After a lot of back and forth (and countless calls to Thai embassies), my partner and I are probably looking to get a Thailand Elite visa.

 

However, Thai Elite claim my 2-year-old would require an ED visa, and that a Thai Elite visa would not be accepted by schools.

 

Is this actually true?

Most schools (and certainly international schools) require students to have legal status in Thailand. My son's extension is as my dependent.  Perhaps Elite Visa holders are unable to have dependents added, so the child would need some other way to remain in Thailand legally.  Of course, children don't get charged overstay fines or get banned, so, if the child is not going to be attending school here, that might be easiest.

If you child enters with a Thai Élite visa they can attend a school.  There is no written rule stating a non-ed visa is required to attend school.

12 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If you child enters with a Thai Élite visa they can attend a school.  There is no written rule stating a non-ed visa is required to attend school.

We received the following word from Thailand Elite:

 

Quote

Refer to your information, we would like to inform that Elite Visa is categorized as a Tourist Visa, which does not allow the holder to legally apply for a work permit or enroll in school for studying in Thailand.

 

If your son will attend school (accredited by Ministry of Foreign Affair or International School) in Thailand, he will be entitled to apply for the Non-Immigrant ED visa by obtaining supporting documents from school.

However, our embassy has stated that ED visas apply to 12+.

33 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If you child enters with a Thai Élite visa they can attend a school.  There is no written rule stating a non-ed visa is required to attend school.

Does that mean the child needs their own Thai Elite visa?  I hadn't considered that.  Is it significantly cheaper than for an adult?

12 minutes ago, MDtourist said:

However, our embassy has stated that ED visas apply to 12+.

The embassy is not correct. There is no minimum age to get a non-ed visa and attend a school.

Thai Elite is just plain wrong. A tourist can enroll and attend a school. There is no visa requirement to attend a school.

The only reason to get a non-ed visa is to stay in the country.