Can you obtain a 1-year education visa to learn Thai in Thailand?

In Surat Thani you can still "stay" one year under a ED Visa, BUT please note that: the Thai language program is now divided in 3 levels

beginner (visa lenght 3 months 3 weeks)

intermediate (visa lenght 4 months 3 weeks)

beginner + intermediate (visa lenght 8 months*)

*please note: you can't apply for 3 levels at the same time, so the best you can have is 8 month (3 from the consulate/embassy, 3 first extension, 2 second extension)

During the last month of the 8 month visa the school can submit the required papers to apply for the advanced level, and here you have 2 options:

- leave the country and come back with other 6 months (3+3ext)

- don't leave the country and have only 4 months that, added to the previous 8, gives you one year in total, but divided in 3+3+2+3+1 (so basically you pay one extra extension tha, in samui for example, is 3000 for students, no matter the extension lenght).

I know that in Pattaya they still do as they like, it really depends on the province.

As far as I know currently the extension in Bangkok is only 2 months each time, not 3 like in the past.

Yes and no...yes you pay the school for a year worth of courses...no the immigration office will only give you 90 day visas every time and have the ability to cancel the next 90 day visa at will...

There is NO one year ED visa/extension for studying at a private school ONLY for people enrolled in a university course.

The way it works for private schools is:

You find a school, enroll, pay your tuition, get paperwork from the school and the Ministry of Education, go to a thai consulate in a nearby country and get a single entry 90 day Non-Immigrant Type ED visa

Once you come in you get stamped in for 90 days, then when that is running down you take more paperwork from the school and the MOE to the immigration office and get a 90 day extension. You do that every 90 days for the term of the course.

Yes , can.

Yes, you can.

F