Hi,

I came to Thailand 5 years ago with a non imm O-A visa so when I apply for my 1 year extension based on retirement I am required to have health insurance.

If my visa was non imm O I would not require health insurance.

 

I have wondered for the past few years why health insurance is required if your original visa was type O-A, but no health insurance required if your original visa was type O?

 

Does anyone know?

 

Thanks

Keith

2 minutes ago, Keith5588 said:

I have wondered for the past few years why health insurance is required if your original visa was type O-A, but no health insurance required if your original visa was type O?

I don't know :+)

 

For retirees -  I have often wondered if its simply that health insurance is in the original requirements for the visa at source for the long stay O-A visa and as the Non O is limited duration its not required. I can understand that, one needing health insurance for the long stay visa.

 

Its on the extension of stay that it becomes less logical.  Maybe they are simply sticking to the rules as they are written (original terms of the visa). 

 

I am torn (based on logic) if the health insurance for the O-A is correct and the lack of it for the O ext of stay is simply an oversight. But its been that way for a long time. I suppose time will tell if they are going to level the playing field. I suspect so.

 

 

That has been discussed many times since the insurance requirement for OA visas started. 

It think for the Non-OA visa application at a embassy or official consulate started due to those in power thinking that those with one would not have the ties to Thailand since it does not require funds in a Thai bank and can easily leave and re-enter the country for a year. Those with non-o visa would have the funds in a Thai bank and have a long stay residence here.

 

11 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That has been discussed many times since the insurance requirement for OA visas started. 

It think for the Non-OA visa application at a embassy or official consulate started due to those in power thinking that those with one would not have the ties to Thailand since it does not require funds in a Thai bank and can easily leave and re-enter the country for a year. Those with non-o visa would have the funds in a Thai bank and have a long stay residence here.

 

Thanks Joe,

You are correct that for my original O-A application when I was in the UK I did not need money in a Thai bank.

But my confusion is concerning 1 year extensions when I do need to have 800,000 in a Thai bank.

Many expats have type O  and many type O-A and logically I cannot see why the health insurance requirements are different. It makes no sense at all to me.

4 minutes ago, Keith5588 said:

Thanks Joe,

You are correct that for my original O-A application when I was in the UK I did not need money in a Thai bank.

But my confusion is concerning 1 year extensions when I do need to have 800,000 in a Thai bank.

Many expats have type O  and many type O-A and logically I cannot see why the health insurance requirements are different. It makes no sense at all to me.

Logically

People don't know the significance  of the different  visas when they aquire them. I didn't.  Fortunately  mine does  not require insurance- this aspect is very important  for older expats who can't get insurance and reply  on self insurance. Fortunately I used an agent to organise my first  extension and have type O. It's moot for me as I have full medical insurance.

Because they CAN!!!

Why ask why?

Simply learn the rules and start with an O or change to an O.

Sorted.

…because of over 75 year old guys with existing O-Visa wont get an health insurance or cant afford it. 

 

So its not required otherwise 1 M folks would have to leave which would be a loss of lets say 1.600 USD * ca. 1M guys = 1.600.000.000 USD per month on money spend in T. in the average:). Well if they have only 0.5 M guys then its half way but still a lot:).

1 hour ago, Tom H said:

…because of over 75 year old guys with existing O-Visa wont get an health insurance or cant afford it. 

 

So its not required otherwise 1 M folks would have to leave which would be a loss of lets say 1.600 USD * ca. 1M guys = 1.600.000.000 USD per month on money spend in T. in the average:). Well if they have only 0.5 M guys then its half way but still a lot:).

Not to mention a lot of abandoned and very distraught wives and families!

As I recall when the rule was changed, it was the Ministry of Public Health that proposed retirees to Thailand be required to have health insurance - supposedly because of unpaid medical bills to Government hospitals by foreigners even though the majority were tourists and not retirees.  The Cabinet agreed and the rule was implemented for those entering on an O-A Visa.

 

As to why it was only the O-A and not the O, IMO it was because the O-A Visa was the only one that was specifically for retirees that the Ministry of Public Health was aware of. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs termed it a "long stay" visa. But it often was referred to as a "retirement" Visa since to qualify one had to meet the requirements for retirees, i.e. age and financial resources.  Upon entry, the holder was granted a one year permission to stay.

