific Cross, covers 3.5Million in-patients (I took the outpatients out, 100k of voluntary excess) & 100K for COVID… cost approx 28k pa.

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by Mike Teavee

[Kilick]

9 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

He is applying for the OA visa at a Thai consulate on the e visa website not immigration.

So the stipulation for 400,000 and 40,000 has been removed?

[sitta]

14 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

the best path might be to come into Thailand on a Visa Exempt or short term visa and they convert to a Non O?  

Is it still easy to do?

[ubonjoe]

16 hours ago, Kilick said:

So the stipulation for 400,000 and 40,000 has been removed?

It is now 3 million baht of insurance apply for a new Non-OA visa applied for at a Thai  embassy or official consulate.

For a extension of stay issued by immigration for a OA visa entry it is still 40/400k baht for the insurance until September 1st of next year.

[Kilick]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

It is now 3 million baht of insurance apply for a new Non-OA visa applied for at a Thai  embassy or official consulate.

For a extension of stay issued by immigration for a OA visa entry it is still 40/400k baht for the insurance until September 1st of next year.

Does the 40/400k need to be written into the 3m baht policy

[Sheryl]

10 minutes ago, Kilick said:

Does the 40/400k need to be written into the 3m baht policy

No. But as Ubon Joe explained the 400/40 requirements (from a LOCAL insurer, no foreign policies allowed) are currently required to do an in-country extension. There is talk of that changing but hasn't happened yet.

 

So at present requirements to get the visa and requirements to do a subsequent in-country extension of stay differ significantly.

 

And to use a foreign policy for the initial visa it is still required to have "Foreign Insurance Certificate" signed. This is worded in a way that prevents many insurers from signing it.

 

[stat]

On 11/20/2021 at 6:36 AM, KhunBENQ said:

Non O-A visa. A "popular" topic.

Avoid it if there is an alternative.

Why would one avoid NON O-OA? It is cheap and lasts for close to 2 years and gives me piece of mind as I land in TH and already have my visa. The only downside I see is the need for health insurance. Extension of stay forces me to season money in Thailand which I hate due to the fact that I can't work with the money and run the risk of a bank fraud + the risk of not being able to withdraw my money if I change my life plans and need to get back in a hurry. Additional downside for extension of stay is if I understand it correctly that I need a "worthless" Thai insurance. The "foreign" health insurance I would buy has an unlimited coverage anyway.

 

Please let me know if I miss something, thanks!

Edited November 21, 2021 by stat

[tonray]

4 hours ago, stat said:

Why would one avoid NON O-OA?

 

4 hours ago, stat said:

Please let me know if I miss something, thanks!

Because in 2 years they have increased the insurance requirements for not only original Visa applications but also for all in-country extensions whilst leaving O visa retirement holders alone. They seem to believe (erroneously) that OA visa holders are somehow responsible for all the trouble foreigners cause with unpaid bills and present a greater risk than any other visa class. In may serve as a warning that when money in the bank requirements are also increased, they will also hit OA visa holders (or originators) first and perhaps again leaving O visa holders unscathed.

[Sheryl]

9 hours ago, stat said:

Why would one avoid NON O-OA? It is cheap and lasts for close to 2 years and gives me piece of mind as I land in TH and already have my visa. The only downside I see is the need for health insurance. Extension of stay forces me to season money in Thailand which I hate due to the fact that I can't work with the money and run the risk of a bank fraud + the risk of not being able to withdraw my money if I change my life plans and need to get back in a hurry. Additional downside for extension of stay is if I understand it correctly that I need a "worthless" Thai insurance. The "foreign" health insurance I would buy has an unlimited coverage anyway.

 

Please let me know if I miss something, thanks!

 

The foreign insurance you plan to use will be accepted only if the insurer will sign a very badly worded "Certificate" that:

1- states the insurance policy  complies with Thai law (without explaining what the law requires). 

 

2 - Asks for signature of the company "Director". Not authorized representive, Director.

 

These 2 things are deal breakers for most foreign companies especially those in USA and UK where legal terms and precise wording of legal documents are taken very seriously.

 

So before proceeding with this make sure your planned insurer will sign this thing.

 

If they will, and if you are fine with getting a new O-A visa in your home country every 2 years (i,e. not ever doing an in-country extension of stay) then no big disadvantage to the O-A.

[KhunBENQ]

18 hours ago, stat said:

Extension of stay forces me to season money in Thailand which I hate due to the fact that I can't work with the money and run the risk of a bank fraud

Only if you live on savings.

