Nomad Insurance in Thailand: SafetyWing or Genki for a Year

For a year of nomad insurance in Thailand, SafetyWing Essential and Genki Traveler cost about the same at entry level, so the choice comes down to the deductible, the medical limit and the wording on motorbikes and diving. As of 26 September 2026, SafetyWing Essential starts at USD 62.72 per 4 weeks for ages 18 to 39 with a USD 250,000 overall limit. Genki Traveler starts at EUR 52.50 a month with a EUR 1,000,000 limit and a EUR 50 deductible per case.

This is information, not advice. We have not held a policy with either company, so nothing here describes how their claims teams behave. One point up front: the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) has no health insurance requirement, which we cover below.

What does nomad insurance cost for a year in Thailand?

A year at the entry price lands between roughly EUR 630 and USD 815, before age and options move it. These are the prices and terms of each insurer on 26 September 2026:

Watch the billing period before you compare. SafetyWing bills every four weeks, and a year holds thirteen of those periods, not twelve. Thirteen periods at USD 62.72 is USD 815.36. SafetyWing takes 10% off when you pay 364 days at once, which brings that to about USD 734 by our arithmetic. Genki at its starting price of EUR 52.50 is EUR 630 for twelve months, but your Genki price depends on your age, the deductible and the region of cover. The two totals sit in different currencies, so run them through Currency Check with your own quote before you compare.

The bigger siblings cost two to three times more. SafetyWing Complete costs USD 177.50 a month for ages 18 to 39. Genki Native started from EUR 168 a month on 20 August 2026.

Is SafetyWing legit, and is it a good travel insurance?

SafetyWing is a real insurance business, not a scam, but it is a young company with an unusual structure, and its reviews split on claims. Sondre Rasch, Sarah Sandnes and Hans Kjellby founded it in 2017, and in August 2019 it had just come out of the Y Combinator programme.

Who carries the risk takes some reading, because two SafetyWing documents name different companies. On 2 October 2026 the footer of SafetyWing's own site names SafetyWing (Managing General Agent), Ltd, registered in the Turks and Caicos Islands, as plan administrator for products underwritten by SafetyWing Insurance, an international insurer domiciled in Puerto Rico. A description of coverage still online at safetywing.com is an older document headed "Administered by: WorldTrips": it describes WorldTrips as a subsidiary of Tokio Marine HCC, names HCC Lloyd's Syndicate 4141, and is governed by the laws of Bermuda. Before you buy, we would ask SafetyWing which entity issues your certificate, and where a complaint would go.

On Trustpilot, SafetyWing scored 4.3 out of 5 from 4,128 reviews on 2 October 2026: 74% gave five stars and 16% gave one. The praise is about sign-up and support chat. The one-star reviews are mostly about claims: repeated requests for the same documents, and refusals. Read a handful of each before you decide.

Thailand is covered. As of 5 March 2026, SafetyWing excludes Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Puerto Rico, Syria, Russia and Belarus, plus some regions of Ukraine, and Essential only covers travel outside your home country.

Whether it is good depends on what you ask of it. It is travel medical cover with a USD 250,000 limit and no deductible, built for emergencies and not for routine care. We have not held a policy or made a claim, so we cannot vouch for the claims experience either way.

SafetyWing vs Genki: which has the lower deductible and the higher limit?

SafetyWing has the lower deductible and Genki the higher limit. SafetyWing's wording on Essential, dated 5 March 2026, is plain: "This plan does not have any deductibles." The USD 250 deductible that older reviews mention comes from the earlier WorldTrips description of coverage. Genki's EUR 50 applies once per insurance case, not per receipt, and does not apply to inpatient stays. A claim under EUR 50 is not reimbursed.

One limit needs a question if you are 65 or over. The older WorldTrips description of coverage cut the overall limit to USD 100,000 from age 65 to 69. SafetyWing's current rules on who can buy Essential (6 May 2026, for the plan version effective February 2026) give the age range as 14 days to 69 years and state no separate limit, and the Nomad Insurance page shows USD 250,000. We could not confirm on 2 October 2026 whether the lower limit still applies, so ask SafetyWing in writing.

Small bills are the norm on Koh Tao. In 2026 a private clinic consultation costs 700 to 1,500 THB, and a visit to the public Koh Tao Hospital 200 to 800 THB. Many of those bills will sit under Genki's deductible, so with Genki you pay the everyday care yourself.

The limit matters on the day a bill is not small. As of 25 August 2026, surgery at a private hospital runs 100,000 to 500,000 THB or more, and a medical evacuation 300,000 to 1,500,000 THB. As of 24 April 2026, private hospitals ask for deposits of 50,000 to 200,000 THB before planned procedures, and up to 800,000 THB for major surgery. That is the day you buy insurance for, and it is why we would weigh the limit before the deductible.

Does nomad insurance cover motorbike accidents in Thailand?

Both policies cover motorbike accidents, under different licence conditions. SafetyWing covers motor accidents "if properly licensed, wearing all safety equipment and not intoxicated". Genki requires a helmet and a valid licence, except on light motorcycles up to 125cc, 11 kW and a top speed of 110 km/h.

