Hi. I was born and bred in Sydney. Worked and paid taxes from age 18 up to 60. At 60 after many holidays here I decided to move and retire here. I incorrectly thought that when I reached 65 I would apply for the age pension. I didn’t get around to doing that until I was 67. Centrelink rejected my application because I had been absent from Australia for more than two years and hence considered a non resident !! I appealed to the Dept of Hone Affairs in Canberra only to get a letter telling me the same thing. The only way open to me was to return to Australia and live there permanently for two years. I will be 80 next year, have a house and family here as well as dogs etc. I have no property or family left in Australia so my return for two years is out of the question. Luckily I have two superannuation funds to fund my life here but would have liked the age pension to which I am entitled. My British and American friends here all get their age pensions here.

@Bobby *******

yes. Thats OK for new O-A applicants. Those of us who arrived from Sydney to live and retire in Thailand many years ago still need the outpatient health insurance. In my case the 40,000 baht cover costs 32,000 baht premium with existing conditions applied so is worthless. Basically at 79 years I am paying 32,000 baht just to stay in Thailand for another year. My 20 year inpatient health policy for 1 million baht costs me 175,000 baht. Next year will be higher. Yes I can use an agent as other long term expats on O-A are doing. Like many others, I await the Immigration announcement in October that I must have 3 million baht fixed in a Thai bank account, as I will be unable to get such insurance at my age.

Assuming you have been in Thailand for some years as a single retiree? The annual extensions of stay based on original non O-A visa has different requirements at different Immigration Offices. They make their own rules. In Phuket if you were here already before 2019 regulation changes you don’t need the 400,,000 baht health insurance certificate at their office. However in Pattaya you must have the insurance certificate REGARDLESS of how long you have been living here. Non O retirees don’t need. It is so discriminatory. My friends overseas cannot believe it. Just waiting for later this year when expats over 75 have to provide USD 100,000 health insurance to stay here !!!

To Stuart Cumming Admin. Hello. I use the IO in Jomtien. I arrived in Thailand in December 2003 on a non O-A retirement visa from the Thai Consulate in Sydney. . Did a quick return trip to Australia in May 2009. Am now 78 and have had health insurance 1 m baht here since before I turned 60. From what I read above you say that compulsory health insurance certificate would not be required in my case when extending my one year stay. However the IO here insists. The new outpatient insurance of 40,000 baht costs me 32,000 baht and the exclusions make it worthless. Can you provide the actual law that supports your advice ? I would like to show it to the IO and save some money and unnecessary hassles. Thank you. This post is dated 03 March 2022.

I would not recommend AETNA.

Someone should come to Bang Saray near Pattaya. . All current regulations and laws are totally disregarded with no intervention. Groups of Thai people gathering without masks or social distancing. What a joke !

Who is Doctor Donna ?

@Michael *******

sorry. I thought it was Thai Visa ( ASEAN NOW). Apologies.

@Francis *******

cannot state here. Wish I could but the law says otherwise.

I would like to answer your question by advising one company to stay away from. However the Admins have advised I cannot do this. Probably because that company is one of their sponsors ?