Answereda year ago

Can I switch health insurance while on an LTR visa in Thailand, and what are the implications?

LTR visa health insurance Thailand visa rules insurance cancellation insurance refund immigration matters

James *******

asked Jul 11, 2025

1.4k

views

replies

likes

About switching a health insurance while being on a visa that requires a health insurance at least for the initial  qualification and issuance stages. More specifically LTR visa. My existing insurance has a huge deductible, I will never benefit from it, it helped me qualify for the LTR. I like to get a much better insurance. I am curious if Thai insurance firms make a refund in case of an early termination. Do they have to notify any government entity in case of cancellation. Did anyone cancel their healthy insurance after getting the visa ?  There is no mechanism or enforcement in place to monitor  insurance coverage of a LTR holder once they get their visa. They just have to get a coverage during the second 5 yr qualification stage.

Answer summary

The discussion covers concerns about switching health insurance after obtaining a Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa in Thailand. The original insurance helped qualify for the LTR but has a high deductible. Key points include the lack of enforcement on insurance checks post-visa approval, potential for refunds upon cancellation of insurance policies, and advice on alternative insurance options for flexibility.

11 repliesnewest first

Click comment and we will ask for your email, then OTP, then name.

Marty *********

No one has reached five years yet. They may look at all the first 5 years to check that you met the requirements.

a year ago

James *******

@Marty ********

that is a good point

a year ago

Shane ********

You can compare health insurance options in Thailand here

*****************************************

comparison site from

@Insurance **************

a year ago

Francois ********

Look into

LMG Thai health insurance

a year ago

Todd *********

For LTR it seemed more prudent to simply show $100k in a bank and allow yourself the flexibility to choose whatever insurance you wish

a year ago

James *******

@Todd ********

most of us had well over $100k but in a brokerage account, BOI did not accept it even if it was $1M in cash

a year ago

Todd *********

@James ******

I’m sure pretty much everyone who qualifies has $100k lying around somewhere.

Mine was brokerage account. No issues with acceptance

a year ago

James *******

@Todd ********

I had tons of uninvested cash in Fidelity and BofA brokerage, not accepted a few months ago. I know a few others who had same issue, possibly BOI recently changed the policy on this requirement.

a year ago

Keith *******

Insurance companies will generally give a refund on each remaining full month plus a cancellation fee, which might be equal to one month's amount. You would need to look at the T&C of your policy under "cancellation"

a year ago