Why did I receive a 60-day extension on my Ed visa instead of the expected 90 days?

Mar 24, 2018
7 years ago
My family and I are on Ed visas (1 year) and we got just got our first check/renewal after 3 months - costing us 5k baht each (X 5). Why are the new stamps only for 60 days? Our school arranged everything and I was expecting 90 days. I will call our school on Monday but wondering if anyone else might know? TIA
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user expressed confusion about receiving a 60-day visa extension instead of the expected 90 days for their Ed visa, paying 5000 baht each for five family members. They noted their language school managed the process. The community discussed that 60-day extensions have become more common and highlighted the discrepancy between the school’s charges and the standard immigration fee of 1900 baht per person. Many comments suggested caution regarding the school's practices, indicating potential overcharging and emphasizing that such issues are common among language schools in Thailand.
Tod *********
Unfortunately I can't see anything good comin' out of keeping this thread open. The O/P knows now that the fee to get an extension isn't 5K per person, and they know that there are shady schoolz out there :/

I think we're done.

Good Luck to the O/P (y)
Tod *********
@Eug****
, Attending a private school you couldn't ever get an extension for a year at a time and then just do 90 day reporting.

You'd get one for a max of 90 days and STILL do 90 day reporting and you'd do that for the whole year.

They sell that program telling you that it's go for a year, and it is. BUT it's in 60 or 90 day increments.

BTW: because you got a 60 day extension next month you'll still need to go do your 90 day reporting (it's free though).
Toby ********
@Tod ********
I know right! It really puts me in a situation I would rather not be in and as most people, would like to do things the correct way. For the benefit of other readers, I study in Pattaya.
Tod *********
@Toby *******
that is one of the most un-redeeming things I've really heard about extensions concerning ED visas. :/
Toby ********
This is interesting because this week my school had a random immigration visit and previously when I first signed up for this school it was always communicated 4 days per week 2hrs per day Thai lessons. When I arrived In the country and went to school they then said no you only need to come for 2 days per week and 2 hrs a day as “the rules in Pattaya have changed” they said. To be honest I had no problem learning 4 days a week as I genuinely want to progress my Thai but as I had no option I just did they 2 days per week. So getting back to the immigration visit, it turns out that if I now want to pay the 1900 extension of stay I have to join an additional beginners class for Thai as well as my higher intermediate class to show the extra hours that I should of been doing? And also apparently I have to go to immigration for two visits, the first to request the extension and the second 15 days after to show attendance records before they accept it but as I haven’t been going 4 days a week there may be a problem? Apparently immigration have requested attendance records from the school and questioned why visa students are only doing 2 days per week!? At this point the school gave me the option to pay 5000 bht, they would sort out the extension and getting it stamped and no questions from immigration and I wouldn’t have to worry about joining another class to make up the attendance? Other students in my class have apparently been doing it this way for months and said it so much less hassle. A part of me wants to save 3100bht but another part of me is seeing all this talk of a big clamp down with tourist and ED Visas and frankly, I want to spend as much time away from an immigration office as possible. I am not here to have a holiday on an ED visa I am here to study and if I could, would go to classes for 4 days a week or even 5!
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
based on what we've been paying, that will save us a huge amount. Thanks for help.
Tod *********
@Eug****
, if the kids are under 15 they cannot be charged for overstay and if they are under 18 they cannot be banned. Personally while it is technically against the law, seeing as nothing untoward can happen to you or the children, I'd just let 'em overstay.
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Riiiiiiiight....penny drops. Thank you, makes a lot of sense. I will get the school to clarify also. Obviously they just want the 'business' and will spin any line nec to hook you in. We did think of not getting visas at all for 2 & 5 yr old having read about kids not getting overstay bans or fines but decided we wanted to do everything properly... feeling silly.
Sean ********
If you went to the immigration office yourself, didn’t they ask for 1900 baht per person? I’m confused when and where you paid the 5000
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Ron ******
ok thanks
Ron *******
Eugenie Marie Harris I'm not familiar with what rules your immigration office plays by. As has been posted, some offices give 90 days and some give 60 days. My posts were more aimed at if immigration will now deal with you directly rather than through your agent.

Some offices make it difficult for you to deal directly once you have used an agent.
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Ron ******
you think I should just ask the school to do it? Am I right in thinking it should have been 90 days? I.e. year visa but check in every 90 days....or have I totally got the wrong end of the stick?
Ron *******
I'll put money on it that if you now attempt to do this yourself, immigration will tell you to go away and get your rep (Agent)
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Sean *******
that's great advice thank you! The passports first had may 2020 stamped and then crossed out to say 2018! Fingers crossed it was just an oversight. If not, clearly our school just want to do this in 2 mths time to get the same money again! I will contact them on Monday.
Sean ********
Yeah my school offers a similar service to that for 3900. On a bad day at immigration it can be worth it. Next time though, you should try one of the visa service companies that will do it for cheaper. You getting only 2 months seems like either and oversight by the immigration office or improper paperwork on the part of your school. If this just happened you may be able to go back and try to resolve it at the immigration office or at least figure out what happened
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
I knew that they would be making something for filling in the forms for us but accepted that, for ease and with kids, for a 90 days stamp it was ok. 1 - didn't realise how much they were creaming off the top

2 - thought it would be 90 days :-(
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
The ed school rep went with us. We all went in to the office, chatted to the imm officers for a while as they went through our papers and took pics of us all. just outside the office afterwards, the rep asked for our passports and money. Crazy.

