I want to study and i need ED visa

[Ami14344]

Hello, 

I would like to study the Thai language and i need an ED visa.. What's the process, any recommendations?
I have a Yemen passport.

 

Thanks in advance

[Baron Samedi]

It's pretty straight forward honestly.

 

1) Find a school in the city you wanna live in.

2) Sign up for a Thai class or whatever it is you wanna learn.

3) Complete the required forms and provide the required documents.

(the school will help you do all this so don't worry)

4) Wait for the school to process your visa application.

5) Once the application has been processed, the school will call you back and you will go on an organized visa run to get your visa in one of the neighboring countries.

(you can't get a visa in Thailand; they are exclusively delivered by embassies)

6) On your way back to Thailand, you will cross the border and your ED visa will be validated. You're now officially a student.

7) Go to class... or not ????

[theoldgit]

I’ll moved this post to the correct forum.

[DrJack54]

2 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

) Go to class... or not

I'm not up to date with non ED.

I was under the impression that attendance was now check as opposed to yesteryear.

[Baron Samedi]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

I'm not up to date with non ED.

I was under the impression that attendance was now check as opposed to yesteryear.

That might very well be the case. I had an ED visa years ago.

At the time you could just buy your visa and never go to class.

[swerve]

Go to a language school or two and see if they can set you up with a stay based on taking Thai language classes. You will need some time on your passport to allow the school to go through the process.  I am thinking 5 weeks. The school needs to get permission from the Thai Education ministry and this takes time.

 

Thai language lessons are fun.  Best of luck.

[ubonjoe]

You will have a problem applying for a non-ed visa at a nearby embassy since Yemen is on the list of countries that can only apply in their home country. 

See: https://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/สัญชาติพิเศษ-nationalities-with-additional-requirements-and-considerations/

The embassy in KL can be more flexible since they will ally them to apply but it takes 4 weeks to get approval.

https://kualalumpur.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/99054-listed-visa-requirements-2?page=5d75510e15e39c1e600048dc&menu=5d75510e15e39c1e600048dd

You may able to apply for the non-ed visa at immigration but may not have a enough time to do it. Yemen is on the list of visas on arrival and now get a 30 day stay from it now if you need more time.

[BritTim]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You may able to apply for the non-ed visa at immigration but may not have a enough time to do it. Yemen is on the list of visas on arrival and now get a 30 day stay from it now if you need more time.

The trouble with returning with a visa on arrival is that you cannot subsequently do any extension or conversion to a Non ED visa at immigration. It seems likely that, having identified a suitable school, a return to Yemen will be unavoidable to apply for the Non ED visa. I suppose there might be a well connected school that can arrange an expedited approval, but it seems very unlikely it could be done in time to apply from the current tourist extension.

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, BritTim said:

The trouble with returning with a visa on arrival is that you cannot subsequently do any extension or conversion to a Non ED visa at immigration.

That is correct but immigration might do it with the current 30 day entry from a visa on arrival. I think it is not included in the procedure is that it would not be possible to have the 15 day remaining needed to do the application.

[Iamfalang]

There are many in Chiang Mai, a nice enough city (if no pollution, traffic, noise, heat) that has almost everything.   I forgot what I paid years and years ago............. I did check one now and saw it was like 35,000 baht a year.   I'm guessing that is just to the school.   1900 for the VISA, it usually costs me like 6000 baht to go to LAOS and back (gotta stay a night), and then i'm sure there are more fees here and there.  

 

Advice:  Reading first.   Just my opinion, but I'm pretty sure I'm right.   POSSIBLY your second class, with the first class being super basic beginner stuff if you need that......reading is really a game-changer and you can try to read all day, every day............... Today I read something I didn't understand.....sticky rice and mango and ????  turns out it was his sister's name.  OK!!!!!  he laughed, I tried, we laughed, there you go...

[aldriglikvid]

This website have two different processes stated, if you either convert in-country or if you apply from abroad (from what I can understand). 

 

The first option looks the easiest and that's what I'm planning: arriving on a SETV and contacting the school at day 1. 

 

https://prolanguage.co.th/student-visa-services/

[jdlancaster]

I would recommend a University over a Thai language school. The extensions are for an entire year instead of every 3 months. Can get at least 5 years out of that and will be at a higher level in Thai. You also get a degree out of it. The language school can bide you time until the next school year.

 

https://en.mfu.ac.th/admission/programmes/bachelors-degree/school-of-liberal-arts/bachelor-of-arts-programme/bachelor-of-arts-programme-in-thai-language-and-culture-for-foreigners.html

 

There is one in Chiang Rai, and probably one in BKK and Chiang Mai.

[BritTim]

23 hours ago, jdlancaster said:

I would recommend a University over a Thai language school. The extensions are for an entire year instead of every 3 months. Can get at least 5 years out of that and will be at a higher level in Thai. You also get a degree out of it. The language school can bide you time until the next school year.

 

https://en.mfu.ac.th/admission/programmes/bachelors-degree/school-of-liberal-arts/bachelor-of-arts-programme/bachelor-of-arts-programme-in-thai-language-and-culture-for-foreigners.html

 

There is one in Chiang Rai, and probably one in BKK and Chiang Mai.

That is an interesting option for those with the time and money who really want to learn Thai to a high level. It is much cheaper than a Thailand Elite membership, and you emerge with a low cost degree.

[simon43]

That's 70,000 baht each year for 4 years.  No way would this be a full-time course, perhaps 2 days a week.  It's an attractive option (IMHO).

 

Yonks ago, I studied for an MA in Thai Culture at Chula, Bangkok.  This was a 2 year, 2 days a week course, and a very interesting study course.  Although I paid for each semester, I declined the MA award certificate, because that cost about another 200,000 THB for a foreigner!  I just studied the course for fun.