This is NOT an official government website. We are an independent resource providing information and assistance to travelers.
What are the new rules regarding ED visas in Thailand since the pandemic started?
ED VisaThailand Visa RegulationsImmigration LawsStudent VisasCovid-19 Impact on ImmigrationVolunteer VisaElite Visa OptionsUniversity Courses in Thailand
Nov 12, 2020
5 years ago
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERIs it true that since the pandemic started, a new rule has been brought in to make it impossible to get a new year of ED visa when the current visa expires, without leaving the country?
Looking at the lack of open borders, and the cost of quarantine both to get back in here and to get anywhere else before that, with the mental health implications of 28 days in isolated quarantine, am I missing something or are they trying to make sure there are no foreign students left in the country after 12 months except those who can afford investment or elite visa. I heard volunteering is the latest trend as a way around this but a senior immigration officer warned me against it because with such a flooding of volunteer applications will come tighter controls and many rejections... thoughts?
Looking at the lack of open borders, and the cost of quarantine both to get back in here and to get anywhere else before that, with the mental health implications of 28 days in isolated quarantine, am I missing something or are they trying to make sure there are no foreign students left in the country after 12 months except those who can afford investment or elite visa. I heard volunteering is the latest trend as a way around this but a senior immigration officer warned me against it because with such a flooding of volunteer applications will come tighter controls and many rejections... thoughts?
TLDR : Answer Summary
Since the pandemic, there have been significant changes to the rules surrounding ED (Education) visas in Thailand. It appears that obtaining a new ED visa renewal without leaving the country has become increasingly difficult, particularly for students enrolled in private language schools, while those studying at recognized universities may still receive extensions. There is speculation that tighter controls will be implemented, especially on volunteer applications, in response to rising abuse of these visa categories. The situation has caused anxiety among foreign students, with many considering alternative options such as pursuing an MBA, returning to their home country, or even overstaying their visas.
Pelle Eriksson★★★★★
Absolutely Bangkok's best service I highly...recently on Facebook
Luca G.★★★★★
I used this agency for my DTV Visa...recently on Google
Trusted Thai Visa Agent
OVER 100,000 EXPATS SERVED
#1 VISA AGENT IN THAILAND
Oliver ********
i think you will have to study thai at a university or do a masters in something else if you want to stay on studying here. thailand is getting tough on language centers helping westerners get visas (ironically over the last few years, many western countries have been cracking down on thais/others doing the same). are you really so rich that you wouldn't even consider getting a job? if no, that's another option. if yes, have you considered elite visa?
Jimmy ******
Which uni has the cheapest MBA program?
Greg ********
@Oliver *******
Assumption is in English too. Not sure about the quality but if all you want is visa and MBA on CV then OK.Oliver ********
@Nick ******
you can check out sasin business school, which is the best but also the most expensive. chula uni (other departments separate from sasin), mahidol, nida, bangkok uni, thamassat, and a few others, also have masters open to international students, which would be a lot cheaper.Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Oliver *******
thanks for the tip, will look into thatOliver ********
@Nick ******
not sure what stage of your career you are at but an MBA, part-time MBA, or EMBA, at one of the thai business schools, might make sense, especially sasin school in chula uni. that would get you a visa for a couple of years, a local network for your business, and i'm sure they could sort you out with some top class thai language lessons.Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Oliver *******
yeah the Elite seems the best way now but with 5 weeks to go and people saying the British Embassy are not issuing extension of stay request letters. I may have already missed the boat...Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Oliver *******
Not so rich that I wouldn't consider a job but if I wanted to do a full time job I would still be in Taiwan where English teaching requires fewer hours and pays more. I'm here to invest in my future by learning the language so I can read documents myself and communicate with business partners and staff effectively when I start a business. Reply to
Nick *******
Reply
Jim ********
You can if you are studying at uni but not for private language courses as they aren’t issuing ED visa’s for that at the moment
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERThe choices for hundreds of Brits with education visas expiring between the end of the visa amnesty and xmas/NY seems to be:
- overstay and pray the amnesty gets extended
- get a job, in a shrinking economy, even if you already have a business overseas or income from investments that you're choosing to spend and invest here
- start a gofundme for an elite visa
- start a gofundme just to be able to exit and reenter the country (and cover the therapy costs of recovering from potentially a month in quarantine)
- switch to Volunteer Visa (which a senior IO is advising me not to try)
- abandon your current study plan and the 3 months of classes you're still owed, and enrol at a recognised university on an MBA or other degree that is taught in English, which isn't going to be cheap and won't leave you any time to learn Thai
- ejection into the pandemic, xmas in lockdown back home and don't see loved ones here for a long time. Help...
- overstay and pray the amnesty gets extended
- get a job, in a shrinking economy, even if you already have a business overseas or income from investments that you're choosing to spend and invest here
- start a gofundme for an elite visa
- start a gofundme just to be able to exit and reenter the country (and cover the therapy costs of recovering from potentially a month in quarantine)
- switch to Volunteer Visa (which a senior IO is advising me not to try)
- abandon your current study plan and the 3 months of classes you're still owed, and enrol at a recognised university on an MBA or other degree that is taught in English, which isn't going to be cheap and won't leave you any time to learn Thai
- ejection into the pandemic, xmas in lockdown back home and don't see loved ones here for a long time. Help...
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERI had Dengue Fever at the time, with test result. I doubt airing any of this will help my cause but at least it's off my chest
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERthis time last year I was detained and deported on arrival on a hunch that I was probably working illegally and abusing tourist status when I was just a wannabe tourist avoiding the rain and sitting waiting for dry season in a condo I purchased earlier the same year.
