News Forum - Thailand to require 3 million baht insurance for non- OA immigrant visas

[ThailandBob]

9 minutes ago, AussieBob said:

I believe that you can switch to another type of stay permission (retirement) if you meet those requirements of course (which would include the insurance requirement).

Thanks Bob. I'm still trying to dec[oi]de what  @BlueSphinxis trying to convey. Seems like there is a way forward, but the rules and regulations seem more convoluted than Thai vowels.

Yes that was a regex.

Edited October 20, 2021 by ThailandBob

[Craig]

I’m thinking why don’t all countries require expats to have health insurance?  Why should citizens of that country pay the health bills of the expats who can’t or refuse?  To me, it not a matter of wanting farang here or not wanting farang here.  It’s about being insured so your health bills are paid by YOU.  

[DwizzleyMatthews]

5 minutes ago, Craig said:

I’m thinking why don’t all countries require expats to have health insurance?  Why should citizens of that country pay the health bills of the expats who can’t or refuse?  To me, it not a matter of wanting farang here or not wanting farang here.  It’s about being insured so your health bills are paid by YOU.  

I don’t think anyone is disputing that, I think the issue is only a small number of expats have been hit for the second time with this mandatory health insurance ……… and the remainder are worried that they will be next .

 

I would say many here don’t have insurance purely because they are not forced to have it, if they were forced to have it I think many would not complain ……….. providing the premiums are in line with the policies of course .

Edited October 20, 2021 by DwizzleyMatthews

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, Faz said:

You applied to extend your permission of stay, a permit, not a Visa.

Well said @Faz . I do wish people would  use the correct terminology. I know it’s confusing and people make legitimate mistakes. But I get tired of people saying “I have a retirement visa”. You don’t. You have a visa such as a Non-O for which your permission to stay is extended on the basis of retirement. People turn up and say “I’ve got a 30 day visa”. What they mean is they got 30 day entry as part of a visa waiver scheme. They don’t have a visa at all. I can forgive your average tourist making these kind of mistakes, and in loose general discussions use of the phrase “marriage visa” is ok, but  when discussions take place over policy decisions, terminology which in turn leads to definition of visas are important. 
 

Those who do this kind of thing, consider yourself told off

[ThailandBob]

4 minutes ago, Craig said:

I’m thinking why don’t all countries require expats to have health insurance?  Why should citizens of that country pay the health bills of the expats who can’t or refuse?  To me, it not a matter of wanting farang here or not wanting farang here.  It’s about being insured so your health bills are paid by YOU.  

Because some of us pay as we go. I don't expect anything from anybody. Just don't try to fleece me, and that is what this is all about. 

 

There was mention a while back, that the expat can park ฿3M in a savings account if they were not insurable or chose not to subscribe to yearly fleecing. What happened to that idea?

[Soidog]

17 minutes ago, AussieBob said:

It is not 'safe' if the Junta stays in place IMO.  If there is a change in 2023 then things will IMO go back towards welcoming Farangs to stay - especially if they marry a Thai and support a family. Until the next coup comes around of course. My advice is to never buy property in Thailand unless you are happy to walk away from it in the future - because everything is so uncertain in Thailand.     

Yes I couldn’t agree more. I’d go one step further mate and say - Never take anything to Thailand that you can afford to walk away from. - Any asset bought in Thailand, be it a house (condo), car, motorbike, even clothes. Be prepared to walk. The only thing you ever need to keep close to you is your passport and a credit card to pay for a flight out. The rest of the time, play the game, enjoy what you can of an amazing country. Don’t take it all too seriously (ultimately non of it counts anyway!). And don’t let all the nonsense stress you too much. 

[BlueSphinx]

3 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Well said @Faz . I do wish people would  use the correct terminology. I know it’s confusing and people make legitimate mistakes. But I get tired of people saying “I have a retirement visa”. You don’t. You have a visa such as a Non-O for which your permission to stay is extended on the basis of retirement. People turn up and say “I’ve got a 30 day visa”. What they mean is they got 30 day entry as part of a visa waiver scheme. They don’t have a visa at all. I can forgive your average tourist making these kind of mistakes, and in loose general discussions use of the phrase “marriage visa” is ok, but  when discussions take place over policy decisions, terminology which in turn leads to definition of visas are important. 
 

Those who do this kind of thing, consider yourself told off

Unfortunately you will be considered a pedantic a$$hole when advocating the need for correct terminology when discussing complex thai Visa/Immigration issues.  But that does not make it less important to be precise when looking for answers on how to navigate the Thai Visa jungle...

[ThailandBob]

19 minutes ago, Soidog said:

However, my feeling is that the amount retired ex-pats contribute is relatively small in the overall economy?

