What Insurance Do I Need For Thailand? An Expat Guide
Expats and travelers going to Thailand need health and travel insurance that can cover them financially in the event an emergency medical condition or other unforeseeable event interrupts their travels. There are also mandatory health and travel insurance requirements for some visas.
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If you’re an expat, digital nomad, retiree, student, tourist, or some other type of traveler heading to Thailand, you likely have many questions about the types of insurance you need for your trip. Such as, are you required to have life insurance for an extended visa in Thailand?
This is the core article in our series dedicated to explaining what insurance all expats and travelers need for Thailand. Consider it a map that briefly introduces several topics about health and travel insurance and shows you where you can learn more about them.
We encourage you to use the attached links to find more in depth explanations about the topics that interest you the most.
Expats will be interested in reading our Guide to Living Abroad in Thailand, and if you’re not completely settled on living in Thailand, you can read our guides to Living Abroad in Europe and Living Abroad in Asia.
These guides discuss things like costs of living, if a region is considered expensive or not, what it’s like living in a particular region as an American, how to move to that region, and how to retire there.
Health Insurance For Thailand Expats
Most expats moving to Thailand are not covered in Thailand by their health insurance provider in their native country. This makes it crucial that expats get long-term health insurance coverage for their inpatient and outpatient care, prescription medications, dental and vision care, and more.
There are a variety of health insurance options in Thailand for long-term visitors. These include:
- International Health Insurance: This provides health insurance anywhere in the world for travelers who cross borders frequently.
- Expat Health Insurance: This health insurance is designed for expats who have moved to a single country and expect to have the majority of their healthcare in that country. There are private Thailand health insurance plans like this.
- Global Health Insurance: Global health insurance is a lot like international health coverage that covers you anywhere in the world, but it usually has a broader scope and provides extra benefits not included in an international plan
Read this page to learn about more health insurance plans available to expats and travelers.
More Articles About Thailand Health Insurance For Expats
Read these articles to learn more about health insurance topics for Thailand expats and travelers:
- Health Insurance for Thailand Expats
- Health Insurance for Thailand Foreigners
- Mandatory Health Insurance for Expats in Thailand
- Health Insurance for Tourists in Thailand
- Health Insurance for Senior Expats in Thailand
- Health Insurance in Chiang Mai
- Health Insurance in Bangkok
Best Travel Insurance In Thailand
The best travel insurance for travelers, tourists, and expats heading to Thailand are the plans that provide coverage for your travel expenses (such as flights and their connections, trip delays, and lost, damaged, or stolen baggage) and health expenses (usually for emergency treatments).
To find the best travel insurance in Thailand, you should become familiar with the top travel insurance providers. Pacific Prime partners with and highly recommends the following companies that provide coverage in Thailand:
We highly encourage you to compare their travel insurance plans so you find exactly what you’re looking for.
If you’re not sure whether or not travel insurance is worth it for your trip to Thailand, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
- Can I afford to lose the money I’ve already invested in this trip?
- Do I plan to spend a significant amount of time in Thailand’s remote areas?
- Is it likely I’ll need to change or cancel my trip plans?
- Am I traveling to Thailand during a season more prone to natural disasters, such as a flood?
- Am I concerned about theft or lost property while in Thailand?
- Do I have connecting flights and multiple forms of transportation planned both to get to Thailand and while I’m there?
Travel insurance may be worth it for you if you’ve answered yes to any of these questions.
Read this article to learn about holiday insurance tourists and travelers should get.
More Articles About Thailand Travel Insurance For Travelers
Read these articles to learn more about travel insurance topics for Thailand travelers:
- 15 Tips to Get Cheap Travel Insurance for Thailand Travelers
- Best Covid Travel Insurance in Thailand for Travelers
- Does Thailand Require Travel Insurance?
- Schengen Visa Travel Insurance for Thailand Travelers
- How to Get Travel Insurance for Thailand
- Travel Insurance to Thailand from the USA
- Travel Insurance for Thailand Resident
- Inbound Travel Insurance Thailand
Dental Health Insurance In Thailand
Expats moving to Thailand for an extended period of time should purchase dental health insurance that covers routine dental treatments and major dental treatments. Most insurance companies will have a waiting period before they accept claims for any treatments. Average wait time is 10-12 months.
Most waiting periods are so long because it protects insurance companies from needing to cover any treatments you know will need to happen soon after the policy is signed. This prevents you from simply signing up because you need a specific treatment performed.
The best way to get around this situation is to purchase dental health insurance as early as possible when you move to Thailand.
