What kind of insurance should I get if I live in Thailand all the time

[parafareno]

I live in Thailand up to 1 year, then go home for 1 month and come back

I will have to change my permanent adress to Thailand, because I dont want to pay taxes in Europe too, if I stay here more than 6 months....

So to do that I had to cancel my health insurance in Europe.

SO I wonder, how do you guys do this? What kind of insurance do you have in Thailand? And also what kind of insurance do you have if you travel back to Europe, to fix visa etc.....

Because if I change my permanent address to Thailand, I will have no health insurance back home in Europe

I know many people change their permanent adress just because of taxes, so I wonder how you do this?

[mjnaus]

I got a health plan from Bupa, one of the better ones. Covers me while abroad as well.

[parafareno]

but how much is it? I am not paying more than 500 usd per year, I rather die

[steven100]

so you want TV to do your research and select your insurance for you ?

'What kind of insurance should I get if I live in Thailand all the time'

well , why not get something that covers food poisoning, all types of tropical diseases, motorbike accidents, scamming & fraud, all medical conditions.

What do you think ? ...

[Soutpeel]

but how much is it? I am not paying more than 500 usd per year, I rather die

$500 a year $500 will not even pay for the funeral never mind private medical insurance

Now $ 500/m will get you an excellent policy

$250-300/m will get you a good policy valid worldwide, typically US excluded

[blackcab]

Wouldn't your tax savings pay for your health insurance?

[silverado]

i m looking for medical and hospitalization insurrance in the future too ... i also find the international companies too expensive.
is it not possible to get a thai one ? where ? i wonder if the thai banks are providing it

[parafareno]

what about only insurance for Thailand, btw is it worth it to get insurance for Thailand, ebcause hospital stay costs like 1000 bht per day?

Do thai people have insurance, or they have to pay?

[Soutpeel]

what about only insurance for Thailand, btw is it worth it to get insurance for Thailand, ebcause hospital stay costs like 1000 bht per day?

Do thai people have insurance, or they have to pay?

THB 1000/day LOL come on take a wild guess at what ICU costs per day even in a goverment hospital ?

Give you a hint its not THB 1000 day

Yes some thais have insurance and they aint paying $ 500/year either

Your in the twilight zone honestly

[silverado]

what about only insurance for Thailand, btw is it worth it to get insurance for Thailand, ebcause hospital stay costs like 1000 bht per day?

Do thai people have insurance, or they have to pay?

THB 1000/day LOL come on take a wild guess at what ICU costs per day even in a goverment hospital ?

Give you a hint its not THB 1000 day

Yes some thais have insurance and they aint paying $ 500/year either

Your in the twilight zone honestly

government hospital thb 3.000 or more...

[peterb17]

Well I'm sure you posted with the best intentions - to tap into members knowledge and experience.

The trouble is that you have not given enough information.

Age, nationality, source of income etc etc

The idea of becoming a tax exile- ie not paying any taxes at all is rapidly becoming a thing of the past .

Yes minimise taxation - but eventually someone will catch up with you.

Your idea that 1000 baht a day is expensive - is just weird- it costs that to smile at the pleasant nurses on reception.

However I do have a very good policy with A+ - it covers most of SE Asia- $1400 - a policy for local countries .

The downside is $1000 excess, you can't claim for the flu.

Be careful of cutting ties with the home country- but we don't know where you are from .

[rwdrwdrwd]

Assuming you are in your 30s and healthy, you can get decent basic outpatient cover (500k US/year limit, 100% expenses, no excess, no cover exceptions and 250US a day private room fee cover) with ACS/Allianz via aainsure for around 800 USD a year. It covers medical care across South East Asia, and emergencies around the world (excluding USA).

My research showed this was much better cover than local OP offerings that were quite a bit more expensive, and Thailand specific. You can also add partner and child to the policy, the latter at a huge discount - we cover our toddler under the same terms for 300 USD a year as an addition to the policy.

If you want 100k life insurance, income protection, and repatriation, it will bring it up to more like 1800 a year.

If you also want 100% inpatient cover (still under the 500k a year maximum), that will add another 1000 or so per year.

Edited August 13, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[Satcommlee]

$500 will buy you a glorified accident policy that may cover hospital admission for illness etc..

