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Thailand visa health insurance requirements: which visas need cover (2026)

bartmolkenboerAdmin

@bartmolkenboer·Veteran

4d ago9 min read00

Thailand visa health insurance is only needed for the O-A (100,000 dollars or 3 million baht), O-X (Thai policy) and LTR (50,000 dollars or an alternative).

Last checked: 11 October 2026

In short (as of 11 October 2026)

  • O-A (long stay): a policy from a Thai or foreign insurer, at least 100,000 dollars or 3,000,000 baht, including COVID-19, plus the Foreign Insurance Certificate completed by the insurer. Also needed for every extension in Thailand.

  • O-X (10 years): a Thai policy only, at least 40,000 baht outpatient and 400,000 baht inpatient per policy year, for the whole period of stay.

  • LTR: a policy of at least 50,000 dollars, or Thai social security, or at least 100,000 dollars in savings held for 12 months.

  • No insurance requirement on the official lists for visa-exempt travel, the tourist visa, the DTV, the Non-O visa based on retirement or marriage, the education visa, the Non-B visa and Thailand Privilege.

  • Thailand is not on the Dutch list of treaty countries for health insurance.

This article is for Dutch and Belgian nationals who want to know whether their visa requires health insurance, how much cover is needed and what they have to show. The general Thai rules in this guide apply to all nationalities; the parts about embassies and documents are written for Dutch and Belgian passport holders, so if you hold another passport, check the requirements of the Thai embassy or consulate that serves you.

Health insurance requirements per Thailand visa

According to the document list of the Royal Thai Embassy in The Hague (31 August 2026), the e-Visa portal, Immigration Division 1 and the Board of Investment (BOI):

Visa or stay                      Health insurance required?
Visa-exempt 30 days               no
Tourist visa (TR)                 no
DTV (Destination Thailand Visa)   no
Non-O retirement (O2)             no, not for the extension either
Non-O marriage / family (O8)      no, not for the extension either
O-A (long stay)                   yes: 100,000 USD or 3,000,000 baht
                                  also at every extension
O-X (long stay 10 years)          yes: Thai policy, 40,000 baht
                                  outpatient and 400,000 baht inpatient
LTR (Long-Term Resident)          yes: 50,000 USD, or Thai social
                                  security, or 100,000 USD savings
Education visa (ED), Non-B        no
Thailand Privilege (SE/PE)        no

For the Non-B, The Hague's list also mentions a "comprehensive medical and health insurance", but only for New Zealand's Working Holiday scheme and Australia's Work and Holiday scheme. Those do not apply to Dutch and Belgian nationals.

O-A: exactly what is needed

When applying through the embassy:

  • Health insurance from a Thai or foreign insurer for general illnesses, including COVID-19, with a sum insured of at least 100,000 dollars or 3,000,000 baht.

  • The Foreign Insurance Certificate, the form of the Thai Ministry of Public Health, completed, signed and stamped by the insurer. The form is on longstay.tgia.org. On the form the insurer declares, among other things, that the cover includes Thailand, covers COVID-19, and for which period and which amount per policy year.

For the extension in Thailand (section 22 of Immigration Division 1):

  • Health insurance or foreign social insurance of at least 100,000 dollars or 3,000,000 baht for the whole period of stay.

  • Thai policy: proof on the form of the insurance regulator (OIC), which can be checked via longstay.tgia.org.

  • Foreign policy: a statement from a foreign embassy in Thailand, or a notarial document whose signature has been legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your own country, on the form of the Thai Ministry of Public Health.

  • If an insurer refuses you in whole or in part: a statement of that refusal, plus at least 3,000,000 baht in a bank in Thailand (at least 2 months before the application), or savings and other insurance together totalling 3,000,000 baht. This money does not count towards the retirement requirement of 800,000 baht.

  • The extension lasts as long as the policy runs, at most 1 year at a time.

If you extend on retirement with an ordinary Non-O visa (O2) or after changing your visa in Thailand, this insurance requirement does not apply to you: Immigration Division 1 lists it only for holders of an O-A.

O-X: a Thai policy only

According to The Hague's document list and Immigration Division 1:

  • Health insurance from an insurer in Thailand, with at least 40,000 baht for outpatient care and at least 400,000 baht for inpatient care, per policy year.

  • Plus the Foreign Insurance Certificate.

  • The policy must cover the whole period of stay. Your spouse and children each need their own policy too.

The Thai General Insurance Association (TGIA), which the embassy refers to, writes that anyone who does not keep the Thai policy in force no longer meets the requirements and may lose the visa. The O-X is open to 14 nationalities, including the Netherlands. Belgium is not on the list.

LTR: insurance or an alternative

According to the BOI website, the following applies to all LTR categories:

  • health insurance with cover of at least 50,000 dollars, or

  • benefits from Thai social security, or

  • at least 100,000 dollars in an account in your name, held for at least 12 months.

