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A Guide to the New Mandatory Health Insurance Rules for Retirees

If you've got questions about the mandatory retirement visa health insurance requirement (O-A visa), this FAQ will answer those questions, and much more.

Please also note that as of late 2021, the requirement has been extended (in some countries) to those applying for a Non Immigrant O Visa too. More on that later on.

In this post I'll cover the following:

  • Why you need health insurance.
  • Who the approved companies are.
  • How much you can expect to pay.
  • How to get it cheaper than advertised.
  • And how you can avoid this requirement altogether!

o-a-visa-insurance-guide

What is an O-A (Retirement) Visa?

The O-A is commonly known as a ‘retirement visa', though there isn't officially a visa called the ‘retirement visa'.

It is for those aged 50+ who want to stay in Thailand for a period of 1 year, without the intention of working. You can extend after the year is up, provided you meet the financial requirements.

The O-A is obtained in your home country and, when you enter Thailand, you are stamped in for a year.

The new mandatory health insurance rule applies to both new Non-Immigrant O-A visa applicants and current Non-Immigrant O-A visa holders who obtained the visa after the enforcement date.

What other visas are affected by this rule?

As of August 2021, some embassies now require this health insurance for those applying for a Non O Immigrant Visa.

I expect this to be rolled out across the board, but currently the requirement is active in Japan, some US states, and some European countries. The UK is not yet affected.

The reason for this has not been announced, but it is most likely to bring the O and O-A retirement pathways into line.

Previously, those applying for the O Visa and then doing a retirement extension in Thailand could avoid this health insurance requirement, whereas those going down the O-A Visa retirement route needed to get their year's worth of insurance in their home country before flying.

Bear in mind that the Non Immigrant O Visa is issued for 90 days (single entry), so the insurance needs only cover this duration. The O-A Visa is issued for a year, so the insurance policy needs to cover this period.

Holders of the Non-Immigrant O-X visa have needed mandatory insurance since 2017. No other visas require this mandatory health insurance.

Why introduce mandatory health insurance?

Back in May 2019, a representative of the International Health Division (Health Service Support Department), stated that in 2017 and 2018, foreigners incurred non-paid medical bills amounting to 349 million Baht, and 305 million Baht, respectively.

The records show that in 2017, 565,000 out of 3.3 million visitors didn't pay their medical bills. In 2018, the figure rose to 680,000 out of 3.42 million visitors.

They say the majority of unpaid bills were from retirees on long-stay visas.

I'm not convinced of that, but what is true is that those 50+ years old are more likely to develop long-term illness. The bill for heart disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes complications, etc., can be a very expensive one.

But don't most expats have insurance anyway?

You would think so. Most I meet do. Furthermore, the majority of stories in the papers surrounding unpaid medical bills are usually regarding tourists in motorbike accidents.

A better solution might have been:

  • A. charging a 500 Baht entry fee to each person entering the country (per year) – this would have covered the cost of unpaid bills cited by the health department.
  • B. making sure everyone who enters the country has medical insurance!

But we are where we are now. Let's move on.

How much cover do I need?

Currently, for those that are already in Thailand on an O-A visa, the requirement remains at the old rate of 400,000 in patient and 40,000 of out patient coverage. You can still extend your current visa inside Thailand on this requirement.

As of November 1st, those that are applying for an O-A outside of Thailand will need a health insurance policy for at least 3 million Baht, which will cover medical expenses and Covid-19 treatment.
Below is a graphic with the official line from the Thai General Insurance Association.

o-a-insurance-requirement

Where do I get my retirement visa health insurance?

Those in charge have come up with an approved list of local insurance providers:

The companies are as follows:

  1. Thai Health Insurance
  2. LMG
  3. The Viriyah
  4. Pacific Cross
  5. Falcon
  6. Thaivivat
  7. AXA
  8. Navakij
  9. Dhipaya
  10. Asia Insurance
  11. Aetna
  12. Sompo Insurance

You have to use one of these providers and present your premium with your visa application. The premium must meet the minimum requirements.

How much are the premiums?

Reasonable, I guess, depending on your exchange rate, and if the insurance cover is solely for Thailand.

Once you get to 60+ years it starts to get expensive. And if you want regional or international cover the price rockets.

I've had a fair few emails from disgruntled readers. Here's one that explains how restrictive this new rule can be for those over 65 and 70:

4 carriers on the Thailand Long Term Insurance website will insure me at 70 years or older. For me at age 71, the rates range from 69,000 to 81,000 Baht per year. This is prior to an exam and underwriting and subject to change.

