Health Insurance to enter Thailand

[Blueskytoday]

Can one obtain the USD$100,000 health insurance REQUIRED in order to enter Thailand, at the TH airport before passport control?? Very difficult to obtain such a policy for me from the USA...I am curious..Thanks...By the way, NO other country that I know of requires any insurance at all to enter....

[Manforallseasons]

This company sells this coverage: https://www.aainsure.net/index.html

[goji]

Can one obtain the USD$100,000 health insurance REQUIRED in order to enter Thailand, at the TH airport before passport control?? Very difficult to obtain such a policy for me from the USA...I am curious..Thanks...By the way, NO other country that I know of requires any insurance at all to enter....

With the covid rules, some airlines check documents before you board.

Last time I looked, you need a COE to enter Thailand and that is one of the documents they check.

To get the COE, you need the covid insurance.

Therefore, without the insurance, there is a very good chance you cannot even board the plane to Thailand, never mind get through Thai immigration.


AXA Thailand sell the insurance online. Very efficient.

[aot871]

My normal travel insurance covers me for much more than is required so I can't see any point in buying more .

[Blueskytoday]

Well I see the insurance purchase is easy...but I will not travel there until they cease requirement for the COE...I am not going thru all this crap..
Will just wait until not required...THANKS for the info...

[Old git]

Well I see the insurance purchase is easy...but I will not travel there until they cease requirement for the COE...I am not going thru all this crap..
Will just wait until not required...THANKS for the info...

I don't think the Thai government has any real understanding of the tourist sector. For years they've pretended it didn't matter. Now (I think..) they realise it does, but I don't think they've yet clocked that to get tourists back they now need to throw out the red carpet and make a real effort to show that it's business as usual again.

They may well have deluded themselves that the drop in ASQ from 14 to 7 days is all that is needed to get volume tourism back, but I predict that the impact on airfare bookings will be minimal.

I doubt they'll realise the extent of what is needed to restore tourism in time for Nov 1st, but I suspect that come November, a lot of Caribbean nations will be spending heavily to get tourists back, and that that will not go unnoticed in the LoS..

[Brad the Impala]

Can one obtain the USD$100,000 health insurance REQUIRED in order to enter Thailand, at the TH airport before passport control?? Very difficult to obtain such a policy for me from the USA...I am curious..Thanks...By the way, NO other country that I know of requires any insurance at all to enter....

Are you completely senile?!

You posted these exact same comments/question on:

18th November
23rd November
2nd December
5th December
10th March
12th March
22nd March
25th March
13th May
17th June
30th June
26th July
And again now.

Multiple people have answered your question, as others have again here. How long before you ask the question again! Do you never read the answers that people provide you with? It has also been pointed out both that the cost of a policy is miniscule compared to the cost of your ticket, and that Thailand is far from the only country that requires this. You were even provided with a list of other countries that required similar policies. Yet still you moan on about it...............

[christianpfc]

Well I see the insurance purchase is easy...but I will not travel there until they cease requirement for the COE...I am not going thru all this crap...
My position is similar. The conditions of Phuket Sandbox are acceptable for me, but I loathe the COE and will wait for the next round of easing of entry requirements, which hopefully abolish the COE. Another point is awful flight connections from Phnom Penh (where I am now) to Thailand, 300 USD and > 5 h including change of airplane in Singapore.

[goji]

Practically, the COE isn't a big problem. Last year, I applied online and got it less than half a day.

The bigger problem was all the other requirements -quarantine (at the time), covid scam insurance & PCR testing before travel.

So if they abolished the COE and kept everything else, it wouldn't make much difference for me.
If they abolished all the other restrictions, that would be improvement.

[Old git]

Practically, the COE isn't a big problem. Last year, I applied online and got it less than half a day.

The bigger problem was all the other requirements -quarantine (at the time), covid scam insurance & PCR testing before travel.

So if they abolished the COE and kept everything else, it wouldn't make much difference for me.
If they abolished all the other restrictions, that would be improvement.

Practically, only the die hard semi ex-pats will contemplate jumping through any hoops at all - regular tourists looking for winter sun will go wherever full normality has been restored.

[arsenal]

Let's move away from the idea that any old winter sun is a replacement for Thailand. It isn't, and proof is provided here daily by our obsession on getting there.

