Integrity Legal - Law Firm in Bangkok | Bangkok Lawyer | Legal Services Thailand Back to
Integrity Legal

Legal Services & Resources 

Up to date legal information pertaining to Thai, American, & International Law.

Contact us: +66 2-266 3698

info@integrity-legal.com

ResourcesVisa & Immigration LawThailand Immigration LawWill Insurance Be the "New Normal" for All Thai Visas?

Will Insurance Be the "New Normal" for All Thai Visas?

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing insurance in the context of Thai Visas and a question which has come up from a number of clients as well as folks who watch this channel. That question is: "Well is insurance going to be required for all Thai Visas in the future because we have started to see Special Tourist Visas need insurance, O-A visas need insurance, different types of Visa categories need insurance. Is everybody ultimately going to end up needing insurance if they are a foreign national, in order to maintain status in Thailand?" I think it is definitely a possibility. Although I do think currently this is a temporary exigency that has been driven by circumstances, but yes I do see a situation and I have discussed this at length especially about a year ago when we were talking about O and O-A visas as well as O Marriage Visas, and it is my opinion that most of the O category will ultimately one day end up having an insurance requirement to both issuance and renewal. 

Now that day has not fully come to pass. There are certain circumstances where O status might be maintained without insurance but I think that we are in the twilight of those days and I think ultimately one day we are going to see Insurance required on all types of visas. 

At the same time, we could see it in the context of ED, B Visas, maybe even M Media visas; it is possible we could see a requirement in the future where Thai Immigration says, "Look, if you come to Thailand, we just want to make sure you have insurance coverage so that you don't burden the Health Care System here in the Kingdom when you become ill." 

Again it is difficult to say for certain. I hesitate to predict but there does seem to be a trend toward that eventuality. That stated, it hasn't come to pass yet but it could and we will keep you updated on this channel as those circumstances progress.