The rates are almost double what a 65 year old pays.  At 75 years they increase 33% and at 80 66%, respectively.

So only 4 out of the 7 will actually insure those who are 70+. And for those 80+, there are no options.

Indeed, Thaivivat Insurance goes highest in terms of age. They will insure you at 76 years old, with renewals up to 100 years old – starting at 120,000 Baht.

Is there a cheaper option?

Yes. I found that if you use the Mister Prakan site you can can shave a bit off the premiums.

This site covers numerous companies and five on the approved O-A visa list:

  1. AXA
  2. Pacific Cross
  3. LMG
  4. Viriyah
  5. Thaivivat

So you can get cover from one of those approved providers and save money on going through the government website.

Here's a couple of quotes I got based on being 50 years old and exceeding the 40k outpatient and 400k inpatient cover. I'm 41 but to be eligible for an O-A visa you have to be 50.

thailand-mandatory-health-insurance

+ Click here for quotes on the Mister Prakan site

I don't want this insurance/have my own, what can I do?

Don't get an O-A visa.

But I want to retire in Thailand, is there another way?

Yes. Get a Non Immigrant O Visa. You don't need the mandatory health insurance for this visa, unless you are living in one of the aforementioned countries that are now asking for this cover as part of the application process.

Still, even if you do require it, you only need 90 day's worth of coverage.

How is a Non Immigrant O Visa different from the O-A?

An ‘O' category visa can be issued for a range of purposes such as visiting family or friends in Thailand, taking a voluntary job, getting medical treatment, attending a judicial process, and even to work as diplomat's housekeeper.

It can also be issued for the purpose of retirement. Good news.

Where retirement is concerned, you can obtain a single entry Non Immigrant O Visa from your home country, or neighboring country to Thailand, which gives you entry to Thailand for 90 days.

After 60 days in Thailand, you can apply for a 1-year extension at an immigration office – providing you meet the financial requirements, as stipulated in my retirement visa post.

Put simply: in most countries the Non O Visa does not require the mandatory health insurance, and the O-A does.

I want still want good health insurance. Any recommendations?

Yes. Check out these providers here. Also, you can get an immediate quote from Cigna by clicking here. It takes 2 minutes to do.

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Got a question? Did I miss something? Leave it in the comments section below.



Last Updated on

Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

    • TheThailandLife says

      If you are entering on an O-A visa you now need cover for 3 million Thai Baht. The Health Ministry says that insurance policies can be purchased from their home country or domestically within Thailand, but stipulate that the coverage must maintain that minimum of 3 million baht or the equivalent if the policy is issued in a foreign currency.This affects new OA visas issued after the 1st of September.
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      They haven't confirmed the quarantine rules yet but it looks like you have to stay in a pre-booked hotel for the first night.You need: Vaccination certificate/evidence Medical certificate confirming no COVID infection. Have a hotel booking install the covid app on arrival Do a PCR test on day 0-1
      Reply

    • JamesE says

      The embassies won't have the ability to issue COEs under the new rules until after they are published in the Royal Gazette. For the Phuket Sandbox the new COEs were available just a few days (2?, maybe) before the rules went into effect. There were then some considerable delays as they got everything sorted out. Nov 3 is going to be cutting it kind of fine but keep checking with the embassy to see when it's available.
      Reply

  4. Pauline Cornell says

    I am 80 1/2 years old. I am on a Non-Immigrant O Visa renewable after one year. I have renewed over the last 4 years. I cannot find the mandatory insurance required by the Thai Government of 40,000 ThB coverage for outpatient & 400,000 ThB coverage for inpatient. Additionally, I need coverage of 100,000 U.S. for Covid-19 only. I cannot find one company who will insure me. I have applied but because I am in my so-called 81st year the company will not insure me. My birth date is 16 April 1941. Can you assist me in what my options are please.
    Reply

  5. Jacques Negrin says

    Starting October 2022, expats in Thailand on O-A visa (new and extension) will need to have 3 million baht insurance as per Thai immigration. Premiums for expats 70+ years old will be about $10,000 per year. How will expats 70+ afford to pay for this draconic insurance ?
    (40,000 outpatient/400,000 inpatient will be replaced by 3,000,000 baht insurance)
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      The requirement is still as it has been for some time, with everyone requiring a COVID-specific insurance. This is the requirement from the Thai embassy in London:Copy of evidence stating that applicants have insurance as per stipulated by the Office of Insurance Commission and health insurance of Thailand which covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand.
      Reply

