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.

If you want a Thai course that also backs your visa, check the school’s licence before you compare prices. A private school must be permitted to operate before the Bureau extends a student’s stay.

Pick Chulalongkorn in Bangkok for a fixed university block of 100 hours at THB 29,500. Pick TSL in Chiang Mai if you want to start in any month and like one fee for the visa course, THB 55,000 for a year.

Chulalongkorn in Bangkok: the fixed university block

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 totals 100 hours over 6 weeks, Monday to Friday.

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 apply well before the deadline.

Chula suits beginners who want a structured block and 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. Someone already in Thailand on a tourist visa or visa on arrival can apply to change to an ED visa if that visa is valid for more than one month from the date of contact. You use the letter at the Changwattana Bangkok Immigration Office.

Skip it 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. Skip it too if you are short on time, because processing the letter takes at least 45 business days.

TSL in Chiang Mai: start any month

TSL Chiang Mai is a private language school licensed by Thailand’s Ministry of Education, in Pantip Plaza near the Night Bazaar. Group classes begin in the first week of each month.

Classes normally hold 5 to 15 students and follow a structured 20-level pathway. 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. Call or walk in on a weekday to confirm your level and start month before you pay.

For an ED visa, TSL obtains the Ministry of Education approval letter and the letter of acceptance, which takes approximately 30 to 45 days. It asks for at least 80% attendance in each 90-day study period.

TSL suits learners who want the school to handle the paperwork. Skip it 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. Chiang Mai life beyond the classroom is in our Chiang Mai first-time guide.

AUA in Bangkok: speaking modules

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

Speaking for Beginners I is 48 hours in 6 weeks, and all four Speaking modules total 192 hours in 12 weeks. It suits learners who want to stop after any module. Skip it if you are counting on a visa from the school: ask the branch for the fee and whether it supports an ED visa.

How the ED visa fits a language course

The Non-Immigrant ED visa is issued for study, and the Washington D.C. embassy lists a short Thai or English language course among its purposes. On arrival the first stay is up to 90 days. After that the school drives the extension, which you file at the immigration office covering the address where you stay.

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 the curriculum, the timetable and your hours attended.

The extension fee is THB 1,900 on the Bureau’s fee list as of August 2024. Full detail is in our ED visa guide.

Reports, re-entry and work

If you stay over 90 days, you report your residence every 90 days, 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 leave 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, and 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.

Culture classes instead? Look at the DTV

If your plan is Thai cooking classes rather than a full course, compare the Destination Thailand Visa. 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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