Best International Health Insurance for Expats in Southeast Asia

Reviewed 2026-10-31. General independent information; check current official immigration, financial and medical guidance before acting.

Expert take — Cost of Asia editorial team "Guaranteed renewable" does not mean "guaranteed price": Cigna's own product summary sets no maximum age at purchase or renewal, yet states that premiums can change at every renewal and climb as you age. Over a ten-year stay, the deductible and out-of-pocket cap you pick will shape your real cost far more than the first-year quote. Before you sign, ask each insurer in writing how renewal premiums are set (age band, country, medical inflation, claims) and model your budget at age +5 and +10.

Commercial transparency: Cost of Asia has no contracted partner in this category. Providers are compared on published criteria, and no provider has paid for inclusion. If this changes, affiliate links will be labelled.

If you plan to live in Thailand, Vietnam, Bali or Malaysia for a year or more, you will end up choosing between two kinds of cover. An international private medical insurance plan (often called IPMI) follows you across borders, covers trips home if you choose the right area of cover, and usually offers evacuation. A local plan, sold by an insurer in your country of residence, costs less and often bills hospitals directly, but it is tied to living in that country and tends to have stricter age rules.

This page is for long-stay expats, retirees and families weighing those two routes. We only list providers whose terms we could check in published documents this month. That gives you two international insurers, two Thailand-based local options (Thailand has the most developed expat insurance market of the four countries we cover), and one short-term option for people still testing a move. For country-specific advice, use the Vietnam, Bali and Malaysia guides linked at the end.

The main trade-off is simple: portability and age security on one side, lower premiums and local convenience on the other.

At a glance

How we chose

We compared each option on criteria you can verify yourself in a policy's table of benefits:

• Annual or per-confinement limit published by the insurer or a named broker.
• Entry age and renewal terms, which are two different numbers.
• Underwriting options: full medical underwriting versus moratorium.
• Area of cover and evacuation: whether the US is included, and whether evacuation is core cover or an add-on.
• Maternity and outpatient: included, optional or excluded.
• Residency conditions for local plans.

Sources: Cigna and Allianz Care documents, Allianz Ayudhya's published plan pages, broker summaries from Pacific Prime where insurers do not publish full terms openly, and official Thai visa pages. We do not publish premiums: they depend on your age, country, deductible and health, and we will not print figures we have not quoted ourselves. Checked on 31 October 2026.

1. Cigna Global — best for expats planning to age in place

Who it suits

Cigna Global sells Silver, Gold and Platinum plans built around a core inpatient benefit called International Medical Insurance, with optional modules for outpatient care, evacuation, wellbeing, and vision and dental. Cigna's February 2025 product summary lists an annual maximum of US$1 million on Silver and US$2 million on Gold, while Platinum is shown as paid in full. The optional outpatient module is capped at US$15,000 on Silver and US$35,000 on Gold.

The standout term for long-stay expats is age. The policyholder must be at least 18, but the summary states there is no maximum age at the start of cover or at renewal. Cigna also publishes a Senior plan bundle for people aged 60 and over. You can choose worldwide cover with or without the US, and pay in US dollars, euros or pounds.

Trade-offs

Premiums are not guaranteed and rise with age at each renewal, according to the same summary. Medical evacuation is sold as a separate module rather than built into the core plan, so a bare-bones quote may leave it out. Maternity and newborn benefits are only on Gold and Platinum, with a waiting period that the summary sets at 12 months for policies outside Hong Kong and Singapore.

Check before you commit

• Ask for the policy rules that apply to your country of residence; the summary we used is the Hong Kong edition.
• Confirm that the International Medical Evacuation module is on your quote.
• Cigna's underwriting guide describes an 18-question medical questionnaire, with a decision usually given within 24 hours. Answer it fully: undisclosed conditions are a common reason claims are refused.

2. Allianz Care — best for high limits and planned families

Who it suits

Allianz Care launched a new Care range in November 2025 for people spending 12 months or more abroad, explicitly including families and digital nomads. There are three tiers: Care Base (plan limit about US$1.35 million), Care Enhanced (about US$2.7 million) and Care Signature (about US$5 million). Allianz says all three include a private hospital room and medical repatriation.

Maternity is included on Enhanced and Signature with a 12-month waiting period, and bariatric surgery on those tiers carries a 24-month wait. Outpatient and dental cover are optional add-ons. Most plans let you include or exclude the US.

Trade-offs

Allianz's announcement said the new range targeted mainly the EU and UK at launch, with Asia-Pacific plans to follow. If you live in Southeast Asia, you may be offered a different plan family, so compare the actual table of benefits you are quoted. Allianz's plan pages do not state a maximum entry age; a September 2026 Expatica review reports a limit of 75, which you should confirm in writing.

Check before you commit

• Ask which plan family is sold to residents of your country.
• If you choose moratorium underwriting, read the 24-month rule in the "What to check" section below.
• Look up the evacuation and repatriation limits in the Table of Benefits, not the brochure.

3. Pacific Cross — best for Thailand residents who want local direct billing

Who it suits

Pacific Cross is part of a regional insurance group that, according to broker Pacific Prime, has operated since 1949. Its Thailand plans run from Standard tiers (restricted to the BDMS hospital network on some versions) up to Ultima. Pacific Prime's July 2025 summary lists inpatient limits per confinement of 3 million baht on Premier Plus, 10 million on Maxima Plus and 50 million on Ultima Plus, with optional dental and vision at 80% reimbursement. Its August 2026 summary describes all plans as having lifetime renewability.

