Question regarding ED visa and

[DrWats0n]

Hello,

Please forgive my ignorance, it's my first Visa related question. I have reached out to my school but as today is a holiday, I did not hear back yet.

I have just begun my 2nd 6 month ED Visa of the year - rather, I have completed studying for 6 months and am continuing to study for another 6 months.

My previous visa (or extension of stay?) expired on Aug15 - see attached pic for details.

Unfortunately, I had to go to Bangkok on Aug 10th to take care of a time sensitive issue for a good friend.

I was advised to go to Phuket Immigration before the 15th and give them the paperwork for the next 6 months of class and was told that I would get at least a 30 day stamp. Based on this information I was under the impression that I would get a stamp until September 15th.

I went to Phuket immigration on the 10th, submitted my paperwork and was given an "application of stay under consideration" stamp until what appears to be September 4th which is less than the 30 days I was expecting - see attached pics.

Due to a death in the family I will need to return home and tickets were provided leaving Aug18th and returning Sept14th. They have been paid for and plans with the family have been made. I am leaving from Bangkok, where I am at currently. If I needed to go back to Phuket to get this situated, I would be happy to do so.

Ultimately I wish to keep my extension of stay based off of my ED visa for another 6 months but as it stands now, I would not be in Thailand again until September 14th. In other words, I would not be able to report as required on September 4th.

My questions are as follows, and again, forgive the nature of my questions, I really am clueless when it comes to this stuff...

1. Should I have gotten 30 days from Aug15th? In other words, was it a simple math mistake?

2. What options do I have to accomplish my task - Can I simply get a re-entry permit and report to immigration after the 4th and either pay a fine or explain to them that there was a death in the family?

3. Looking at the picture, do the very short times between me having to go back to Immigration make sense? Can somebody explain why it was required so often?

4. What is my best course of action here?

Thanks in advance for any guidance or suggestions

Cheers

[nowretired]

Sorry but you do not have visa and your extension of stay expires on Aug 15.

A re-entry permit will be of little as it would only be valid until 4 Sept , no additional time is provided by the permit.

You could try talking to Phuket immigration and your school but I believe you will need to obtain a new visa while you are outside Thailand, hopefully the school, given the circumstances, will assist in providing the paperwork.

Phuket immigration have, for sometime now , had a keen interest in regulating language schools which may be a reason for the frequent need to visit the immigration office.

[DrWats0n]

Thank you for your reply and information.

Just so I better understand it - If I did not have to go home and then I returned to Phuket Immigration before Sept 4th, they would give me a stamp for another month or two months, correct? So even without having a visa, I would be permitted to stay as long as I didn't leave the country, correct?

Are you also saying that even though I just filed paperwork that the school provided to Immigration that they told me would allow me to continue studying for another 6 months, that if I leave the country I could not do that, correct? Given that they just gave me this paperwork last week, would that still enable me to, for example, apply for another ED visa at home and have no issues returning on that visa? I'm concerned because I don't know how many total ED visas and extensions of stays one can get.

Thanks for any clarification you can provide.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

The problem is that Phuket immigration has made the ED visa requirements so obfuscated that even the IOs no longer understand them. And just look at how they are burning through your passport pages with the ridiculous big stamps. Dump the ED and move on to a double entry tourist visa. You will save yourself a fortune and you will lower the risk of getting killed on the most deadliest road in the word commuting to your school. If you really want to learn Thai study online from the comfort and safety of you own home.

[ubonjoe]

Not sure why you expected 30 days. When you applied for your previous extension you only got a under considerations stamp with a report back date 22 days from when you did the application.

If you got a new non-ed visa while you are out to the country you would be able to apply for an extension of the 90 day entry you will get up to the date your new 6 month course of study ends. The new visa entry would also reset the one year of total stay you can get from the date of entry.

[DrWats0n]

Not sure why you expected 30 days. When you applied for your previous extension you only got a under considerations stamp with a report back date 22 days from when you did the application.

If you got a new non-ed visa while you are out to the country you would be able to apply for an extension of the 90 day entry you will get up to the date your new 6 month course of study ends. The new visa entry would also reset the one year of total stay you can get from the date of entry.

Thank you, everyone, for your replies and information.

ubonjoe, I was expecting 30 days because that's what school told me to expect that. As for the last under consideration stamp - these were indeed much shorter than what I had gotten in the past but I don't know why that is.

Your suggestion then (and others have mentioned) is to simply get a tourist visa and extend to finish the remainder of my course, correct?

If, after that tourist visa completes, I intend to continue studying, would you at that point suggest I get another ED visa? I do attend glasses and have passed all required tests at the education office in phuket town.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

[ubonjoe]

I suggested that you get another non-ed visa while you are out of the country if possible. If not then a tourist visa would be the best option. Then go out for an ED visa later.