But once you have that heart attack or medical condition the company will dump you at renewal, not want anything more to do with you leaving you uninsurable by proper Health Insurance companies.

As stated $500 a month is more like it if you are an older gentleman.

[parafareno]

Well I'm sure you posted with the best intentions - to tap into members knowledge and experience.

The trouble is that you have not given enough information.

Age, nationality, source of income etc etc

The idea of becoming a tax exile- ie not paying any taxes at all is rapidly becoming a thing of the past .

Yes minimise taxation - but eventually someone will catch up with you.

Your idea that 1000 baht a day is expensive - is just weird- it costs that to smile at the pleasant nurses on reception.

However I do have a very good policy with A+ - it covers most of SE Asia- $1400 - a policy for local countries .

The downside is $1000 excess, you can't claim for the flu.

Be careful of cutting ties with the home country- but we don't know where you are from .

I am internet interpreter, I work online and get paid to paypal. That is all. So why to pay tax in my country if I don't have to live there? I am not making a lot, approx 1500 usd per month on average.

[rwdrwdrwd]

It is perfectly feasible, in fact very easy, to be a tax exile so long as your home country does not tax offshore income of non resident citizens.

Thailand is perfect for basing yourself as a tax exile so long as you can keep earnings out of Thailand until the next tax year. One of the best places in the world in that respect.

Edited August 13, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[Walter Travolta]

I was told by a guy in his 50s that he had medical insurance that covered him in Thailand but he said that once he had been treated for a condition, ie) a stroke, if he had another stroke at a future date, he wasnt covered?? Basically he said that he was only covered for 1 illness and if the same illness happened again, he wasnt covered? I found it hard to believe but who knows with insurance companies now?

Back on topic - if you expect to pay $500 a year for medical insurance, lets hope you dont do much more than stub your toe

[peterb17]

Well I'm sure you posted with the best intentions - to tap into members knowledge and experience.

The trouble is that you have not given enough information.

Age, nationality, source of income etc etc

The idea of becoming a tax exile- ie not paying any taxes at all is rapidly becoming a thing of the past .

Yes minimise taxation - but eventually someone will catch up with you.

Your idea that 1000 baht a day is expensive - is just weird- it costs that to smile at the pleasant nurses on reception.

However I do have a very good policy with A+ - it covers most of SE Asia- $1400 - a policy for local countries .

The downside is $1000 excess, you can't claim for the flu.

Be careful of cutting ties with the home country- but we don't know where you are from .

I am internet interpreter, I work online and get paid to paypal. That is all. So why to pay tax in my country if I don't have to live there? I am not making a lot, approx 1500 usd per month on average.

Because you will be living in Thailand- you drive on the roads, you use infrastructure , there could maybe a case you need the police, you use immigration services. It pays for limited social services.

If everybody thought the way you do- tax avoidance - then countries would go bust ( Greece)

Taxes are part of being grown up- they are a fact of life.

You are totally naive if you think PayPal does not report your activities - just pay up- on your income would not be too much.

If you have a problem here- off to the embassy/ consulate for help- hope they tell you to <deleted> off .

Of course - still no real information or details- how on earth do you expect advice with no details

[rwdrwdrwd]

He is not required to pay Thai income tax on offshore income unless it is remitted in the year earned even if he is resident, whatever Paypal report, however much income there is - the same as every other resident here, Thai and non-Thai, whatever their visa status.

As I stated before, many (if not most) countries do not apply tax to foreign income of non resident citizens.

Why should someone pay tax that they are not legally required to? If one feels like being philanthropic, there are plenty of good causes that can be donated to independently.

More importantly though - how is it relevant to this topic about health insurance?

Edited August 13, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[peterb17]

He is not required to pay Thai income tax on offshore income unless it is remitted in the year earned even if he is resident, whatever Paypal report, however much income there is - the same as every other resident here, Thai and non-Thai, whatever their visa status.

As I stated before, many (if not most) countries do not apply tax to foreign income of non resident citizens.

Why should someone pay tax that they are not legally required to? If one feels like being philanthropic, there are plenty of good causes that can be donated to independently.

More importantly though - how is it relevant to this topic about health insurance?

