How long does it take to process a Thai education visa and what are the steps involved?

Question

For those of you who got an education visa to learn Thai, how long did it take to get the visa completed? From what I’ve seen, most schools say 3-4 weeks.

I’ve got a friend now who applied for a Thai language Ed visa while in Thailand and is 2 1/2 weeks into the process and they were just told the “school needs more time”.

Does the school do all their paperwork up front and hand it over to immigration or is there some back and forth between the school and immigration?

If the school just summits everything and the rest is up to immigration, it seems strange it would take 3 weeks or more for a school to produce the needed documents.

I assume most of the time would be spent waiting on immigration but don’t know what the actual workflow is.

He’s trying to see if maybe there’s some issue the school is not being up front about or if this is normal.

Does anyone know what the actual steps are between the school and immigration?

Thanks for any insights you might have.

Ask Thailand · Answer

The processing time for a Thai education visa (ED visa) generally varies, with most educational institutions estimating around 3 to 4 weeks, while some may take as long as 6 weeks. The school is responsible for submitting the necessary paperwork to the Ministry of Education, which can take time for approval. Once approved, the school prepares the documentation for immigration. Additionally, applicants should ideally begin the process with at least 21 days left on their current visa, and attendance may be required during immigration checks at the school.

Shayne ********** · Answer

It's actually best to wait until 3 days before your visa expires, just to keep everyone on their toes and create miracles.

Brandon ************ · Answer

The school takes all of your information and copies of passport etc and then submits it to the Ministry of Education.  This can take weeks for them to approve. Once they get the approval from the Ministry, they then complete the very large packet of documents that you will take to immigration to change your visa to an ED visa.

Once they get the ministry approval it's fast, but most schools advise you need to have at least 21 days or more in some cases left on your stay before you start the process.

Once your visa is complete, you may not be done yet, as immigration may drop into your school with 1-2 days warning and you will be required to be there when they come.  They will talk to the staff, and take photos of the school, along with photos of you at the school and with the staff.

Katya ******* · Answer

My partner and I are applying for ED Visas and we have been to a few schools to cover our bases. Most of them have said they need a month minimum and a few have even said up to 6 weeks. Hope this helps.

How long does it take to process a Thai education visa and what are the steps involved?

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