Trade-offs

This is a Thailand residence product: Pacific Prime notes that applicants must live in Thailand at least six months in any 12. Evacuation scope varies by tier; the 2026 summary describes it as domestic-only on Standard and Premier, and worldwide on Maxima and Ultima. These figures come from a broker, not from policy wording, so treat them as a starting point.

Check before you commit

• Request the policy wording and confirm the evacuation scope for your tier.
• Ask for the maximum entry age for your plan; neither broker summary states one.

4. Luma (Hi 5 and Prime) — best for Thailand residents under 70 who want long renewal

Who it suits

Luma's own site identifies it as LUMA CARE CO., LTD., a company holding Thai broker licenses, so its plans are underwritten by Thai insurers. Pacific Prime's summary (updated July 2026) describes two current plans. Hi 5 accepts applicants from newborn up to age 70, with a 5 million baht annual limit and worldwide emergency cover outside the US. Prime is for applicants under 70, with annual limits of 10, 30 or 50 million baht. Both are described as renewable to age 99, and both require about 180 days a year of residence in Thailand. Outpatient cover is optional.

Trade-offs

Because Luma is a broker, the underwriting insurer's policy wording is what counts in a claim. Thailand Starter Kit reported in September 2026 that Luma had stopped actively selling its older Long Stay Care plan, so don't rely on older reviews.

Check before you commit

• Ask which insurer underwrites your plan, and get its policy wording.
• Confirm the deductible options and whether outpatient is included in your quote.

5. SafetyWing Nomad Insurance — best for short stays and trial moves

Who it suits

SafetyWing sells Nomad Insurance as a subscription you can start and stop. A third-party review updated in November 2025 lists US$250,000 of medical cover on its Essential plan. It can bridge the first months while you decide where to settle.

Trade-offs

It is travel-medical cover, built around emergencies rather than ongoing care. Thailand's Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa explicitly refuses travel insurance, so it will not support that application.

Check before you commit

We could not retrieve SafetyWing's full policy wording this month. On its site, check the maximum age, how many days of home-country cover apply, and how pre-existing conditions are treated.

What to check before you decide

• Underwriting type. Under moratorium terms, Allianz Care excludes conditions you had symptoms of, or treatment for, in the 24 months before cover starts, until you go 24 continuous months without symptoms, treatment, medication or advice. If you take daily medication, full medical underwriting gives you more certainty.
• Two age limits. Ask for both the maximum entry age and the maximum renewal age.
• Evacuation. Is it core cover, a module, or domestic-only?
• Area of cover. If you exclude the US, check the cap on emergency treatment outside your area.
• Residency. Local plans can lapse your eligibility if you spend too long outside the country.
• Visa rules. Thailand's O-A and LTR visas set minimum cover amounts (see FAQ).

FAQ

Do I need health insurance to live in Southeast Asia?

It depends on the visa. In Thailand, the Non-Immigrant O-A requires cover of at least US$100,000 or 3 million baht, a rule in force since 1 October 2021, according to the Royal Thai Embassy in Madrid. The LTR visa requires US$50,000 of hospital cover, Thai social security, or a US$100,000 deposit. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) does not list insurance as a requirement. Rules change, so check the official page for your visa before you buy.

Should I include the US in my area of cover?

Only if you expect to be treated there. Excluding the US lowers premiums, but emergency care outside your area may be capped. Cigna's Senior plan, for example, caps out-of-area emergency hospitalization at US$100,000 for members without US cover.

Can I buy expat health insurance after 70?

Yes, but choice narrows. Cigna states no maximum age at application. Among Thai local plans, Allianz Ayudhya's Superior Health accepts new applicants up to 65 on its higher tiers, and Luma's plans up to 70.

Is a local policy enough?

If you live in one country most of the year and rarely travel, a local plan can be good value. If you split your time between countries, an international plan is usually the only one that stays valid everywhere you live.

Related guides

• Expat health insurance: the complete guide
• Best expat health insurance in Thailand
• Best expat health insurance in Vietnam
• Best expat health insurance in Bali
• Best expat health insurance in Malaysia
• Budget calculator

Sources

• Cigna Global Health Options product summary, Hong Kong edition (Feb 2025) — tiers, limits, no maximum age, premiums not guaranteed, maternity waiting periods
• Cigna Global Senior Plan brochure (Nov 2024) — 60+ bundle, out-of-area emergency cap
• Cigna Global underwriting guide — questionnaire and decision timing
• Allianz Care: Care plans — tier limits, optional outpatient and dental
• Allianz Care: new Care range announcement (19 Nov 2025) — target customers, maternity and bariatric waiting periods, markets
• Allianz Care: personal international health insurance — include or exclude USA
• Allianz Care: switching insurers — moratorium 24-month rule
• Expatica: Allianz Care review — reported maximum application age
• Pacific Prime Thailand: Pacific Cross plans (Jul 2025) — limits, founding year, residency rule
• Pacific Prime: Pacific Cross Thailand (Aug 2026) — lifetime renewability, evacuation scope by tier
• Pacific Prime Thailand: Luma plans — Hi 5 and Prime entry ages, limits, renewal to 99
• Luma: Asia Care First page — company name and broker licenses
• Thailand Starter Kit: Luma Long Stay Care review (Sep 2026) — plan no longer actively sold
• Allianz Ayudhya: Superior Health Plus — entry age range
• Digital Nomads World: Cigna Global review (Nov 2025) — SafetyWing Essential medical maximum
• Royal Thai Embassy Madrid: O-A insurance requirements — O-A minimum cover and start date
• BOI: LTR Work-From-Thailand Professional required documents (Jun 2025) — US$50,000 rule, travel insurance refused
• Issa Compass: health insurance and Thai visas (Oct 2026) — DTV has no insurance requirement