 

Whereas category O stands for "other" which could be obtained for purpose of retirement as well as other reasons such as a foreigner married to a Thai. As with most Non-Immigrant Visas, upon entry the holder was given a 90 day permission to stay. If they qualified for a one year extension, they could apply for it at Immigration. This included for purpose of retirement as well as other reasons.

- Why does the OA require a police clearance and medical certificate, and the O and extensions do not?

 

- Why does an in-country O require a lease and rent receipts, while overseas applications and extensions don't?

 

We can ask these questions forever, but will never get answers that make any sense, because no logic was used to create the various requirements - each was created at a particular time by a particular person with a particular agenda at that moment, and that person wasn't responsible for the other categories ????‍♂️

Because o-a is for multiple entry without a financial requirement allowing the holder to border bounce avoiding regular income or bank deposit required for o visas thus avoiding investment in Thailand and potentially reneging on health charges hence health insurance. 

On 5/8/2022 at 12:14 PM, Keith5588 said:

Thanks Joe,

You are correct that for my original O-A application when I was in the UK I did not need money in a Thai bank.

But my confusion is concerning 1 year extensions when I do need to have 800,000 in a Thai bank.

Many expats have type O  and many type O-A and logically I cannot see why the health insurance requirements are different. It makes no sense at all to me.

Time for my renewing my annual “O-A Visa” Extension of Stay for a 12th year … and the last. I use the monthly income method of proving ability to support myself (after having submitted financial statements to secure the original Visa in the US. Within the next year, I plan to leave without a permit to return. Upon return from a planned trip out of the country, I hope to enter “Visa Exempt” and then apply for an “O” Visa for reason of retirement. A secondary position would be Marriage Visa. I no longer look for any logic when dealing with bureaucracy.

On 5/8/2022 at 1:27 PM, Tom H said:

…because of over 75 year old guys with existing O-Visa wont get an health insurance or cant afford it. 

 

So its not required otherwise 1 M folks would have to leave which would be a loss of lets say 1.600 USD * ca. 1M guys = 1.600.000.000 USD per month on money spend in T. in the average:). Well if they have only 0.5 M guys then its half way but still a lot:).

The simple fact is that those over 75 cannot get health insurance.  I am 75 and I have tried every company I could find to get insurance for the past 15 years and I have been denied every single time due to "...pre-existing chronic conditions".  I have two of them and take one pill daily for one, nothing for the other, and I have never been hospitalized for either.  Prior to age 60, I tried to get Thai social security insurance as an employee of a Thai government agency.  I was initially told the the SS insurance was for Thais only.  When I pointed out that the law said that was not true, I was told I was "too old" even though the law said that anyone up to age 60 was eligible.  I eventually just gave up and have now set a few million baht aside to self insure as that is my only option. I have a Thai family and I spend more than a million baht a year in the country.  There are many like me.  If we left, the loss to the Thai economy would be catastrophic.  I changed to a type O from a type B when I quit working at age 65.

Does the length of time you have applied for the O-Visa also come into it, ie not leaving the country

14 hours ago, chilly07 said:

Because o-a is for multiple entry without a financial requirement allowing the holder to border bounce avoiding regular income or bank deposit required for o visas thus avoiding investment in Thailand and potentially reneging on health charges hence health insurance. 

OK but this all changes to the same requirements as an O when applying for a one year extension, except for the fact that you have to have the insurance, I agree with what you are saying on initial entry but it is BS that you have to have the useless insurance when applying for an extension when you originally came in on an OA which I did

14 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Time for my renewing my annual “O-A Visa” Extension of Stay for a 12th year … and the last. I use the monthly income method of proving ability to support myself (after having submitted financial statements to secure the original Visa in the US. Within the next year, I plan to leave without a permit to return. Upon return from a planned trip out of the country, I hope to enter “Visa Exempt” and then apply for an “O” Visa for reason of retirement. A secondary position would be Marriage Visa. I no longer look for any logic when dealing with bureaucracy.

In a similar situation as you just turned 75, my worry is that if I switched to an O at that point the government would change and require insurance for everyone. Murphys law, have a Thai wife but because of her health issues dont want to go the marriage route,

Fully agree with the reasons given for applying health insurance to Oa visa on initial application but it is discrimatory when it comes to renewal however trying to change Thai beurocracy is worthless so next year I will be switching to the O retirement route along with most others in this position.I also fear the worst when the Thai elite find the OA cash cow has left the building how long will it take to realise that the O visa is ripe for picking and remember they have already implemented health insurance as mandatory when applying for this visa not a massive jump for renewal is it???