One month in a normally operating Thailand or two in another country. Which would you pick? I'd take the Thailand option every single time.

[Old git]

Let's move away from the idea that any old winter sun is a replacement for Thailand. It isn't, and proof is provided here daily by our obsession on getting there.

One month in a normally operating Thailand or two in another country. Which would you pick? I'd take the Thailand option every single time.

Yes - but you are not everyone. I'd hazard that the majority of tourists are not people who return to the same place every year, so if the LoS is even remotely obstructive, they'll go somewhere else.

[goji]

Let's move away from the idea that any old winter sun is a replacement for Thailand. It isn't, and proof is provided here daily by our obsession on getting there.

One month in a normally operating Thailand or two in another country. Which would you pick? I'd take the Thailand option every single time.



By the way, NO other country that I know of requires any insurance at all to enter....

Considering other countries, well the best alternatives I've been to are Cambodia, Myanmar and The Philippines, but Thailand beats them. Laos is very quiet, possibly as most of the working Laos guys go to Thailand.

Then Bluseskytoday refers to only Thailand needing insurance.
Well, the last time I looked, all the alternative ASEAN countries were not allowing tourists in at all. So it's a comparison between needing insurance and not being allowed in.
Then even if you manage to blag a business visa for Cambodia, there is now some kind of covid insurance requirement, or at least a threat of it.

If you gave me the option of 1 month in Thailand, or 2 months in a single other country, I'd probably take the 2 months in The Philippines or Cambodia first. The food in Myanmar is too poor to consider a longer stay, but the boys would attract me back for a shorter visit, at least before the junta resumed control.

I have yet to explore Bali, as back when I was working, I didn't want utilize my limited holiday allowance going there during the rainy season. The plan was to try a summer trip there in 2020, but covid intervened.

[gerefan2]

Practically, only the die hard semi ex-pats will contemplate jumping through any hoops at all - regular tourists looking for winter sun will go wherever full normality has been restored.

Not in my case. Jumped the hoops last year and will do again next month.
I know there are others too.

[Manforallseasons]

Not in my case. Jumped the hoops last year and will do again next month.
I know there are others too.

Would you still come if the entertainment venues were still closed with only 2 serving food and no alcohol till 9PM?

[goji]

Would you still come if the entertainment venues were still closed with only 2 serving food and no alcohol till 9PM?


I'll compare all the options and choose the best. I welcome the suggestion of sensible alternatives.

Southern Europe will not be warm enough & lacks cute available boys. Easy paperwork. I might go there for a week, but not the whole winter.

Latin America has too much mugging risk for my liking and the boys on the phone apps do not appeal. I shall probably go there one day, but it will be a 2~3 2week sampler to start with, not a 3 month winter break.

Most other SE Asian countries are completely closed.

So we have Thailand. Even if the bars close at 9:00 pm and we have to pretend the drinks are non-alcoholic, everything else seems to compare well with the limited list of alternatives. Besides, Thailand seems to be on a cycle of relaxing restrictions & whilst nothing is certain, I guess there might be fewer restrictions by January than now.

I'm also not reading reports of any expats on this board leaving Thailand. So they must have also concluded it's the best option, right ?

I expect to be in Thailand in about 2 months time.

[gerefan2]

Would you still come if the entertainment venues were still closed with only 2 serving food and no alcohol till 9PM?

I have always said that one of the conditions of my coming to Thailand is that bars are open.

Some of the boys I speak to have already confirmed (quietly) that this process has already started.

[Manforallseasons]

I have always said that one of the conditions of my coming to Thailand is that bars are open.

Some of the boys I speak to have already confirmed (quietly) that this process has already started.

On a positive note daily infections continue to drop and the country has in a short time become awash with vaccines.

[Ruthrieston]

At perhaps 31% of the population vaccinated, I think "awash" is rather wishful thinking.

[Manforallseasons]

At perhaps 31% of the population vaccinated, I think "awash" is rather wishful thinking.

More data: https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/thailand/

[Old git]

At perhaps 31% of the population vaccinated, I think "awash" is rather wishful thinking.

The point is that the vaccines are now readily available - take up is a matter for personal choice.

