Health Insurance

[marvin1950]

Do I need to show I have health insurance along with Covid-19 coverage when I renew my retirement extension this year?

[tonray]

Only if you are renewing an extension of an original O-A Visa

[marvin1950]

What is the difference betwèen an "O" and an "O-A" Visa?

I got my retirement Visa in Thailand not overseas.

I think if one gets their retirement overseas, one has to show they have health insurance.

 

Edited August 5, 2020 by marvin1950
additional

[ubonjoe]

I think you have a extension of stay (it is not a visa) based upon retirement issued by immigration. That would mean you have a non-o visa entry of some kind. You do not need insurance to apply for it.

A OA visa is only issued by a embassy or official consulate in your home country and it does require health insurance to apply for it or if you extend a one year permit to stay it allowed.

[crazykopite]

If your on extension of stay / retirement the answer is no unless you are currently out of the country then you would require insurance on re entry 

[shinawhat]

I just completed my extension of stay based in retirement during the last week of July....no insurance was required, even though I had documents to show I carry full coverage,,,,,she just returned them to me....also....I have not been out of the country in last 5 years....this may make a difference if you are now just entering.....

[tonray]

29 minutes ago, shinawhat said:

I just completed my extension of stay based in retirement during the last week of July....no insurance was required, even though I had documents to show I carry full coverage,,,,,she just returned them to me....also....I have not been out of the country in last 5 years....this may make a difference if you are now just entering.....

Original Visa : O or O- A ?

What Immigration office ?

[tonray]

47 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

If your on extension of stay / retirement the answer is no unless you are currently out of the country then you would require insurance on re entry 

If your original visa was an OA then not entirely true

[scubascuba3]

40 minutes ago, shinawhat said:

I just completed my extension of stay based in retirement during the last week of July....no insurance was required, even though I had documents to show I carry full coverage,,,,,she just returned them to me....also....I have not been out of the country in last 5 years....this may make a difference if you are now just entering.....

why did you think you needed insurance? there have been a number of scaremongery threads which could mislead people into thinking they need it

[sometimewoodworker]

52 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

why did you think you needed insurance? there have been a number of scaremongery threads which could mislead people into thinking they need it

Many/most immigration offices require people who started with an OA visa at any time to have insurance.
 

Please read information before posting incorrect information.

[scubascuba3]

16 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Many/most immigration offices require people who started with an OA visa at any time to have insurance.
 

Please read information before posting incorrect information.

the person i quoted has an O so your post is irrelevant

[sometimewoodworker]

7 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

the person i quoted has an O so your post is irrelevant

Actually no it isn’t as you didn’t specify that.

[scubascuba3]

3 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Actually no it isn’t as you didn’t specify that.

i was quoting his post and his insurance wasn't needed, keep up

[sometimewoodworker]

5 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

i was quoting his post and his insurance wasn't needed, keep up

You should be keeping up. Some/a very few offices are not requiring insurance for extensions from an original OA visa for retirement, most are. If you are too lazy and omit relevant information and too insular to own up to your missing important points you are demonstrating your poor understanding.

[scubascuba3]

8 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

You should be keeping up. Some/a very few offices are not requiring insurance for extensions from an original OA visa for retirement, most are. If you are too lazy and omit relevant information and too insular to own up to your missing important points you are demonstrating your poor understanding.

if some offices don't always ask for insurance for OA it doesn't help anyone decide what to do. You need insurance for OA not for O, people like yourself confuse things, no wonder some people still think they need insurance for O

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

if some offices don't always ask for insurance for OA it doesn't help anyone decide what to do. You need insurance for OA not for O, people like yourself confuse things, no wonder some people still think they need insurance for O

You are the one confusing things by claiming that your experience is universal and not giving full answers. 

