Visa & Immigration
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 Download visa manual here

Information about Visa

 

 

How to apply for a Visa?

As a general rule, any foreigner seeking entry into the Kingdom of Thailand for study, employment, business, medical treatment or other purposes is required to apply for a visa. Institute of International Studies, Ramkhamhaeng University will issue an offer letter of admission for the international student to apply for a visa category ‘ED’ at the Embassy of Thailand in his/her home country. A non-immigrant “ED” visa should be obtained before students leave their home country.

Note: Nationals of some countries holding a Tourist visa in Thailand can have their visa changed to a non-immigrant ED visa at the Office of Immigration Bureau, Chaengwattana. (USA, UK, Germany, France, etc.)

 

 

Type of visa

    The students must know their type of visa because it may affect to their duration of stay in Thailand. Royal Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General may issue the following types of visas:

  1. TRANSIT VISA

Requirement 

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for the following purposes:

     - To travel in transit through the Kingdom in order to proceed to the country of destination or to re-enter his/her own country (category "TS")

     - To participate in sports activities (sportsmen, sportswomen, etc.) (Category "S")         

Period of stay

  • Travellers coming to Thailand with this type of visa will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for a period not exceeding 90 days.

Extension of stay

            Those who wish to stay longer or may wish to change their type of visa must submit an application for permission at the Office of Immigration Bureau located on Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 (or at http://www.immigration.go.th ). The extension of stay as well as the change of certain type of visa is solely at the discretion of the Immigration officer.             

  1. TOURIST VISA

Requirement

- This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for tourism purposes

Period of stay

  • Upon arrival, travellers with this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 90 days.

Extension of stay

  • Those who wish to stay longer or may wish to change their type of visa must fill the request form from the university, wait for approved letter, then submit the letter and another documents at the Office of Immigration Bureau located on Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889 (or at http://www.immigration.go.th ). The extension of stay as well as the change of certain type of visa is solely at the discretion of the Immigration officer.
  1. NON-IMMIGRANT VISA

Requirement

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for the following purposes:

  • to conduct business / to work (Category "B")
  • to study, to come on a work study tour or observation tour , to participate in projects or seminars , to attend a conference or training course , to study as a foreign Buddhist monk (Category "ED")
  • other activities (Category "O") as follows: to stay with the family, to perform duties for the state enterprise or social welfare organizations, to stay after retirement for the elderly, to receive medical treatment, to be a sport coach as required by Thai Government, to be a contestant or witness for the judicial process.

                                                                                                                                                                     

(Department of Consular Affairs, January 2013)

 

What type is my visa?

Non-Immigrant Visa: is the only visa for foreigners temporarily staying in the kingdom of Thailand. The visa type is clearly stated on the stamp for example, Non-Immigrant Class ED for Education, B for business and O for other purposes.

Tourist Visa (TR): upon arrival, the tourists who entering Thailand for tourism purposes is permitted to stay for 15, 30, 60 or 90 days depending on their countries.

For those who do not have a Non-immigrant visa:

 

 Those who hold TR are required to apply for the change of the tourist visa (TR) to non-immigrant visa and those who have entered to Thailand with Phor.30 form (period of stay 30 days) or Phor.90 (period of stay 90 days) are required to apply for non-immigrant visa at least 16 days before expiration date or they will have to leave the Kingdom of Thailand.

NOTE: The students must request for a visa changing letter from the university at least 1 months before expiry date of the visa, then submit the application form and the letter from the university to the Immigration Bureau at least 16 days before expiration date according to the Immigration Bureau regulation.

 

How to change my visa type?

 

 The students who hold TR, Phor30 (ผ30)  visa, are require to apply for the change of the tourist visa to Non-Immigrant ED visa at  the Immigration Bureau  in Thailand  but the request form must be made at least 16 days before visa validation. Firstly, they will be allowed to stay in Thailand for 90 days, and then requested for extension of stay is possible.

 

  If the remaining days of the visa are fewer than 16 days but the visa has not yet expired:

 

  • You have to leave Thailand which means that you will be required to return to your home country or countries around border of Thailand to proceed with your application for a visa at Thai Embassy.
  • In another way, you have to fly to other countries and come back to Thailand with tourist visa then changing visa type at the Immigration Bureau.
  • If you would not like to leave Thailand, you can extend a Tourist visa for 30 days more at the immigration office.

 

**For other type of visa like non-immigrant type B or non-immigrant type O cannot change to non-immigrant type ED visa**

 

  1. Consideration Criteria for Issuing Visa Extension Letter

     

    1. Criteria for the extension of a one year visa

     

    • The student has registered for 15 credits or more in the first semester and the second semester.
    • The student achieves grades from A - D throughout the semester.

