Hello everyone! Although I am not new in Thailand, I am new to this forum, so I hope I can get an advice. Previously, I traveled to Thailand a number of times for a holiday. Since me and my husband live in a very cold place in Russia; a place which is very remote from anything really, but there is a good job (for him, but not much for me) we decided that in order not to suffer there together, I can spend good time in a place I like (Phuket) and he can come for a few weeks to join me when he's on leave. Before I arrived, I actually never thought that visa will be somewhat of a challenge. Now it's my second month here, and I don't want to go out of the country every couple of months or so to get a visa, I just wanna relax and enjoy my time here. As I love studying languages and know a few I originally wanted to take a course of Thai language. It was good news to me that if I enroll in a language school, I will get a visa as well.

Now as I have never done it or haven't got a friend who has applied for ED visa, I have a question. The school I want to enroll in Phuket tells me that all I need is a letter from that school and my application (plus passport, photos etc.) to get a visa if I go to Singapore. Although on the school's web-site they state : Once you have enrolled we will submit the application to the local Education Office. It takes them about two weeks to issue the letter you will need to submit with your application. But on the phone they tell me just their letter will suffice. Do I or do I not need a letter from the Education Office if I apply in Singapore? I would rather wait for a few weeks and get the letter, than go to Singapore (as a Russian I can only go there on transit, 96 hours permitted) and get no visa? How does it work? Anybody got their ED visa in Singapore? Thanks a lot in advance.

The school has to submit details of your enrolment to the Education Department, They in turn will issue a letter addressed to the Consulate in Singpaore (or wherever) confiming that the school is licenced. This bundle of documents is taken with you to the Consulate when you apply.

It really depends on the Thai consulate where the visa application is made but from experience reported here by members it seems that all consulates in the region, including Singapore, are not satisfied with only a letter from the school but need also the letter from the Ministry of Education (MoE). I must say, though, that I can’t remember seeing a recent report about an application for a non-ED visa in Singapore.

Just the same, you should insist that the school get the MoE letter for you for the visa application because later it will have to get a MoE letter for the extensions of stay every 90 days for which you apply at the immigration office in Thailand. If the school cannot get the MoE letter for the consulate it could mean that it is not registered with the MoE and thus would also not be able to get you the letter for immigration for the extensions.

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Maestro

Hi HappyPhuket, did you get your Education Visa, where and the certificate from the school was enough or not ?

Thanks to share your experiences