Converting SETV to Education visa?

[mockingbird]

As a so called snowbird, below retiremant age, coming from Ireland,  I'm looking to bite the bullet and come back to Thailand in February, doing the whole ASQ thing.

If I obtain a tourist visa, can I change that when in Thailand to a study visa?

 

I'm looking to kill 2 birds with 1 stone i.e. learn thai, and see out 2021 in Thailand, where hopefully normality will have returned somewhat by the end of next year.

[onebir]

It might be easier to get an education visa, if you don't mind spending a couple of hours a day studying Thai. (I'm over 50 but considering this.)

[mockingbird]

13 minutes ago, onebir said:

It might be easier to get an education visa, if you don't mind spending a couple of hours a day studying Thai. (I'm over 50 but considering this.)

Thanks. I'm not quite sure what you mean, but yes that woud be my plan... To attend thai language school classes.

My question is would it be possible to convert my setv to an education visa while in Thailand?

[cubism001]

An education visa would be wonderful. I'm coming on a tourist visa mid-Jan. 21.  Thanks; any more guidance is welcome.

[onebir]

1 hour ago, mockingbird said:

My question is would it be possible to convert my setv to an education visa while in Thailand?

IDK, but it used to be possible to apply for education visas from outside Thailand. Given the SETV regs were just relaxed, eligible countries broadened etc, that could become possible again pretty soon, which would save converting an SETV.

 

Here's some language schools I found in CM (if you're interested in that city):

https://tslchiangmai.com/

https://www.welearnthai.ac.th/

https://www.facebook.com/thaiforfunCM/

 

(FWIW; there's more on chiangmailocator; I haven't contacted them yet & don't know much about them.)

[aldriglikvid]

I had the same plan (going with a Education visa first-on) but since I'm unable to verify if the school is legit or not, it sucks to pay all the money upfront. I've tried several times to be recommended actual schools/websites - but to no success. 

As the STV just recently was relaxed - that will be my plan. Have you considered it? Gives you atleast 9 months. 

[asiacurious]

You are definitely better off getting an education visa wherever you currently are before coming to Thailand, than trying to convert it to one after you get here.  Or do the Special Tourist Visa, which currently can give you up to 9 months total time in Thailand.  While the STV won't (currently) let you convert to another visa inside of Thailand - you would have to leave Thailand to get another kind of visa - education visas are normally only issued outside of Thailand anyway.  You're not supposed to be able to convert to an education visa inside of Thailand.

 

That said, there are schools - mostly in the provinces - that have (cough) devised ways (cough) of converting to an education visas without leaving the country.  If you want to stay in Bangkok to study, there are a couple of schools that can (cough) arrange the conversion.  They do this by sending all of your paperwork to another province's immigration office and when it's time to do the stamps in your passport, the school arranges to take you to the province for that.)

 

Schools require 30 days to process the conversion (2 weeks for the Ministry of Education to do their paperwork, and 2 weeks for immigration.  (If borders were open, you would still need at least 2 weeks for the school to process paperwork with the Ministry of Education, before you then leave the country to process the new visa at a Thai Embassy or Consulate in another country.)

 

Finally note that you can expect to pay a (cough) fee of anywhere from about 30,000 to 50,000 baht for an in country conversion.  This fee (cough, cough, cough) in addition to the cost of classes you'll pay the school.  3 months of classes will run you an additional 25,000 to 30,000 baht.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

[aldriglikvid]

@asiacurious

Would you know if there's a official website - or something close to it - with accredited schools? Really hard to judge if its legit or not, from afar (and via a desktop screen). 

[asiacurious]

Don't know of such a site.  People have mentioned some on these forums.  Where in Thailand are you hoping to study?

[asiacurious]

Ahh, wait.  I think you were posting in another thread.  Pattaya?  I don't know of any there.

[ubonjoe]

Normal under the rules a tourist visa entry cannot be changed to  a non-ed visa if attending a language or other informal school. But some schools can arrange it with a additional fee.

Embassies and consulates are not issuing non-ed visa for informal a schools. Form a embassy website.

