Travel Insurance for Thailand

From beautiful golden sandy beaches lapped by crystal clear waters, dense jungles and dazzling temples, to the bustling streets of Bangkok, Thailand, the land of smiles, welcomes millions of travellers every year.

Tourists to Thailand are as varied as the country’s landscape, attracting everyone from backpackers, couples and families seeking two weeks relaxation at a beach resort.

All tourists travelling to Thailand should ensure that they have appropriate travel insurance in place. Worldwide travel insurance policies cover holidays to Thailand, however, depending on your trip itinerary, you may require more specialist cover…

Backpacker insurance cover

If you are visiting Thailand as part of a backpacking adventure, we offer specially tailored backpacker insurance cover.

Most standard travel insurance policies apply limits to the duration of any one trip so are not suitable for backpacking travels. Our backpacker travel insurance cover will provide backpacker insurance for up to 547 days, giving you ample time to discover what the world has to offer, with the peace of mind you are covered should anything unfortunate happen during your backpacking experience.

Do I need travel insurance for Thailand?

There is no legal requirement to have travel insurance to any destination that you visit, however, travel without travel insurance in place is ill-advised.

Insurance to travel to Thailand is an inexpensive investment that will offer you the peace of mind that you have a range of cover should you need assistance before or during your holiday.

The Global Health Insurance card which offers free or reduced-price emergency medical treatment for trips to Europe, does not apply in Thailand. Without travel insurance in place, should you require any medical treatment while holidaying in Thailand, you could find yourself facing large medical bills.

Annual Multi-trip policies that include Thailand

If you plan on travelling abroad more than once in a year? Then you may benefit from purchasing an annual multi-trip travel insurance policy.

An annual worldwide travel insurance policy will cover you for your trip to Thailand as well as many other adventures (please see below for details as to which countries are categorised into which travel insurance groups).

What does travel insurance for Thailand cover me for?

Any good travel insurance policy for Thailand will offer cover for:

• Emergency medical and repatriation expenses
• Cancellation and curtailment
• Cover for lost, stolen or damaged possessions, passports and documents
• Missed departures
• Personal liability

The level of the cover provided will be dependant on the travel insurance policy you choose.

There are areas within Thailand that the FCDO advises against all but essential travel.  Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice. For the latest up to date travel advice for Thailand visit Thailand travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What is the best travel insurance for Thailand?

The best travel insurance for Thailand depends entirely on the level of cover you require and the activities that you will be taking part in during your trip.

You may find cheap holiday insurance to Thailand which offers the cover that you require, alternatively, you may benefit from paying a little more for a policy that provides additional cover than the cheapest travel insurance to Thailand available.

Remember, if you are backpacking in Thailand, you will likely require specialist backpacker insurance cover, to ensure you are covered for the duration of your backpacking adventure.

Compare travel insurance for Thailand

At Start Travel we offer three levels of travel insurance policies for our single trip, annual multi-trip policies and backpacker travel insurance cover, enabling you to select the best travel insurance policy to suit your needs..

Whatever level of travel insurance cover you opt for, it’s important to remember to arrange your travel insurance for Thailand as soon as you book your trip. If you need to cancel your trip for any reason which is covered by the policy*, you’ll be able to make a claim.

Am I covered for healthcare whilst in Thailand?

There are many public hospitals in Thailand, but treatment at these hospitals is only free for Thai citizens and working residents. What’s more, the quality standards of Thailand’s public hospitals don’t meet the quality standards here in the UK.  

Private hospitals in Thailand have much better care standards, but they can be very costly.

All medical facilities in Thailand are likely to ask you to prove up front that you have health insurance or can pay for treatment.

Vaccines required for Thailand

You should make sure you check the latest health advice and vaccination recommendations at least eight weeks before you travel to Thailand.

There are certain vaccinations that are advised for Thailand, including the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus-polio vaccine.

If you become ill while travelling, but didn’t get the advised vaccinations, then you could have an insurance claim denied.

Dengue fever and Zika virus are present in Thailand. There are no vaccines available for these diseases and travellers to Thailand should take preventive measure to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

You can keep up to date with travel health advice on the Travel Health Pro website.

Where are you covered with a Start Travel insurance policy?

United Kingdom

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Europe 1

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, the Azores, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Channel Islands, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland (including Lapland), France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Republic), the Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the Vatican City.

Europe 2

All countries listed in Europe 1 plus Cyprus, Gibraltar, Greece (including the Greek Islands), Kosovo, Malta, Spain (including the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands), Switzerland and Turkey.

Australia/New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand only. Please note, if your trip to Australia or New Zealand involves a stopover in another country enroute, you will require a travel insurance policy which also covers you in the destination where you have a stopover, if you are going to be leaving the airport.

Worldwide excluding USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean

All countries of the world* EXCEPT: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, Canada, Caribbean Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, St Barthelemy / St Barts, St Croix, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Maarten/St Martin, St Thomas, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, the United States of America, Virgin Islands (UK), Virgin Islands (US).

Worldwide including USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean

All countries of the world*

*Some countries or areas are considered too dangerous for travel and we will not cover you if you choose to travel there. We define these to be areas which are subject to War and Civil Unrest or where the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has issued “advice against all but essential travel” or “advice against all travel.”

* Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. For full details please check policy wording and IPID.