You get a 2 year temporary license first when you convert. You have to ask the staff at the specific DLT where you are getting the license when you can apply for the 5 year.

@James *******

Thank you. I did not know that was an option after the initial 90 days. I will check with immigration.

@Michał ********

@Garrett **********

Good to know! That wasn’t the case when I was signing up for my education course in 2022.

What was the processing time? CMU took 6 weeks to process the visa change request (2 weeks with the school + 4 weeks for immigration) so still good to check with the school how long it will take because the process may be too long depending on the period of stay for the exempt entry. They had my passport the entire time.

If you come in visa exempt, you have to leave Thailand to get any kind of visa. You cannot convert visa exempt entry into an education visa (corrected on this! Couldn’t when I did my ed visa, but now you can 😄)

You could do visa exempt & figure out your long term plan. Then, go to Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam to get a 60 tourist visa. Start your process of converting the visa to an Ed visa as soon as you get back (it’s usually 6 weeks - 2 weeks of your school processing & 4 weeks of processing at immigration). Or apply for your education visa in one of those countries, but I’ve never done that.

Very normal. All long term visas, driver’s licenses, & many other applications in Thailand require the health certificate stating you don’t have these. Really simple to get from a clinic.

It depends on the officer, but here are some suggestions that could help ease any hassle.

I’d probably be hesitant to be out of the country for more than 2 weeks on an ed visa without a family or personal reason. I have gone to immigration & asked, where I was told you can leave for any amount of time. Reality may differ.

As long as you are on break, it should be okay. Bring your class schedule with you to show that you are on a break & not missing classes.

If you miss more than 2 days of class, most schools require a permission form. So bring the approval letter from your school if your stay will include missing classes.

If you’re on a Thai language program, be ready for a pop quiz! They might test your knowledge.

@Relo*****

should be able to help point you in the right direction. They also do relocation services. It’s a sizable fee, usually, so not in everyone’s budget. However, it can be well worth not having the headache of doing it alone or having your pet rejected upon entry.

What a cutie you have, btw!

@Brandon ***********

also, ask your school NOW about the visa cancellation. It can take 21-30 days for it to be processed. Even if you are leaving at the end of your visa, you MUST cancel before you leave.

The landlord will file the TM30 for you, just like at the hotel. You may have to push a little, but it’s so easy for them to do online. Ask for them to send you the copy of the TM30 registration. You’ll need to print that & go to the TM30 office to receive the official TM30 slip for your passport (not the same as the print out from the website). You can do this the same day as your 90 day & file your 90 day after you get the TM30 slip.

If you don’t have a permanent accommodation before your next 90 day, you’ll get the same info from the hotel & follow the same procedure.

Chiang Mai, yes. They made me get a new one in April when I did a border hop for a new visa