Thread: Cheapest Health Insurance for Retirement Visa

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Can’t remember how old you are Norts but my plan is to switch to the 10 year LTR visa (Cat 2 Pensioner) when I turn 65. Depending on your age it might not be worth the trouble switching.

Somebody in the forum made me aware of it recently and to me it looks like a sweet 10 year period of not having to deal with any immigration bollocks at all.

Older than dirt bro but wouldn't make any difference. Would continue as per Stumpy's kiss it post.

800k per year anual extension with or without an agent.

The LTR will give you nada.

If you have a spare million baht looking for a billet then I think the Elite Superiority extension plan, offering 20 year membership with a five year multiple entry renewable visa extendable by one year residence every entry plus the usual fripperies and a concierge to hold your dick whenever contact with Thai bureaucracy is unavoidable, is the way to go.

Sure, it depends on your own horizon but it strikes me as a reasonable choice if full time Thai living is your fate.

Sure, to each his own. Up to you sailor.

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

The way I read the LTR based on the link I provided my cost will be 50,000 baht … one time:

Thailand Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa | ThaiEmbassy.com

That’s it … provide proof of the $80K annual income at time of application. And provide proof of $50K in insurance … or, proof of $100K in a Thai or overseas bank account for no less than 12 months prior to application.

Using an agent annually will cost me baht 12K using my own 800K or 30K annually using the agent provided 800K.

Why do you keep babbling on about using an agent. If you have the ability of at least a twelve year old adolescent and 1900 baht then I think you might find the application process is as simple and straightforward as taking a dump. Sure, the usual drunken, frazzled idiots here can’t handle it but who the fuck would be stupid enough to listen to those knuckle draggers.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

If you have a spare million baht looking for a billet then I think the Elite Superiority extension plan, offering 20 year membership with a five year multiple entry renewable visa extendable by one year residence every entry plus the usual fripperies and a concierge to hold your dick whenever contact with Thai bureaucracy is unavoidable, is the way to go.

Sure, it depends on your own horizon but it strikes me as a reasonable choice if full time Thai living is your fate.

True. That does work for some people. Have a retired Shipmate who got exactly that visa … spent one year in Thailand and then 3 months ago started a one year odyssey living on cruise ships out of the US. The final voyage later this year has him landing back in Thailand.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

If you have a spare million baht looking for a billet then I think the Elite Superiority extension plan

I know a few Presidents/ CEO's of companies here. Even they don't dive into this nonsense and they have lots of resources. They have admins take care of all their docs and they have VIP process at immigration. They aren't going to sign up.

Honestly if you are retired here just relax. If you have financial resources just pay an agent if the process bugs you. I have been here quite awhile now and would never sign up for it. IMHO its just a Thai Scam to give that individual a special feeling he is above the rest but in the big picture what will you do. Flash that Elite or LTR card to some person who has absolutely no idea what it means. It might work in BKK but get outside that metropolitan area and they would look at you and say. "what the hell is that, do you have an appt?

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Why do you keep babbling on about using an agent. If you have the ability of at least a twelve year old adolescent and 1900 baht then I think you might find the application process is as simple and straightforward as taking a dump. Sure, the usual drunken, frazzled idiots here can’t handle it but who the fuck would be stupid enough to listen to those knuckle draggers.

Yeah, did the marriage visa myself back in the day. Anybody can do it. No biggie. But, being totally straight up … I just don’t feel like it. My attitude now is more along the lines of … What? For $350 bucks once a year I never have to go to immigration? Where do I pay?

Accumulating the necessary documents for a retiree extension is much less onerous than the hoops spouses have to jump through and as I have said earlier the process for we grunters at Chonburi has improved immensely with the arrival of the new colonel.

Originally Posted by Stumpy

I know a few Presidents/ CEO's of companies here. Even they don't dive into this nonsense and they have lots of resources. They have admins take care of all their docs and they have VIP process at immigration. They aren't going to sign up.

Honestly if you are retired here just relax. If you have financial resources just pay an agent if the process bugs you. I have been here quite awhile now and would never sign up for it. IMHO it’s don’t think you just a Thai Scam to give that individual a special feeling he is above the rest but in the big picture what will you do. Flash that Elite or LTR card to some person who has absolutely no idea what it means. It might work in BKK but get outside that metropolitan area and they would look at you and say. "what the hell is that, do you have an appt?

I don’t think you understand it.

Its not meant for employees of multinational companies or other such residents.

It’s aimed at wealthy visitors and retirees who use Thailand as a joint domicile in conjunction with other destinations and wish to avoid any bureaucratic wrangles or the need to meet requirements.

The primary advantage is access to a dedicated immigration desk fast tracking entry into Thailand for a stay of one year which can be extended by a further year, the application for which is managed by a personal Thai concierge who will accompany you on your one time visit to immigration.

