Annual ED Visa

[sergiobarbi]

Hello to everyone.

I would like to study the Thai language.
Does the ED visa (annual) still exist?
If yes, what are the conditions to get it.
Thank you in advance for your reply.

[ubonjoe]

There is no one year ED visa other than a multiple entry non-ed visa that requires leaving the country every 90 days for a new entry.

You can however enroll for a one year course of study (400 hours), obtain a single entry non-ed visa. and then extend the 90 day entry from it for 90 days at immigration (3  extensions) up to a total stay of one year before needing to go out for another visa.

[sergiobarbi]

Thank you very much ubonjoe.
As Filipino can I enter Thailand with a visa on arrival and get the ED Visa in Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, sergiobarbi said:

Thank you very much ubonjoe.
As Filipino can I enter Thailand with a visa on arrival and get the ED Visa in Thailand?

You will not be able to get the single entry non-ed visa within the country.

You could enter on a 30  day visa exempt entry (it is not a 15 day visa on arrival) enroll in a school and then go to a nearby embassy or consulate to apply for the visa. But the 30 days may not be enough time to enroll and get the required documents for the visa which might require you to apply for a 30 day extension of your entry at an immigration office for a fee of 1900 baht.

[sergiobarbi]

ubonjoe,
Thanks a lot for your very clear and competent explanation.

 

[sdlo]

Note that if you are on a Ed visa, you must attend an interview and examination with the Dept of Education the at the end of the first 90 days to decide if you can pass to the next level. Should you fail, your Ed visa is cancelled and you have to leave the country, however there is a chance (depending on who interviewed you) that you might be given 7 days to study and resit the exam again, if you fail then your ED visa is cancelled and you have a few days to leave the country.

 

You can come back in on a visa on arrival then enroll at the school and collect paperwork, leave the country again and apply for a non B, then come back and change it to an Ed visa and start to study again.

 

Finally, schools have to show they are teaching students, they will ensure the paperwork you submit to Dept of Education passes the exam, however if you fail when you have a face to face interview then its your fault. You cannot come back with a new ED visa and start back on level 1 again as the school has already made sure you have passed on paper with the initial theory exam they submitted.

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You will not be able to get the single entry non-ed visa within the country.

You could enter on a 30  day visa exempt entry (it is not a 15 day visa on arrival) enroll in a school and then go to a nearby embassy or consulate to apply for the visa. But the 30 days may not be enough time to enroll and get the required documents for the visa which might require you to apply for a 30 day extension of your entry at an immigration office for a fee of 1900 baht.

 

Joe, are you sure a Philippine citizen is eligible for a 30-day extension of a visa exempt entry? It was my understanding that these are not available for visa exempt entries pursuant to bilateral agreements.

[ubonjoe]

20 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

Joe, are you sure a Philippine citizen is eligible for a 30-day extension of a visa exempt entry? It was my understanding that these are not available for visa exempt entries pursuant to bilateral agreements.

The Philippines is not on a bilateral agreement.  See: http://www.consular.go.th/main/th/customize/62281-Summary-of-Countries-and-Territories-entitled-for.html

[B1ade]

3 hours ago, sdlo said:

Note that if you are on a Ed visa, you must attend an interview and examination with the Dept of Education the at the end of the first 90 days to decide if you can pass to the next level. Should you fail, your Ed visa is cancelled and you have to leave the country, however there is a chance (depending on who interviewed you) that you might be given 7 days to study and resit the exam again, if you fail then your ED visa is cancelled and you have a few days to leave the country.

 

You can come back in on a visa on arrival then enroll at the school and collect paperwork, leave the country again and apply for a non B, then come back and change it to an Ed visa and start to study again.

 

Finally, schools have to show they are teaching students, they will ensure the paperwork you submit to Dept of Education passes the exam, however if you fail when you have a face to face interview then its your fault. You cannot come back with a new ED visa and start back on level 1 again as the school has already made sure you have passed on paper with the initial theory exam they submitted.

 

Just to add a bit more info, I am doing this right now in Phuket, the dept of education examination for me which I sat 2 weeks ago occurred on the second 90 day extension not the first (so after 6 months from starting), for the first extension I was interviewed at the immigration office, most likely different in different provinces but that is how it is in Phuket currently. We have also had a visit or two from immigration at the school to check attendance and sit in for a small amount of time.

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, B1ade said:

 

Just to add a bit more info, I am doing this right now in Phuket, the dept of education examination for me which I sat 2 weeks ago occurred on the second 90 day extension not the first (so after 6 months from starting), for the first extension I was interviewed at the immigration office, most likely different in different provinces but that is how it is in Phuket currently. We have also had a visit or two from immigration at the school to check attendance and sit in for a small amount of time.

 

It is a standardized test, now?  That is a step-up from the ad-hoc variety that was practiced, previously. 

 

It would seem they are encouraging people to study something other than the Thai language - or do they have exams for all languages / courses now?  I'd like to see how the cooking-school and Muai-Thai exams work in practice.