Extending Your ED Visa in Thailand: How It Works in 2026
A student visa through a language school is extended every 90 days, for a maximum of one year per entry. Each extension is a short immigration visit with a letter from the school. For our students, every extension is already paid for in the package. Here are the rules, the recent changes, and what the officer actually checks.
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The basic rules
For language schools, the rules are set by Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568:
- each extension is up to 90 days;
- the total is up to one year per entry;
- the year runs from your entry date (or the date your visa was approved in-country), not from your course start;
- the officer may grant less than 90 days if the school letter says so.
What the immigration visit looks like
- A few days before your stay ends, the school prepares a letter confirming your studies and hours.
- You go to Phuket Immigration with your passport and the documents from us.
- The officer checks the file and sometimes asks a few questions. The visit takes about 10 minutes.
- You get a new stamp for the next 90 days.
The extension also takes care of your 90-day report: as long as you extend on time, there is no separate check-in. More about the office itself in Phuket Immigration Office.
What changed after the 2025-2026 audits
In summer 2025, immigration audited student visas across the country. According to Thai media, on 22 August 2025 it was reported that about 10,000 students had their permission to stay revoked. The main reasons: paid ghost enrolment with no attendance, and schools issuing letters without teaching.
Since then, extensions look at more:
- study hours. The school states in its letter how many hours you have completed;
- your address. Your TM.30 registration must match where you actually live;
- the school itself. If a school loses the right to sponsor students, its students' extensions stop.
So choosing a school is not about the price; it is about whether your visa lasts its full term. We have worked since 2013, with zero problem cases among our students.
Can you extend for a second year?
Not directly: after a year on one entry you need a new visa. In practice, many people take a student visa two or three times in a row and use it as a bridge to another visa: marriage, retirement or work.
When you apply again:
- you need a new entry or an in-country application under the current rules;
- an embassy or immigration office can refuse a second visa if it sees no real study.
We will tell you in advance which route fits your case.
What happens if you miss an extension
If your stay expires without an extension, you are in overstay: 500 ฿ per day, up to 20,000 ฿. Long overstays can bring an entry ban from one to 10 years.
That is why we remind you before every extension and prepare the documents ahead of the visit.
Travelling between extensions
The ED visa is single-entry. To leave and come back you need a re-entry permit: 2,000 ฿ single or 5,000 ฿ multiple with us. Without one, the visa is cancelled the moment you leave, along with all remaining extensions.
Summary
An ED visa through a language school is extended every 90 days, for up to a year per entry. After the 2025-2026 audits, immigration looks at study hours, your address and the school's track record, so your extensions depend above all on who processed your visa. After a year you can apply again; many people do it two or three times and then switch to another visa type.
Going through us is the safe route: we have worked since 2013, and more than 3,000 students have received their visa with us.
Message us on WhatsApp. Within 5 minutes we will tell you how many extensions you have left and the easiest way to stay longer.
