Timing of extension renewal and new insurance policy

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I am on O-A based retirement extension. My current extension expires Aug. 22. July 22 is coming up fast and I want to get my health care insurance certificate and extension renewal over with ASAP.

 

Since I want to get this renewal underway around July 22 (30 days before expiry), what will be the starting date of the policy (I'm going for the LMG cheapo package)? Will it be dated around the renewal transaction date or dated for the expiry/renewal date? I ask because I remember some problems in the early days. I suppose the ideal is having the policy date match the new extension expiry date.

 

Anyone have experience on this matter? Thanks.

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Kaoboi Bebobp

[crazykopite]

As long as the LMG cheapo is in the government list of insurance companies to use as I know someone who took insurance out with a none government Insurance and got refused.

[condobrit001]

My understanding is that the insurance policy must be in place at the time of application, so it makes sense to apply for the extension as close to the date of expiry of the old one as possible. If you apply for the extension a month early, it will be valid for eleven months not twelve.

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 minutes ago, condobrit001 said:

My understanding is that the insurance policy must be in place at the time of application, so it makes sense to apply for the extension as close to the date of expiry of the old one as possible. If you apply for the extension a month early, it will be valid for eleven months not twelve.

That is my understanding also, but this fella @Peter Denis can inform better.

[Peter Denis]

9 minutes ago, condobrit001 said:

My understanding is that the insurance policy must be in place at the time of application, so it makes sense to apply for the extension as close to the date of expiry of the old one as possible. If you apply for the extension a month early, it will be valid for eleven months not twelve.

RE the start-date of your LMG Insurance policy (or any other thai IO-approved health-insurance policy to meet IO-requirements). 

Unfortunately there is no clarity on this issue.

Some IOs require that your policy start-date and the start-date of your new 1-year permission to stay are fully aligned.

Others want that the HI-policy starts on the day of application, and still others just want that the policy commences before your new permission to stay will take effect.

The best would of course be to contact your local IO and enquire what practice they follow. 

And in case of no or unclear answer, your best bet would be to have the policy start on the same day as you apply at your local IO for the 1-year extension of stay, and that you do this just 2-3 days before your current permission to stay expires.

The reason to have the policy start as close as possible to the start-date of your new permission to stay is that IO will cap that permission to stay till the 1-year end-date of your HI-policy.  So when applying 3 weeks earlier with an already active HI-policy will make you lose 3 weeks from the normal 1-year permission to stay.

Note: The thai insurers issuing those thai IO-approved policies are aware of the inconsistencies between the various IOs, and will have no problem changing the start-date of your policy on simple request from your side.

 

@Kaoboi Bebobp > I did PM you some additional practical information on where/how to apply for the LMG Insurance Plan 1 policy, including tips/caveats.

[DrJack54]

OP, as pointed out above this is one where you need to check out with you imm office.

There was one report where chap did all his homework had the policy commence on same day he attended io.

His application was refused. Reason is the insurance kicks in late afternoon. He applied am. I kid you not. He went back next day no problem.

Another one was where insurance company did not put his policy onto the data base. Request confirmation of this from insurance company. 

Personally I would have my insurance start day before I attend imm and apply few days before expiry of permission of stay.

[soisanuk]

A close friend applied in June at Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration unaware that because his underlying  Visa was category "OA" that he would be required to have health insurance from one of the Thai companies on the TGIA list. This was because he had entered over 10years ago and he didn't think it applied to renewals.

 

Well he found out that it does. He contacted me from Immigration to confirm it was required as he knew I kept up with Thai Immigration practices at that IO.  I did confirm they were telling him correctly. Further, that although he had health insurance from a company that is listed, it would not qualify as he didn't have outpatient care and he would need to obtain at least 40k baht of such cover. I also mentioned that Chonburi would require it to commence on the date his new permission to stay began (July 4).

 

When he contacted his insurer, they created a new policy to include 40k baht for outpatient cover at a much higher premium of course.  They also excluded some conditions from the outpatient cover that occurred while he had their inpatient cover - much to his chagrin.  They also told him he should have his new policy begin on July 3, one day before his renewal expiration.  He obtained the letter required by Immigration confirming his cover. This was accepted, but his new extension of stay was shortened by one day to July 3, 2021 instead of July 4, 2021. 

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, soisanuk said:

This was accepted, but his new extension of stay was shortened by one day to July 3, 2021 instead of July 4, 2021. 

Which day did he make his application? 

 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Thanks guys and thank you @Peter Denis for the tip sheet! I am registered with Jomtien so, since I have lots of time, I will journey there and ask. I have to do a change of address anyway, which will have to come first in the check list.

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

Thanks guys and thank you @Peter Denis for the tip sheet! I am registered with Jomtien so, since I have lots of time, I will journey there and ask. I have to do a change of address anyway, which will have to come first in the check list.

Can you report back after your visit to Jomtien would be helpful.

Regarding date of your application. Even if you went a week early from you current permission of stay ending, you would only be short changed 7 days for new extension.

The year after that you could attend imm even a month before and have your next policy start on the date of end of your POS. 

Reason to go few days early for this application is just in case some other item needs "fixing up".

[soisanuk]

20 minutes ago, soisanuk said:

A close friend applied in June

 

14 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Which day did he make his application? 

 

As noted it was in June. As most should, he applied early as Chonburi IO allows you to do 30 days in advance of expiration date of latest permission to stay. I went back and checked his email to me on June 18. He was at Immigration on June 17.  He went to his insurer right after he contacted me by phone and left IO.  It took about another week for the paperwork process for insurance as his "new" policy had to be approved before they issued him with a letter for Immigration and his next visit there to get his extension.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

8 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Can you report back after your visit to Jomtien would be helpful.

Regarding date of your application. Even if you went a week early from you current permission of stay ending, you would only be short changed 7 days for new extension.

The year after that you could attend imm even a month before and have your next policy start on the date of end of your POS. 

Reason to go few days early for this application is just in case some other item needs "fixing up".

 

I think now that I will do the extension in early August, just in case of needing a date rewrite/re-issue of the insurance policy, as noted above by Soisanuk reporting on a friend's experience. I will also post an update. 

 

Have to admit the end date of the policy/permission to stay is not so important any more as I will likely have changed country of residence before then. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Kaoboi Bebobp
Fix

[flexomike]

Did my extension of permission to stay from an OA visa at the end of April in Rayong, they required that the insurance policy be if force on the day you go to immigration for your extension, so the earlier you go before your permission to stay expires the more days you will lose. Not like in the past where no matter when you went in it was always one year from previous expiration date, I did mine a week early just in case any issues come up, hoping next year there will be no problem

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I'm rather late in replying but here is the official list of docs needed for the retirement extension at Jomtien. The item marked with a bracket and star is the only reference to the health care policy, which notes the extension end date will be one year out from the insurance policy date. 

 

I ended up deciding to have the policy date start a few days before I made the application for my retirement extension (based on O-A visa). Consequently, my extension expires Aug. 10, 2021. I applied Aug. 13 (with an Aug. 22 expiry). I just felt better about arriving with the policy in-force, the end date not of much importance since this will likely be my last one.

 

Whole application process (docs check) took about 10 minutes and I was out the door at 13:15 with a passport pickup number for the next day at 14:00. I went almost an hour early and my passport was ready to go.