Can you renew an ED visa after 12 months?

[retiredat50]

I am thinking to come to Thailand with my gf. I would be able to get a retirement visa and I understand she could get an ED visa and attend some Thai classes. What about after that 1 year ED visa finishes. Can she renew that? How many times could she renew? She has a 4 year BSc degree in Comp Sci and is from the Philippines. Are there other options for her?

[Mario2008]

She can extend her stay with paperwork from her school. How long she can study depends on the school and course, each course is certified for a number of years. One can always start a new course.

Other options are:

- find a job

- get married to you

[ubonjoe]

She probably will not get a one year multiple entry ED visa. She will get a single entry visa and then get an extension of stay. Dependent on where you are living her extensions may only be for 90 days.

How long she can get extensions will depend upon the school she is attending. Many can only qualify for 3 years.

Since she has a degree she might be able to find work.

[retiredat50]

She probably will not get a one year multiple entry ED visa. She will get a single entry visa and then get an extension of stay. Dependent on where you are living her extensions may only be for 90 days. How long she can get extensions will depend upon the school she is attending. Many can only qualify for 3 years. Since she has a degree she might be able to find work.

Can I ask why she might not get a one year multiple entry ED visa ? She has a friend (outside of the country now so we can't check) who I believe is doing this with an ED visa. We are considering living in Bangkok. How many of the 90 day extensions could she get? Regarding work, she's working now doing online consulting. She would like to continue doing this so this might not be an option but I would be very interested to hear other suggestions on what she could do that would enable her to still do this kind of work.

[retiredat50]

She can extend her stay with paperwork from her school. How long she can study depends on the school and course, each course is certified for a number of years. One can always start a new course.

Other options are:

- find a job

- get married to you

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but she's working now doing online consulting. She is interested in learning Thai but not to officially attend a 5 day a week course. Are there courses out there that don't actually require a student to attend ?

[ubonjoe]

Getting extensions would be better than a visa because with a visa she would have to leave every 90 days. There are no nearby embassies or consulates that will issue a multiple entry ED visa. It is also the same for the embassy in Manila from reports I have seen.

She could get 90 day extensions for years if she wanted.

If she found a job and got a work permit she would get a one year extension.

[Sceptict11]

She can extend her stay with paperwork from her school. How long she can study depends on the school and course, each course is certified for a number of years. One can always start a new course.

Other options are:

- find a job

- get married to you

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but she's working now doing online consulting. She is interested in learning Thai but not to officially attend a 5 day a week course. Are there courses out there that don't actually require a student to attend ?

Exactly the type of scam which is causing the Authorities to "clamp down" on the issue of ED visas/extensions.

[ubonjoe]

She can extend her stay with paperwork from her school. How long she can study depends on the school and course, each course is certified for a number of years. One can always start a new course.

Other options are:

- find a job

- get married to you

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but she's working now doing online consulting. She is interested in learning Thai but not to officially attend a 5 day a week course. Are there courses out there that don't actually require a student to attend ?

Classed are normally only a couple of days a week for a 2 hours. Or one day a week for 4 hours.

Walen offers classes by Skype.

Attendance record is one of the documents required for the extension.

[JakeSully]

Won't she have a problem leaving the philippines alone/ with you? If I recall correctly there was a thread here and on philippine forums that single women or women with unmarried partners are refused boarding at the airport due to complaints from filipinos about human trafficing?

Not sure if that story was bs but you can find it on thai visa.. not too long ago. Just search.

[Bkungbank]

Do I need to show income for 3rd years ED extension still very confuse new regulation?

[White Tiger]

OP: "I am thinking to come to Thailand with my gf. I would be able to get a retirement visa and I understand she could get an ED visa and attend some Thai classes. What about after that 1 year ED visa finishes. Can she renew that? How many times could she renew? She has a 4 year BSc degree in Comp Sci and is from the Philippines. Are there other options for her?"

Other option - sounds like she is a young professional worker, and she is from the Philippines. From 2015 she might not need a visa to work in Thailand because Thailand is involved in a pilot scheme with other ASEAN member countries to permit freedom of movement of labour. As I understand it, initially this will be for professional workers (like your girlfriend); some info in these links:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/201159/asean-to-pilot-free-labour-market-for-professionals-in-2015

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/296709/asean-2015-free-movement-of-labour

Hope this helps, good luck.

