Answered3 years ago

What are the recommendations for obtaining travel insurance while applying for a Thai OA visa from Australia?

Thai OA Visa Travel Insurance Health Insurance Non-Immigrant O Visa Visa Application Process Immigration to Thailand

Paulo **********

asked Jul 20, 2023

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I am residing in Victoria Australia ,  and I’m in the process of applying for 0-A Thai Visa ,  looking for recommendations on obtaining a competitive price on travel insurance , thank you kindly .

Answer summary

The post discusses applying for a Thai OA visa while residing in Australia, seeking advice on obtaining affordable travel insurance. Responses emphasize that standard travel insurance may not meet the visa requirements, as OA visas necessitate specific health insurance coverage. Suggestions include exploring non-immigrant O visas as an alternative, which do not have the same mandatory insurance requirements, and checking recent regulations regarding necessary coverage amounts. Participants also recommend utilizing resources like Mister Prakan and relevant social media groups for additional insights on acceptable insurance options.

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David *******

I have been in thailand for 13yrs on an OA visa. I would strongly recommend an O visa as an alternative. An OA visa requires mandatory health insurance ( both in & out patient) at a level set by the gov which can be subject to yearly change...only upwards of course. The O visa has no health insurance demands but of course you can still secure a policy to suit your needs, not the government's

3 years ago

Rob *******

Search FB there are lots of chats about insurance. On Oct 2021 the rules changed. You now need THB 3 million combined inpatient and outpatient coverage. I went through Mister Prakan

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where you can look at many places.

Thai consulate site in Sydney still shows the old amount but you never know when it may change.

3 years ago

Steve *******

Travel insurance wont cut it for an OA visa, you're going to need health insurance.

3 years ago

Steve **********

@Steve ******

not required for O visa, but med costs are very cheap.

Have same Dr, same Hosp decades, very inexpensive for care and pharm.

Unless you have serious condition. Don't know, Thailand is very healthy.

3 years ago

Steve *******

@Steve *********

Yep, meds are cheap but ops and hospital stays are expensive.

3 years ago

Steve **********

@Steve ******

To be honest, don't recall, have never had Insurance here in over 20 year, all OOP.

Once establish relationship with Dr and Hospital costs are insignificant.

3 years ago

Steve *******

@Steve *********

Insurance is required for the initial 90 days non imm O from Australia but not required for the 1 year extention of stay.

3 years ago

Marty *********

I had a OA for 6 years. I don’t know what insurance will qualify for your original visa in Australia but eventually you will need to extend the OA annually and I don’t think travel insurance will qualify. So plan for your future insurance needs.

A different option is to pursue a nonimmigrant O visa. The yearly extensions are exactly the same as the OA but with no insurance requirement.

3 years ago

Paulo **********

@Marty ********

just checked that’s only for 90 days and you need insurance

3 years ago

Steve *******

@Paulo *********

You can apply for a 1 year extention of stay after the 90 days non imm O visa. You only need insurance for the initial 90 days.

3 years ago

Marty *********

@Paulo *********

If you enter Thailand on a tourist entry you can then apply for a 90 day O visa. At the end of the 90 days you then apply for a 1 year extension of that O visa. There is no insurance requirement when you apply and extend inside Thailand. Most retirees are here on a non-O and extend yearly.

In my own case, I switched from my OA to a 10 year LTR VISA. Both of these require insurance so the switch was easy for me.

It is possible you need insurance for an O visa if your purchase it from the Thai consulate in your home country. You won’t need insurance to extend it inside Thailand.

The ultimate goal is to get on yearly extensions unless you plan to keep returning to Australia to buy a new OA every 1-2 years.

3 years ago