Without any warning to the schools, the Penang consulate decided to change the requirements to get the ED visa. Now the schedule and course content and possibly other documents have to be "endorsed" by the ministry of education. I am guessing the schools need to send more stuff to get stamped by the ministry.

Unfortunatly, the clever folks at that consulate don't realize that people book their tickets and hotel a bit in advance and do not care whatsoever if changing the rules on a whim completely messes up their plans. Another visa run down the drain for me after my failed attempt at Ho Chi Minh City /rant over

5 pages of fun and counting already on this subject. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/769871-in-penang-now-and-nobody-is-getting-a-education-visa-even-a-tourist-visa-is-a-big-mess/

Get a tourist visa while there pistachios...

Better than nothing.

I really don't understand the problem with taking a little trip out of this nuthouse every three months to get a Tourist Visa Those on 'Marriage Extensions' must leave the country every 90 days anyway also, although I do understand it being less convenient if someone has a domestic routine including kids to deal with. Maybe they caught it off the locals 'You must (tremble/shock/horror) leave Thailand! "

I remember many years ago in Phuket Town a Chinese/Thai hardware shop owner and his brother exclaimed 'And they make the foreigner leave the country every three months. Stupid!' Well it is.

I'm on a Non Imm 'O' before anyone wants to start

Get a tourist visa while there pistachios...

Better than nothing.

I really don't understand the problem with taking a little trip out of this nuthouse every three months to get a Tourist Visa Those on 'Marriage Extensions' must leave the country every 90 days anyway also, although I do understand it being less convenient if someone has a domestic routine including kids to deal with. Maybe they caught it off the locals 'You must (tremble/shock/horror) leave Thailand! "

I remember many years ago in Phuket Town a Chinese/Thai hardware shop owner and his brother exclaimed 'And they make the foreigner leave the country every three months. Stupid!' Well it is.

I'm on a Non Imm 'O' before anyone wants to start

No, those on marriage extensions don't have to leave the country.

Get a tourist visa while there pistachios...

Better than nothing.

I really don't understand the problem with taking a little trip out of this nuthouse every three months to get a Tourist Visa Those on 'Marriage Extensions' must leave the country every 90 days anyway also, although I do understand it being less convenient if someone has a domestic routine including kids to deal with. Maybe they caught it off the locals 'You must (tremble/shock/horror) leave Thailand! "

I remember many years ago in Phuket Town a Chinese/Thai hardware shop owner and his brother exclaimed 'And they make the foreigner leave the country every three months. Stupid!' Well it is.

I'm on a Non Imm 'O' before anyone wants to start

No, those on marriage extensions don't have to leave the country.

When did this change? A friend of mine, married to a Thai, had to pop over to Sadao for years, until his demise. If true, another chum will be mighty pleased. And I will feel better about advising him to go the Marriage route owing to his newly straitened circumstances

Get a tourist visa while there pistachios...

Better than nothing.

I really don't understand the problem with taking a little trip out of this nuthouse every three months to get a Tourist Visa Those on 'Marriage Extensions' must leave the country every 90 days anyway also, although I do understand it being less convenient if someone has a domestic routine including kids to deal with. Maybe they caught it off the locals 'You must (tremble/shock/horror) leave Thailand! "

I remember many years ago in Phuket Town a Chinese/Thai hardware shop owner and his brother exclaimed 'And they make the foreigner leave the country every three months. Stupid!' Well it is.

I'm on a Non Imm 'O' before anyone wants to start

No, those on marriage extensions don't have to leave the country.

When did this change? A friend of mine, married to a Thai, had to pop over to Sadao for years, until his demise. If true, another chum will be mighty pleased. And I will feel better about advising him to go the Marriage route owing to his newly straitened circumstances

This has not changed at all, has been this way for years and years.

Your friends are/were maybe not on extensions because of marriage but on an O-visa?

"There is so much going on here , nobody got their passports back and the immigration did not open this afternoon. Now they just announced that they will change the rules again and you can get your education visa in thailand in future. This must have been very stressful for everyone in the visa office here"

Got the above off another thread.