I thought that too. But my Thai wife who is from 60km north of Chiang Rai thinks we should be living on ฿300/day. No way, José! Not even close! Expats, especially older expats, churn the local economy. We drive cars, not motorbikes, we use aircon, we have villas with swimming pools, we hire domestic help, etcetera. Yes, we help the Thai economy.

[Soidog]

1 minute ago, ThailandBob said:

I thought that too. But my Thai wife who is from 60km north of Chiang Rai thinks we should be living on ฿300/day. No way, José! Not even close! Expats, especially older expats, churn the local economy. We drive cars, not motorbikes, we use aircon, we have villas with swimming pools, we hire domestic help, etcetera. Yes, we help the Thai economy.

I think you have a good one there @ThailandBob . Most people I know have partners who think they should be spending 30,000 baht a day .  Maybe I mix with the wrong crowd, but with the exception of a handful of people, the expats I know either rent a property or built one for about 1-2million baht years ago when they moved out to Thailand. No swimming pool and no home help. They have a 10 year old pick-up they also bought when they moved out and have had their electricity meters fooled so they pay less than half what they should for their aircon . 

[Soidog]

8 minutes ago, BlueSphinx said:

Unfortunately you will be considered a pedantic a$$hole when advocating the need for correct terminology when discussing complex thai Visa/Immigration issues.  But that does not make it less important to be precise when looking for answers on how to navigate the Thai Visa jungle...

well there’s a time and a place for being accurate. There are some members (well only one actually!) on this forum who have a habit of picking up on every small detail or loose comment. However, when it comes to a scary headline like this (deliberately by the way) and there are members trying to get clarity on the situation, it’s only right that the correct terminology is used. 
 

I’ve lost count the number of times I sit around a breakfast table or bar and hear the inevitable tales of visas being discussed. I hear all kinds of wrong advice and information being given out. I wouldn’t even regard myself as particularly knowledgable on such matters of visas etc, but even I know most of what is said is just BS. 
 

Anyway, must go. I’ve got to apply for my marriage visa and get an extension on my Thai driving license I got when I came on a two week holiday

[ThailandBob]

5 minutes ago, Soidog said:

think you have a good one there @ThailandBob

Agreed. She knows the deal...I'm truly retired and she's living in reality about that.

Trying to follow the 300 baht per day limit but I go over budget by 11 am. Somewhere in the twain we meet. 

[Gavinski]

I have had several Retirement Visas issued by the Canberra Embassy pre Covid. I am wondering what the insurance requirements for a 90 day tourist visa, will be. We usually travel back to Oz every 3 months or so anyway and the insurance requirements for Retirement Visa may now be too expensive. Really want to come back for a least shorter visits.

[Soidog]

4 minutes ago, ThailandBob said:

Trying to follow the 300 baht per day limit but I go over budget by 11 am.

Made me smile that comment.

Well you need to stop going to expensive coffee shops, refrain from buying that nice looking cheesecake or wake up at 11:01

[Soidog]

Just now, Gavinski said:

I have had several Retirement Visas issued by the Canberra Embassy pre Covid

No you haven’t mate. You’ve had a non immigrant visa issued based on the criteria of marriage. 

[BlueSphinx]

15 minutes ago, Gavinski said:

I have had several Retirement Visas issued by the Canberra Embassy pre Covid. I am wondering what the insurance requirements for a 90 day tourist visa, will be. We usually travel back to Oz every 3 months or so anyway and the insurance requirements for Retirement Visa may now be too expensive. Really want to come back for a least shorter visits.

When visiting Thailand on shorter visits as you plan to do, there is NO need to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa or a 1-year ME Non Imm O-A Visa.  When entering Thailand VisaExempt you will be stamped in for a 30-days permission to stay (unclear whether the current 45 days permission to stay from such entry has been 'normalized' to 30 days again).  And when entering Thailand on a 60-day Tourist Visa you will be stamped in for a 60 days permission to stay.  Both of these entries can be easily extended for an additional 30 days at ANY Thai Immigration Office (cost 1.900 THB). 

If you want to stay longer than the 30+30 or 60+30 days the above provides you, you currently - with current border restrictions in place - can apply for an easy 60-day Covid-extension at any local Thai Immigration Office.  As long as border restrictions are in place it is as good as certain that Thai Immigration will keep on providing such 60-day covid-19 extensions.  And once border-restrictions are lifted, it would be a simple matter of doing a quick same-day border-run that will provide you with a new 30-day permission to stay Visa Exempt entry (which can be extended again for 30 days if needed). 

