EDUCATION VISA POLICY
Visa Application
Once a student’s application to Thongsook College has been approved, a letter of acceptance, along with a letter for a visa application, will be issued. International students require a Non-Immigrant Education Visa (category ED) to study in Thailand. Applications should be made at any Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate before departing for Thailand.
In order for Thongsook College to process a visa application, tuition payments must be made in full. Thongsook College provides its students with ED Visas in good faith and with the understanding that the student will be completing the courses selected. Students receiving an ED Visa yet, does not attend a semester will be at risk of losing access to the Thongsook College Education Visa’s in the future.
Thongsook College will not be liable or risk receiving a penalty from the Ministry of Immigration for students who are abusing the Education Visa system. Students are welcome to apply for a semester leave, however the student must acknowledge that their Education Visa will be cancelled and result in exiting the country and return on a Tourist Visa. Semester Leave forms are available from the faculty of International Programs and are available for download on the International Programs website.
Required documents:
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Visa application form
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Passport, with a remaining validity of not less than 6 months
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Two recent 4 by 6 cm full-face photos
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A letter of acceptance/admission from Thongsook College
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Evidence of adequate finances as determined by the Royal Thai Embassy
Students who plan to study at Thongsook College will initially receive a 90 days’ “ED” visa.
Once a student receives their initial visa stamp of 90 days, they must take a photo and place a copy of it, along with a copy of their passport information page in their Visa Extension folder on Drive.
Visa Extension
Students can extend their student visa before its expiry date by submitting the following documentation:
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Visa extension form TM.7
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Letter of certification from Thongsook College (in Thai)
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A photocopy of the passport
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One recent 4 by 6 cm full-face photo
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Tuition fee receipt
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Grade report
The visa extension fee is 1,900 THB.
If the visa is about to expire while in Thailand, students should notify the International Programs Office at least four weeks before the expiry date to allow enough time to prepare the required documents and procure the authorized signatures. Delays in notification of visa expiration may result in delayed documentation. The visa extension must be submitted in person at the Immigration Bureau.
Ultimately, students are responsible for ensuring that they renew their visa before the expiration date. Overstaying a visa is a serious issue that will result in daily fines and possible deportation. This lapse will be stamped in the students’ passport and become part of their record at the Immigration Bureau. If the overstay exceeds 40 days, the student must leave the country.
Required documents to extend a visa in the “overstay” status:
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Visa extension form TM.7
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Letter of certification from Thongsook College (in Thai)
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A photocopy of the passport
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One recent 4 by 6 cm full-face photo
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Tuition fee receipt
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Grade report
The visa extension fee is 1,900 THB. In addition, the over-stay fine is 500 baht per day, up to a maximum of 20,000 baht.
Students may check the Immigration Bureau’s website for more details and inquire about any new steps and/or changes in the process. Current visa information is also available from the International Programs Office. http://www.immigration.go.th/
90-Day Notification
Once the Immigration Bureau has admitted students into the country, their passport will be stamped with the conditions of entry. One such condition is the 90-Day Notification. Students may check the Immigration Bureau’s website for more details and inquire about any new steps and/or changes in the process. Current 90-Day Notification information is also available from the International Programs Office. http://www.immigration.go.th/
Required Documents:
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90-Day notification form TM.47
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Original passport
Please note: There is a 2,000 THB fine for a late 90-Day notification.
Re-entry Permit
Students holding a one-year extension visa who plan to spend their holidays outside of Thailand need to apply for a single or multiple re-entry permit before their departure. Otherwise their visa will be invalidated and they will have to go through the whole process of getting the proper student visa at a Thai Embassy or Consulate outside Thailand.
The re-entry permit can be obtained at the local Immigration Bureau.
Required documents:
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Re-entry Permit form TM.8
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One recent 4 by 6 cm full-face photo
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A copy of the page containing the most recent entry visa
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A copy of the page containing the stamp and “Kingdom of Thailand “ label
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A copy of the photo and information page of the passport
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1,000 THB for a single entry or 3,800 THB for a multiple entry permit
Note: When filling out any of the aforementioned application forms, students must use the full name as it appears on their passport.
Visa Shuttle Service
Thongsook College is committed to supporting their students in all aspects related to their educational career. With this in mind Thongsook College provides a visa shuttle service to and from the Ministry of Immigration. The visa shuttle service is provided one day per week as stipulated by the International Programs. The shuttle will depart from Thongsook College sharply at 07:00am. The visa shuttle will wait approximately 15 minutes for any delayed arrivals after which time the shuttle will depart.
The Shuttle service will stay at Chaeng Wattana until 2:00pm and students whose extension process takes longer will be responsible for their own way home.
Visa Document Collection
It is the responsibility of the student to collect their Education Visa documents from the International Programs office.
Please note: If your visa process is delayed by the Ministry of Immigration, Thongsook College does not have any jurisdictions in changing or delivering you with a visa.
Resignation and Visa Cancellation
Thongsook College students will get a 3, 6 or 12-month visa. If a Thongsook College student resigns, withdraws from a program or for any other reason, they are required to request a cancelling of Ed-Visa letter from the International Programs Office and cancel their visa at the Immigration Office.
Please note that a minimum of 5 working days is required to provide a student with the visa cancellation letter.
If students do not cancel their visa appropriately and try to hold the visa in order to study at another college/university or work, they will be fined 500 Baht per day by the Immigration Office. Please note that fines will take effect from the date of visa cancellation from Thongsook College.
All fines are the responsibility of the student.
Visa Cancellation Process
In order to cancel an Education Visa, students are required to follow the necessary steps as detailed below. I
Students will be notified by Thongsook College via email on the date their visa must be cancelled. It is the responsibility of the student to frequently check their student email account for updates relating to cancelling their education visa.
Students will be notified via email when their visa cancellation letter, which will include the date of completion, is ready for collection.
Students must make arrangements to leave the country on or before the date specified by Thongsook College to avoid any overstay penalties.
Thongsook College will inform and provide the Ministry of Immigration of all the named students who have successfully completed the program and request to cancel their Education Visa.
Confirmation of Cancellation of ED visa at immigration at Chang Wattana
On arriving back into Thailand, it is the responsibility of the student to inform Chang Wattana Immigration Office (Bangkok) of their visa cancellation.
Immigration requires the following documents to be submitted:
- Cancellation letter from Thongsook College including the date of completion
- Unofficial Transcripts indicating completion of 120 credits
- Photocopies of: Departure card
Passport page
ED visa page
Exit stamp
Latest entrance stamp / visa
Please note that if students do not cancel their visa on or before the specified date provided by Thongsook College, the Ministry of Immigration will fine each student 500 THB per day overstay. Thongsook College will not be liable for any penalties obtained by the Ministry of Immigration.