Mandatory health insurance

[Dodger]

My friend months back also went to Queen Sirkit for a physical and was told his blood sugar was “off the charters”...The doctor told his girlfriend in Thai that he was lucky to be alive hence he went to BPH to be retested and was normal

I'm actually hoping the opposite will happen and they'll overlook anything that's really wrong with me and tell me I'm good-to-go...

[Dodger]

GB,

The link below will take you to the THI - Thai Health Insurance website. They apparently offer "Outpatient" polices.

https://www.thailand-health-insurance.c ... utpatient/

[Gaybutton]

The link below will take you to the THI - Thai Health Insurance website. They apparently offer "Outpatient" polices.

Thank you very much. I sent an inquiry to them. I will post after I hear from them.

[Gaybutton]

Once again I thank Travelerjim for alerting me to confirmation that the mandatory medical insurance requirement applies only to O-A visas.

See: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/110251 ... -visa-o-a/

At last - some official word from immigration. For most of us, there is no mandatory health insurance requirement. However, requirement or not, in my opinion it is foolish to live in a foreign country without any kind of health insurance.

I also believe that while there is no health insurance requirement for O visas, sooner or later that day will come.

If you still are not sure which type of retirement visa you hold, read the article and/or see: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9716&start=50#p93787

[Dodger]

If I interpret this release correctly (and I have no idea if I am), those (like myself) who obtained an O-A in their home country and then extended it for retirement purposes a year later will not have to show proof of insurance because their visa was extended for retirement purposes. Do I have this backwards?

Just to clarify, I had the paper O-A visa in my old passport. When my passport was filled and I had to get a new one immigration replaced the paper O-A visa with a visa stamp indicating O-A classification. One year later when I extended my visa immigration applied the "Retirement"stamp shown in GB's photo.

The release also stated that Prachuap Khiri Khan told Thaivisa that the new requirements only affect people seeking Non-Immigrant Visa O-A. Either that was a poor selection of the words or people who currently have O-A visa'a are exempt as well.

Still dazed and confused.

[Undaunted]

What is an O-A visa:

0http://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consu ... -long-stay

Dodger, it appears that if your initial visa process began in your home country vs. here in Thailand, your first visa was marked A-O and if you got a new passport the first mark in the new passport would be A-0.......Why the difference

[Dodger]

Thanks Undaunted, but both "O" and "O-A" can be used for retirement purposes which is where the confusion comes in.

[Gaybutton]

Still dazed and confused.

You don't have to be. All you have to do is look at the visa photos below. The only one that matters regarding the health insurance requirement is the visa you have now, your current, most recent visa.

If it's this one, then there is no health insurance requirement:




If it's this one, then the health insurance requirement applies to you:



I hope that eliminates your confusion. Just out of curiosity, which of the two do you have?

If it makes you feel any better, I too have no idea why the requirement applies to one, but not the other.

[Undaunted]

Thanks Undaunted, but both "O" and "O-A" can be used for retirement purposes which is where the confusion comes in.

I understand your confusion and cannot understand why, but even though they both can be used for retirement purposes the government has singled out those bearing the A-O designation are those that the insurance directive are meant for. However, I agree with G.B. that at some point the “O” visa holders will have the same requirement.

[2lz2p]

The stamp above that says "Retirement" is not a Visa. It is an extension of permitted stay. If a person obtained an O-A Visa, they received a one year "permission to stay" stamp upon each entry during the one year validity period of the O-A Visa. When the permitted stay expires, then an application is made to Immigration for an extension of the permitted one year stay, they will receive the stamp shown above that denotes Retirement as the basis for the extension.

For those that entered Thailand on a Non-Immigrant "O" Visa (which will look like the one above except it will have an "O" instead of "O-A" in the type of visa section. For those that entered on Tourist Visa or Visa Exempt and applied for a Non-Immigrant "O" Visa, the one issued by Immigration will also show Non-Immigrant "O" with another stamp showing a permitted stay of 90 days.

In both cases, when the initial permission to stay, whether from an O-A or an O Visa, is extended for the purpose of retirement, then both will receive the same stamp showing the extension and will also have the word "retirement" shown on it.

From the various articles, it is clear the new health insurance requirements will apply to persons applying for a Non-Immigrant "O-A" Visa from a Thai Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence. However, what is not really clear is whether those that entered on an "O-A" Visa and apply to Immigration for an extension of their one year stay will also be required to show they have health insurance.