You need to understand there is two different types of cover. 1. A Thai Comapny - AIA, Pacific Cross and so on…

2. Global expat cover - Cigna and so on..

There is zero benefit in going direct. Use a reccomended and established broker. Who will be in your corner. Not just for sourcing it, but heaven forbid in the event of a claim. I happen to use Luma and they are excellent

Patrick Puddle - Cigna. Don’t go there… Promise you the moon. Give you the hard sell.

Take your money and then they are truly awful believe me. Online platform that is just pitiful . Expensive and when I needed them I’m on the phone in the middle of the night to an imbecile in some call centre stateside. They declined to cover me as they were obliged to. Their mistake. No apology nothing. I paid the hospital myself.

No requirement for Non O

Retirement Visa. Non OA there is and the insurer must be on the designated list. Depends on your age and pre conditions. Remember that your medical records are likely to be available to the underwriter in the event of a claim. Which if not declared will make that invalid. Travel on Non O and standard travel insurance for 3 months.

Source your Medicare locally via a recommended and reputable broker. You choose, or self insure. watch out for Notice periods and exclusions. At 66. With No pre conditions I pay 95,000 annually with Pacific Cross. 5M Cover. No excess. In Patient/out Patient. 8000Baht Room a day. Out patient care is very reasonable, so you could lose that and save a little. Good cover and I consider that a very reasonable premium. For solid cover. Specialist Expat Cover with someone like Cigna will likely double the premium. A Comprehensive medical to present to an underwriter can be a solid negotiating tool regarding your premium. Give yourself time as the process can take weeks.

@Stuart ********

- Correct. I used an agent twice, then did it myself at a different office. Having left the country. Returned and seasoned the 800K for 4 months due to a Bangkok Bank account. You go visit your local Immigration Office and your bank and ASK..! Each have different protocols. Don’t be caught out. Because it’s not some Facebook “Oracle” facing the consequences of no visa - it’s you.! 😬

There were a tiny number of Bangkok Bank Branches where corrupt staff were openly in the pay of agents, for whom they opened accounts no questions asked. There never was an issue for doing so when it’s merely expediting long term Visa’s. Until organised crime exploited that to launder their dirty money. Bangkok Bank after all has a reputation to consider. Deal with the bad apples and best you can put it right, if that happens to piss off the Farang so be it. My branch in Pattaya Klang was particularly notorious. So I for one got the arse end of that. Blame the greedy agents and the Criminals if you will. NOT the bank,as they had no real alternative than to clean the swamp.

From the bottom (That’s us ☹️) - Up ⬆️

Peter H Bates - To be fair I had shifted some significant amounts around using wise. Which made sense at the time and certainly saved me a few quid. However, it appears to of attracted scrutiny by Bangkok Bank. Fair enough and that’s a lesson learned

Young - There is a choice. Be otherwise and have NO Bank account.

Try doing business without one … ☹️

Happened days after extending my Visa. The Branch in Khon Kaen were beyond charming, Tea + Biscuits. 🙂 But each has their own policy. The issue may be as was mine elsewhere. It was more what they didn’t want..

Bank accounts, Tabien Baan’s. Business documentation from DBD Driving licences. Passport, Visa. Mine was suspended for three weeks. Which they do without warning because they want you to visit a branch. As long as you are transparent, open and honest with them, it’s merely satisfying the Bank regarding money laundering issues. After all it’s their reputation on the line.

Understand that the protocols for a Non -O Retirement Visa issued by a Thai Embassy and those for an extension of that Visa are two completely different things.

Chonburi and Bangkok as mentioned are unique. Walk a mile in a Thai IO’s shoes if you will. The place is a madhouse, a lot of the clientele being ignorant, unprepared and frankly entitled. Unfortunately that’s where the response is pitched. Whereas my local office in Khon Kaen are fast, polite, efficient and obliging. But they do however happen to be very particular. Rules are rules.