Extending A 90 Day Ed Visa

[coulson]

Is it possible to get the 15 day tourist extension at any border if currently on a 90-day ED visa?

[Tod Daniels]

You need to provide a little bit more information about your ED visa;

*How long have you had the visa?

*Is it a 90 day single entry visa or a one year multiple entry one?

*How many times have you gone to immigrations inside the country to extend it for 90 days for continuing education?

*If it is a single entry and you have extended it previously; do you have a re-entry permit for this current extension?

There is no such thing as a "15 day tourist extension".

I think you are confusing it with the 15 day "visa exempt" most people from first world countries get entering thailand via any land border (as opposed to the 30 day visa exempt entering the kingdom via the air).

You would enter thailand and get a stamp that says "permitted to stay until" and after 15 days, you would exit again, or possibly go to Thai Immigrations and get an additional 7 day extension for 1900baht (if they will let you). Doing that has nothing to do with your current ED visa at all. Depending on the particulars, the visa ED could be canceled when you leave, meaning you are here on a 15 day visa exempt stamp, and are subject to the rules concerning that type of stamp.

[coulson]

Thanks, apologies for the lack of info.

Im currently on a 90 day single entry ED visa and it is my first time in Thailand this year. My visa runs out soon and I wanted to know if I can just go to a border on the expiry date and re-enter with an additional 15 days of permitted stay (I NO LONGER NEED THE ED VISA), but I think a trip to immigration may be the way to go.

[Tod Daniels]

I honestly don’t know if Thai Immigrations will give you anything longer than a 7 day extension on an ED visa.

A student in my class needed an extension due to leaving the country and was issued only the 7 day emergency extension for 1900 baht. The Immigrations officer made it clear that this was an exception to the rule, and handled on a case by case basis.

Normally when attending school; you go to Thai Immigrations with the correct documentation from the Ministry of Education which your school provides for you. Immigrations will then give you an extension of stay for 90 days for 1900 baht.

If you didn’t attend school, and as you say, don’t need the visa anymore; my advice is just “run for the border” and take the 15 day visa exempt stamp if that's all the time you need to stay in the country.

[Lite Beer]

If you exit and re enter at a land border you will get a 15 day permission to stay.

[coulson]

Thanks, run to the border it is!