Thailand ED Visa: School Licence, 90 Days, Extensions

The Non-Immigrant ED visa needs a state school, or a private school permitted to operate. The first stay is up to 90 days from entry. The school then asks the Immigration Bureau to extend, for up to 1 year at a time at a state school.

If you want to study in Thailand, choose the school first: the ED visa works with a state school or a private school permitted to operate, and the first stay is up to 90 days.

Which schools work

The ED visa covers study, work-study or observation tours, seminars, internships, conferences and training courses. The plain ED is for full-time education below bachelor level, short courses or exchange programmes, and internships. A bachelor degree or higher goes through ED Plus.

The school type decides which letter your embassy asks for:

• Government school or university: an acceptance letter, plus a recommendation letter addressed to the embassy.
• Private institution: a letter from the Ministry of Education, or another designated authority, approving enrolment of the foreign student, and a copy of the institute’s registration certificate.
• Language short course: a letter from the relevant authority under the Ministry of Education.
• Muay Thai training: a letter from that authority, or from a relevant organisation such as the Sports Authority of Thailand.

Every category also needs an enrolment letter signed by an authorised person. For children’s schooling, see international schools in Thailand.

What it costs and what to show

Each embassy sets its own ED fee, and fees are not refunded.

Funds proof varies by post too. Washington D.C. asks for three months of bank statements with an ending balance of no less than USD 4,000 each month for elementary to secondary study. For a short language course or Muay Thai training it is no less than USD 1,000. If Thai is your course, the guide to learning Thai in Thailand compares schools.

Applying and the first stay

If you hold no valid visa, apply on thaievisa.go.th at least 30 working days before you travel. Oslo grants a single entry only.

On arrival you can stay up to 90 days from the date of entry.

Extending your stay

The school drives the extension: it certifies the period and asks for it, with a letter showing your years of study and course level. For the extension itself, contact the Immigration Bureau directly once you are in Thailand. The extension fee is THB 1,900.

At a state school the Bureau grants up to 1 year at a time.

ครั้งละไม่เกิน ๑ ปี

Each time not more than 1 year.

Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568, clause 2.8

A non-formal private school gets less, and a private school must be permitted to operate.

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Each time not more than 90 days but not more than 1 year in total.

Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568, clause 2.9

Ask your school how it is registered, because that decides which rule you get.

Rules while you study

• Stay over 90 days and you report your residence every 90 days. A late report costs a THB 2,000 fine. The report is not an extension. Filing steps are in the reporting guide.
• Leaving without a re-entry permit ends your permission to stay. A single permit costs THB 1,000 and a multiple permit THB 3,800. More in the re-entry permit guide.
• Overstay costs THB 500 per day, up to THB 20,000 for 40 days or longer.
• You cannot work without a work permit. Breaking that rule carries a fine of THB 5,000 to THB 50,000 and removal from the Kingdom. The work permit guide covers the legal route.

A tip for the 90-day report: you can file it yourself, send someone with the form, post it by registered mail, or file online. Outside Bangkok, it goes to the immigration checkpoint office covering where you live. If you leave Thailand, the 90-day count starts again when you return.

Muay Thai or cooking: ED or DTV

For Muay Thai or Thai cooking, the DTV may suit you better, since it covers those courses and sport training. It asks for financial evidence of THB 500,000 at Washington D.C. and gives 180 days per entry. Documents and fees are in the DTV guide.

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Not confirmed: Whether a language or Muay Thai school is formal or non-formal decides the extension length: ask the school how it is registered. The attendance rate immigration expects is not published. Switching from tourist status to an ED visa inside Thailand is not described on any official page read.

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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