Insurance requirement by visa category
Verified 29 August 2026. Insurance evidence is category-specific. The issuing embassy, the Immigration office handling an extension, or the BOI can require the policy type, coverage territory, remaining term and certificate format named in its current branch.
| Category | Published rule as of 29 August 2026 | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Immigrant O-A | Medical coverage in Thailand of at least USD 100,000 or THB 3,000,000 per policy year, including COVID-19 treatment, for the covered stay. A foreign policy uses the prescribed certificate. | TGIA O-A guideline · current certificate |
| Non-Immigrant O-X | The central MFA page and Kuala Lumpur publish a Thai policy with at least THB 40,000 outpatient and THB 400,000 inpatient. The Los Angeles page is internally inconsistent: its eligibility summary gives USD 100,000 or THB 3,000,000, while its detailed insurance section gives the lower outpatient/inpatient figures. Confirm the controlling requirement with that post. | MFA central O-X page · Kuala Lumpur · Los Angeles |
| LTR main applicant | Medical cover in Thailand of at least USD 50,000 with at least 10 months remaining at qualification endorsement, Thai social-security medical coverage, or a USD 100,000 Thai- or foreign-bank deposit held for at least 12 months as of application. | BOI Announcement Por. 3/2568 |
| LTR dependent | Medical cover in Thailand of at least USD 50,000 with at least 10 months remaining, qualifying Thai social security, or an additional USD 25,000 deposit per dependent held in Thailand or abroad for at least 12 months. Group cover must provide USD 50,000 per person. | BOI dependent-document list |
What “no central minimum found” does—and does not—mean
The named central and operator source sets reviewed on 29 August 2026 did not publish one general health-insurance minimum for standard Non-O retirement or marriage extensions, DTV eligibility, or Thailand Privilege membership. These are three separate source-set findings, not one shared rule:
- Standard Non-O: Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568, including its retirement and Thai-family branches, does not contain the O-A insurance branch. A mission or office can still request documents relevant to an individual case.
- DTV: the MFA central DTV summary reviewed did not establish a general policy minimum. The responsible Royal Thai mission controls its application checklist.
- Thailand Privilege: the operator's public long-stay comparison expressly describes membership without a mandatory health-insurance requirement. A signed membership agreement, benefit or private policy can have separate conditions.
An absence finding is narrower than a promise that insurance will never be requested or practically advisable. Use the exact category and deciding authority.
O-A: the current threshold and the legacy threshold
As of 29 August 2026, the TGIA guideline gives the current O-A minimum as USD 100,000 or THB 3,000,000 per policy year, including COVID-19 treatment. The older THB 40,000 outpatient / THB 400,000 inpatient figures remain on the TGIA page only for renewal of policies purchased before 1 September 2022. They are not the general current baseline for a new O-A policy.
If a non-Thai insurer provides the coverage, current sources require the prescribed Foreign Insurance Certificate. The form records Thailand as a covered territory, COVID-19 cover, the total sum insured per policy year and exact policy start and end dates. It must be completed by the insurer; the responsible mission or Immigration office controls authentication and acceptance. The certificate does not erase exclusions or benefit limits in the policy schedule.
For an in-country O-A extension, the qualifying coverage must continue throughout the permitted stay and the permission follows the covered period, capped at one year. Current Immigration criteria also publish a narrow insurer-rejection branch using authenticated refusal evidence and prescribed Thai-bank or combined cover-and-deposit evidence; see the O-A route guide. It is not a general self-insurance choice.
O-X: the application post changes the published figure
As of 29 August 2026, the central MFA O-X page publishes a Thai policy with at least THB 40,000 outpatient and THB 400,000 inpatient. The Royal Thai Embassy Kuala Lumpur page updated 17 July 2026 publishes the same Thai-policy boundary and figures.
The Royal Thai Consulate-General Los Angeles page is internally inconsistent: its eligibility summary states at least USD 100,000 or THB 3,000,000, but its detailed insurance section still states THB 40,000 outpatient and THB 400,000 inpatient. Neither figure should be selected from that page without confirmation from the post. Applicants also cannot simply choose the most favourable checklist: the mission accepting the application controls its branch.
LTR alternatives to an insurance policy
As of 29 August 2026, BOI Announcement Por. 3/2568 accepts three health-coverage routes for a main applicant: medical insurance covering Thailand for at least USD 50,000 with at least 10 months remaining when qualification is endorsed, Thai social-security medical coverage, or a USD 100,000 deposit in a Thai or foreign bank held for at least 12 months as of application.
