Health insurance now mandatory for long-stay foreigners

[Ratsima]

My wife just had a Line chat with an Immigration official asking if I need health insurance. The officer asked to see the visa that has been transferred from passport to passport two or three times now. After looking at the visa, the officer said that I don't need health insurance.

I don't understand this since the original visa was an O-A. But, the transferred visa says: VISACLASS NON-RE

Does this make any sense to anyone?

[Dannie Boy]

When did many things make sense here? If it were me, I’d look to renew a few weeks early such that if they subsequently change their tune, you’ll have time to take out the insurance


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[Ratsima]

Yes, I plan to extend early next month for an extension that expires at the end of the month.

When I look at my old entry stamps I see that for several years they said NON-OA and then they started to say NON-RE and have done ever since.

Aside: In researching this I find that Thai Immigration has left their AWS storage wide open. For example, I found the passport of some Bulgarian name Zahariev which includes visa stamps from various counties, a completed TM.6 and a 90 day notification receipt. Makes you feel good inside that you give all that stuff to Immigration, right?

[Ratsima]

We went to Korat Immigration today to do my extension of stay. As it turns out, I did not have to buy health insurance. We think this is because all of the entry stamps in my current passport show the visa class as NON RE. Dannie Boy's admonition notwithstanding, my wife and I decided we wanted to find out what actually happened, so we browsed through my last three passports.

My original visa was a multiple entry O-A based on retirement issued by the Thai consulate in Houston, Texas. While that visa was still valid, I made a number of re-entries into Thailand. Every one of those entry stamps shows the visa class as NON O-A. When that visa expired, I started having to buy re-entry permits. All of my entries based on re-entry permits show the visa class as NON RE.

A year or so later when my passport expired we had to go to Kap Choeng Immigration to have the original visa transferred to the new passport. (At that time there was no Immigration office in Korat. You had to do all Immigration business at Kap Choeng which is in Surin not far from the border with Cambodia.)

The stamp showing the original visa as transferred to my new passport has three different blocks for visa class. All of them show NON RE. I'm not sure if that was a mistake on Immigration's part, or if that's what it's supposed to be. In any event, it saved me quite a bit of money on un-needed health insurance.

[brianks]

I live in Nakhon Si Thammarat and just went for annual Visa Renewal and they told me I now must have Medical Insurance
At 79 no company will issue medical Insurance. Wife says she found one but will cost 100,000 baht annually. This is a new one on me after being here for 12 years.
Anyone have any advise or suggestions for solution or do I just have to bribe the guy at Immigration?

[migrant]

I live in Nakhon Si Thammarat and just went for annual Visa Renewal and they told me I now must have Medical Insurance
At 79 no company will issue medical Insurance. Wife says she found one but will cost 100,000 baht annually. This is a new one on me after being here for 12 years.
Anyone have any advise or suggestions for solution or do I just have to bribe the guy at Immigration?

A friend with some serious medical conditions got some insurance from Matt at AA, a sponsor here, just for his visa and affordable. I use them and they are great. Explain it's only for the visa requirement and perhaps he can help

[REEM]

A reputable insurance company should have a 14 or 30 day cancellation policy, whereby provided you have not made a claim, the policy can be cancelled and a refund obtained, less some admin charges.

This would enable someone to obtain their visa before cancelling the policy.

[brianks]

I can't figure out how to access the Insurance sponsors for the site. Want to contact AA which was recommended.

[brianks]

You can't click on Insurance site to see sponsors. How can I see them?

[Big Boy]

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=15249

[HHTel]

I live in Nakhon Si Thammarat and just went for annual Visa Renewal and they told me I now must have Medical Insurance
At 79 no company will issue medical Insurance. Wife says she found one but will cost 100,000 baht annually. This is a new one on me after being here for 12 years.
Anyone have any advise or suggestions for solution or do I just have to bribe the guy at Immigration?

This only applied to O-A visas until now. Has that changed?

[brianks]

Unfortunately I have an O-A visa that was assigned to me in US when I applied for visa 13 years ago. I had no idea there was any difference in retirement visas. So far everyone has told me that the O-A visa is what the problem is. Were I to have O then no problem. Still working on it.

[PET]

Unfortunately I have an O-A visa that was assigned to me in US when I applied for visa 13 years ago. I had no idea there was any difference in retirement visas. So far everyone has told me that the O-A visa is what the problem is. Were I to have O then no problem. Still working on it.

Having an O visa for retirement means that the govt have some of your cash ( Bht800,000) so they do not think you will go away without paying medical etc etc

[HHTel]

Not necessarily so. The option of monthly income is also available.

[PET]

Not necessarily so. The option of monthly income is also available.

I know that but it still allows Govt to see proven income