@Bob ********

it costs 1900 baht to extend. A flight and hotel to Malaysia is going to cost a lot more than that

That's between your friend and his airline. If anyone is going to give him a problem it's them. If they ask to see proof of him leaving Thailand, they will expect a ticket out of Thailand within 60 days since that's how many days he will get on arrival. If he's able to board his flight, he should be fine.

@Osian *******

with the non-O you'll need to have money in a Thai bank account to get the 1-year extension. This money is your "security" if anything happens, so Thailand has assurance you can take care of yourself.

With a non-OA you can get almost 2 years in Thailand without ever having to go to immigration or have any money in a Thai bank account. So the required insurance and everything is to replace the large Thai bank deposit to show if anything happens you can take care of yourself without becoming Thailand's problem.

@Osian *******

right, that's why most people go for the non-O. Very easy to get

Is there a reason you're applying for the non-OA visa? Normally people want the non-O visa which doesn't have any of these requirements. There are certainly circumstances that can make the OA visa better for some people, but the non-O is what 99% of people actually want.

@Bobby ********

Then just to give you fair warning, you have almost 100% chance of getting pulled out of line when you return and questioned by immigration about what you are doing, why you left Thailand, etc. As I said, to immigration you said you NEEDED to to study in Thailand so you NEEDED a visa to do so. Now you are leaving Thailand, so it appears you didn't need to be in Thailand so bad actually.

You should get a letter from your school that states that it is okay for you to leave, for exactly how long you will be gone, and when you will return, and that everything is approved by the school. This letter should also have the direct contact information for the school administrator.

There was a recent story of someone who had all of this, and the immigration officers even called and spoke to the administrator, and they were still denied entry to Thailand for leaving while on an education visa.

The embassy has nothing to do with this. You're not even allowed to go to the embassy, as the embassies that switched to e-visa do not allow foreigners on the property.

Is there a reason you are going back just to renew your passport? You can do that in Thailand. I ask because people that leave Thailand while on education visas/extensions tend to have problems returning.

Are you on a visa for language school or muay Thai, or are you studying in a university in a degree seeking program? If you are at a university then you're probably fine, but if you're at an informal school, huge numbers of people that leave and return are denied entry. Thailand expects that if you needed to study so badly that you needed a visa for, that you are to be in your class studying, not leaving the country. Because the ED is such an abused visa, anyone with one gets extra scrutiny for years afterwards.

@Dawn *********

It's not called the OA just because you are in the US and apply. In the US you can decide if you want to apply for the 90 day non-O visa, without all the extra requirements, or if you want to apply for the 1 year non-OA visa, with all the extra requirements. You decide which one to apply for. They are completely different visas with different requirements, and both are available from thai embassies.

@Lee *******

no, it won't be easier on either of those.

@Lee *******

you're not supposed to get a marriage visa in Thailand. You're supposed to get a visa BEFORE you travel to a country. Just because it's possible to get a marriage visa inside Thailand doesn't mean it's supposed to be easy.

The DTV is a tourist visa, and the banks don't think a tourist needs a bank account.