I would suggest you go beyond the title of the thread , it's all to do with tax.

If the OP was interested in health insurance would provide us with more information.

Many countries will have measures to avoid double taxation- I would suggest as a citizen you pay tax. It's not too onerous .

[parafareno]

It is perfectly feasible, in fact very easy, to be a tax exile so long as your home country does not tax offshore income of non resident citizens.

Thailand is perfect for basing yourself as a tax exile so long as you can keep earnings out of Thailand until the next tax year. One of the best places in the world in that respect.

that i what I do not understand

So you are saying I should have a bank in another country? And paypal it there, than transfer it to Thailand after 1 year? How will Thailand know when I earned my money? That is ridiculous.

I think if you get payment through paypal thailand, they will never know where it came from, because I doubt Paypal reports income to Thailand government.

So should I have the bank in Singapore, or even USA? But I work with USA clients so maybe Iw would have to pay tax to them?

THe easier thing for me is use paypal.co.th and just get payment and withdraw cash via atm

[parafareno]

He is not required to pay Thai income tax on offshore income unless it is remitted in the year earned even if he is resident, whatever Paypal report, however much income there is - the same as every other resident here, Thai and non-Thai, whatever their visa status.

As I stated before, many (if not most) countries do not apply tax to foreign income of non resident citizens.

Why should someone pay tax that they are not legally required to? If one feels like being philanthropic, there are plenty of good causes that can be donated to independently.

More importantly though - how is it relevant to this topic about health insurance?

he is just grumpy old american, he is jealous EU countried do not bleed you dry if you not live there....

[peterb17]

It is perfectly feasible, in fact very easy, to be a tax exile so long as your home country does not tax offshore income of non resident citizens.

Thailand is perfect for basing yourself as a tax exile so long as you can keep earnings out of Thailand until the next tax year. One of the best places in the world in that respect.

that i what I do not understand

So you are saying I should have a bank in another country? And paypal it there, than transfer it to Thailand after 1 year? How will Thailand know when I earned my money? That is ridiculous.

I think if you get payment through paypal thailand, they will never know where it came from, because I doubt Paypal reports income to Thailand government.

So should I have the bank in Singapore, or even USA? But I work with USA clients so maybe Iw would have to pay tax to them?

THe easier thing for me is use paypal.co.th and just get payment and withdraw cash via atm

You see - nothing to do with health insurance- how can I avoid tax!

[rwdrwdrwd]

He is not required to pay Thai income tax on offshore income unless it is remitted in the year earned even if he is resident, whatever Paypal report, however much income there is - the same as every other resident here, Thai and non-Thai, whatever their visa status.

As I stated before, many (if not most) countries do not apply tax to foreign income of non resident citizens.

Why should someone pay tax that they are not legally required to? If one feels like being philanthropic, there are plenty of good causes that can be donated to independently.

More importantly though - how is it relevant to this topic about health insurance?

I would suggest you go beyond the title of the thread , it's all to do with tax.

If the OP was interested in health insurance would provide us with more information.

Many countries will have measures to avoid double taxation- I would suggest as a citizen you pay tax. It's not too onerous .

You are correct peterb17, I didn't note the ratio of tax to health commentary in the OP.

In regard to double taxation though, it is more about double no taxation, perfectly legally. I know a bit about this because I'm personally not liable for tax anywhere on my income, it's not something I especially set out to do, it is simply the way it worked out given that my income, which is neither sourced nor received from either from my home country or from Thailand.

I certainly don't think I should be paying tax in the UK, if anywhere it should be Thailand where I reside, but Thai tax legislation is very clear and applied equally to all residents and it does not consider my income taxable.

In answer to the tax aspect of the OP - to become tax resident in Thailand you simply need to be in the country for 183 days in a year (the days do not need to be consecutive).

Your home country will have it's own rules regarding what you need to do for them to consider you non-resident. In the case of my home country, the UK, the simplest way to achieve this is to leave for a full tax year, and only return for a week or two every year for the next couple of years. Once that is done, around 3 years, one can spend 3 - 6 months there a year without becoming resident for tax purposes.

Your country will have it's own rules, so you should check your countries legislation.

