ED visa
get a free Thailand ED visa when you study at Patong Language School
There are five simple steps to obtaining an ED (education) visa for Thailand.
- Enrol with Patong Language School for at least a 3-month language course in Phuket
- The school will apply for a visa letter from the Ministry of Education
- You apply for your ED visa while outside of Thailand
- The Ministry of Education certify your enrolment in Phuket
- You apply for 90 day ED visa extensions at the Phuket immigration office for the duration of your language course. This costs about 1,900 Baht per time, but no ‘visa runs’ are required.
Patong Language School can assist students in obtaining an ‘ED’ type visa to remain in Thailand for periods from 90 days up to one year and longer.
- If you book your language course with us before coming to Thailand, then you can apply for your ED visa outside Thailand also. We can provide a letter to support your ED visa application at a consulate or embassy. You will be able to get a 90-day ED visa, which can be extended further indefinitely in Phuket.
- If you are already in Thailand and have only a ‘B’ visa or tourist visa, then you requires some documents from our school and a letter issued by the local education office to present at a consulate or embassy outside Thailand when applying for your ED visa. You should apply for a change from tourist or non-immigrant B to an ED visa.
We assist in arranging Thailand ED visas for students that study languages with us full-time. This means a minimum of four lessons per week.
- 3 months (48 lessons)
- 6 months (96 lessons)
- 9 months (144 lessons)
- 1 year (192 lessons)
The required documents are:
- passport
- passport photo
- school documents (license and letter)
- receipt for your course from our school
- completed application form
We require a 50% deposit (100% payment for 3-month courses) and a copy of your passport to commence your application for a Thailand ED visa. We will also need some personal details: your job, your address, your parents’ names, and your monthly budget for your stay in Thailand.
Students are responsible for payment of all ED visa fees
Download a faqsheet here
Frequently asked questions about Thailand ED visas
No, it is possible to study even on a tourist visa. If you decide to stay longer than 3 months to study, we will be happy to help with your Thailand ED visa application.
We can’t guarantee it, but your course fee is fully refundable if your ED visa application is declined. We do not give refunds once ED visas have been issued or you have started your classes.
Anyone can apply for a Thailand ED visa. Some nationalities are required to apply for the ED visa only at a Thai embassy in their home country – please check before travelling.
The fee for a single entry ED visa is around 2,500 Baht, depending on where you apply. Extending an ED visa in Thailand currently costs 1,900 Baht.
Sorry, it is not possible to change visa types within Thailand. You will have to make a trip to a neighbouring country to do this. We can provide the necessary paperwork to apply for a change to ED visa at a consulate in either Penang, KL or Singapore.
Once you have enrolled for a language course we will make an application to the local Education Office. It takes them about two weeks to issue the letter you will need to submit with your ED visa application. Once you arrive back in Thailand you will be stamped for a 90-day stay. Extensions can be made in Phuket town after this without making visa runs to the border.
As with any non-immigrant visa, it is necessary to report to the Immigration department every 90 days. This is a formality which takes a short time and does not cost anything.
You can study for as long as 2 or 3 years, with your Thailand ED visa being renewed each year. You can have an ED visa for as long as you are enrolled and continue to study with Patong Language School.
You can leave Thailand but your ED visa will be invalidated if you do not obtain a re-entry permit before exiting. This should be applied for at the Immigration Department in Phuket Town and there is a small charge. The re-entry permit allows you to re-enter with the unused portion of your ED visa reactivated (not extended).
No, never again! Once you have an ED visa you don’t need to leave Thailand again.
You cannot work on an ED visa. If you find work in Thailand you must apply for a non-immigrant O or B visa and a work permit.
If you have previously studied Thai or English on an ED visa and you want to do so again, it is possible at present.
Certainly. Many students get an ED visa and start their studies with other schools, then decide to switch to Thai or English lessons at Patong Language School. It is quite a simple process to transfer from another school to us, and we will be happy to do all the paperwork for you.
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