 

If one can extend based on pension or income it's completely different.

For some nationals this has become somewhat complicated (12 monthly international transfers). Other nationals still can get an income certificate from their consulates and freely handle their assets.

Combination method also possible.

For pension/income recipicients I discourage the Non O-A.

10 years ago it was my option as I was living on savings.

Edited November 22, 2021 by KhunBENQ

[mikebike]

5 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Other nationals still can get an income certificate from their consulates and freely handle their assets.

Yay! Thank you Canada!

[stat]

On 11/22/2021 at 5:11 AM, Sheryl said:

 

The foreign insurance you plan to use will be accepted only if the insurer will sign a very badly worded "Certificate" that:

1- states the insurance policy  complies with Thai law (without explaining what the law requires). 

 

2 - Asks for signature of the company "Director". Not authorized representive, Director.

 

These 2 things are deal breakers for most foreign companies especially those in USA and UK where legal terms and precise wording of legal documents are taken very seriously.

 

So before proceeding with this make sure your planned insurer will sign this thing.

 

If they will, and if you are fine with getting a new O-A visa in your home country every 2 years (i,e. not ever doing an in-country extension of stay) then no big disadvantage to the O-A.

 

Thanks for your answer!

Insurance is not a problem for me as

a. German health insurances generally have no EUR limit (why anyone has  a limited insurance still baffles me, because I can easily pay 20000€ but not 2 Million€. So when I need the insurance I reached the limit).

b. The signature no problem for my insurance company Hanse Merkur or the Emirates insurance AIG

[stat]

On 11/21/2021 at 11:40 PM, tonray said:

 

Because in 2 years they have increased the insurance requirements for not only original Visa applications but also for all in-country extensions whilst leaving O visa retirement holders alone. They seem to believe (erroneously) that OA visa holders are somehow responsible for all the trouble foreigners cause with unpaid bills and present a greater risk than any other visa class. In may serve as a warning that when money in the bank requirements are also increased, they will also hit OA visa holders (or originators) first and perhaps again leaving O visa holders unscathed.

Insurance requirement is not a problem as I would go for unlimited coverage if I would need to prove an insurance. I think the logic is that the OA is the better longer visa and therefore the requirements are higher then for the O .

[tonray]

3 minutes ago, stat said:

Insurance requirement is not a problem as I would go for unlimited coverage if I would need to prove an insurance. I think the logic is that the OA is the better longer visa and therefore the requirements are higher then for the O .

1 year extensions are identical.. There is zero logic in that 

[stat]

18 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Only if you live on savings.

 

If one can extend based on pension or income it's completely different.

For some nationals this has become somewhat complicated (12 monthly international transfers). Other nationals still can get an income certificate from their consulates and freely handle their assets.

Combination method also possible.

For pension/income recipicients I discourage the Non O-A.

10 years ago it was my option as I was living on savings.

 

Thanks for your input!

I live on investment income without any pension. Not sure if immigration would accept monthly payments from my investment income or a bank statement of say yearly income due to selling of stocks over xxxxx Euro?

My schedule is tight as I want an OA Visa for January. If my visa application does not get through on time I have to go Visa exempt with extension.

 

I really hate to book the flight in the coming 10 days and then find out they close Thailand again in January and I loose the flight and hotel bookings. So want to book as late as possible. Appararently E-visa takes 15 business days max (Germany on this system starting 22 Nov) + 7 day max Thailand pass. Not sure if can start Thailand pass without having the visa.

 

 

 

[stat]

9 minutes ago, tonray said:

1 year extensions are identical.. There is zero logic in that 

I respectfully disagree. Renewal of O gets you 1 Year in Thailand, whereas NON OA gets you close to 2 years with one re-entry if you dont plan to leave the country in the 2nd year. So in my opinion the OA gets you a 2 year visa which is the longer and therefore "better" visa if you leave the higher requirements out.

Edited November 23, 2021 by stat

[KhunBENQ]

19 minutes ago, stat said:

Not sure if immigration would accept monthly payments from my investment income

Immigration just wants to see monthly international transfer to your account of 65k Baht or more. They don't inquire where the money comes from (just foreign transfer).

The method is usually only accepted for those nationals where the consulate does not issue an income statement (USA and couple others, I don't have the list).

Edited November 23, 2021 by KhunBENQ

[stat]

5 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Immigration just wants to see monthly international transfer to your account of 65k Baht or more. They don't inquire where the money comes from (just foreign transfer).