You have a spare million baht without a home then 20 years residence in Thailand without any bureaucratic interventions has to be worth some consideration.

The limousines, golf and spa shit are fripperies but if that floats your boat then it’s all cream.

It’s a one off payment, and thereafter your done.

Deffo worth it if you want to live here hassle free and are happy to kiss off £25k for a 20 year visa.

^ I should have been more clear. These guys plan on retiring here after their work run. I have discussed it with them on various occasions at dinner. What it does do is lock you in here as getting any of that back would be like pulling tusks out of an elephant if you wanted to exit. Sure I love living here and have no plans on leaving after I am done with my work stint, but I am not coughing up a big wad of cash to live here under the premise that an Elite or LTR pkg offers some huge benefit. Now....maybe for that individual who has had numerous poor experiences with their local immigration office and has money to tie up, this is a nice option but you of all people SA should know that trusting this being in play 20 years from now is like playing darts blind folded after someone spun you in circles for a few minutes.

One thing Greeny is wrong about is the $100K in a Thai bank account in lieu of the $50K in health insurance. That’s not how the requirement is worded … the $100K can be in a Thai or OVERSEAS account. Question is what does OVERSEAS account mean? Could be wrong but I’m assuming $100K in any savings account back in the states will meet the requirement. But, for the over 700 military retirees in Thailand most likely their TRICARE health benefit will meet the requirement.

I'm so fooking happy I'll never have to deal with immigration/visas here ever again after reading all of this. The PI is great when it comes to visas.

^You still would have had all sorts of hoops to jump through though including being fingerprinted, NBI clearance, trip to whichever Gov't departments in Manila, and so on right? And, you can have that visa pulled at Wifey's whim if things ever went pear shaped in the relationship? Ok you're married to a Filipina but for those who aren't, how easy is it for them to get long stay status and renew? Can they do it in about 30 or 40 minutes each year after a visit to their local bank and an agency? Then there's the all important matter of quality of life living there versus here, which to me is incomparable on almost every level, so ease of getting a visa is the least of would-be long term settlers problems! Just saying..

Originally Posted by Topper

Most here on this forum are on a Non-O based on marriage, so the same things would happen to them if things went pair shaped with their wife, wouldn't they?

I honestly don't know Bud, I'm on a Non O that got turned into a retirement visa so I'm not reliant on my relationship status to remain here on piss-easy to renew yearly extensions forever.

Originally Posted by Topper

And I doubt that many people only spend 30-40 minutes at immigration when they do visit.

I'd doubt that too. That's all it takes using an agency though as you don't need to go anywhere near an immigration office, which is the whole point for many of us using agencies in the first place

Originally Posted by Topper

I've not looked into long term visas for others in depth, but a US military vet here can apply for a easy and simple long term visa as I recall.

Yes I know there's some visa for US military vets but think there's some sort of a bond involved that's not chicken-feed, something like USD $50k has to be deposited in a Philippines bank from memory? Not sure though and may be thinking of another visa option, but I wouldn't be putting that sort of cash into a local bank there.

Originally Posted by Topper

The PI realizes they get a guaranteed amount including medical so they encourage those sort of retirees.

And ironically, it's a country where you don't want to get sick enough to need life-saving medical help before you can fly to somewhere that can provide it which is probably another reason of many on why it doesn't get the retiree numbers it might.

@headworx - re: the military retirement visa, it's not only for US military vets. It's for military vets that the PH has an agreement with. I think Aus & UK are included, not sure abt the others.

Re: the SRRV (Special Resident Retiree's Visa) - there are many types. There's the a) SRRV expanded courtesy - the military type - which needs a deposit of 1,500 usd (it's the cheapest one), b) SRRV classic - deposit of 10,000 usd but with proof of pension/ income of at least 1,000 usd per month; if without pension/ income, deposit is 20k usd, the deposit may be used to buy a condo unit or long term lease of a property; c) SRRV smile - deposit of 20k usd in an accredited bank.

For all the SRRV types, there's a 1,400 usd "processing fee". If one uses an agency, the agency fee is not yet included in the fees that I stated.

There's also the SIRV (Special Investor's Resident Visa) which requires a deposit of 75k usd in a OH govt- approved business (there's a list of businesses).

So there's no visa which requires 50k usd exactly - it's either lower or higher.

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As for tourist visas, yes topper is correct that tourists can stay for until 3 years before they have to do a visa run. However, there's an Immigration bill which is in the works (it's being reviewed by the Senate) so the length of time of that a tourist may stay may be changed when the bill is passed. (The Immigration law that's existing is from the 1935 constitution, and is due a major overhaul.)

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As to quality of life - I agree that TH has higher standard of living vs PH. If you live in far flung provinces/ islands, the services like electeicity, Internet, water, even ferry service - may be unreliable. I live 2 hours away from Metro Manila, so it's not a problem for me (internet is spotty sometimes) but I've visited some islands/ areas wherein those basic services are a bit tough to obtain/ maintain.

