Education Visa | International House Bangkok Thailand

How to Qualify for an ED Visa

International House Bangkok is happy to assist you with an Education Visa for English courses but please note that the Thai government has some requirements that need to be met in order to qualify for one. Due to these requirements, we have different options for long term and short term students:

If you are Studying for 3 Months or Longer:

Most nationalities can apply to be a student in Thailand in neighboring countries to Thailand (Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia) although students from Bangladesh, China, India, the Middle East, Nigeria and Sri Lanka who need an education (“ED”) visa will have to apply at the Thai embassy in their own country. Please note that “ED” visas are only available to students over 12 years of age and, for an English language course, to holders of non-native English country passports. Our most popular courses for this is General English 15 or General English 25, but all of our English courses qualify. Find more information about our English courses here.

If you are Studying for Less Than 3 Months:

There are a number of visa options available from your local Thai embassy:

The 60 day tourist visa: This visa currently costs 1,900 baht although you will need to check with your embassy as this can vary. This tourist visa can be extended for a further 30 days, for a total of 90 days, by visiting the Thai Immigration Office in Bangkok. The extension currently costs 1,900 baht. This is by far the most popular choice for our students.
6 month multiple entry tourist visa: This is a newer visa type in Thailand but it is similar to the 60 day tourist visa above. The cost is around 5,000 baht and is valid for a total of 6 months.
Immigration Exemption: For most countries, you are able to receive a 30 day visa exemption on arrival at the airport. You can extend this visa exemption by 30 days for a total of 60 days.
All other non-immigration visas: For students who are coming to Thailand to work, retire, marry and carry out a variety of research and academic duties, your visa will enable you to also study at IH Bangkok.

How Long Can I Study in Thailand For?

Students can study full-time in Thailand for up to a year on an “ED” visa for English. For students wishing to study for periods of 8 weeks or fewer, the “ED” visa is not necessary and any visa is acceptable to study at IH Bangkok.

How Do I Get an “ED” Visa?

Once you have applied for one of our courses and paid the deposit, you will need to send us, by mail:

12 recent photos of you (4cm x 6cm)
Your original course application form, signed by you
1 copy of the photo page of your passport and every page of your passport with stamps, original size, signed by you
Completed and signed Personal History Check and Purpose of Attendance forms
Student High school or University Certificate, signed by you (and officially translated into English if necessary)

Student approval with the Ministry of Education usually takes between 3 and 5 weeks. Once we have received this and your final payment, we will send you, by mail:

Letter of incorporation from IH Bangkok.
Full details of the course that you have signed up for.
The Ministry of Education student approval document.

You will then need to produce these documents, along with your visa application form and payment to your local Thai embassy.

How Much Does the “ED” Visa Cost?

The visa currently costs 2,000 baht but please check with your local Thai embassy as this may vary. Although you can use the same visa for up to a year, it has to be extended every 90 days by visiting the Thai Immigration Office in Bangkok. The cost of each 90 day extension is currently 1,900 baht.