Applying ed Thai language visa again

[topswijaya]

Dear all,

 

Can you apply ed/student Thai langugae visa again if you were on ed/ stident Thai visa several years ago?

 

Thanks

[ubonjoe]

You should be able to enroll a Thai language school and apply for a non-ed visa and then a extension of stay.

I don't think the education ministry would have records you attending a school in the past.

[DrJoy]

@ubonjoe

Do they allow conversion of tourist visa to Education for all nationalities?

[BritTim]

14 hours ago, DrJoy said:

@ubonjoe

Do they allow conversion of tourist visa to Education for all nationalities?

If you are on a regular tourist visa, or a standard visa exempt, your nationality should not matter. You cannot do it if on a visa-on-arrival, transit visa or special tourist visa. You probably cannot do it if on a visa exempt entry based on bilateral agreement.

[JayClay]

You also cannot do it, I believe, if you're already here on another type of non-imm visa/extension.

[Tropposurfer]

UbonJ, BritTim and JayClay are correct re: cannot swap across from a tourist visa on arrival to ED visa. You gotta apply for the ED as a single independent visa process. 

 

If you're still OS its easy to contact a school; (must be registered with Education Ministry!), supply school with relevant paperwork, plus a percentage fee for the first years tuition (usual but not always the case across every school), some schools will ask for the entire years tuition up-front.

Then the school will process your paperwork for the ED visa for you so when you arrive at I.O. Swampy arrival stamps are punched into your passport clock starts ticking on your year long ED visa. Easy as pie.

 

If you want to enrol for a second year this is also a relatively easy thing to do. I can't remember if I was told I had to leave the country for a few days and return or not. I think if my hazy memory is correct I didn't have to leave the country under the rules of ED back in 2018 -19, but don't quote me on that.

(Not relevant as I came back to Oz after that years learning and 'testing for retirement', I  processed my Elite retirement visa  then returned to live, and continue studying Thai ongoing).  

 

Seeing as you've done this before some years back I assume you understand that you need to report to IO every 90 days (in person) for extension stamp (school will usually do this for you ... all you need to do is be there with passport and the fee for the extension stamp, photo's taken, sign a form or two (I can't remember if its simply one form or two) and within a week my passport returned via school ... bingo.

You may be asked asked questions or spoken to in Thai to spot-check/verify your actually learning some Thai at the IO. (depends on the IO).

I was never asked/checked-out at Phuket I.O. but took the opportunity to say hello, ask how the office folks were, and make comment on the nice weather in Thai which never seemed to hurt and pleased my head teacher as he said I spoke quite well these simple phrases and responded pretty well to the I. Officer speaking to me ... ☺️ I was kinds chuffed to be honest lol ????