That Genki exception is an insurance clause, not a permission to ride. The UK Foreign Office advice for Thailand says British drivers need the 1968 International Driving Permit alongside their UK licence, and that riding a motorcycle without a valid licence "could invalidate your travel insurance". Thai law also requires a helmet. On Koh Tao's steep roads this is the clause most likely to matter. Our post on what a motorbike crash on Koh Tao really costs walks through the bill.

Does SafetyWing or Genki cover scuba diving on Koh Tao?

Genki Traveler includes recreational diving; SafetyWing Essential covers scuba only if you buy its Adventure Sports add-on. Genki covers dives up to 30 metres if you hold a BSAC, PADI, NAUI or SSI certification, or dive with a certified instructor or guide.

SafetyWing's base plan excludes scuba diving (wording of 5 March 2026, for the plan version effective February 2026). With the add-on, scuba is covered to the depth you or the accompanying instructor is licensed for, up to a USD 100,000 lifetime maximum, and cave diving only with an instructor certified by PADI, NAUI, SSI or BSAC. Freediving is covered by the base plan. Essential does not include search and rescue or transport from a dive site to a medical facility, and SafetyWing points divers who want full dive cover to the Divers Alert Network. The conditions quoted in older reviews (certified divers, or with an instructor under 10 metres) come from the earlier WorldTrips description of coverage.

Hyperbaric treatment is where dive costs climb: 15,000 to 40,000 THB or more per session. Koh Tao has had its own recompression chamber in Mae Haad since 2023, with 24/7 emergency recompression. On this island, dedicated dive cover such as DAN is close to essential. If you dive often, read both wordings on decompression illness and consider a dive specific policy on top.

Do you need health insurance in Thailand on a DTV?

No, the DTV itself has no health insurance requirement. The Royal Thai Embassy in London asks DTV applicants for a passport, a photo, proof of residence, funds of at least 12,000 GBP, a police clearance certificate and, for remote workers, an employment contract or portfolio. Insurance is not on the list. Our Visa Check data says the same.

Other visas do require cover:

1. The Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa, handled by the Board of Investment, asks for health insurance of at least USD 50,000, Thai social security, or USD 100,000 kept in a bank account.
2. The Non-Immigrant O-A retirement visa asks for insurance with a sum of at least USD 100,000 or 3,000,000 THB.

Being legal and uninsured on a DTV is possible. The hospital deposits above are the reason few people choose it, and we would not either. Our DTV vs LTR comparison covers the rest of that trade.

What does a claim look like from Koh Tao?

Most serious claims from Koh Tao start with a boat to Koh Samui. A speedboat or ferry medical transfer costs 2,000 to 8,000 THB, before any hospital charge. Bangkok Hospital Samui has a 24 hour ER, receives serious cases from Koh Tao by speedboat ambulance, and offers direct billing with major travel and expat insurers. Call your insurer's emergency line before you arrive, since a guarantee of payment is what replaces a deposit. Save that number in your phone the day you buy the policy.

Genki adds one timing rule: if you start cover while already abroad and had no insurance before, only medical emergencies are covered for the first 14 days. Buy before you fly if you can.

What about EKTA, the cheaper option?

EKTA sells travel insurance by the day and can undercut both on price, but read three clauses before you trade down. On 26 September 2026 its annual plan had three tiers: Start, with a USD 50,000 limit and a 25% deductible on every claim, at USD 0.99 to 1.37 a day; Gold, with USD 150,000 and no deductible, at USD 1.75 to 2.40 a day; and Max+, with USD 500,000 and no deductible, at USD 5.90 to 8.08 a day. Thirty days of Gold lands close to SafetyWing Essential's USD 62.72 per four weeks, with a lower limit.

The clauses that matter on Koh Tao sit in the options. Riding a scooter, moped or motorcycle, as driver or passenger, is covered only once you add the "Active rest" option, and scuba diving and snorkelling only in the riskier sports option above it, so the base price is not the price of a Koh Tao policy. EKTA also provides its service only when there is no alcohol in the blood. Every EKTA policy is underwritten by IC "Auras Insurance" LLC, licensed in the Union of Comoros, so check where you could take a complaint if a claim is refused.

We have not bought an EKTA policy or made a claim with one. It can make sense for a trip of a few weeks on a tight budget, once the options are priced in; for a year, we would still start with the two policies above. To compare on your own dates, EKTA quotes a policy in a few minutes (affiliate link).

Which one fits a year in Thailand?

Neither wins on every line, so match the wording to your year:

1. You want the highest limit and can absorb small clinic bills: Genki Traveler, EUR 1,000,000 and EUR 50 per case.
2. You dive regularly: Genki Traveler includes diving to 30 metres; SafetyWing Essential covers scuba only with the Adventure Sports add-on, so price that in.
3. You will stay longer than twelve months: Genki Traveler stops at 12 months, so price Genki Native or SafetyWing from the start.
4. You ride without a motorcycle licence: fix the licence first. Neither clause makes it legal.
5. You are already in Thailand and uninsured: SafetyWing, or accept Genki's 14 day emergency only period.
6. You want the lowest price for a few weeks: EKTA Gold, once you add the scooter and diving options and accept a Comoros licensed insurer.

Updated on 2 October 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm with the official source linked above before you act.