[aot871]

Have just been reading on line regarding the Thai insurance needed to enter the country and most only allow people 74 and under to obtain it .My own travel insurance issued by my UK bank covers all up to 81 yes old .I'm 75 and fit ,so wonder if the thais will let me in next Yr if the conditions change

[Oliver2]

.

I've just checked and it is true that the insurance offered by the Thai company on the website is only offered to under 75s. My bank insurance is far more financially generous than that and so I'm hopeful that it will be acceptable. Many UK companies don't offer foreign travel insurance beyond 75 or even 70. My friend struggled to find insurance for a trip to Europe when he was 72.

[Gaybutton]

Sometimes it seems as if Thailand, so desperate to rebuild its tourism industry, constantly stands in the way of tourists going to Thailand and always seems to make things more difficult. To the best of my knowledge it is true that the Thai companies will not insure anyone over 75 and the insurance must be issued by a Thai company. Non-Thai companies are not accepted. They also will not let you self-insure no matter how much money you have. You could have more money than Bill Gates, but you are still subject to Thailand's insurance laws. If you are unable to meet Thailand's insurance requirements, you may not be able to travel to Thailand at all.

Meanwhile, they're not making it any easier for farang expats living in Thailand, even those who have been in Thailand many years. Those retired on the O-A visa also must meet insurance requirements, but some are also too old to be eligible for any - and this includes some people I know who have lived in Thailand longer than I have. Several of my acquaintances are very worried and getting desperate as the clock continues ticking toward their current visa expiration. Even Thai attorneys who specialize in immigration issues have told them they essentially are fucked if nothing changes and they need to be making plans to end their stays in Thailand. Some have fully established their lives here and have nowhere to go. Fine thing to do to people at their age.

I have no suggestions for them. I wish I did. But I do have suggestions for any of you contemplating retiring in Thailand. First, whatever you do, do NOT get the retirement visa outside of Thailand. If you do, it will be the dreaded O-A visa and you'll be in the same predicament. Get your retirement visa in Thailand. That will be the O visa and you'll be safe from these worries - at least so far. And whatever kind of health insurance you get, whether from a Thai company or not, make sure to get coverage that is renewable for life, not one of these kinds that won't insure you past 75 or 80 years old.

[christianpfc]

Practically, the COE isn't a big problem. Last year, I applied online and got it less than half a day.

The bigger problem was all the other requirements -quarantine (at the time), covid scam insurance & PCR testing before travel.

So if they abolished the COE and kept everything else, it wouldn't make much difference for me.
If they abolished all the other restrictions, that would be improvement.
By COE, I mean the documents required to obtain it, i.e. advance hotel payment, advance Covid test payment, insurances, committing to a flight.

That one never made sense. Even before Covid, I had to submit flight details before applying for a visa for Thailand. However, I could have taken another flight and still be admitted, but not now. I like the idea that I can go any flight or land border crossing and enter the country.

[jimnbkk]

Before COVID I was visiting LOS for two months twice a year. The process of getting the visa was relatively simple at the Embassy here in Washington D.C. I will wait (not patiently) until the process reverts to the easy-peasy days of pre-COVID. January?

[aot871]

If as gaybutton says and I don't disbelieve him,. it seems under the current rules I not allowed to travel to thailand .I just have to hope that they change the rules and regs next year . In the mean time I might have to think of phoning the Thai embassy in London to ask about UK insurance

[goji]

Sometimes it seems as if Thailand, so desperate to rebuild its tourism industry, constantly stands in the way of tourists going to Thailand and always seems to make things more difficult. To the best of my knowledge it is true that the Thai companies will not insure anyone over 75 and the insurance must be issued by a Thai company. Non-Thai companies are not accepted. They also will not let you self-insure no matter how much money you have. You could have more money than Bill Gates, but you are still subject to Thailand's insurance laws. If you are unable to meet Thailand's insurance requirements, you may not be able to travel to Thailand at all.

Regarding the $100,000 Covid insurance for TOURISTS, I'm not aware of any requirement that the insurance is provided by a Thai company. In fact, I know of cases where people were admitted with insurance issued by French and German insurers in 2020, reported on the Facebook ASQ page.

