Learn Thai in Thailand: Schools and the ED Visa

A Thai course can carry a Non-Immigrant ED visa if the school is permitted to operate. The first stay is up to 90 days from entry, and a state school can then ask for up to 1 year at a time. Chula's 100-hour course costs THB 29,500, and TSL in Chiang Mai prices a one-year ED course at THB 55,000.

By Vincent Nguyen and team

If you want a Thai course that also supports your visa, the school’s licence matters more than its price. A private school must be permitted to operate before the Bureau extends a student’s stay.

In Bangkok, Chulalongkorn University sells a fixed block of 100 hours for THB 29,500. In Chiang Mai, TSL starts group classes in the first week of each month and prices a one-year ED course at THB 55,000. AUA publishes hours by module.

Bangkok, Pathum Wan: Chulalongkorn University CTFL

The Center for Thai as a Foreign Language sits in the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, on Phayathai Road in Pathumwan. Its Intensive Thai on-site course is 6 weeks of 5 days at 3 hours a day, which makes 90 class hours, plus 10 hours of language and cultural training.

The price is THB 29,500 per course, and you can pay for up to 3 courses at a time. The 2027 rounds start on 4 January with a deadline of 1 November 2026, and on 1 March with a deadline of 1 January 2027. A round that fills can close early, so we recommend applying well before the deadline.

Good for

• Beginners who want a fixed university block rather than monthly drop-in classes.
• Anyone who wants a letter to support an ED application: you do not need a Thai visa to enrol, and the centre can provide a letter of admission on request.
• Visitors already in Thailand on a tourist visa or visa on arrival. They can apply to change to an ED visa if the visa is valid for more than one month from the date of contact.

Skip if

• You hold a Non-Immigrant B, an O-A or an ED visa from another institution: you have to cancel it and leave Thailand before returning on one the centre supports.
• You are short on time. Processing the letter takes at least 45 business days, and applications go in one month before the first day of the course.

The centre issues ED documents for Intensive Thai on-site learners only, and the letter of admission is the one document it can issue. You use that letter at the Changwattana Bangkok Immigration Office.

Chiang Mai, Night Bazaar: TSL Chiang Mai

TSL Chiang Mai is a private language school licensed by Thailand’s Ministry of Education, in Pantip Plaza near the Night Bazaar. It teaches Thai on a 20-level pathway, in classes of normally 5–15 students.

For an ED visa, TSL obtains the Ministry of Education approval letter and the letter of acceptance, and it quotes about 30–45 days for that step. It asks for at least 80% attendance in each 90-day study period, and an extension also depends on your documents and Immigration’s approval.

Good for

• Learners who want to start any month: classes begin in the first week of each month.
• Anyone who prefers a school that packages the visa paperwork into one fee.

Skip if

• You are over 50, the age at which TSL limits ED visa enquiries.

Bring a current lease or rental agreement in Chiang Mai to your extension. The office is open Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with a lunch break from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Chiang Mai life beyond the classroom is in our Chiang Mai first-time guide.

Bangkok, Rajdamri: AUA Language Center

AUA’s head office is at 179 Rajdamri Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan. Its Thai course for communication suits beginners, expats, travellers, international students and professionals. Students must be 15 years old or over.

The course is built from modules. Speaking for Beginners I is 48 hours in 6 weeks. Beginners I and II together are 96 hours in 12 weeks, and all four Speaking modules total 192 hours in 12 weeks.

Good for

• Learners who want a step-by-step speaking track they can stop after any module.

Skip if

• You are counting on a visa from the school. Ask the branch for the fee and whether it supports an ED visa before you plan around it.

Chula and TSL side by side

How the ED visa fits a language course

The Non-Immigrant ED visa is issued for study, among other purposes. The Washington D.C. embassy lists a short Thai or English language course among them. For that course it asks for a letter from the relevant authority under the Ministry of Education.

Every study category needs a school letter confirming enrolment, signed by an authorised person. Without a valid visa or re-entry permit, you apply on thaievisa.go.th at least 30 working days before travel. The Washington D.C. embassy lists the ED fee as USD 80.

The embassies set different funds. Washington D.C. asks for three months of bank statements with an ending balance of no less than USD 1,000 each month for a short Thai or English language course. Budapest asks for a statement from the past 6 months showing at least THB 20,000 per person.

On arrival the first stay is up to 90 days. After that the school drives the extension. A state school can request up to 1 year at a time, while a non-formal private school gets up to 90 days at a time and 1 year in total. Ask your school which type it is.

A non-formal school also adds a copy of the curriculum, the timetable and the hours you have attended. From the second extension on, the application includes your study results, and the school writes the letter stating the years of study and the level.

The extension fee is THB 1,900 on the Bureau’s fee list as of August 2024, and a single-entry Non-Immigrant visa costs THB 2,000. Full detail is in our ED visa guide.

Reports, re-entry and work

A foreigner who stays over 90 days reports their residence every 90 days. You can report from 15 days before to 7 days after the due date, and a late report costs a THB 2,000 fine. The report is not an extension; the 90-day report guide has the steps.

If you travel out of Thailand without a re-entry permit, your permission to stay is considered terminated. A single-entry permit costs THB 1,000 and a multiple-entry permit THB 3,800. More in the re-entry permit guide.

An ED visa is for study. A foreigner may not work without a work permit. Breaking that rule brings a fine of THB 5,000 to THB 50,000 and removal from the Kingdom, as stated in May 2025. The legal route is in the work permit guide.

Thai lessons on a DTV instead

If your plan is culture classes rather than a full course, compare the Destination Thailand Visa. It covers activities such as Muay Thai courses and Thai cooking classes, and it is valid for 5 years with a period of stay of 180 days per entry. Funds and documents are in the DTV guide, and remote workers should read the digital nomad guide.

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Not confirmed: Attendance: Order 12/2568 asks non-formal schools for the hours attended but names no percentage, so the 80% figure is TSL's own rule. AUA: ask the branch for the fee and whether it supports an ED visa. Embassy letters: the Ministry of Education letter for a language course is asked for in Washington D.C., and other embassies differ.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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