The official dependent-document list publishes the same USD 50,000 Thailand medical-cover and ten-month boundaries, qualifying Thai social security, or an additional USD 25,000 deposit per dependent held in Thailand or abroad for at least 12 months. Group cover must provide at least USD 50,000 per person. The checklist expressly says that life-only and travel insurance are not accepted.
BOI's current public pages have not been fully aligned on the number and definition of permitted dependants. This insurance guide therefore does not state a universal dependent cap; the LTR unit determines family eligibility under the current programme announcement and checklist.
These are LTR qualification routes, not a general exemption from medical costs. The BOI decides whether the evidence satisfies the programme.
Premiums, exclusions and insurer acceptance
There is no reliable universal premium. Price and acceptance can change with the quote date, age, declared medical history, deductible, territory, benefit limits and exclusions. Because those are provider-specific commercial terms, this guide does not publish an estimated price band or claim that a particular insurer will be accepted.
For a visa application, compare the issued certificate with the current official checklist before relying on the policy. A quotation or marketing summary is not necessarily the document the authority asks to see.
If the published requirement cannot be met
The authority handling the application decides whether the category's evidence is sufficient. Other visa categories have different eligibility rules, but changing category or status is a separate immigration process and is not automatic. The relevant official checklist and the office deciding the application are the authoritative sources.
Related factual comparisons: Non-O versus O-A, LTR, Non-O retirement and Non-O marriage.
FAQ
What is the current O-A insurance minimum?
As of 29 August 2026, the TGIA O-A guideline states at least USD 100,000 or THB 3,000,000 of medical coverage per policy year, including COVID-19 treatment. The THB 40,000 outpatient / THB 400,000 inpatient figures are a legacy renewal route for policies purchased before 1 September 2022.
What is the current O-X insurance minimum?
It varies by application post. As of 29 August 2026, the central MFA page and Royal Thai Embassy Kuala Lumpur publish a Thai policy at THB 40,000 outpatient / THB 400,000 inpatient. The Los Angeles page conflicts with itself: its eligibility summary gives USD 100,000 / THB 3,000,000, while its detailed insurance section gives the lower outpatient/inpatient figures. Ask the responsible mission which requirement controls.
Can a foreign insurer issue the O-A policy?
Yes, but current sources require the prescribed Foreign Insurance Certificate for a foreign O-A policy. The form records Thailand coverage, COVID-19 cover, total cover per policy year and exact policy dates. The issuing embassy or Immigration office decides whether the policy, certificate and authentication satisfy its branch.
Does the O-A policy have to cover treatment in Thailand?
Yes. The current foreign-policy certificate identifies Thailand within the coverage territory and requires the policy period and total insured sum per policy year. The authority still checks the issued policy and certificate together.
Does LTR always require an insurance policy?
No. As of 29 August 2026, BOI also lists Thai social-security medical coverage or a USD 100,000 Thai- or foreign-bank deposit held for at least 12 months as of application. A qualifying dependent may use an additional USD 25,000 deposit held in Thailand or abroad for at least 12 months. BOI assesses the evidence.
Can travel insurance satisfy a dependent's LTR health requirement?
The current BOI dependent checklist expressly rejects travel insurance and life-only insurance. It requires qualifying medical cover in Thailand, Thai social-security medical coverage or the published deposit route; the LTR unit assesses the exact evidence.
Must O-X insurance come from a Thai company?
The central MFA, Kuala Lumpur and Los Angeles O-X checklists reviewed on 29 August 2026 all publish a Thai-policy or Thai-company boundary, although their coverage figures conflict. Use the checklist of the Royal Thai mission that accepts the application.
Is health insurance a general requirement for Non-O retirement?
No general health-insurance minimum appears in the central Non-O retirement criteria reviewed on 29 August 2026. O-A and O-X are different categories with published insurance requirements. An applicant must use the checklist for the exact category and application office.
Related guides
- Non-O vs O-A — Compare the two retirement routes (Keep the standard Non-O and O-A insurance branches separate)
- LTR Visa — insurance, Thai social-security and deposit routes (Official BOI criteria)
- Privilege Visa — current programme terms (Check the official membership conditions)
What to verify next
- The exact visa category and whether the decision is an overseas visa, an in-country status decision or an extension of stay.
- The Royal Thai mission, Immigration office or BOI unit that will decide the file.
- The policy territory, remaining term, per-person limit, exclusions and certificate format named in that authority's current checklist.
- Whether the issued policy—not only the quotation—matches both the immigration evidence and the cover you intend to buy.
For an official acceptance decision, contact the responsible authority before paying. To report a source conflict on this page, contact the publication.