Can a US passport holder on an ED Visa successfully re-enter Thailand on a visa exempt after leaving the country?

Gotta go home sooner or later!🤣🤣

You are probably not going to be able to enter visa exempt as you just finished an education visa and the extension out of it, and anyone with an ED visa in their passport is getting extra scrutiny at the border.

Immigration at the border will likely ask you why you are back already after just spending a year in Thailand and tell you that you are trying to live in Thailand on a short term stay, and potentially deny you entry.

And they will address you in Thai, they will speak Thai to you and expect you to understand, after having attended (actually attended and not missed one hour!) a Thai language school.

If you go outside of Thailand and apply for a tourist visa at a Thai consulate, you will get stamped in for 60 days, too, but it's not likely to make much of a difference as they may say the same thing they will say if you try to enter visa-exempt, which is that you just spent a year in Thailand and you are not a tourist, so you cannot do a touristic entry

I would make sure you take everything that’s important with you on your bounce because this the exact situation where people are getting denied an exempt stamp is for tourists obviously that’s not you good luck

There's no one on this group that can tell you if you'll get out and back without issued after being here a year on an ED visa/extension 🙁

That is gonna come down to the officer at passport control you're standing in front of when you stamp IN to the country

AND

sadly, it is exactly people who were on ED visa/extensions that do have a lot of issues when they try to bounce out/back to get a new visa exempt entry.

The visa exempt entry is still 60 days (since july 15, 2024) and that's exactly why it's so hard to get out/back on them after an extensive entry/stay history.

I'd definitely cancel your ED extension from the immigration office that issued it before you exit the country (that shows you at least followed the correct immigration procedure when you are leaving)

Also have proof you're leaving the country again in 60 days <- the number of days you're gonna get stamped in for when you come back in free stamp / visa exempt because if they're going to ask you for anything when they let you in it's going to be proof you're leaving..

It'll either work and you'll get back in or it won't and they'll deny you entry. There's no middle ground and sadly no one on this group can tell you what way it will go. Even if you cancel your ED extension, have proof of onward travel in 60 days, it's still going to come down to the officer that you're in front of at passport control.

Best of luck with it (y) remember to cancel your current extension before you leave (because no matter what any one says just stamping out doesn't officially cancel an ED extension)