     

    1. Criteria for the extension of a six month visa or less

     

    • IIS will consider the duration of stay according to a student’s registration record and results that appear in the student’s transcript after the completion of the first and second semester.
    • Any student who registered for fewer than 15 credits in first semester and second semester will be considered.
    • The student achieves grade F, I or U will be considered.
    • The student with GPA lower than 2.0 fall under this category
    • The student maintaining status within 2 semesters prior to the latest semester will be considered

     

    1. Rejection of visa extension

     

    • A visa extension will not be issued to any student who maintains student status due to no registration, no class attendance, and no grade record.
    • The student graduating within his/ her last semester will have the visa valid 14 days after the last day of his/ her study. The student will not be allowed to extend visa.
    • The students who show any sign of a misbehavior will be denied a visa extension.

     

    1. New students

     

    4.1 Any applicant for either the undergraduate or the graduate program who has transferred from another university or language institute must contact the IIS-RU office staff one month before the admission examination date and must have submitted all required documents to the IIS-RU staff to take the admission examination as scheduled. If the applicant passes the exam, the applicant is required to pay the tuition fee for the first semester according to the credits specified for the first semester of each program.

     

    4.2 Transfer case

    4.2.1 Students from other university holding a non-immigrant ED visa can extend the visa continuously, making sure the students provide visa cancellation letter from the former university and also apply for visa extension letter at our university

    4.2.2 Students from language institute/ school holding a non-immigrant ED visa cannot extend the visa but must apply for the visa cancellation letter from the former institute/ school, then apply for a non-immigrant ED visa at any Thai embassy.

    4.3 New students upon registration will get 6 months visa upon application, the rest of the visa request will depend on student performance and number of credits registered per semester as well.

     

    1. Students who delay in submitting the visa extension request form

     

    5.1 IIS-RU will issue the visa extension document on condition that the student accepts the possibility that the visa extension procedure may not be completed before the student’s visa expires. This means that the student is responsible for the over-stay fine at the Thai immigration bureau as the student did not submit all required documents in time.

     

    Note: Before the visa expires, the students must apply for a visa extension letter 1 month before visa expiration

     

     

    1. Graduated students

     

    • IIS will consider issuing a visa extension document case by case for any IIS-RU student who is going to graduate at any level and is currently in the process of requesting graduation.
    • If the student already graduated and finished the graduation process but would like to continue the extension of stay in order to participate in the commencement ceremony or other reasons, IIS will not issue the visa extension document.
    • Any student who finishes studies at IIS will get only 2 weeks visa extension in order to obtain a final grade.
    • Any student holding a visa of more than 2 weeks upon last day of his/ her last semester must cancel the visa and/ or change the visa to other type after completing his/ her studies.

    Note: Students should apply for visa cancellation letter 3 weeks before the last day of the graduated semester

     

    1. Visa cancellation

     

    • If a student is no longer an IIS-RU student, the student must inform his or her program coordinator to fill out a request form to cancel his or her student visa.
    • Any student who wishes to cancel a current visa must contact the visa liaison officer at IIS-RU before applying for a student visa through IIS-RU.
    • IIS-RU also reserves the right to cancel the visa of any student who exhibits inappropriate behavior and/or disrespects the professors and IIS-RU staff members. Moreover, IIS will report the offending student to the embassy (of the student in question) and the Thai Immigration Bureau.
    • The student must cancel a non-immigrant ED visa within 2 weeks after the last day of the semester. Otherwise, an overstay penalty charge will be fined of 500 baht per a day.

 

What if my visa is going to expire?

 

 The visa expiration date is shown on their passport, depending on the alien’s nationality. Student must regularly check their expiration date. Those who wish to extend their stay must submit an application for extension visa at least 1 month before expiration date. A fine of 500 Baht per day will be applied if a visa extension does not meet the expiration date dateline.

 

**Please be noted that the visa expiration date should not be confuse with the 90 days immigration reporting**

 

 NOTE:  At least 1 month before your visa expires, please contact your program coordinator to write request form for an extension of stay.

            

Required Documents

 

  1. The Institute of International Studies request form
  2. One copy of main page passport
  3. One copy of visa expiration date stamp
  4. One copy of recent tuition fee receipts
  5. Grade checklist
  6. 2-inch with polite clothing

 

What have to bring to Immigration Bureau?

 

  1. Visa extension/ Changing visa type/ Cancellation letter and

            Student certificate in English from IIS-RU

  1. Transcript
  2. Recent tuition fee receipts
  3. A copy of main page passport with certified student’s signature
  4. Picture 4x6 cm. 1 photo
  5. Apply to have the request form at Immigration Bureau.
  6. Fee ( Depend on type of visa and please check at immigration.go.th)

 

NOTE: A fine of 500-Baht per day will be applied if a visa extension does not meet the expiry date deadline, but not exceeds the amount of 20,000 baht.

 

Application for visa (Change Institute)

  • Application form (TM.87)
  • Document clarifies the cancellation of the visa that the other institute had requested on behalf of the student.
  • A letter of acceptance, educational evidence, current tuition fee receipt from recent University or Institute
  • Photocopy of passport
  • 4x6 cm photo
  • Visa application fee

 

NOTE: Any overstay in Thailand will cost 500 baht per day but not exceed amount of 20,000 baht.