"Currently, the following types of visas are NOT permitted to enter Thailand: Transit passengers (TS), Sports visa holders (S), Monks and other religious visa holders (R) and their spouses or children, Volunteers (O), and non-formal students visa holders (such as language schools, diving schools, boxing schools)"

 

[Phillip9]

5 hours ago, aldriglikvid said:

I had the same plan (going with a Education visa first-on) but since I'm unable to verify if the school is legit or not, it sucks to pay all the money upfront. I've tried several times to be recommended actual schools/websites - but to no success. 

As the STV just recently was relaxed - that will be my plan. Have you considered it? Gives you atleast 9 months. 

 

Most language schools are legit.  If you pick any well established school, you are very unlikely to get scammed.  I would avoid any school that was recently established.  You can check out the schools facebook page to see if they have been around a few years.  You could also check out google maps and street view to verify they actually exist.  Or pick one of the well known schools with multiple location, such as prolanguage.  

 

You could also arrive on a TV and then visit the school yourself before you make any payment.  Just do it immediately after quarantine because it takes about 5 weeks to convert to the ED visa.

[Phillip9]

5 hours ago, asiacurious said:

You are definitely better off getting an education visa wherever you currently are before coming to Thailand, than trying to convert it to one after you get here.  Or do the Special Tourist Visa, which currently can give you up to 9 months total time in Thailand.  While the STV won't (currently) let you convert to another visa inside of Thailand - you would have to leave Thailand to get another kind of visa - education visas are normally only issued outside of Thailand anyway.  You're not supposed to be able to convert to an education visa inside of Thailand.

 

That said, there are schools - mostly in the provinces - that have (cough) devised ways (cough) of converting to an education visas without leaving the country.  If you want to stay in Bangkok to study, there are a couple of schools that can (cough) arrange the conversion.  They do this by sending all of your paperwork to another province's immigration office and when it's time to do the stamps in your passport, the school arranges to take you to the province for that.)

 

Schools require 30 days to process the conversion (2 weeks for the Ministry of Education to do their paperwork, and 2 weeks for immigration.  (If borders were open, you would still need at least 2 weeks for the school to process paperwork with the Ministry of Education, before you then leave the country to process the new visa at a Thai Embassy or Consulate in another country.)

 

Finally note that you can expect to pay a (cough) fee of anywhere from about 30,000 to 50,000 baht for an in country conversion.  This fee (cough, cough, cough) in addition to the cost of classes you'll pay the school.  3 months of classes will run you an additional 25,000 to 30,000 baht.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

I personally paid less than 30,000 baht total for 6 months classes and the extra fee for visa conversion. 

 

True, this is difficult to arrange in bangkok, but in any other location with language schools,  this is not so difficult to arrange, and not so expensive.  If you want to stay in bangkok, you could easily arrange this in nearby hua hin or pattaya.  Most classes are online anyway.

 

The whole process is also not as shady as you described.  When I got my visa, I went to immigration with a representative from my school, and paid all visa fees directly to immigration, out in the open in front of the entire immigration office.  

 

[asiacurious]

11 hours ago, Phillip9 said:

 

I personally paid less than 30,000 baht total for 6 months classes and the extra fee for visa conversion. 

 

True, this is difficult to arrange in bangkok, but in any other location with language schools,  this is not so difficult to arrange, and not so expensive.  If you want to stay in bangkok, you could easily arrange this in nearby hua hin or pattaya.  Most classes are online anyway.

 

The whole process is also not as shady as you described.  When I got my visa, I went to immigration with a representative from my school, and paid all visa fees directly to immigration, out in the open in front of the entire immigration office.  

 

 

Price range I spoke of was for Bangkok to learn Thai in a classroom, for 3 months of instruction (180 hours total).

 

Back in July, the Association of Private School for Non-Formal Education asked that the government to provide a way for foreigners already in Thailand on tourist visas (or visa exempt) to convert their permission to stay to education visas.  The government declined to do so.  That there are some immigration offices that are able to change to education visas (but notably NOT the main office at CW in Bangkok) providing you pay extra (cough) fees, may speak to how shady - or not - the process is.

 

If you can't apply for an education visa back home (and UbonJoe says you can't, so that's pretty much that) then the STV is the cleanest, least costly, and most hassle free way to get 9 months in Thailand.