Kids don’t do education visa runs, says Phuket Immigration

PHUKET: Following concerns earlier this week that children might yet be included in the blacklist ban on re-entry on all “aliens” who overstay in the country, an officer at Phuket Immigration has urged parents not to confuse the issue with whether or not children were required to leave the country specifically to obtain “education visas” in order to stay in the country and attend schools.

A woman carries her child up the stairs to the Phuket Immigration Office in Phuket Town. Photo: Tanyaluck Sakoot

“This is not the case,” one senior-ranking officer, who specifically asked not to be publicly identified in this report, told The Phuket News.

All that is required is a permit-to-stay for education, he said.

There have been no changes to the requirements, which apply equally to all children under the age of 20, the officer explained.

“If parents know their child will be attending school in Phuket before they arrive here, they should get an education visa before they leave their home country. This is not necessary, but certainly makes the process simpler,” the officer said.

Regardless, the parents or guardian of the child must obtain a non-immigrant visa – not a tourist visa – before arriving, he added. “This has caused a few issues recently,” he said.

“Another issue is parents presenting themselves at the main Immigration office in Phuket Town and asking for ‘education visas’. We (immigration) don’t do that. Visas are issued by Royal Thai Embassies and you must exit the country to get one, and this has caused some confusion.”

The officer repeated that parents with children attending school in Phuket should be seeking for their child a “permit-to-stay for education”.

To apply, the parent or guardian and the child must appear in person at the Immigration office, and bring with them a completed application form, the original plus copies of the passports of the child and the parent or guardian, an official letter from child’s school confirming enrollment and an official written request from the school asking Immigration to grant the child the permit-to-stay.

The fee for the extension to stay is B1,900.

However, fines for overstay will apply only to children aged 15 or older if their permits-to-stay are not renewed in time, the officer added.

“Some parents have been late in renewing their children’s permit-to-stay, and this has caused some other problems,” he said.

“This rule is not new and the fine of B500 per day overstay will be levied on all children over 15 who have not had their permits-to-stay renewed in time,” he said.