Thailand Visa Insurance Requirements

The insurance requirements for international student visas for Thailand

If you are planning on studying in Thailand, one of the first things you will need to do is obtain an Education Visa (Student Visa). The process involved in acquiring a visa can seem confusing, but this article will help walk you through it.

The very first thing you will need to do is apply for a course of study in Thailand. Chances are, you have already done this and been admitted. You will not be able to acquire an Education Visa without having been accepted into a Thai course of study.

Next you will need your Letter of Admission, which your school should send to you within a few weeks of applying to the school. The letter needs to be printed on the school’s letterhead, and it must contain the exact start date of the course, as well as which classes you are signed up for. You will need this letter in order to apply for an Education Visa. In some cases, your school will only send you an email letting you know you’ve been accepted. Generally Thai Immigration will not accept this, so you’ll need to call the school and ask for a formal acceptance letter.

You will then need to take or send this letter to any Thai Embassy or Consulate. You will also need:

• Original, signed passport valid for 6 months beyond your stay in Thailand, with at least one blank visa page available for Thailand visa stamp
• Two recent 2” x 2” passport type color photographs, front view with a plain/white background
• A recent bank statement with a minimum balance of $500.00 as evidence of sufficient funds to support your stay in Thailand

If you are sending these documents by mail, make sure you send them by registered mail. Remember that you may have to wait up to two weeks before you receive your passport and visa, so allow plenty of time before the beginning of your course of study. When you do get your visa, it will only be valid for 90 days, so you will need to extend it once you get to Thailand.

You do not need insurance in order to enter Thailand on an Education Visa, but it is highly recommended that you purchase private health insurance before you leave.

Once you have your passport and visa, you can travel to Thailand at any time. Your Education Visa will be activated as soon as you arrive in Thailand, so you will need to apply for the year’s extension as soon as possible. Immigration sometimes takes as long at 15 days to complete the paperwork, and you don’t want to run out of time before you get your extension. If you don’t get your extension in time, you will have to leave Thailand and apply for another Education Visa from Malaysia, Hong Kong, or Singapore, which is both expensive and inconvenient.

In order to apply for a visa extension, you will first need to register at your school in Thailand. Once you’ve registered and paid your fees, the school will give you a Registration Letter and a receipt for your tuition payment. You will need these to apply for an extension. Take these documents to an Immigration office and apply to get your Education Visa extended for a year. They might do this while you wait, or you may have to come back. There will be a small fee.

Remember that when you are in Thailand on an Education Visa, you need to attend your class(es) regularly. If not, you may find that your visa is revoked, and you will be deported from Thailand.

We offer the following plans to students who are planning to travel, study or visit Thailand: