Best visa for 3-4 months combo language school and traveling?

[FalangTingTong]

Hello!  Please forgive the stupid question(s), I'm new here and have only been to Thailand once, under the Visa Exemption.

 

I am contemplating a trip of about 3-4 months starting around November 2020, so I have plenty of time to figure this out.  

 

My goal is to do a combination of Thai classes (school and/or private) and travel, where the travel would be both within Thailand and internationally (by air).  I will be 50 by the time I go, US citizen living in the EU.  I want to be as flexible as possible, while also being completely within the law and not creating any patterns that might hurt me later should I want to move to Thailand and need a different visa.

 

At first I assumed the "ED Visa" would be the best option, but according to the Thai Embassy you have to have at least a five-month course, with 2h/day, 4d/week instruction.  Actually doing that would be a bad fit for my 3-4 month time budget which includes travel time.

 

A "Tourist Visa M" looks like a good option –– 60 days per entry, multiple entry within 6 months, so it's an exact fit time-wise; I have noted the "METV Topic" and am looking around there for additional info.

 

A "Non-Immigrant-O Visa M" would probably also work -- 90 days per entry, multiple entry within 1 year; but for this one the proof of local address might be complicated to get from, say, an AirBNB / VRBO host. (I am aware of the TM30 requirements.)

 

The Thailand Elite Visa for ฿฿฿฿ would surely work -- I have noted the strong opinions on the Elite Visa here. I may want to visit Thailand enough in the next years to make it worth the money (to me) but I'd rather not pay that much up front without first being there for a season.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Edited January 2, 2020 by FalangTingTong
found "METV topic"

[ubonjoe]

You can attend a school with any type of visa entry. Getting a non-ed visa and then 90 day extensions of stay at immigration would be difficult to do since proof of attendance in classes is required for the extensions.

A multiple entry tourist visa would be a good choice if you can meet the requirements to apply for one.

3 hours ago, FalangTingTong said:

A "Non-Immigrant-O Visa M" would probably also work

I assume you mean a multiple entry non-o visa. Upon what basis would you be applying for it. Very few embassies and consulatess will issue one based upon being 50 year old or over for retirement.

What is your status in the European country that you are staying in now? Many embassies and consulates in Europe require proof of legal residency in the country where you apply for it. That would certainly be required to a apply for a METV.

[DrJack54]

Get a single entry tourist visa. If wish to travel outside of Thailand or Vietnam obtain a multi reentry permit here in Thailand. This visa can be extended by 30 days giving total of 3 months. After that just exit Thailand (best by border) and re-enter obtain 30 day visa exempt. That can be extended by 30. That's 5 month.

Forget ed visa.

You can attend class without ed visa

[FalangTingTong]

9 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You can attend a school with any type of visa entry. Getting a non-ed visa and then 90 day extensions of stay at immigration would be difficult to do since proof of attendance in classes is required for the extensions.

A multiple entry tourist visa would be a good choice if you can meet the requirements to apply for one.

I assume you mean a multiple entry non-o visa. Upon what basis would you be applying for it. Very few embassies and consulatess will issue one based upon being 50 year old or over for retirement.

What is your status in the European country that you are staying in now? Many embassies and consulates in Europe require proof of legal residency in the country where you apply for it. That would certainly be required to a apply for a METV.

 

Is there some special requirement for the multiple-entry tourist visa other than having a job and the bank statements?  The embassy (in Berlin) doesn't list any.

 

On the METV, as I understand it, I wouldn't need any extensions for a four-month stay as long as I leave the country before the first 60 days is up: say 55 days in, 5 days out, 60 days in.

 

The longer one (which seems impractical) is "NON-IMMIGRANT-O VISA M" per the Embassy website.  It just says "other purposes," and I sort of assume if I said "for learning Thai and visiting stuff" they might ask why I don't get an ED.

 

I am a Permanent Resident of Germany and am employed there.

 

Thanks for your reply!

[FalangTingTong]

8 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Get a single entry tourist visa. If wish to travel outside of Thailand or Vietnam obtain a multi reentry permit here in Thailand. This visa can be extended by 30 days giving total of 3 months. After that just exit Thailand (best by border) and re-enter obtain 30 day visa exempt. That can be extended by 30. That's 5 month.

Forget ed visa.

You can attend class without ed visa

What's the advantage of a single-entry tourist visa over a multiple-entry one?  Just that it's a bit cheaper, or is there some other factor?

 

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'd like to avoid doing a set of visa extensions and/or visa runs.  I'm considering living in Thailand later on (depending on how this trip goes) and it sounds like there is increasing vigilance around using extensions and border crossings to make a two-month visa work for five months.

 

I do understand that it'd probably work, and thanks for the suggestion.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

3 hours ago, FalangTingTong said:

What's the advantage of a single-entry tourist visa over a multiple-entry one?  Just that it's a bit cheaper, or is there some other factor?

A multiple entry tourist visa allows unlimited 60 day entries for 6 months from the date it is issued. No need to do a 30 day a extension unless you want to. Just do a border hop for a new entry. Entering at most border crossing is not a problem using one.  You can get almost 9 months from it by getting a new 60 day entry just before it expires and a 30 day extension of it.

You would have to get a new single entry visa every 90 days if you extended the 60 day entry from one.

 

 

[DrJack54]

OP, had another read of your initial post. Very sensible. Yes an METV would be good option if easy for you to tick all the requirements. 

On side note if you went setv along with extension etc, your future plans re non O will not be impacted. Either way your safe as houses. 

[FalangTingTong]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

A multiple entry tourist visa allows unlimited 60 day entries for 6 months from the date it is issued. No need to do a 30 day a extension unless you want to. Just do a border hop for a new entry. Entering at most border crossing is not a problem using one.  You can get almost 9 months from it by getting a new 60 day entry just before it expires and a 30 day extension of it.

You would have to get a new single entry visa every 90 days if you extended the 60 day entry from one.

 

 

Thanks.

 

As it happens I would have no need of getting more than two 60-day stays within six months, but I find this border-crossing-extension theme interesting, I've noticed it on this forum but haven't seen anything about it on the Embassy sites.

 

Do I understand correctly that in general, if you enter on an N-Day visa that would expire during your stay, you get permission to stay for N days anyway?  Or to put it differently, the six-month (or whatever) validity of the visas is in general the time you have to *enter* as opposed to the time by which you must finally *leave*?

 

[FalangTingTong]

5 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, had another read of your initial post. Very sensible. Yes an METV would be good option if easy for you to tick all the requirements. 

On side note if you went setv along with extension etc, your future plans re non O will not be impacted. Either way your safe as houses. 

Thank you!

 

Yes it appears the METV is the correct thing to ask for, I will plan around that barring surprises.