Please note that when entering Thailand VisaExempt (without a Visa) or on a 60-day Tourist Visa that you would need to:

#1 - subscribe to +100.000 US $ covid-19 coverage insurance for the period of the initial permission to stay you would receive on entry (i.e 30, 45 or 60 days - see higher).  And note that when flying Emirates such covid-19 insurance is provided FREE of charge and included in the ticket-price

#2 - in order to board your plane to Thailand that the airline would want to see an 'outward-bound' flight ticket on a date before your initial permission to stay expires.  Note that you can easily buy cheap 'throw-away' one-way flight-tickets (e.g. Bangkok to HoChi Minh City, or HuaHin to Kualu Lumpur for approx 1.200 THB) to meet that requirement, if your return ticket is on a later date than the inital permission to stay you will receive on entry (i.e. if you intend to extend that initial visit once you are in Thailand).

[poohy]

55 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Well said @Faz . I do wish people would  use the correct terminology. I know it’s confusing and people make legitimate mistakes. But I get tired of people saying “I have a retirement visa”. You don’t. You have a visa such as a Non-O for which your permission to stay is extended on the basis of retirement. People turn up and say “I’ve got a 30 day visa”. What they mean is they got 30 day entry as part of a visa waiver scheme. They don’t have a visa at all. I can forgive your average tourist making these kind of mistakes, and in loose general discussions use of the phrase “marriage visa” is ok, but  when discussions take place over policy decisions, terminology which in turn leads to definition of visas are important. 
 

Those who do this kind of thing, consider yourself told off

Careful

There's a immigration officer i know who calls it a retirement visa 

Mostly its just semantics i renew my 'whatever' each year i have absolutely no idea what number or letter or name the extension /(renewal now does not that sound  better) applies to, my agent arranged it about 6 years ago when i came of a WP and closed the company (its not the one that needs insurance whatever that is)

It works that's all i know i am longing to try my re entry "whatsit" out 2.5 years without leaving Thailand is way way too long especially from someone who used leave probably 2/3 times a year

Edited October 20, 2021 by poohy

[Gavinski]

Technically O-A Visas but  in my case nothing to do with marriage as my Australian wife had her own O-A visa as well.  Thai Embassy calls it a retirement visa on their website themselves as per link below. But thinking maybe too expensive now with cost of insurance. Hence considering the old 60 day with 30 day extension tourist visa now.

https://canberra.thaiembassy.org/retirement-visa-categories/

[Malc-Thai]

56 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Well said @Faz 
 

Those who do this kind of thing, consider yourself told off

Haha I've learnt so much today I'll be sure to pass this information on to my agent that deals with this..

 

Just kidding guys don't get offended 

[Soidog]

10 minutes ago, poohy said:

There's a immigration officer i know who calls it a retirement visa 

Well they can be forgiven as they seem to know less about the system than a two week tourist

[Gavinski]

Thanks for comments. I have checked the Embassy website myself and I can not find any requisite for insurance under the Tourist Visa. Who know what will happen after November1.  Anyway can't  leave Perth WA at all at present our state is locked up.   

[poohy]

8 minutes ago, Malc-Thai said:

Haha I've learnt so much today I'll be sure to pass this information on to my agent that deals with this..

Just kidding guys don't get offended 

But What happens if your agent is an IMO?

i suppose the ideal solution would be for his wife to be an insurance agent

Anyway

It will sort itself out or be sorted out , or certainly can be sorted out in time, no need to worry

[Griff1315]

There is nothing that cannot be sorted our at the immigration office with the use of good cold cash. Heals all eliminates problems all in an envelope. Quite magical really....

[koute]

lol at tourism... look at russia.. covid is back baby and ready for takeover.

go corona go corona gogo

delta + rules

[Soidog]

11 minutes ago, koute said:

lol at tourism... look at russia.. covid is back baby and ready for takeover.

go corona go corona gogo

delta + rules

Not just Russia. Another main market for tourists in Thailand is the U.K.  Numbers here are rising and a call for restrictions to be reimposed. The rise is due to the fact the U.K. removed all restrictions several weeks ago. We are now seeing the impact of that. I wonder how long it will be before the U.K. is removed from Thailand’s safe list?
 

At the weekend I went to a shopping centre and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was as if Covid had never existed. Very few people are taking any precautions whatsoever and so now Covid is on the rise again. The same story  will happen in Thailand soon. 

[Bob20]

8 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Not just Russia. Another main market for tourists in Thailand is the U.K.  Numbers here are rising and a call for restrictions to be reimposed. The rise is due to the fact the U.K. removed all restrictions several weeks ago. We are now seeing the impact of that. I wonder how long it will be before the U.K. is removed from Thailand’s safe list?
 

At the weekend I went to a shopping centre and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was as if Covid had never existed. Very few people are taking any precautions whatsoever and so now Covid is on the rise again. The same story  will happen in Thailand soon. 

Yes, but with far fewer vaccinations in Thailand, I think they outcome of the story will be different.