There ARE websites that say the expat insurance has to be by a Thai company but there is no such requirement for tourist insurance. However, I've not yet done a deep dive to verify that.
At my age, it's not top of the list of problems, but I don't think anyone over 75 should be put off without doing a little more research.

I agree entirely on the self insurance point. You don't exactly have to be Bill Gates to self insure for $100,000 either, although I would have thought anyone with under (say) $5million might prefer proper insurance, rather than self insurance (& that is probably most of us).

[Manforallseasons]

The Thai Embassy on how and why to obtain Covid insurance:
https://www.thaiembassy.com/travel-to-thailand/covid-19-insurance-for-thailand

[aot871]

A friend has just told me that if u use a non Thai company it is up to the Thai embassy to accept or not

[billyhouston]

As someone who will turn 75 (early) next year, I have been looking at the options. One way seems to be the 20-year Elite Visa for Bht 1,000,000. I have been assured that this Visa does not require health insurance but I worry this could change. It's not much more than keeping Bht 800,000 in an account but, of course, the million Baht is gone for ever.

[goji]

As someone who will turn 75 (early) next year, I have been looking at the options. One way seems to be the 20-year Elite Visa for Bht 1,000,000.

Effectively there are two branches to this topic, with a VERY different set of options.
1 Health insurance to enter Thailand as a tourist
2 Health insurance to enter Thailand to reside in Thailand.

Discussing the two in one thread without distinction is going to lead to confusion.

I suspect the opening poster was asking about entering Thailand as a tourist, since someone unwilling to do a COE is hardly going to jump through the hoops required to become an expat.

Perhaps the thread ought to be split.

[billyhouston]

Yes, I should have made clear that I was not talking about COVID insurance. Having said that, COVID insurance is available at 75 and over, whereas Health Insurance can be quite a problem. Life in Thailand is becoming increasingly difficult for those of 'mature' years and, as it stands at present, the Elite Visa may be the only option if the Non-Imm type O were to require health insurance. One can but hope that never happens.

[francois]

Regarding Covid Insurance to enter Thailand in the amount of $100,000 USD; here is website recommended on aesianow.com by ubonjoe (expert).

https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/product_detail

Available up to 99 years old. Cost is not dependent on age but on length of stay from 4800 THB for 30 days to 43,200 THB for one year.

[Moses]

A friend has just told me that if u use a non Thai company it is up to the Thai embassy to accept or not

It depends on what exactly assistance company is serving your insurance police. If assistance has office in Thailand then your chances to get paper for to get on plan is about 100%. At least here it works like a charm. A lot of Russians already bought tours to Thailand for New Year holidays: Thailand and Egypt are two countries with "summer weather and sea" where is possible to get now easy. Also Cuba, but flight is long to much.

[Oliver2]

Here is the relevant paragraph from the Thai Embassy website.

"Unlike the mandatory health insurance for retirees, the COVID-19 insurance may be provided by an international insurance provider or by Thailand-based insurance providers. One of the COVID-19 insurance providers is AXA Thailand. They provide Inbound Travel Insurance for those who wish to secure Travel Insurance that covers COVID-19 as required for inbound travellers."

[bkkguy]

Here is the relevant paragraph from the Thai Embassy website.

perhaps the more relevant paragraph from the Thai Embassy website is:


ThaiEmbassy.com is not the official site of the Royal Thai Embassy and is not affiliated with the government of Thailand

and interested readers should continue on and read the rest of their Disclaimer page!

of course, I am not in any way suggesting that their choice of domain name "ThaiEmbassy.com" is in any way meant to be misleading, and I am sure most people who visit, recommend or quote from the web site understand the nature of its commercial operations and still consider their content worth passing on

and while I am not in any way suggesting that this web site is in any way making undeclared income from their recommendation of certain insurance companies, remember that it is always possible to contact the insurer directly rather than clicking on links on commercial web sites that may contain affiliate links

[christianpfc]

I was going to say the same as above. The address is (deliberately?) misleading, but no embassy would write things like:



Thai immigration officials are notoriously fastidious when it comes to paperwork,...
Although this could be seen as another opportunity to make some easy profits for the insurers...
Whilst it may seem like just yet another hassle for beleaguered foreigners wanting to enter the country,...


