Full details of the new OA visa insurance requirements can be found here.
Download an Overseas OA Visa Insurance Certificate – https://longstay.tgia.org/document/overseas_insurance_certificate.pdf
My Pacific Cross agent, Jamie. Contact Jamie at retirecheap.pacificcross@gmail.com and tell him JC sent you!
Getting Non-immigrant O-A Visa Insurance
A Non-immigrant O-A visa is a long-stay visa that can be applied at Thai embassies or consulates overseas. Applicants for one-year retirement visas must be 50 and up. They need police clearance, medical certificate, and now health insurance. They must either show evidence of monthly income of at least 65,000 baht or balance of at least 800,000 baht in their own bank account or Thai bank account for their application to be granted. This visa allows the visa holder to stay in Thailand for one uninterrupted stay from the date of arrival or entry.
The new rule specifies that the applicant or visa holder must have health insurance not be less than 40,000 baht for outpatient and 400,000 baht for inpatient medical fees. Policies can either be purchased from domestic or foreign insurers, but the sum of foreign policies must not be less than the amount stipulated for Thai policies.
By requiring foreign retirees to have health insurance, they can be ensured that they will be taken care of when they get ill and in case of an accident. This measure will solve over 100 million baht fees left unpaid by foreign patients. The measure will prevent foreigners from doing a runner for hospital fees.
The new rules will be applied to those who are applying for the non-immigrant O-A visa from the Thai embassy or consulate in their home countries, for those who enter the country for the first time with non-immigrant O-A visa and those who wish to extend their non-immigrant O-A visas inside Thailand.
Who are NOT required to have OA visa health insurance?
According to the immigration office, only foreign retirees holding non-immigration O-A visa will be affected by the mandatory insurance requirements. These applicants will be required to present their insurance policies with the remaining coverage period for their stay or they would be denied entry or they will be refused a visa extension. According to the immigration order, health insurance is not required for those applying for an extension of stay of a non-immigrant category O visa based on retirement or Thai wife.
Which Thai insurance companies are approved?
Here are some of the insurance companies that the visa applicants may use to obtain their health insurance:
Viriyan Insurance,
Asia Insurance 1950,
Thaivisa Insurance,
Sompo Insurance,
LMG Insurance,
Thai Health Insurance,
Navakij Insurance,
Dhipaya Insurance,
The Falcon Insurance,
Pacific Cross Health Insurance,
AXA Insurance,
AETNA Health Insurance
HERE is a list of all the approved companies.
What are my options if I am not qualified to get OA Visa health insurance?
There are foreign retirees who are not eligible to have health insurance due to old age or due to pre-existing medical conditions. Some immigration offices are now going on a case by case basis and not requiring medical insurance under these circumstances. But are the options that you can do to avoid the health insurance requirement and still obtain the 1-year visa extension:
1. For First Time Applicants
If you are a first-time applicant, you may avoid the health insurance requirement if you apply for the non-immigrant O visa instead of the non-immigrant O-A visa. You will obtain this non-immigrant O visa from the Thai embassy or consulate in your home country or country of residence.
In your visa application, you will state that the purpose of travel is “in view of retirement”.
Keep in mind in some countries, if you are receiving a state pension or Social Security you will automatically qualify for a non-immigrant O visa.
Then you will enter Thailand on this non-immigrant O visa. Once in Thailand you need to prepare the financial requirement of 800,000 THB savings in a Thai bank account. Or an income letter from your embassy if they still issue one. OR you can start the international deposits of 65,000 THB into a Thailand bank account.
During the last 30 days of your permit time to stay, you will apply for the 1-year retirement visa extension.
2. If you are Currently Holding Non-immigrant O-A Visa or O-A Visa Extension
If you are already residing in Thailand and you are currently staying based on a non-immigrant O-A visa or extension of stay, unfortunately you only have one option.
- You have to cancel the current O-A visa or let it expire but make sure to leave Thailand to avoid overstay penalties.
- Then you may choose to return to your home country and apply for the non-immigrant O visa as mentioned in option number 1.
- If you do not plan to travel back to your home country, or choose not to, you may also just travel to a neighboring country of Thailand. Then you’d return as a tourist getting either a tourist visa or arrive getting a visa exempt stamp. So you would return on a 60-day tourist visa or you would return on a 30-day visa exemption.
You might be questioned by the immigration officer upon returning. You should state that you are going to change into a non-immigrant O visa based on retirement. - After returning to Thailand as tourist, you will immediately sort out your Thai bank account to meet the financial requirement.
- After arriving you will apply for the “change of visa”. You will apply for the non-immigrant O visa based on retirement. The process usually takes about two weeks. It is advisable to check with your local immigration office for a complete list of current requirements. Please note that in some immigration offices they will not accept using the monthly income when you change your status from tourist into non-immigrant O visa. Again check with your local immigration office for their specific requirements prior to starting this process.
- Once you have changed to a non-immigrant O visa, you need to wait until you are half-way through the visa or once you are on the last 30 days of the visa before you can apply for the 1-year extension.
You are only required to meet the financial requirement and the proof of address when you apply for the 1-year extension. The medical certificate, police clearance, and health insurance are not required.
3. When you change from Non-immigrant O-A visa to Marriage Visa
There has been cases where the non-immigrant visa or visa extension holder is married to a Thai national. In this case, if you choose you can change to a marriage visa (extension).
The non-immigrant O-A visa or extension will be canceled first.
You must leave Thailand and apply for a new non-immigrant O visa based on marriage from a Thai embassy in one of the neighboring countries of Thailand.
You will re-enter Thailand and arrange all the necessary financial requirements.
Before the expiration of the 90-day non-immigrant visa, you will apply for the 1-year extension based on Thai wife (marriage).
Keep in mind the health insurance requirement is not required for the 1-year marriage visa or extension of stay based on marriage.
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