The same applies to accompanying family members, or at least 25,000 dollars in savings per family member. The BOI writes that every condition, including the insurance cover, must continue to be met for the whole term of the visa. The insurance is a required document for the application; the BOI may request it during the assessment.

Dutch and Belgian policies

  • O-A: the list explicitly accepts a foreign insurer. The condition is that the insurer completes, signs and stamps the Foreign Insurance Certificate, with the sum insured and the cover in Thailand. Whether your Dutch or Belgian insurer does this, and whether your policy covers at least 100,000 dollars or 3,000,000 baht in Thailand, is something to ask the insurer itself.

  • O-A extension in Thailand: a foreign policy needs a statement from an embassy in Thailand or a legalised notarial document (see above). Ask your embassy in Bangkok whether it issues such a statement.

  • O-X: a Dutch or Belgian policy is not enough; it must be an insurer in Thailand.

  • LTR: the BOI sets no requirement on the country of the insurer, only the amount.

The Netherlands: living in Thailand. Thailand is not on NederlandWereldwijd's list of treaty countries. According to the Dutch government, if you move abroad and cannot keep your Dutch health insurance, you take out health insurance yourself in your country of residence. The check on nederlandwereldwijd.nl shows what applies to your situation.

Belgium. Ask your health insurance fund (ziekenfonds) what happens to your cover if you go to live in Thailand; the Thai sources mention no Belgian arrangement.

What you show

O-A, application  policy (min. 100,000 USD or 3,000,000 baht, incl.
                  COVID-19) + Foreign Insurance Certificate from the
                  insurer
O-A, extension    Thai policy on the OIC form, or foreign policy with
                  an embassy statement or legalised notarial
                  document; the policy term sets the extension
O-X               Thai policy (40,000 / 400,000 baht per policy year)
                  + Foreign Insurance Certificate, per family member
LTR               policy min. 50,000 USD, or Thai social security,
                  or 100,000 USD savings for 12 months

Euro indication (ECB reference rate of 9 October 2026: 1 euro = 37.574 baht): 3,000,000 baht is about 79,842 euros; 400,000 baht about 10,646 euros; 40,000 baht about 1,065 euros.

Common mistakes

A policy without the certificate. For the O-A, the insurer itself must complete, sign and stamp the Foreign Insurance Certificate.

Letting the policy lapse. For an O-A extension, the term of the policy determines how long you may stay.

A foreign policy for the O-X. The O-X requires an insurer in Thailand.

Assuming every long-stay visa requires insurance. For the Non-O based on retirement or marriage and for the DTV, there is no insurance requirement on the official lists.

Where the sources contradict each other

  • O-A wording. The older O-A page of The Hague (30 November 2022) asks for the amount to be "specifically mentioned" on the policy; the list of 31 August 2026 speaks of a policy for "general illnesses, including COVID-19". Immigration Division 1 mentions "medical expenses including the ones for Covid-19".

  • O-X countries. Immigration Division 1 (February 2022) names 14 countries, including Canada and the United States; TGIA also speaks of 14 countries, but gives only 12 as examples ("such as"). The Netherlands is on both lists, Belgium on neither.

What has changed

  • 1 November 2023: current Immigration Bureau checklist for the retirement extension, with the insurance requirement for the O-A.

  • 31 August 2026: updated document list of The Hague; amounts for the O-A and O-X unchanged.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need health insurance for a Thailand visa?

Only for the O-A, the O-X and the LTR. For visa-exempt travel, the tourist visa, the DTV and the Non-O based on retirement or marriage, there is no insurance requirement on the official lists.

How much insurance cover do I need for the Thailand O-A visa?

At least 100,000 dollars or 3,000,000 baht, including COVID-19, from a Thai or foreign insurer, with the Foreign Insurance Certificate.

Is Dutch or Belgian health insurance accepted for the O-A visa?

A foreign insurer is allowed if it completes the Foreign Insurance Certificate and the cover in Thailand is at least 100,000 dollars or 3,000,000 baht. Ask your insurer whether it does this.

What insurance do I need for the Thailand O-X visa?

A Thai policy with at least 40,000 baht outpatient cover and 400,000 baht inpatient cover per policy year, for the whole period of stay and for each family member.

Do I need insurance to extend my Thailand retirement visa?

Only if you entered with an O-A. With an ordinary Non-O based on retirement, Immigration Division 1 lists no insurance requirement.

What if no insurer will cover me for the O-A?

For the extension in Thailand, immigration then accepts a statement of the refusal plus at least 3,000,000 baht in a bank in Thailand, at least 2 months before the application.

Read also

Sources

All sources opened on 11 October 2026.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Thai visa rules can change and are sometimes applied differently from one office to another. Check the current requirements with the Thai embassy or the immigration office before you apply or travel.

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