The public health ministry of Thailand has quoted a figure for unpaid hospital bills of 448 million Baht ($14.9M) for the year up to September 2019, a huge sum.
Negligible compared to the entire income from tourism. I never understood why politics enters economy. It's the business owner's duty to make sure he gets paid. There is no insurance for unpaid restaurant or hotel bills.

[bkkguy]

There is no insurance for unpaid restaurant or hotel bills.

you had to go and point this out didn't you!

should we start a quick straw poll on when some aspiring official will recommend this as a potential new policy to help rebuild the tourism sector?

[gerefan2]

Regarding Covid Insurance to enter Thailand in the amount of $100,000 USD; here is website recommended on aesianow.com by ubonjoe (expert).

https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/product_detail

Available up to 99 years old. Cost is not dependent on age but on length of stay from 4800 THB for 30 days to 43,200 THB for one year.

That site wants 12100 baht for a 90 day trip
AXA wants 7400 baht!

Haven’t read any of the small print but if it’s just for covid....

[goji]

That site wants 12100 baht for a 90 day trip
AXA wants 7400 baht!

I paid approx 7500 baht for 90 days of AXA covid insurance in 2020, despite being in a different (cheaper) age band .

I've just been quoted £233 (THB 10760) for a what looks like a proper 120 day insurance, with £5 million of medical cover, including covid and they seem amenable to writing a letter saying it includes covid medical cover exceeding $100,000. (Travel Time Travel insurance).

However, it has been suggested that a 90 day O-visa is not eligible for a 30 day extension, so that part need researching first, before I do an "up to 120 days" itinerary.

[francois]

That site wants 12100 baht for a 90 day trip
AXA wants 7400 baht!

Haven’t read any of the small print but if it’s just for covid....

I believe AXA limits age to 75 yo?

[Oliver2]

Yes....as an experiment I tried to book. Strangely enough, my Lloyds Bank insurance , underwritten by AXA, allows travel up to 80 years of age.

[a447]

I intend to rely on the travel insurance attatched to my credit card.

[gerefan2]

I believe AXA limits age to 75 yo?

The Thai AXA site requires you to be 74 or under on the date of departure.

So not much use for some.

[youneverknow]

Coverage for Covid insurance:

Tipinsure: 3.200.000 Baht
https://covid19.tgia.org/ 3.200.000 Baht
Axa Sawatdee Thailand 3.500.000 Baht

Is the requirement actually 100.000 $ or is it 3.200.000 Baht? That was the same last december, but not anymore, now it is about 95.000$.
3.500.000 is roughly 103.000 $, currently enough, but how will the exchange rate be in 1 month?

Also would be nice to have a Covid insurance that covers:
- hospital costs if asymptomatic
- unexpected quarantine when someone else on the plane gets testet positive (i guess we will have to live with this)

[francois]

The Thai AXA site requires you to be 74 or under on the date of departure.

So not much use for some.

Regrettably not of use to me!

[goji]

Also would be nice to have a Covid insurance that covers:
- hospital costs if asymptomatic
- unexpected quarantine when someone else on the plane gets testet positive (i guess we will have to live with this)

I contacted AXA about hospital costs if asymptomatic before my last trip. They said yes, no, yes and then when I and others contacted them yet again, formally confirmed it WAS covered. That was 2020, so do check again if planning to use it.

There was the other little problem where certain people were sent off to hospital after an "inconclusive" test last year. As reported on the Facebook ASQ page. I'm not quite sure what happened there.

[aot871]

Yes....as an experiment I tried to book. Strangely enough, my Lloyds Bank insurance , underwritten by AXA, allows travel up to 80 years of age.

I'm with Barclays and its the same for me

[Patanawet]

Forgive me if I've written this before.
The proposed 500 Baht 'landing charge' will probably not put tourists off BUT the $100,000 dollar Covid insurance will.
A few years ago, Thailand imposed a surcharge on entering of something like 300 Baht which was to cover Farang who left Thai hospitals here without paying their bills.
This again would be preferable to paying exorbitant fees to insurance companies (owned by General(s) ***?

[Blueskytoday]

No problem..I have written about it several times....PUTS ME OFF...the Covid Insurance $100,000 coverage....I have not seen anyother country
which requires this madness, if there is...only a couple....another dumb TH rule....