Edited August 13, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[rwdrwdrwd]

So you are saying I should have a bank in another country? And paypal it there, than transfer it to Thailand after 1 year?

Yes, a personal account Singapore is good, or Hong Kong. Neither of them tax offshore income of non residents. You will probably need to establish Thai residency before opening one (183 days) and have proof of address.

And paypal it there, than transfer it to Thailand after 1 year? How will Thailand know when I earned my money? That is ridiculous.

I think if you get payment through paypal thailand, they will never know where it came from, because I doubt Paypal reports income to Thailand government.

1 - Yes, it is important that you do not bring the funds to Thailand in the year you earn them. I would transfer them immediately to the Singapore or HK account (or ideally just get paid there) and keep it there until the next January 1st.

2 - Legally you are liable to Thai income tax if you remit the earnings direct from Paypal in the year you earn them, or take it out of an ATM.

3 - Doubt is not sure, it is a risk, and you would be committing tax evasion.

So should I have the bank in Singapore, or even USA? But I work with USA clients so maybe Iw would have to pay tax to them?

I earn income from USA clients, they pay me in Hong Kong by bank transfer. If you are paid in the USA you may well indeed be required to pay tax in the US, and have a load of bureaucracy to deal with - I would not do this.

THe easier thing for me is use paypal.co.th and just get payment and withdraw cash via atm

Easiest is not always most sensible.

Edited August 13, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[cerox]

Which insurance would you guys recommend for someone who only wants to have "the worst case" covered?

Let me explain further

I'd like to have an insurance that only has to pay if something big happens like being in hospital for a long time, having an accident etc. So for example, I'd like to pay everything up to 2000 USD on my own.

[roamer]

Which insurance would you guys recommend for someone who only wants to have "the worst case" covered?

Let me explain further

I'd like to have an insurance that only has to pay if something big happens like being in hospital for a long time, having an accident etc. So for example, I'd like to pay everything up to 2000 USD on my own.

Don't work that way, or if it did the savings wouldn't be significant. It's not the $2000 claims that come into insurance company reckoning so much as the $200,000 claims. And the biggest single determining factor in insurance costs is this one.

Age.

[VIPinthailand]

you don't have to keep your residence in your home country and you don't have to take a residence in Thailand neither. you can stay as a tourist for the rest of your life. you become a permanent traveler. a PT.

man, you have just discovered freedom....,

be careful, people will get very jealous of you , they will ask you where you live and where you pay your tax. just lie... tell them that you pay tax where you live. be careful of people who will count your days in and out of the country.

http://nomadcapitalist.com/flag-theory/

you are apparently a digital nomad, again be careful, here people on thai visa want hang you High and short.

keep a low profile....

[parafareno]

you don't have to keep your residence in your home country and you don't have to take a residence in Thailand neither. you can stay as a tourist for the rest of your life. you become a permanent traveler. a PT.

man, you have just discovered freedom....,

be careful, people will get very jealous of you , they will ask you where you live and where you pay your tax. just lie... tell them that you pay tax where you live. be careful of people who will count your days in and out of the country.

http://nomadcapitalist.com/flag-theory/

you are apparently a digital nomad, again be careful, here people on thai visa want hang you High and short.

keep a low profile....

I have been internet nomad for last 10 years, travelled the world, only with my laptop....and clothes.....

The only problem I see now is insurance, everything else is figured out, In Ecuador you pay only 70 usd per monthto get full insurance here, 200 usd? Or even more

I have been in hospital only as a kid, but never as adult so I wonder if I even need it

[bamukloy]

Insurance is the biggest world wide scam ever invented for mine.

How many times we read here someone ran into trouble THINKING they were insured but when go to claim found something buried in the fine print that nullifies the claim.

dont waste money after money year after year on these vultures.

save your money if you are young,chances are the bundle you save throughout life will pay for the few mishaps that life dishes out

These people take your money with a smile but treat you like a fraudster if ever you try to claim on their fraud "services"

it really is money for nothing

[bamukloy]

How to win the battle against your insurance company OR how to visit a den of thieves and not get robbed to badly.

http://m.kiplinger.com/article/insurance/T027-C000-S002-how-to-get-insurance-companies-to-pay-your-claims.html