Edited December 27, 2013 by White Tiger

[laobali]

While this is not exactly on topic, it would be interesting to know why you both would rather live in Thailand than the Philippines.

[Udox]

When you successfully get your ED visa (outside of Thailand), although it is for a year validity, you just get 90 days and then extend it every 90 days (and pay, of course) until your years schooling is up. Usually this is between 180 and 200 hours of lessons spread over the year (4 hours per week). At the end of this year and providing you pay the school again for another 200 hours, they will provide you with documentation to continue the 3 month extensions for another year (of course paying immigration again every 3 months. Then for the third and final time you can get a third years worth of extensions - providing you pay the school for another 200 hours and immigration every three months.

I have always been told that 3 years is the maximum you can do in succession on an ED visa, however I have seen schools advertising up to 10 years possibility on an ED visa (not sure how)

The new 'rules' announced this week have yet to take effect and will entail people proving how they can support themselves financially whilst they are here (and studying). Apparently this is because there is suspicion that some people are working whilst on an ED visa. In my humble opinion - the same could be said about people on a married visa or retirement visa - why single out those on an ED visa, as suspected of working illegally?

I think if you are on an ED visa and you attend classes pretty regularly, then you have nothing much to worry about. If you are bending the rules however, then you take the risk and accept whatever happens in the future.

[Sceptict11]

When you successfully get your ED visa (outside of Thailand), although it is for a year validity, you just get 90 days and then extend it every 90 days (and pay, of course) until your years schooling is up. Usually this is between 180 and 200 hours of lessons spread over the year (4 hours per week). At the end of this year and providing you pay the school again for another 200 hours, they will provide you with documentation to continue the 3 month extensions for another year (of course paying immigration again every 3 months. Then for the third and final time you can get a third years worth of extensions - providing you pay the school for another 200 hours and immigration every three months.

I have always been told that 3 years is the maximum you can do in succession on an ED visa, however I have seen schools advertising up to 10 years possibility on an ED visa (not sure how)

The new 'rules' announced this week have yet to take effect and will entail people proving how they can support themselves financially whilst they are here (and studying). Apparently this is because there is suspicion that some people are working whilst on an ED visa. In my humble opinion - the same could be said about people on a married visa or retirement visa - why single out those on an ED visa, as suspected of working illegally?

I think if you are on an ED visa and you attend classes pretty regularly, then you have nothing much to worry about. If you are bending the rules however, then you take the risk and accept whatever happens in the future.

People who have extensions of stay based on marriage or retirement are required to demonstrate financial liquidity !

Edited December 27, 2013 by Sceptict11

[lucifer666]

I was on a ED visa for 18 months and i only had to go to school twice a week for 2 hours to get the relevant paperwork.

[ubonjoe]

It depends upon where you are located.

New requirements are for getting the letter from MOE in Bangkok needed to get your extension. It is expected that other locations will follow their requirements over time.

[retiredat50]

She can extend her stay with paperwork from her school. How long she can study depends on the school and course, each course is certified for a number of years. One can always start a new course.

Other options are:

- find a job

- get married to you

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but she's working now doing online consulting. She is interested in learning Thai but not to officially attend a 5 day a week course. Are there courses out there that don't actually require a student to attend ?

Classed are normally only a couple of days a week for a 2 hours. Or one day a week for 4 hours.

Walen offers classes by Skype.

Attendance record is one of the documents required for the extension.

Thanks. I am sure this would be fine for her. She is not trying to get out of classes. She just does not fancy traffic jams every day and an early morning schedule.

[JohnThailandJohn]

I am not sure how things are done now but I went to what was a good school 4 or 5 years ago and they gave me all the paper work for each reporting period when they gave me the original paperwork when I started. In other words, I didn't ever have to attend class. And when I say good school, I mean their teaching method, teachers and overall just dealing with them. Although I was happy they gave me all the future reporting paperwork filled out up front, it actually made me a bit concerned initially that the school was more about getting people visas instead of learning. I don't want to say the name of the school here in case they are not supposed to do this but recommend you checkout they school mentioned in an above post that appears to now offer classes via Skype as they are a good school. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/692167-can-you-renew-an-ed-visa-after-12-months/#entry7211969