[Moses]

No problem..I have written about it several times....PUTS ME OFF...the Covid Insurance $100,000 coverage....I have not seen anyother country
which requires this madness, if there is...only a couple....another dumb TH rule....

Is it really costly?
Here 30 days with $100,000 coverage costs $85 total for 60 yo, option "COVID" costs additional $0.3 per day for vaccinated person and $1.5 per day for non vaccinated.

[goji]

Is it really costly?
Here 30 days with $100,000 coverage costs $85 total for 60 yo, option "COVID" costs additional $0.3 per day for vaccinated person and $1.5 per day for non vaccinated.

As a percentage of my total holiday bill, it is not costly.

In terms of value for money, it is terrible. I figured that out last year by calculating the odds of a claim and multiplying by the hospital bill. Sure enough, The Bangkok Post confirmed they were paying out something ridiculously low like 2~3% of premiums per month. Bear in mind most policies wouldn't go past 3 months, as most visitors will be on 60 or 90 day visas. So ~10% paid out. Any kind of insurance policy where they pay out less than 10% of premiums is a scam.

However, will it stop me going to Thailand ? Absolutely not, when alternatives like Cambodia are closed and have some kind of insurance requirement of their own.

[Brad the Impala]

To be honest any sensible person travels with an insurance policy. I've had an annual policy that covers both me and my partner for many years. It covers us in the event of actual covid sickness, as any decent policy would, and up to a limit much in excess of that required by Thai policy. Therefore there is no need to take out an additional policy. If your travel policy doesn't already cover this you are on the wrong policy and may just have gone thoughtlessly for the cheapest option. You get what you pay for!

All you whiners about this issue should be looking in the mirror. There is nothing wrong in a third world country requiring people to have health cover to protect their public hospitals from unpaid for treatment for visitors. There is no analogy with guests leaving a restaurant with their bill unpaid. The protection is needed against visitors having weeks or months of treatment and then dying with their bills unpaid.

There are many things wrong with Thailand, but trying to protect their own public health service for the benefit of their own poorer population isn't one of them. And their poorer population are much poorer than those visitors being asked to ensure that their own costs are covered.

Even in the UK(nominally a First World Country) the NHS is not generally free for tourists.

Just for Bluskytoday please find(again) a list of countries, many of them "first world" countries that require proof of travel insurance from tourists.

https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-faqs/which-countries-require-travel-insurance/

[Dodger]

To be honest any sensible person travels with an insurance policy.

I totally agree.

I couldn't imagine wanting to travel to a foreign country without making sure that I was protected, especially in the middle of a pandemic.

I have a friend in the hospital over here right now with covid & pneumonia. Fortunately he's well insured. I don't even want to guess at what the hospital bill will be.

[gerefan2]

I have a friend in the hospital over here right now with covid & pneumonia. Fortunately he's well insured. I don't even want to guess at what the hospital bill will be.
Had he been vaccinated? Have many Farangs caught it?

[Oliver2]

I can't understand this. It's not just a question of Covid but of all the issues and problems that may accrue when you are thousands of miles from home. When my expat friend died in hospital a few years ago, his insurance had, for some reason, fallen into abeyance- I never understood exactly what the problem was- and his last weeks were abjectly miserable. He wasn't even able (I was told) to pay for basic drugs. He died in pain.

Bearing in mind how cheap Thailand is for falang visitors, the cost of up-grading insurance is barely more expensive than a couple of nights of sanuk.

[goji]

Bearing in mind how cheap Thailand is for falang visitors, the cost of up-grading insurance is barely more expensive than a couple of nights of sanuk.

I always have travel insurance. I'm just used to proper policies with far more than $100,000 of cover, sold in a proper competitive market, not by companies making an excessive profit margin.

[gerefan2]

I can't understand this. It's not just a question of Covid but of all the issues and problems that may accrue when you are thousands of miles from home. When my expat friend died in hospital a few years ago, his insurance had, for some reason, fallen into abeyance- I never understood exactly what the problem was- and his last weeks were abjectly miserable. He wasn't even able (I was told) to pay for basic drugs. He died in pain.



Very sad indeed.

But it does go completely contrary to what the Thai Govt keep hammering on about. Unpaid hospital bills.

TiT