The method is usually only accepted for those nationals where the consulate does not issue an income statement (USA and couple others, I don't have the list).

Thanks for letting me know! AFAIK German embassy still writes these letters. Any Germans here that can clarify what the consulate/embassy accepted in the past? I will ask the embassy but not sure when and if I receive an answer as usally ASEAS.now is usally faster. Any recommendation if the embassy ot the consuls are more lenient in providing the income statement letter? As mentioned I can show enough proceeds from stock sales. Is one sale enough i.e. 40.000€ during the year?

 

I will not have any "traditional" income just sale of stocks and some minuscule dividends. Thanks!

Edited November 23, 2021 by stat

[stat]

35 minutes ago, stat said:

Thanks for letting me know! AFAIK German embassy still writes these letters. Any Germans here that can clarify what the consulate/embassy accepted in the past? I will ask the embassy but not sure when and if I receive an answer as usally ASEAS.now is usally faster. Any recommendation if the embassy ot the consuls are more lenient in providing the income statement letter? As mentioned I can show enough proceeds from stock sales. Is one sale enough i.e. 40.000€ during the year?

 

I will not have any "traditional" income just sale of stocks and some minuscule dividends. Thanks!

According to the German embassy website only regular monthy income ("wiederkehrende Bezüge") can be taken into account, for the income letter, bummer.

 

 

Any way to get immigration to accept stock sales i.e. one off sale in one month for lets say 30.000€? Yearly account statement would not be feasible, as it will run to 100 pages and would take a business degree to understand ????Thanks!

[DrJack54]

24 minutes ago, stat said:

Any way to get immigration to accept stock sales i.e. one off sale in one month for lets say 30.000€? Yearly account statement would not be feasible, as it will run to 100 pages and would take a business degree to understand ????Thanks

Have stayed away from suggesting advice as not confident it would be accurate.

However interested in your situation.

I'm Oz and we cannot obtain income letter from embassy.

In the past my understanding is that it was a scam.

You do basically an affidavit that states an income.

I thought even with embassy letter you could still be required to show income proof. Pension being common.

Your notion of asset sales as being equivalent to income surprises be.

It's not a distant cousin to income.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

7 hours ago, stat said:

I respectfully disagree. Renewal of O gets you 1 Year in Thailand, whereas NON OA gets you close to 2 years with one re-entry if you dont plan to leave the country in the 2nd year. So in my opinion the OA gets you a 2 year visa which is the longer and therefore "better" visa if you leave the higher requirements out.

While it was true that the advantage of an OA over an O visa meant that you could get 2 years from it ( great if you renewed in your home country every 2 years ) and didn’t have to keep the financial requirements in a Thai bank. That has now been downgraded with the introduction of the initial 40/400k mandatory health insurance which has now been increased to 3M baht coverage meaning the OA visa has lost its edge and many on retirement extensions from an initial OA visa are now taking steps to change to an O visa.

[Sheryl]

19 hours ago, stat said:

 

Thanks for your input!

I live on investment income without any pension. Not sure if immigration would accept monthly payments from my investment income or a bank statement of say yearly income due to selling of stocks over xxxxx Euro?

My schedule is tight as I want an OA Visa for January. If my visa application does not get through on time I have to go Visa exempt with extension.

 

I really hate to book the flight in the coming 10 days and then find out they close Thailand again in January and I loose the flight and hotel bookings. So want to book as late as possible. Appararently E-visa takes 15 business days max (Germany on this system starting 22 Nov) + 7 day max Thailand pass. Not sure if can start Thailand pass without having the visa.

 

 

 

To use the income method you would need to show monthly (not yearly) transfers in from abroad. Source does nto matter, but must come in every single months and show as a foreign transfer.

 

You do not need to show visa to do the Thailand Pass application.

[Sheryl]

19 hours ago, stat said:

 

Thanks for your answer!

Insurance is not a problem for me as

a. German health insurances generally have no EUR limit (why anyone has  a limited insurance still baffles me, because I can easily pay 20000€ but not 2 Million€. So when I need the insurance I reached the limit).

b. The signature no problem for my insurance company Hanse Merkur or the Emirates insurance AIG

 

However, as explained, under current rules you will not be able to do an in-country extension using this. Would have to get a new O-A visa in your home country every 2 years. (or every year if you did nto manage to leave and re-enter just before visa expiration).