Hi all, hope this might be helpful!
I thought I’d give some advice for anyone currently looking at visa options (specifically Student Visas as that’s what I have the most knowledge on) within **Chiang Mai**. It might be useful for anyone currently on Covid Exemption, those wanting to study Thai in Chiang Mai or Thailand in general, and some useful tidbits of information.
*Full disclosure: My knowledge comes from my partner who owns a small language school here in CM, as with everything in Thailand I can only give things from our perspective, but it’s a registered reputable school and does things properly. I won’t be advertising the name here as I don’t want to break any rules and the post is mainly about giving current advice. Certain things I can’t directly comment on, please respect that if I’m unable to give an answer to anything.*
The government has stated they are no longer giving our Covid Exemptions – this news has meant a large influx in schools receiving applications.
**The standard process** for schools to enroll a foreign student involves; Gathering details & preparing documents of the applicant (can take several days, Thai paperwork is ~~fun~~…), applying with the Ministry of Education (applications take up to 15 business days), the student then takes the paperwork to an embassy **outside** of Thailand to apply (can take 2-3 working days \[*students* ***must*** *self-check current details of the embassy they are applying with for holidays* ***and*** *additional requirements such as Criminal Background Checks / bank statements*\]), then the student returns to Thailand on the new ED visa.
**Converting in-country** can be done, but it’s costly. Depending on the urgency, charges usually land between 17,000 and 20,000 baht (every province is different) – this is on top of the course costs. We normally advise students not to go this route if they can avoid it, and put the money towards a trip to apply outside of Thailand. The only saving grace about this is that 1) It covers the ‘visa application cost’ you would pay at the embassy (around $80 / 3k baht IIRC), and 2) You don’t have to leave the country.
Note: Immigration require a **minimum** of 21 days validity on your current visa to process this, on top of the time it takes for the school and the MoE to complete the paperwork, it brings the required validity on your current visa to around 36 days and up. We advise 40 days for safety.
*Remember* \- for ED Visa holders you usually have to extend the visa every 90 days at Chiang Mai immigration yourself for 1900 Baht. Exceptions to this are universities that work on different rules, and some schools offer a service to do it for you.
**Issues**: If you have official observations such as **Overstays** from previous entries, this can invalidate the conversion application.
**Can I come to Thailand on a Tourist Visa and switch to ED once there?**
Yes, but only specifically the 30/60 day TR-Code visas, APEC Visas & Visa Exemptions. Visa on Arrivals (usually a 14-day or so free period for countries such as Myanmar) or STV Visa holders are not eligible.
If you are going to go this route then the above information on converting in-country is applicable. My advice would be: as soon as you arrive, go to immigration within a few days and extend your visa by 30 days (1900 Baht). Then start looking at schools to apply with ASAP. The sooner you can do this, the more prepared you’ll be.
Ultimately the best advice I can give is to look to apply for the visa from **ouside** of Thailand and return on the ED Visa upon entry, but the convenience factor is up to you. Vietnam / Laos are great nearby options that don’t break the bank.
If you have any questions I’ll try to answer them as best I can for you. Also if you have any additional info or corrections feel free to let me know.
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