So they say you can get an ED visa in Thailand im the future? No need to leave the country? Does anyone know abot this?

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

This has not changed at all, has been this way for years and years.

When did this change? A friend of mine, married to a Thai, had to pop over to Sadao for years, until his demise. If true, another chum will be mighty pleased. And I will feel better about advising him to go the Marriage route owing to his newly straitened circumstances

Your friends are/were maybe not on extensions because of marriage but on an O-visa?

They were married for thirty years and had a child, now grown of course, together. He hadn't two baht to rub together, so wouldn't have been an 'O' visa.

This has not changed at all, has been this way for years and years.

When did this change? A friend of mine, married to a Thai, had to pop over to Sadao for years, until his demise. If true, another chum will be mighty pleased. And I will feel better about advising him to go the Marriage route owing to his newly straitened circumstances

Your friends are/were maybe not on extensions because of marriage but on an O-visa?

They were married for thirty years and had a child, now grown of course, together. He hadn't two baht to rub together, so wouldn't have been an 'O' visa.

So?

On extension because of marriage does not have to leave every 90 days, has been that way for a long time.

He probably was on an O-visa, easier to get, for the extension there are financial requirements.

This has not changed at all, has been this way for years and years.

When did this change? A friend of mine, married to a Thai, had to pop over to Sadao for years, until his demise. If true, another chum will be mighty pleased. And I will feel better about advising him to go the Marriage route owing to his newly straitened circumstances

Your friends are/were maybe not on extensions because of marriage but on an O-visa?

They were married for thirty years and had a child, now grown of course, together. He hadn't two baht to rub together, so wouldn't have been an 'O' visa.

So?

On extension because of marriage does not have to leave every 90 days, has been that way for a long time.

He probably was on an O-visa, easier to get, for the extension there are financial requirements.

Skeletons eh? Which O Visa would that've been? What financial requirements?

Skeletons eh? Which O Visa would that've been? What financial requirements?

Why don't you do a search here on the forum on this, and this can get back on the topic of ED visa in Penang.

How did this topic get off topic by discussing extensions and non-o visas based marriage. Time to get back on topic.

Very unfortunate. It is very hard time for many schools as they get abuse from students whenever the ministry works slowly or there is a change of rules. Walen school is doing our best to satisfy requirements of the authorities with ED visa related issues. It is not an easy job recently with new changes.

Apparently it will be possible to change to ED without leaving the country. The problem is we don't know when and what is the exact procedure. Very stressful times. Hope it will be clear soon enough. That is from the recent meeting at the Phuket MOE which Walen managers attended. Not sure how about the rest of the country. Laos still works and no problems with obtaining ED visas reported but it's a long way from Phuket or Samui.

Edited October 23, 201411 yr by MacWalen

Apparently it will be possible to change to ED without leaving the country. The problem is we don't know when and what is the exact procedure. Very stressful times. Hope it will be clear soon enough. That is from the recent meeting at the Phuket MOE which Walen managers attended. Not sure how about the rest of the country. Laos still works and no problems with obtaining ED visas reported but it's a long way from Phuket or Samui.

How will that work with the new rule of having to leave every year to get a new ED-Visa ? Seems to be in total contradiction to very recently implemented changes ?

That would only be for the first one.

It is already possible in Bangkok for study at a university.

I heard the same... schools had all the paperwork approved by the ministry and then whilst traveling to get the ED Visa, the rules "changed" or better put were enforced more strictly eventhough the ministry had already signed off on these ED Visa applications. Schools now must have their class schedule approved, a copy provided with the application, AND an officer from Phuket Immigration has to now sign some paperwork (quasi pre-approve) the ED Visa. This is due to some schools (and students) abusing the system. Your typical 100 students in one month and only a handful teachers type of scenario.

Rumor has it that there will be two tiers of ED Visa Schools. The top tier that has a good track record. Good student attendance. And the bottom tier, the questionable schools with poor track records / attendance. The top tier will have less to worry about while bottom tiers may not even get the "pre-approvals" done.