 

Those candidates as the following list will not be allowed to apply for visa extension/changing visa type.

  • Candidates who expect to pursue both undergraduate and graduate program at IIS-RU, and still in the process of submitting the application, taking the examination, and interview as well as not yet pay for tuition fee or complete the registration.
  • Candidates who hold student visa from language school or other institutes and would like to apply at IIS as full time student but still not be accepted by IIS-RU.
  • Candidates who are currently hold tourist visa type and intend to apply to be IIS student but still not pass all the requirements and selecting process.
  • IIS-RU students who are maintaining their student status.
  • IIS-RU students who are going to graduate in all levels and currently are in the process of request for graduation or participation in commencement ceremony.

 

 

Can I leave the country?

 

  • Yes, but to keep your non-immigrant ED visa, please apply for a Re-Entry permit before leaving, if not your visa will be cancelled once you leave the Kingdom of Thailand.

 

Note: Non-immigrant ED visa cannot be cancelled automatically, if the student likes to apply for a non-immigrant B visa or non-immigrant O visa. The student must cancel his/her visa before applying for another type of visa.

 

Re-Entry permits

 

  • If you hold a single entry visa but would like to leave Thailand for a short period then re-entry permit will be needed to apply.
  • You have to make sure that you still have the duration of stay before you leave.
  • If your visa is going to expire before you leave then you have to submit an application for extension visa beforehand.
  • For those who hold single entry visa, if you leave the Kingdom of Thailand during the permitted period of stay and would like your visa remain valid on your return to Thailand, you must apply for a re-entry permit before leaving the country otherwise, your Non-immigrant ED visa will be cancelled.
  • For the country Phor 30, Phor 60 or Phor 90, if you not request for re-entry permit, your visa will be changed to tourist visa.

 

What documents have to submit to Immigration Bureau for re-entry permit?

  • Application form (TM.8)
  • 1 passport photo (4*6 cm)
  • Fee 1,000 Baht for a single re-entry and 3,800 Baht for a multiple re-entry)
  • A copy of passport

** Please noted that all the information maybe change according to the laws and regulations of the Immigration Bureau **

 

Order of Minister of Interior

No. 1/2558 
Subject Classes of Aliens Ineligible for Admission to the Kingdom of Thailand

It appears that a number of aliens who have Temporary Permission to Stay in the Kingdom of Thailand have overstayed beyond their permitted date, putting the safety of people and national’s security at risk.

In order to maintain the peace of the nation, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior exercise the power under section 16 of Immigration Act, B.E. 2522 and refuse classes of aliens ineligible for admission to the Kingdom of Thailand under certain condition and specific period of time as shown in the details below:

  1. Alien Surrendered to Authorities:
    • An alien who overstays more than 90 days beyond his/her permitted date will be barred from re-entering the country for 1 year, starting from the departure date.
    • An alien who overstays more than 1 year beyond his/her permitted date will be barred from re-entering the country for 3 years, starting from the departure date.
    • An alien who overstays more than 3 years beyond his/her permitted date will be barred from re-entering the country for 5 years, starting from the departure date.
    • An alien who overstays more than 5 years beyond his/her permitted date will be barred from re-entering the country for 10 years, starting from the departure date.
  2. Alien Being Arrested and Prosecuted:
    • An alien who is caught overstaying less than or exactly 1 year beyond his/her permitted date will be barred from re-entering the country for 5 years, starting from the departure date.
    • An alien who is caught overstaying more than 1 year beyond his/her permitted date will be barred from re-entering the country for 10 years, starting from the departure date.
  3. These rules are not applied to:
    • An alien who departs the country before the age of 18.
    • An alien who departs the country before this order enter into force.

This order shall enter into force on the ninetieth day from the date of this Royal Thai Government Gazette is officially published.

 

Thailand Visa Advice

According to Ministry of Interior’s Order 1/2558 Regarding Classes of Aliens Ineligible for Admission to the Kingdom of Thailand

  1. When entering the Kingdom of Thailand, please be mindful of the last day on your stay permit and DO NOT stay longer than the permitted date.
  2. If you have already overstayed beyond the permitted date, you must leave the country before the order’s enforced date (20 March 2016).
  3. If you have already overstayed beyond the permitted date and do not leave the country before the order’s enforced date (20 March 2016), you will be banned from re-entering the Kingdom of Thailand.
  4. If you have already overstayed beyond your permitted date before the order’s enforced date (20 March 2016), you may surrender to the authorities at the Immigration Checkpoint (land border, seaport, and airport). You must pay a fine of 500/day, but not exceeding 20,000 baht before you are allowed to leave the Kingdom of Thailand.


Order on 27 November 2558 (2015)
General Prayuth Chan-ocha 
Prime Minister 

General Anupong Paochinda 
Minister of Interior