Read our article about dental health insurance in Thailand to learn more.
Thailand Travel Pass
Thailand Travel Pass was an online platform that used to be used by travelers heading to Thailand to upload their required documents for review. This platform is no longer in use.
Read our article about the Thailand Travel Pass to learn about the current Thailand travel requirements for expats and tourists.
How To Buy Insurance In Thailand
Buying insurance that covers expats and travelers heading to Thailand begins with plugging in your trip plans into an insurance quote generator. This will provide you with up-to-date estimates of what any given policy for health or travel insurance may cost you.
After you’ve used an insurance quote generator, you can create a free account to save your quotes. This makes it easy to refer back to them as you compare among providers and factors that affect your final price, such as your deductible, duration of travels, and how much coverage you want.
Accomplishing this will make you ready to speak to an insurance expert who has a breadth of knowledge about the insurance market and the local needs of Thailand. Pacific Prime is here to help! Send us a quick message and we will answer all of your questions promptly.
Read this article to learn all of the steps to buying insurance for your Thailand travels.
Thailand Private Insurance
Expats in Thailand generally prefer private health insurance. This is because it’s easier to find medical professionals that speak your native language in a private clinic, not all expats qualify for public healthcare, and the private hospitals tend to have superior equipment and facilities.
Foreigners to Thailand may find the public vs. private healthcare systems confusing. Pacific Prime can support you as you learn more about the culture and norms of your new home in Thailand.
A private health insurance plan can cover:
- Inpatient Care
- Outpatient Care
- Emergency Care
- Dental Care
- Maternity Care
- Family Care
- Preventive Care
- Wellness Programs
- Pre-Existing Conditions
Read this article to learn about your private health insurance options in Thailand.
How To Choose An Insurance Broker In Thailand
Insurance brokers assist you in choosing the right insurance provider and policy for your trip to Thailand, but it’s important you pick the right insurance broker. Make sure your broker has a wide and deep understanding of the market and that they partner with the best insurance companies.
Read this article to learn all about choosing an insurance broker.
The Top 23 Insurance Companies In Thailand: For Expats And Travelers
Here is a list of the top 23 insurance companies that sell coverage for Thailand:
- IMG
- Cigna
- Geoblue
- AXA Thailand
- LUMA
- LMG
- Allianz Ayudhya
- April International
- AIA
- Pacific Cross
- Thaivivat
- Muang Thai
- Generali
- AXA PPP
- VUMI
- AIA (group insurance only)
- FWD (group insurance only)
- MSIG
- Morgan Price
- Healthcare International
- NOW Health
- Optimum Global
- William Russell
Read here to learn about the Top 23 Insurance Companies in Thailand for Expats and Travelers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my US health insurance work in Thailand?
Most US health insurance companies do not provide coverage outside of the US states and territories. Expats moving to Thailand should purchase an international health insurance policy that covers them anywhere in the world or specifically within the country of Thailand.
Do I need to get extreme sport insurance in Thailand?
If you’re going to Thailand and plan to participate in an extreme sport or activity, such as rafting, skydiving, rock climbing, wakeboarding, or others, you should purchase travel insurance with an extreme sport add-on. This ensures unforeseen medical treatments due to your activities are covered.
Conclusion
Expats and travelers often wonder what type of insurance they need for a trip to Thailand. You’ve now discovered that you may need to purchase health insurance, travel insurance, or dental insurance. While this may sound like a lot, usually you can buy one plan that covers it all.
The trick is knowing which type of plan is right for your needs so you get enough coverage but not more than necessary. Diving into each of the linked articles will help you find the answers you seek.
Expats and travelers will be interested in learning the Best Places to Live in Thailand as they plan their travels. You may also want to consider the Best Places to Live in Europe and the Best Places to Live in Asia.
When you’re ready to compare insurance quotes for Thailand, use our free insurance quote generator to get cost estimates without any need to commit. Please reach out to us with any questions that you have, and we will clear things up with our expert advice.
Serena earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, Canada. As such, she is an avid advocate of mental health and is fascinated by all things psychology (especially if it’s cognitive psychology!).
Her previous work experience includes teaching toddlers to read, writing for a travel/wellness online magazine, and then a business news blog. These combined experiences give her the skills and insights she needs to explain complex ideas in a succinct way. Being the daughter of an immigrant and a traveler herself, she is passionate about educating expats and digital nomads on travel and international health insurance.
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Are there any specific insurance policies in Thailand that offer coverage for holistic or alternative treatments, such as traditional Thai medicine or acupuncture?
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