Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Retirement Visas and the notion of compulsory insurance. I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: City Hall pluses and minuses at heart of Pattaya expat assessments. A lot going on in that article; the thrust of that article goes a very different direction than what we are going to be talking about in this video. I urge those who are watching this video, go check out that article in detail. 

Quoting directly: "A random survey of 80 Expats in Pattaya has praised some services offered by City Hall whilst expressing exasperation at others. The survey was conducted June 15-16 by interview or by phone to English-speaking longstayers mostly with retirement extensions of stay or work permits. Linked to health worries, two thirds of respondents were concerned about possible Immigration changes to make medical cover compulsory." So as we have discussed in other videos, presently medical insurance coverage is required for O-A Retirement Visas, that is a Retirement Visa generally issued by a Thai Embassy or Consulate abroad. An O-A can be extended here in country by Thai Immigration, so that Visa status can be extended by Thai Immigration in country but generally speaking it is initiated at an Embassy or Consulate abroad; there is a lot of insurance coverage required for issuance of that type of Visa. Contrast that with the Thai O Retirement Visa which generally speaking extensions of that status are generally issued here in Thailand. Conversion may be possible but again it is highly discretionary on the part of the Thai Immigration Officer and it's not a foregone conclusion that a Thai O Retirement Visa will even be granted, in country or otherwise. But the Thai O Retirement Visa has the major benefit of not having this Compulsory Insurance requirement and I know from personal experience that the notion of that changing, the notion of the O Retirement Visa requirements changing so as to require ongoing Insurance in the O Retirement Visa category, that is a real concern to many foreigners here in Thailand.

What I will say as of the time of this video, I don't see where that is going to happen any time in the relatively near foreseeable future. I have done other videos on this in the past and quite honestly been burned for it in the comments and things where I have said it is highly possible, it's not outside the realm of possibility at all that they do start one day requiring Insurance in the O Retirement Visa category. That said, to date they don't seem to show any inclination to doing that and again at least in the immediately foreseeable future, I don't see any reason to believe that they are going to require Compulsory Insurance associated with the O Retirement Visa Extension here in the Kingdom of Thailand.