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What are the requirements for obtaining an education visa for scuba diving courses in Thailand?

Thailand VisaEducation VisaScuba DivingNON-ED VisaImmigrationVisa RequirementsStudy AbroadPADI Certification
Feb 2, 2024
a year ago
Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
hello

i’m living in cambodia now and when my year is up i renew my visa or move to thailand and study scuba diving. i asked online but no response about how many lessons are required for a year education visa? i contacted a school with that and other questions but they only answered that their 4 day open water course is $533.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user is seeking information about the number of scuba diving lessons required to obtain an education visa (Non-Imm-ED) in Thailand. Various comments suggest that scuba diving courses do not qualify for an education visa, as these visas are typically granted for formal study at recognized institutions or licensed language schools. Some users suggest exploring language studies instead while others mention their plans for a long-term visa in Cambodia as a viable option.
Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
i solved my problem by refining my search. i had never heard cambodian scuba diving was an option but here it is
a year ago
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Nongnuch ********
you don't get a one-year Non-Imm-ED visa for scuba diving courses. There is NOTHING such. Non-imm-ED visa are handed out for study at universities or in licenced language schools, and nothing else. Even Non-ED visa by Muay Thai schools are under investigation now and on the brink of being discontinued
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
i try to stay out of politics. i don’t mention all the different nationalities involved in shady dealings in these 2 ,although i don’t like it. but i will save enough money in a year or so for the thai retirement visa $20k deposit. i’m at that point in life i can basically do as i plan well for.
a year ago
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Nongnuch ********
@Kace ******
 the retirement-visa and 1-year extension of stay is a perfect route for people who are over 50 years old, and got the funds. Myself I stay in Thailand with a "1-year extension of stay permit based on retirement" since I turned fifty 17 years ago. I do the financial proof for the application for the extension with the minimum deposit of 800,000.- THB on my Thai bank account. It takes 25 minutes on the Immigration Sisaket to renew the 1-year extension, and 1900.- THB.
a year ago
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Nongnuch ********
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Nongnuch *******
 that’s their prerogative but i have plenty of money to spend and don’t want to study thai cooking or massage or anything else. i want to scuba dive at the shipwrecks. if Thailand makes that difficult i think it is a mistake. but i can travel back and forth from cambodia where the visa process is simple and cheap. i’m thinking my long term visa in Cambodia is the golden ticket.
a year ago
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Nongnuch ********
@Kace ******
 you can't enter Thailand by visa-exempt repeated times any more, at some point your entry will be refused. You can join scuba diving courses, but they do not earn you an ED visa. They are just commercial enterprises you pay for joining their courses, and Scuba Diving courses are not acknowledged by Immigration offices to warrant a Non-Imm-ED visa. Maybe Scuba diving in Cambodia is better for you, if the many Chinese tourists and chinese owned businesses in Cambodia are not offending you. China practically owns Cambodia
a year ago
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Nongnuch ********
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
a year ago
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Nongnuch ********
@Kace ******
 the promises made on this website are FAKE! For massage or scuba diving you cannot get a Non-Imm-ED visa. This is absolute BS! It is not possible any more. I can only WARN you of sending ANY amount of money to one of these schools - you will be ripped off
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Nongnuch *******
 so is it only scuba that is a scam or all education visas?
a year ago
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Nongnuch ********
@Kace ******
 licenced language schools and universities are the only legal institutions that can grant you the right to a Non-Imm-Ed educational visa. All others are fakes, some of them only succeed because they pay "tea money" to a corrupt immigration chief
a year ago
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Nongnuch ********
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Brian *********
PADI dive certification is likely not qualified for a visa.

Also a hint, too many dive shops use ‘DM interns’ essentially as nearly slave labor, it’s a fairly well known abuse. Buyer beware! 👌
a year ago
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Bob **********
Never heard of an ED visa for Scuba
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Bob *********
 i have
a year ago
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Bob **********
@Kace ******
 what is it 1 -3 months
a year ago
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Bob **********
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Frank **********
Studying scuba diving? You got to be kidding. No way you would get a year out of that. Try studying Thai.
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Frank *********
 why would choosing thai language qualify but scuba does not??
a year ago
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Christian **********
@Kace ******
 Try becoming a "Thai language master" and you'll find out.
a year ago
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Christian **********
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Stéfan ********
@Frank *********
 well, people can get one for Muay Thai or self defense... If they provide it for those, I wouldn't be surprised if they provide one to become a dive master.
a year ago
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Graeme **********
@Frank *********
 technically you could spend a year on SCUBA courses and work your way up to Dive Master, perhaps even instructor.
a year ago
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Graeme **********
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Chris *******
Scuba does not qualify for any visa.
a year ago
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Robert *******
Is has to be a accredited college or facility . Not sure Suba counts. But yes look it up on line
a year ago
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Stéfan ********
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
a year ago
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Brian *********
@Stéfan *******
 this would require Recreational diver -> advanced diver -> rescue diver -> then START dive master.

Doubt there would be an ED visa for this.

DM’s in Thailand barely make beer money. 👌
a year ago
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Stéfan ********
@Brian ********
 it's not about getting a job, it's about getting an ED visa. Most Muay Thai fighters make peanuts too and knowing Thai isn't a career option, but one can get ED visas for those.
a year ago
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Brian *********
@Stéfan *******
 I’m aware of that. I mentioned the pay because to some degree DM hours are compensated and was not really the point.

The point was it’s not uncommon for a beginning diver to take a year of diving/certs before getting to the point of even starting a DM program. Understand?
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brian ********
 but you went on to say you doubt there is an ed visa for diving and seem to say they don’t make enough money to make education visas for scuba worthy. but none of the other ed visa opportunities are high paying either. probably less than scuba since none of them are potentially life or death situations.
a year ago
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Brian *********
@Kace ******
 the pay was a side note. The point is a PADI certification is not a degree program or regulated by a certification body. Muay Thai as a somewhat relevant lateral the country of Thailand has a significant interest and is therefore an anomaly. Most of the time something like dive training is a hobby and is ‘recreational’ in construct, not profession. DM is the intro professional level but takes 3 other certifications to even start the approximately one year for DM certification. 👍
a year ago
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Brian *********
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Billy *******
Where in Cambodia? You like it? What are you doing there?
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Billy ******
 phnom penh. i mainly just go to the gym at the mall and shop there as well. convenient and cheap. getting into fitness and almost ready to take the kun kmer classes at the gym as well. easy to get long term visa cheap and unlimited travel to other countries.
a year ago
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Kace *******
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Lynnette *******
Ask on Thailand Visa Advice - And Everything Else there may be more people know about ed visas
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Lynnette ******
 this site is the site you recommend i ask the question you read
a year ago
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Lynnette *******
@Kace ******
 they may have more people can give ed visa advice.
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Lynnette ******
 lynnette , this is the site and i posted in the site and you are one of the people. are you pranking me?
a year ago
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Lynnette *******
@Kace ******
 I thought you were on the other Thai page. Ever heard of someone reading quickly when using both pages and making a mistake? Jeez. Relax it's not a big deal.
a year ago
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Kace *******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Lynnette ******
 geez. did u ever hear of someone replying to someone who keeps asking a question you just answered again that was super obvious but was being polite anyway? relax
a year ago
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Kace *******
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