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Visa

Visas and Immigration Procedures

Entering Thailand with the appropriate visa type and maintaining the validity of your visa is not only important but it is a legal requirement. The International Relations Unit coordinates the paperwork required for student visas, but students must also be responsible for notifying FON staff of any problems, changes, or other issues.

Type

All students are required to have a Non-Immigrant ED visa to study at Chiang Mai University. International students should only travel to Thailand after they have received their Non-Immigrant ED visa. Students arriving on a tourist or other type of visa will not be allowed to enroll or register for classes and will have to leave the country in order to apply for their ED visa.


Before You Arrive

Requesting Visa Paperwork
To request visa support documents from Chiang Mai University, you will need to provide the International Relations Unit with the following:
     - Scan of your passport face page 
     - Proof of comprehensive health insurance eligible for use in Thailand (NOT travel insurance)
It takes about 3 weeks to receive visa paperwork from CMU due to the large volume of students beginning the new school year. Visa support documents will be sent by email. If required, paper copies can be mailed.

Applying for your Visa
Please be aware that the visa application process in your home country takes about 1 month. It is best to notify us of your intention to attend as soon as possible so that the paperwork can be processed in a timely manner. The cost of the visa will vary by country and embassy/consulate. Please check with your local embassy/consulate for the actual cost and whether you need to make an appointment to apply.
The visa application process varies by country. Please contact the embassy at which you will apply for your visa for exact information on the necessary documents. In general, when you go to the Thai Royal Embassy/Consulate you will need:

  • Your passport and copies of each page of your passport
  • Visa support materials (provided by CMU)
  • Money (contact your embassy/consulate in advance to find out fees and accepted forms of payment)
  • Passport photos

Traveling to Chiang Mai
Once you have your visa and you have booked your flights to Chiang Mai, please notify the International Relations Office. All first year students will be met at the airport in Chiang Mai. If you are arriving in Bangkok, please be aware that it is another 90-minute flight or about a 12-hour bus ride to Chiang Mai City.


After You Arrive

Reporting to the International Relations Office
All students are required to report to the International Relations Office as soon as possible. If you arrive after hours or on the weekend, you must report first thing the next business day.

International Relations Office 
Faculty of Nursing Building 4, 2nd floor
+66.53.93.5012
Thailand 

Thai law requires that all foreigners report their address in Thailand within 24 hours of arrival. When you report to the International Relations Office, please bring your passport and your departure card so we can register you with immigration. If you do not register your address with us, you could be fined up to 2,000THB the next time you try to exit Thailand. Please note if you are living off campus, your landlord or landlady should be the person to register you with immigration. If you are having problems with this, please consult with the International Relations Office so you can avoid the 2,000THB fine.

Extending Your Visa
All students are given 90-days validity on their visa when they first arrive. Students must extend their visa in Chiang Mai so that it is valid for 1 year. Students with a 1 year visa who want to extend for another year must follow the same procedures outlined below.

About 5-6 weeks before your visa expires, please visit the International Relations Office and provide the following:
     - 2 copies of your passport (face page, current visa, last entry stamp)
     - 1 copy of your CMU Student ID Card
     - 1 copy of your CMU FON report card (not necessary for 1st-year students)

Once your paperwork is ready you will be notified that you can pick it up from the International Relations Office. Visa extensions are handled by the Immigration Office located near the Chiang Mai airport. You will need to bring the following:
     - Passport
     - Visa request letter (provided by Faculty of Nursing)
     - Receipt of Notification of Housemaster (provided by Faculty of Nursing)
     - 2 Passport photos
     - Copies of current visa and passport face page
     - Visa extension application (provided at immigration)
     - 1,900 baht visa fee (cash only)


90-Day Check-In

All foreigners are required to check in with immigration every 90 days. Those who do not check in are fined 500THB per day for every day that they are late.