      • Manfred Schuwerk says

        But if you have this you will not be sure that Immigration in Thailand will accept it. They want to feed the pockets of the local paper insurances or corruptions with insurance under the table, so far so good for them. The facts that a government insurance from Germany is much higher security than all the commercial insurances is for those people not important. They may not want to get safety for Thai economy.
        And this happens although Thai government ordered already to accept insurances under government health care systems for their former employees or officials
        Reply

  6. Manfred Schuwerk says

    Hello. I came back from Germany with Reentry Visa and COE from September 31. Teh Embassy requested from me the Health and Covid 19 Insurance. My Gvoernment Health Care Program and my Postbeamtenkrankenkasse certified both with 100,000 Euro and Covid included and told me that this will be valid also for the visaextension needed October 2. The Immigration office said that the insurance from Government ist worthless since it has no number fitting in their computer System. What do you recommend me to do? I received a covid 19 visa for 2 months, but the Immigration said they will only honor the Insurances from thei list. Please give an advise. I have retirement )-A Thank you
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Hi Manfred, as long as you have an insurance certificate that clearly states cover for 100,000 USD for COVID it should be fine. This has been the case for entry to Thailand for many months now. However, it is my feeling that immigration is applying the rule differently for some reason, perhaps because you are inside the country already. If you are open to getting new insurance cover you can try a quote here..
      Reply

      • Manfred schuwerk says

        I came out of quarantine on September 14 and then went to immgration in korat the next day. They told me that my visa expired on October 2 and i can make extension for the visa. I made first my home registration and tried the next day my visa extension. While in Germany i ask the embassy if the insurance they approved is also valid for october 2 extension the man from embassy told me that the government requested from them the insurance for 1 year and so it’s approved by the government. Why should they request an absolutely complete, safe and without any didaction insurance to change in a commercial insurance.
        Reply

        • TheThailandLife says

          They can't. As long as you have a certificate from the insurance company explicitly stating the necessary COVID cover it has to be accepted. I've had a few of these complaints now, and what seems to be happening is that immigration officials have clearly been told to advise people to take out insurance with "preferred" Thai companies. This is because, I assume, the government get a kick back from these companies. However, some officials interpret this as "must have" insurance from the "preferred" companies and are refusing perfectly good insurance from elsewhere.
          Reply

          • Manfred schuwerk says

            In the announcement from thai government i could read this year that O and O-A have to provide an insurance company but that people insured under government security systems can provide this for health insurance. The tricky insurances asked to except the O visa and so the government security systems health care disappears. When the reason is really that Thailand want to avoid unpaid hospital bills the government insurance is certainly much more reliable than local insurance with limits, deductions and exceptions.
            Reply

  7. Gerry says

    Am American in Thailand since 2012-2013, then away, then back since 2014, working or volunteering. Now 70 so time to retire. I have two pensions deposited in a US bank. I have a bank account at SCB (account opened in 2015) and now use TransferWise, not ATM, to get money from the US to Thailand. I need a visa with a letter from SCB saying that these TransferWise transfers are legit – but SCB says they cannot give the sort of documentation required by Immigration because there is no SWFT code. What am I missing? TIA
    Reply

      • Gerry says

        Thanks Bubba, but I am still confused. I understand the SWIFT code for SCB is SICOTHBK. I now understand that the WISE website is not correct (thanks, did not realize that until now).

        But, my problem remains. My SCB bank code with money moved into Thailand via WISE shows up as "X1" in my SCB bank book, and as "X1 ENET" (code and channel) on my SCB bank statement.

        SCB tells me there is no SWIFT code associated with the incoming WIDE money to my SCB bank account -- hence SCB cannot give me documentation for this transfer.

        Immigration insists on documentation of transfers to SCB.

        I seem to be encircled by contradictions???
        Reply

        • TheThailandLife says

          Hi Gerry,Another reader, Max, pointed out in the comments here that you must bank with Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank or Thai Military Bank to automatically get the correct bank code to show a transfer. If you're banking with SCB you won't get the correct bank code. Before the reason "Funds for long term stay in Thailand" came up in the list of reasons for a transfer, so you could stipulate that on TW's end, but that option isn't there now, so the The transfer could show up as local or something else.
          Reply

        • Bubba says

          TIT. The Immigration Department thinks that if they institute a policy, and not a law, private firms have to adhere to that. This is not the case as you are finding out. I would recommend you take a deep breath and accept the fact that the current situation will be something you face every year when it comes to renew your visa. Perhaps you should consider transferring the total amount required for your stay and then spend down that amount monthly and replenish it again at renew time. That is what I do. (It seems to work but the ROI is abominable.)
          Reply

          • Bubba says

            And there's probably nothing that can be done. The Thai banks can't even manage bank fraudulent transactions. How can the Immigration Department expect them to provide it with the data it needs to issue visas? The Immigration Department needs to totally scrap the current system and come up with a manageable plan. And that ain't gonna happen because admitting the system is archaic and broken means someone's going to lose face.
            Reply

      • Gerry says

        I am in Thailand. I want an O, not O-A visa, if possible. My current visa, as a researcher/volunteer at Chulalongkorn, is set to expire soon so I will need a new visa (or leave Thailand, which is not my wish).