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Re: retirees and visas - PH gets many *cough* non-cashed up folks. Some (or most?) don't bother to get the retirement visa (SRRV) and just stay on tourist visas for 3 years.

Links:

SRRV – Philippine Retirement Authority

Special Investor’s Resident Visa (SIRV) in the Philippines).

(I've read about the SRRV & SIRV some years ago & needed to get the links/ specifics again. I have a couple of colleagues who are married to foreigners and their husbands are on the 13A spouse visas. Both marriages are 10+ years already, so probably won't go south - heh.)

Originally Posted by Topper

and made a trip to Cebu to do the same with immigration, another 15 minutes.

Here was me thinking you were in Bacolod, now I'm guessing Mactan?

@dirk - topper does live in Bacolod city, where his wife's family is from. I think they went to Cebu city recently to finish the proceedings for his 13A spouse visa.

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Re: getting sick in PH - I remembered the case of one of my more senior friends. I travelled to Coron Island in 2018 - there were 2 seniors in our group, in their early 60s. (I made a pic thread abt this vacay.)

One of them, a guy, had high BP during the middle of our trip. I think it was due to the crabs that we ate during dinner prior, plus he had some other stressors. He didn't join us during the island hopping tour the next day - he said he was going to rest in his room. We found out later that he had the staff bring him to the local "hospital" (which is little more than a clinic) and had himself confined there for the day. Coron is a small island and the medical facilities aren't enough. He booked a flight back to Manila for the next day on his own dime. (It was a package tour & our exit flight was 2 days later.) We were sad to see him leave earlier but didn't dissuade him. He wanted to be in Manila (where there were better facilities) in case his condition went south. Fortunately it didn't. AFAIK he still takes medication for hypertension and other age-related things.

But yeah - if one has major health issues, I would advise any foreigner to stay near a major city where there's a good hospital. It may be cheaper to live in the provinces, but public transport, healthcare & utilities etc may be a pain in the a**.

Topper you say the visa situation is much better in the Philippines, other than that can you think of one advantage in living there over Thailand?

Originally Posted by katie23

But yeah - if one has major health issues, I would advise any foreigner to stay near a major city where there's a good hospital.

And there lies a major problem for retirees who, typically, will be in their advanced years when there's no getting around the fact that health starts to deteriorate and specialist medical care is a very real possibility. Expats in the Philippines will often fly to other countries for their medical procedures but that's not going to help anyone who suddenly needs something like immediate heart surgery to save their lives, that's not a situation you want to be in over there and something to think about when planning retirement destinations.

That's not to say there's no highly qualified Filipino specialists like Cardiologists, its just that you won't typically find them working in the Philippines.

Originally Posted by aging one

Topper you say the visa situation is much better in the Philippines, other than that can you think of one advantage in living there over Thailand?

I would be interested in hearing as well AO. Not to start a debate as it is a location choice a person makes but just to hear Toppers POV. I know having travelled to Manila for business 4 times or so for a week or so each time, English language is a big plus. Downside, once you leave a large metro area you lose almost all basic creature comforts and conveniences as Katie noted. And Sorry Katie in advance In general Filipino food isn't very good. Of course Manila has some nice restaurants but again if you leave the metro area you will find the food isn't very desirable.

As for the Visa comparison, I call it a wash because as has been mentioned, you can avoid immigration all together here using an agent. Really quite simple and trouble free. Some of us have no issues with immigration here and do it ourselves. My average time in immigration is ~ 20 to 30 minutes tops to complete my annual extension. It does take 2 visits. The initial extension application packet then return about 30 days later to have my Passport updated and done for a year.

Originally Posted by Headworx

And there lies a major problem for retirees who, typically, will be in their advanced years when there's no getting around the fact that health starts to deteriorate and specialist medical care is a very real possibility.

Again great points HW. So while we discuss easier Visa processing, what about all the other things. One has to consider all that, especially from a medical emergency situation no matter what age quite frankly. Not just because the person is in his/her advanced years but what about that unfortunate accident/incident ( car wreck, motorcycle accident, etc.) Those are the ones that always end up being the larger life threatening events and if you are out in nowhere area, that could be the end of it. Also how is the general practice and dentistry?

Originally Posted by Stumpy

My average time in immigration is ~ 20 to 30 minutes tops to complete my annual extension. It does take 2 visits. The initial extension application packet then return about 30 days later to have my Passport updated and done for a year.

Definitely an advantage over CM.

Standing room only on my last visit last month, which was just to pick up the visa.

I'd applied for it 10 weeks previously.

Waited for 70 minutes.

^Wow. I haven’t had to wait more than 15 or 20 minutes at CM Immigration in Festival. Is that where you went?