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERreally messed up situation when intentional overstay is on the table of options just to not go raving mad alone in a hotel cell for xmas and at least have my gf, cat and friends around
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERdifferent advice each day leans me to 1 path and then another, but ultimately I'm still a rabbit frozen in the headlights at the moment
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERespecially if we've been abandoned by the British government - rumours abound that our embassy is not issuing letters to ask for even a short extension of stay to get past xmas and NY
Jim ********
@Nick ******
I’m not gonna lie i don’t think that will happen. I think people will be forced to leave and either get new visa’a etc or not return to Thailand Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Jim *******
yeah still praying that when they see how many farang will have to leave and decide not to return because of the costs, lost sanity from quarantine time, and plain resentment for being made to do it, and consider the effect that will have on an already wounded economy, something might give... but clock ticking for me, not really any time to wait and see on thatJim ********
@Nick ******
I don’t really know what your options are but I suppose you are going to have to leave at some point Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Jim *******
good to know, thxNick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Jim *******
they're certainly not gonna give me one from inside the country on an Ed visa heheJim ********
@Nick ******
yeh no good from the Uk. It’s called an STV visa. Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Jim *******
ah ok. There's a new longer version of the tourist visa that can be 9 or possibly 12 months I think (to make the cost of quarantine at least buy more time here), but maybe only certain countries can get that, idk Jim ********
@Nick ******
yeh the normal tourist visa which is 60 days plus 30 days extension. Just need to have had £12,800 in a U.K. bank account for the last 6 months 👍Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Jim *******
damn, well at least they have the longer tourist visa now, right?Jim ********
@Nick ******
The aren’t issuing ED Visa’s for private language schools out of Thailand for sure. Well certainly not the U.K. anyway. I have all my documents from the school and ministry of education because I was meant to start my course in January. The Embassy confirmed multiple times they aren’t issuing them so now I will travel on a tourist visa 👍Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Jim *******
i think they are, but only if you apply from abroad when the world is in the grips of a pandemic and I'm already in the country. MadnessReply to
Nick *******
Reply
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERp.s. I am very happy to actually volunteer, but much like as a student I am tarred with the fake student brush, I worry I will run into problems at the first 90 days report simply because so many are fake volunteers...
Jay *****
Immigration should seriously be issuing free Ed visa extensions for the classes missed due to Covid.
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERcovid + wet season... dry season arrives... get out and have a happy quarantine xmas
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERversus a 6 figure bill to get out and back in the country with all the required tests, insurance, flight costs, quarantine etc. just for 12 months...
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERand free not so important. I'm not fussed about paying another 1,900 extension fee
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Jay ****
hard to argue with that. Just 3 months to all who lost 3 monthsReply to
Nick *******
Reply
Stuart *********
Certainly isn’t the case for international school students studying at a recognised institution. They’re getting extensions as per usual. I assume university students are the same. There quite probably has been some form of tightening of the rules for language students, or Muay Thai etc. Which is understandable given that it’s long been a route for people to stay in Thailand long term but not actually be really studying. I’m not suggesting everyone on a Ed visa for language did that but it was widely abused. For those who want to legitimately study it’s the others that abused it that has spoilt the system.
Napalak **********
@Stuart ********
Facebook visa police 😂🤣🤣😂Reply to
Napalak **********
Reply
Greg ********
I think it is OK if you are on recognised University course. Not language schools and the like.
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERsome may say that plan was naive or a foolish gamble but it seemed pretty solid until they suddenly moved the goalposts - at the time of applying for my first year ED visa I was assured by everyone I asked that getting a 2nd year is a formality and only a 3rd year is difficult.
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Greg *******
thanksGreg ********
@Nick ******
I totally understand the stress and it is a shitty time. Hope you can get something worked out.Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERthe funny catch-22 is that the school gives us 3 months of classes to make up for the ones we missed during lockdown, but we can't collect them on the correct visa status without spending upwards of 100k baht to leave and come back (probably completely barmy after 28 days in quarantine)
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTERfor what it's worth, I'm 11 months (8 months, thank you covid) into a 2 year language school plan, which is step 2 of a 3 step plan to integrate here and start a business that employs locals. Step 1 was buying a cheap condo so I don't burn money on rent. Not looking for sympathy, I know a lot of people are worse off than me, but it's still very stressful and I'm getting a bit old to keep starting again in a new country... 😅
The requirements seem to be designed to make sure people like me go back where we came from...
The requirements seem to be designed to make sure people like me go back where we came from...
Nick *******
ORIGINAL POSTER@Greg *******
i assumed so too but it seems to be a blanket rule. Maybe we can hope that it gets changed for the uni students and we get a lifeline in the processReply to
Nick *******
Reply
7 comments
4 years ago
9 comments
4 years ago
6 comments
4 years ago
12 comments
4 years ago
13 comments
4 years ago
21 comments
5 years ago
9 comments
5 years ago
4 comments
5 years ago
21 comments
5 years ago
7 comments
5 years ago
29 comments
5 years ago
8 comments
6 years ago
20 comments
6 years ago
7 comments
6 years ago
30 comments
6 years ago
How can international students obtain a certificate of entry and non-immigrant ED visa for Thailand?
7 comments
6 years ago
9 comments
7 years ago
0 comments
7 years ago
0 comments
7 years ago
10 comments
7 years ago
0 comments
8 years ago
43 comments
8 years ago
38 comments
8 years ago
4 comments
8 years ago
9 comments
9 years ago
7 comments
a month ago
9 comments
a month ago
21 comments
a month ago
16 comments
a month ago
8 comments
a month ago
The ask:thailand community, consisting of multiple Q/A groups with over 100,000 members, powers this platform. It is not an official government resource. Our members actively contribute to this resource, and while we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee its complete reliability. Assistance to travelers is provided as a community service.