@Maxim **********

Lost in translation, mate..

@Brian *******

was that serious advice? “Stand your ground” against a hospital and Thai police? Good luck with that!

There are two rules governing hospital insurance and payment (with admittedly some notable exceptions which are few and far between); the first states, that every insurance company stipulates in its blurb that it will pay the hospital direct, and the second is that the hospital wants the money direct from the patient And has no interest in contacting anybody. Once you have accepted those two fundamentals, life generally seems to become easier and doesn’t involve spending time in a police cell.

Pay up and claim later.

I seem to recall sometime back that I read about an ‘opt out’ clause for the elderly whereby if you uploaded a letter from an insurance company stating that they could not be covered, then ‘consideration would be given’. Maybe do some more research along that line of enquiry…?

Yes a lot of people fail to understand that countries and airlines are mutually exclusive; just because one might ask for a test, it doesn’t follow that the other also will – and vice versa. Always repeat always check with both the airline and the embassy to ensure their regulations are compatible for you.

Whether or not you get a referral, I think your insurance company will kick back hard if you start having CT/MRI scans without their approval, and for that they are going to require an objective examination report.

The UKs extremely swift action in banning S Africans is worrying not only for those booked to come here but also for those trying to return, if the ban spreads and the Meast airlines follow suit…

A ‘retirement’ visa can be either the OA or the O; the OA requires a fair bit of initial work in your country of origin (police clearance, proof of funds, a dr’s letter etc) plus $100 000 insurance and, once you’re here, 800 000 baht in a Thai account when you apply for an EOS which could be a maximum of 2 years from entry if you don’t leave.

For an O, it’s a case of visa exempt for 30 days, followed by an application for a 3 month O early in your stay, followed by an 800 000 baht seasoning of a local account within the 1st month of the 3 month period so it’s in for 2 months prior to your application for a 12 month O.

Insurance is moot; you don’t officially need it for the O (although you’ll need $50 000 for your 30 day exempt) but only an idiot would live here without good cover and $100 000 is about right; plus the fact it is probably going to become compulsory for the O, soon enough.

Trust this helps…

To clarify: under “before arrival“ the first requirement doesn’t apply to OA holders as by definition a retiree is resident…? Also, as per points 1 to 3, only a vax cert and hotel booking are needed for the Thailand Pass and QR code; the airline booking/PCR 72 hr test and insurance are not required at this stage.

@Andy *********

Yes, I’m struggling to think of a country where Covid is so bad that all flights are cancelled.

Specific Covid cover is no longer required - only hospitalisation.