        A bankbook is not sufficient to prove money flow. In the past, i would have had the US embassy provide evidence/proof, but that option is currently not available (to US and UK citizens). The only way to 'prove' money flow (that I can think of) is a letter from the bank -- which SCB provided. However, the SCB letter does not 'dot an i' and/or 'cross a t', as stipulated by the fine folks at Thailand Immigration.

        The folks at SCB tell me that without a SWIFT code associated with transfers, the funds can not be verified in a fashion that would make their letter acceptable to Thai Immigration.
        Reply

        • JamesE says

          Okay, got it. If you can demonstrate the movement of the money you might be able to use that. So, your US bank statements that show the withdrawal, the Wise transaction details that show the exact amount taken from your US bank, their fees, and the amount sent to your Thai bank, then, your Thai bank statement/passbook that shows that same amount arriving in Thailand. Maybe a letter from SCB confirming those transactions actually happened would help as well. I'd also put a summary sheet together showing what they're looking at .
          Reply

          • Gerry says

            Did all of that. One would think it would be enough. However, rejected the first time at Immigration as did not have the letter from SCB. Returned for second visit, rejected again, the 'wrong letter' from SCB. \Will try again today with some minor caveats, hoping for a miracle -- but not expecting anything other than a 3rd rejection. The money sent through TransferWise to SCB is not sufficient -- again, to repeat, it is the absence of the SWIFT code on TransferWise monies to SCB that is causing grief.

            As pointed out above (in response to my initial post)... Hi Gerry,Another reader, Max, pointed out in the comments here that you must bank with Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank or Thai Military Bank to automatically get the correct bank code to show a transfer. If you're banking with SCB you won't get the correct bank code.
            Reply

  9. ERNEST GEEFAY says

    I just called the Thai consulate in Chicago. I asked them if I could enter Thailand on a non immigrant O Visa...(visiting my Thaiwife)

    And then...

    Apply fora retiree visa or a marriage visa.


    They said that to do that I would have to exit Thailand and THEN apply from outside Thailand

    I'm going to call another consulate to double checkthat
    Reply

  10. sidney leonard says

    Please clarify, if you can, the health insurance requirements which will be applicable to me if I enter Thailand, post pandemic, with a Non-Immigrant O visa with the intention of remaining in Thailand, with yearly extensions, with my Thai wife of 28 years. I am a Medicare recipient in the US, but due to my age I will not qualify for health insurance in Thailand, however I am in excellent health and my retirement benefits as a retired school principal together with investment income will be sufficient to cover any health care needs while in Thailand. - The current information on the Royal Thai Consulate, LA website regarding the Non-Immigrant O visa as well as your previous comments regarding same would seem to indicate that the health insurance requirement is waived with said visa. Is this still your understanding? I am sorry to post again regarding this matter, but it is very important to the planning of our permanent return to Thailand.
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      Define "post pandemic". Right now (I'm in the midst of applying for a Non-imm O (Retirement) as I write) you're required to have a policy for the US$100K COVID coverage and the General Health Insurance of ฿40,000/฿400,000 to get the visa. Whatever happens in the future is uncertain at best, but my opinion is that the insurance requirements will persist for at least several years.

      Have you looked at Pacific Prime for coverage. The quotes I got from them had an allowable age up to 100.

      Once you are in Thailand, again currently, extending your retirement visa does not require maintaining coverage.

      Your best bet might be to come in on a Tourist Visa, convert that to a Non-O (Retirement) in country, and then extend from there.
      Reply

      • sidney leonard says

        James, by "post pandemic" I mean when all is back to normal and all the pandemic restrictions have been lifted. At that time, my Thai wife, a Thai national, and I intend to move permanently to Thailand, I with a Non-Immigrant O (Marriage Visa) which, according to my contacts with a visa official at the Royal Thai Consulate, LA, as a spouse of a Thai national, does not require the ฿40,000/฿400,000 health insurance and who said that, as you stated, the ฿40,000 Baht/฿400,000 Baht would be required for the Non-Immigrant O Visa for retirement.

        I wish you the best as you prepare to retire in Thailand.
        Reply

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