Do I need health insurance for my Non-O visa upon arrival in Thailand?

@Eze *******

that guidance says you need insurance for the first entry. And you also need it for the second entry.

What differs is the mention that an officer may consider remarks on the visa on the first entry, which may indicate that they are to be lenient with O-As issued prior to the deadline for the first entry only.

But even that if you wanted to strictly interpret it it says you need insurance even for the first entry. And consulates didn't tend to put remarks or endorsements about NOT needing insurance on the older visas, so a strict interpretation there wouldn't help.

I'm not saying it's impossible to get in without insurance. I'm just suggesting it's not necessarily the case that an IO is going against the law if he wants insurance, because that's what the simplest interpretation of what is written says. If he lets you in he may be exercising lenience in the application of the order.

This is the text. If you look at (2) there that clearly indicates you had to BOTH get the visa AND enter before the deadline. That's what it says.

Now it's well worth doing what you can to persuade them otherwise and good for you if you are successful but if they tell you you need insurance they aren't necessarily wrong.

It's still debatable and up for interpretation what the rule actually is. If you read the police order to immigration the plainest interpretation of that is that everybody who enters after the deadline needs insurance, regardless of when their O-A was issued.

The consulates interpretation isn't necessarily right, it's just the one you like better.

@Lee ******

it's sad that they still do not know. I came in on an OA that was issued prior to the deadline and was asked about insurance. Explained I didn't need it and they let me in