[Peter Denis]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

if some offices don't always ask for insurance for OA it doesn't help anyone decide what to do. You need insurance for OA not for O, people like yourself confuse things, no wonder some people still think they need insurance for O

When already in country, you ONLY need a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy (meeting the 400K/40K coverage for in-patient/out-patient care, and issued by a TGIA associated thai insurer), when applying for the 1-year extension of stay based on that original Non Imm O-A Visa (even if it dates from yesteryear) for reason of RETIREMENT. 

When applying for the 1-year Non Imm O-A extension for another reason (e.g. marriage, dependant child) NO health-insurance is required.

Also at present some Immigration offices like Phuket and Phang Nga officially announced they are not enforcing the health-insurance requirement for Non Imm O-A Visa holders.  They will evaluate that no-enforcement policy somewhere in October, but till then not needed when applying for the 1-year extension at those offices.

Note: There have also been reports of other in-country IOs that did not require the health-insurance when applying for a 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.  Most probably that's because the closed borders do not allow those Visa holders to make a border-run and then apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement on return, and subsequently apply for the 1-year extension of that Non Imm O Visa (with no health-insurance required).

>> It is therefore recommended to enquire at your local IO whether they currently enforce the thai IO-approved Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance, when applying for the 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.    

[JimHuaHin]

15 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Many/most immigration offices require people who started with an OA visa at any time to have insurance.
 

Please read information before posting incorrect information.

Agreed.

 

I completed my NON O-A retirement extension at Hua Hin is early July.  The first and ONLY question asked by the IO checking my documents and the IO who processed the documents was "Do you have health insurance?": the question was asked, and the health insurance document checked.  No special COVID-19 insurance was asked for.

[Max69xl]

On 8/5/2020 at 7:18 AM, marvin1950 said:

What is the difference betwèen an "O" and an "O-A" Visa?

I got my retirement Visa in Thailand not overseas.

I think if one gets their retirement overseas, one has to show they have health insurance.

 

A health insurance for an extension with an initial O-A Visa is not same as a Covid-19 insurance which is only needed if you enter the country at the moment on repatriation flights. 

[Max69xl]

1 hour ago, JimHuaHin said:

Agreed.

 

I completed my NON O-A retirement extension at Hua Hin is early July.  The first and ONLY question asked by the IO checking my documents and the IO who processed the documents was "Do you have health insurance?": the question was asked, and the health insurance document checked.  No special COVID-19 insurance was asked for.

The Covid-19 insurance is only needed when entering the country on repatriation flights. 

[4MyEgo]

On 8/5/2020 at 9:39 AM, marvin1950 said:

Do I need to show I have health insurance along with Covid-19 coverage when I renew my retirement extension this year?

With regard to health insurance, Covid-19 would normally be part of a policy, (always check with any insurer if a policy you intend obtaining covers Covid-19, which it should. I will add, private health insurance should be on the top of your list if you are living here in my opinion, others are fine with the government hospitals, each to their own of course, my budget allows for private health insurance, and I feel more comfortable having private cover.

 

Not sure if it is required with your extension, that part, I will leave to the other TVF members to answer for you.

[Sheryl]

The COVID insurance requirement is solely for entering the country during the current COVID restrictions. Nothing to do with in-country extensions of stay.

 

 

[JimGant]

On 8/5/2020 at 4:44 PM, scubascuba3 said:

the person i quoted has an O

From his input, you have no way of knowing that. You could assume it, from the fact he didn't need insurance for his latest extension. But, we also have examples of a few lucky buggers, who originally entered on O-A visas, but didn't require insurance for their latest extension. Would be nice to know if the person you quoted was also a lucky <deleted>.....

[scubascuba3]

50 minutes ago, JimGant said:

From his input, you have no way of knowing that. You could assume it, from the fact he didn't need insurance for his latest extension. But, we also have examples of a few lucky buggers, who originally entered on O-A visas, but didn't require insurance for their latest extension. Would be nice to know if the person you quoted was also a lucky <deleted>.....

Just get an O then you don't have to worry about being lucky or not