Multiple Entry 'Ed' Visa - Re-Enter Or Report?

[steventoo]

Hi,

I have been given a multiple entry non immigration type 'ED' visa to study in Thailand.

The consul-general herself told me that I am required to leave and re-enter Thailand every 90 days. There was no mention of anything more complicated than that. I asked.

However, there is conflicting information on this website and on others that I have viewed, and I'm starting to think that the process is a little more involved than what was indicated to me during the application process. From what I can gather it's necessary to report to an immigration office (in my case, probably Samui) every 90 days to extend the visa, regardless of entering or leaving the country.

My question is this: With a multiple entry 'ED' visa, will leaving and re-entering Thailand preclude me from having to report to immigration every 90 days? As in, rather than extending the existing 90 day entry, does a new one begin, regardless of visiting immigration? The visa is valid for 12 months and specifies "multiple" entries, which I was told (again by the consul-general) means "unlimited."

As it is, I will be leaving the country roughly every 90 days anyway for weddings and conferences both at home and abroad until at least February 2013, and I'm wondering if that has any impact on the new (to me) requirement to visit an immigration office.

I searched here for some answers before starting this topic but couldn't find anything concrete. Perhaps I was using the wrong terms.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[ubonjoe]

Just make a border run every 90 days to get a new 90 day entry is all you have to do.

The reporting to immigration is only required for a stay more than 90 days which would require an extension of stay.

[david555]

This is the best ED visa to get , in case of language school system you should not change to their doc. system for immigration and keep doing your visa runs , as by this way you avoid the eventually language skills progress test from an immigration officer so no" big fish eat small fish" test

also do your last run just before the expiring date from the visa so you get another extra 90 days....

I know so because i had in past same ED visa

PS ; changing to the school documents system to report at 90 days "could" spoil your current system

[steventoo]

Thank you very much for the replies.

Sounds like this is a pretty good visa to have.

After reading the above, am I correct in now thinking that the reporting at an immigration office is only necessary if I want to stay longer than 90 days at a time in Thailand, without crossing the border? If so, that's fantastic - as I said, I have to head home and to other places during my studies, and will not be able to spend more than 90 days at a time in Thailand anyway.

The visa was not issued to study the Thai language, so hopefully there will be no impromptu language tests

[Maestro]

The visa affixed in your passport does not say for what purpose it was issued. It is on the application form where you had to indicate your purpose of travel. It is generally understood by immigration officers, of course, that consulates issue the non-Ed visa for the purpose of travelling to Thailand to study.

[steventoo]

I will be studying, but not at a language school.

I will be taking fairly serious professional level scuba courses, both recreational and technical, beyond instructor level.

Interestingly, I originally intended to apply for a tourist visa (and had an application filled out) but as soon as I mentioned to the consul-general that I was taking professional level courses, she said that I shouldn't do such courses as a tourist and that I must apply for a non-immigrant ED visa instead. If I were taking courses that weren't at a professional level the tourist visa would have been fine. She insisted that I gather the required documentation from the scuba school I would be training with and reapply, and said that she would not issue me with a tourist visa for my intended course of study.

[Mario2008]

If part of the training is giving instructions to others, you definately need the ED-visa as otherwise it could be considered working. Now it is part of the training.

[NakMuay84]

Can you update what occurred when u went through the border run? We're u asked to produce documents etc?

I am in a similar situation.

Thanks

[beano2274]

Can you update what occurred when u went through the border run? We're u asked to produce documents etc?

I am in a similar situation.

Thanks

If you have a multiple entry visa you just leave Thailand walk across the border and walk back again, no documents are required.

If you go to a Consulate or Embassy to get a new visa then documentation is required.

[lopburi3]

Actually you normally must obtain a visa for the other country and that will require documents such as passport copies/photos and fee but other than that nothing required at border other than normal filling out of paperwork.

[IMA_FARANG]

There are two different things being talked about here,

A visa is what you get from a Thai consulate outside of Thailand.

A multiple entry visa is good for one year and each entry into Thailand gets you a stay of 90 days.

Just before it expires, maybe a couple of days before that visa expires after a year ... you can do another border run and get a final 90 day entry stamp.

Then your visa may expire, but that entry stamp keeps you legally in country until the entry stamp expires.

So you can get almost 15 months from that one year multi entry visa,

With this visa you have to do a border run every 90 days, because each entry stamp is good for 90 days.

Now, if you take a could take a course, and many people call that an Ed visa. But it is not really a visa, it's an extension of your current visa based on your course.

The extension requires you to report to immigration every 90 days....your so-called 90 day reporting to your local immigration.

During your extension if you want to leave the country you need to get an exit re-entry permit. That permit keeps your extension valid.

To sum it up, a visa you get from a Thai consulate outside of Thailand. A one year multi entry visa is good for a year and each entry gets you a 90 day entry stamp.

An extension you get in country, an Ed "visa" if you want to call it that, based on taking a course.

This extension may be for up to a year, and this extension requires you to do 90 day reporting at your local immigration.

The visa and the extension are two different things.