Thai Student Visa- Question about visiting home

[mat999]

We are on an education visa which will need renewing every 3 months, the next being mid September. However, we wanted to go back home for the whole month. Do you think that is allowed or do we need to be here for the date that the visa needs renewing? Our school will be giving us a re-entry permit.

Also, I am sure there is a limit how long you can leave when on an Ed visa. Is that 1 month or 3 months? I tried Googling this but the results weren't relevant.

 

Thank you

[ubonjoe]

Visas are not renewed you can only get a new one at a embassy or consulate.

You can extend the 90 day entry from your non-ed visa for up to 90 days at a immigration office with paperwork from the school.

If you do not do the extension before leaving and a re-entry permit to keep it valid you will have to get a new non-ed visa.

The immigration office may not do an extension if your are not attending school. I would think about 2 weeks is all you could be out of the country.

[mat999]

Thanks Joe, I didn’t think we could just renew early. That means we have a fresh 3 months extension so our school said OK up to 6 weeks holiday. 

[JackThompson]

On 7/4/2018 at 3:17 PM, mat999 said:

Thanks Joe, I didn’t think we could just renew early. That means we have a fresh 3 months extension so our school said OK up to 6 weeks holiday. 

If you are getting the extension and a re-entry permit, then leaving and returning, and you will be entering via an Airport-checkpoint, I would get a letter from the school confirming and excusing your absence from classes during your time away.  Also, be sure you have 20K Baht worth of cash in-hand upon entry.  These could be crucial in getting through airport-immigration (some of them hate ED-Visa folks). 

Alternatively, you could fly back to Penang, enter by land (Train through Pedang Besar is the best choice), and have no issues - but have the 20K Baht worth of cash to show, in any case.  A domestic flight from Hat Yai airport (no immigration issues) can take you where ever you need to go within Thailand from there.

Edited July 10, 2018 by JackThompson