You can calculate the date that your 90-day check in is due based on the arrival stamp in your passport. Once you have done your 90-day reporting, you will receive a new stamp and you must report 90 days based on that date. Please note that applying to renew your visa does not count as your 90-day check in. You must physically go to the 90-day check in desk and do the required procedures.

How to Do your 90-Day Check-In
1. Leave Thailand and re-enter the country. Passing through immigration in the airport or another port counts as a 90-day check in. However, make sure you have a re-entry permit before you leave!!

2. Immigration Office (as of 2 March 2020 at Promenada)
You can do your 90-Day check-in up to 1 week before it is due. You will need to bring the following:
     - Passport
     - Receipt of Notification of Housemaster (should be stapled in your passport)
     - Copies of current visa, passport face page, latest entry stamp, and departure card
     - TM 47 - 90 Day Check-in form (provided at Immigration)


Re-Entry Permit

      You must apply for your re-entry permit before you leave Thailand.
      If you leave without a re-entry permit, your Non-Immigrant-ED visa will be cancelled upon departure.
      You may need to reapply for a 1-year Non-Immigrant ED visa while in a neighboring country.

There are two ways to get a re-entry permit –at the immigration office and at the airport.

Types of re-entry permits
      Single re-entry (1,000 baht, allowed to leave and re-enter Thailand one time)
      Multiple re-entry (3,800 baht, allowed to leave and re-enter Thailand unlimited times)

You will need the following documents to get a re-entry permit:
     - Passport
     - Copies of current visa, passport face page, latest entry stamp, and departure card
     - One 2x2 passport photo
     - TM 8 - Reentry form (provided at immigration)
     - Re-entry permit fee (1,000 baht for single; 3,800 baht for multiple)

Getting a Re-Entry Permit at Immigration
You will need to get a queue number for service desk providing re-entry permits. Make you have all the documents you need to avoid wasting your time!

Getting a Re-Entry Permit at the Airport
It is possible to get a re-entry permit at the airport when you are flying out of the country, but it must be done on the SAME DAY that you are flying out of the country and from the last stop in Thailand.
      Go the immigration desk after clearing security.
      The immigration desk is BEFORE passport control.

Beware of connecting flights that leave early in the morning.
      Your flight leaves late at night on Day 1 (e.g. 22:00)
      Your connecting flight that departs from Thailand will leave early in the morning (02:00)
      It will NOT be possible to get the re-entry permit at the airport because you begin your first flight on Day 1, but your flight out of Thailand is on Day 2 (NOT the same day)

You must get a re-entry permit from the same airport from which you will fly out of Thailand.
      Example 1
           You fly from Chiang Mai to Bangkok
           You fly from Bangkok to another country
           You must get your re-entry permit at the Bangkok airport
      Example 2
           You are flying from Chiang Mai direct to another country
           You can get your re-entry permit from the Chiang Mai airport


24 Hour Notification

ALL STUDENTS living in university housing MUST register within 24 HOURS of arriving in Thailand with the International Relations Office. If you do not do this, you will be fined by the Immigration Office. If you do not register within 24 HOURS of arriving in Thailand, we CANNOT guarantee we will be able to renew your visa, and you could lose your student status. If you live off-campus, then you will need to make sure your landlady/landlord does this on your behalf. Please ask your landlady/landlord for a copy of your TM30

If you arrive on a SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, you can send us the digital copies in the LINE Group and then provide the original hard copies the following Monday.

When sending digital copies, please provide:
      Passport face page
      Departure card
      Entry stamp


Immigration Location and Hours

The Immigration Office is open Monday-Friday from 8.30-16.30. It is located close to the Chiang Mai International Airport on the same road.

The secondary office, for TM30 and 90-day check-in, is located in the Promenada shopping mall on the southeast side of town. It keeps the same hours as the general Immigration Office.

Please note that the office is closed on weekends and all Thai national holidays. Some people go to the immigration office early to line up for a queue number to renew their visa. Please check with your fellow students and spend some time researching online to decide how early you think you need to go to the Immigration Office. Things change often in Thailand, so it is best to ask.


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