The only reaso I believed our school that it really was 5k was that they said we pay it at the office and NOT to them (the school).
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
We went to the imm office ourselves - all of us.
Ron *******
It's beyond me why people bring children here to be educated in the first place.

The majority of expats I've known throughout the years, take the children OUT of Thailand and back to the west to get a decent education, unless you can afford the hundreds of thousands of baht per year for the very best schools here.
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
We are only taking one school year out of UK system.
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
We home school our kids and they have progessed unbelievably well since arriving here...due to being at a desk all day instead of the beach :-)
Tod *********
I remember a while back in Pattaya where a well known school had a sign up stating if you went to the immigration office yourself paid 1900baht you would get a 30 day extension and then a month later go back after that to get the other 60 days

OR

if you could get the full 90 days at once you paid 4900baht. :O

I still have the picture of the hand out they gave students :/
Lee ********
That's expensive compared to some.
Ron *******
Tod, there's better than that. If you pay 30,000 baht every 4 months, you literally don't do anything. No school, no immigration, nothing but sit on the beach all day.
Tod *********
so the school charged 5K PER extension for something that costs 1900baht and there are 5 people in your family meaning the school made 15,500baht for "arranging everything".

This makes me wonder, A - do you and your family actually attend school the required 10 hours a week for a year course (bangkok rules), and did you and your family go out to the immigration office to get your extensions or did you just give them your passports?
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Edit - youngest are NOT on ed visas!
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
We are in phuket and we go to a school 2 days per week ( 2 x 2 hr classes). The youngest 2 do not learn thai and are on ed visas.

I told them initally that I read it was 1900 and they said that their fee was 5000. Even when I said 'even for the 2year old!?' And they said yes.

Clearly I feel like an idiot but as we have already invested so much money with them, I felt we had to trust them....
Ron *******
There are outfits running, that charge other fees on top of the extension fees.

These 'Schools' are simple to find. The costs over a year, can mount up to not far short of a yearly TE visa fee. Of course people choose that route due to the fact that they don't have to pay 5 years up front. It's all illegal of course but people do it simply because they can.

I'm not saying this is what the OP is doing but 100% the schools are out there to do it if that's what you want.
Koos *****************
Sounds to me like someone bought a 15k 1year edu visa. I dont mean to be the barrer of bad news but where in the world can you get a language course for a year, for just $500??? If its too good to be true, it isnt. Dont be victim, be a student.
Koos *****************
Did you do the extentions yourself or did the school do it? Sounds like they are putting a fee for processing your extention documents. A lot of schools are catching foreigners that way.
Koos *****************
@Eugenie **************
best of luck. Maybe look at other options or schools.
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Koos ****************
thanks...I thought we had done sufficient homework when choosing the school - clearly not!
Koos *****************
@Eugenie **************
i understand, just watch out for these places. They are all over thailand.
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
School :-( With 3 kids, 2 being small, we thought it would be easier.
Ron *******
Sounds like one of these 'No need to leave the country, or visit immigration and do what you like' visas?
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
We all left the country to get the initial ed visa but my understanding was for 90 day check ins, we don't need to leave. The actual ed visa is for 1 year (started in december)
Tod *********
All extensions of stays cost 1900baht at the immigration office no matter the amount of time.

Something is not right, what province are you in?
Sergey *********
AFAIK, many of Phuket schools just want your money. They offer you "cheap ED visas" first (about 12-15 thousand baht), but you pay a lot more for that extensions, tests and everything they want. I prefer to pay one time 25-30 thousand and no problems for a year of studying. And yes, extension costs only 1900 all over the country. Everything else from that 5000 goes straight to the pockets of school owners and/or immigration officers.
Eugenie ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
I'm in phuket and I had read about it being 1900 and questioned that with them...especially for my 2 little ones (5 and 2 yrs who are on dependent ? Visas) but they said that it goes straight to imm and that I pay it directly at the imm office. I did...but to their representative :-(
Lee ********
I just renewed my 90 stamp for the third time on Thursday afternoon. Standard government fee of 1900 baht every time it's been done. Not sure which school or agent you're using but it sounds like an expensive one.
Glen *********
@Tod ********
I’ve been getting 90 days extension, my last one was in January...and I’m in Bangkok at Language school
Lee ********
Never looked at it that way, you are correct. Just so strange how something, like immigration, which should be exactly the same throughout the country can vary so much.
Tod *********
@L**
, doesn't make a difference where you got the 90 day ED visa, because you aren't on ANY visa anymore. you're on an extension from the immigration office. Your visa expired a good while ago.

Be that as it may, you're lucky, because almost all the private schools in bangkok only can get their students 60 day extensions.
Lee ********
No, I'm in Chiang Mai. My ed visa issued in Vientiane.
Tod *********
are you in Bangkok? Most students f private schools in Bangkok can only get 60 day extensions now
Maxim *********
Is it a language school? Afaik extensions are 60 days for the most of the schools nowadays. 90 are rare. For some it might be 30.
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