All visitors will need insurance
A consortium of 16 insurance companies in Thailand are now offering foreigners, who are eligible to travel to Thailand, the mandatory insurance cover valued at $100,000.
Thailand’s Office of Insurance confirmed that it has set up a consortium of insurance companies offering Covid-19 insurance online as the country prepares to reopen its borders to travellers.
Once the country reopens all foreigners entering Thailand will need to buy Covid-19 insurance. But until the door reopens the scheme will make it easier for foreigners who are currently eligible to travel to Thailand to acquire the mandatory insurance cover online.
In addition to having insurance cover, travellers need to provide the nearest Thai embassy with a Fit to Fly Health Certificate and a negative RT-PCR swab test valid within 72 hours of the flight departing for Thailand. They are issued with a certificate of entry when they have fulfilled all the conditions and have a confirmed flight date. They must also have an appropriate visa that fits the approved category of travel. Tourist visas for leisure travel are not being issued.
The Covid-19 insurance policy covers both deaths due to the disease as well as medical expenses for those undergoing treatment.
In case of death caused by the Covid-19, the policy pays for funeral expenses and the repatriation of the corpse or ashes to the country of origin. The maximum payout is 3.2 million baht.
For medical expenses linked to the treatment of Covid-19, including the period of hospitalisation (inpatient or outpatient), the maximum payout is 3.2 million baht.
Foreigners who buy insurance cover as part of the requirements to fulfil conditions to travel to Thailand must pay the insurance premium according to the period of their stay from 30 days to a maximum of one year.
The premium is set against benchmarks that identify the Covid-19 risk in the country of origin; the lower the risk, the lower the premium.
Insurance premium cover starts at 1,600 baht and can be as high as 14,400 baht for low-risk countries. Foreigners from countries with moderate risk are likely to pay an insurance premium of between 2,560 baht to 23,040 baht. If the traveller is from a high-risk country, the insurance premium could be as high as 43,200 baht.
Insurance companies participating in the scheme include:
Assets Insurance Co Ltd (Thailand); Chubb Insurance Company Limited ( Thailand ); Navakij Insurance Co Ltd; Pacific Cross Health Insurance, Thailand ) Falcon Insurance Co Ltd (Thailand ) East Insurance, Asia Insurance 1950; Bangkok Life Assurance Ltd; Thailand Life Insurance and Thailand Life Insurance.
“Development of an insurance policy that provides protection for foreigners entering Thailand supports government policy and will help restore the economy of the country,” said the OIC secretary-general.
