What “MOE-accredited” can mean
Private schools are supervised through Thailand's Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC), under the Ministry of Education. The official OPEC approved-school register covers both formal and non-formal private schools and lets the public search by school name or code, course, province, district and school type.
A listing answers one important question: whether OPEC records the school as an authorised private school. It does not prove that every course at that school supports an ED application, that the licence is free of a pending administrative issue, or that a Royal Thai Embassy, Consulate or Immigration office will approve a particular application.
The official verification sequence
1. Get the exact registered identity
Ask the school for its Thai registered name, OPEC school code, licensed address, school type and the exact Thai and English course names. Search those details in the OPEC register. A similar trading name or a different branch address is not a clean match.
2. Match the course, not only the school
The OPEC search service includes a course-name field. As verified on 25 July 2026, the safer published check is to match the proposed course to the school record rather than assume that every course sold by a listed school has the same status.
3. Compare the visa documents with the licence
The Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh says an ED application requires an acceptance or confirmation letter on the institution's letterhead, signed by an authorised person, plus a signed and sealed copy of the school licence or business registration. For primary, secondary and vocational study, it also identifies certification from the relevant Ministry of Education authority, except for international schools.
The institution name, address, authorised signatory and course on the application pack should therefore be consistent with the official record. The deciding embassy or Immigration office may request more evidence.
4. Check the responsible mission's own list
Requirements vary. For example, the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei publishes a requirement for an original Ministry of Education approval letter for below-college study, while the Phnom Penh list describes a certificate from a relevant education authority for specified school levels. These are named examples, not a universal document list.
5. Ask OPEC when the public record is unclear
As of 25 July 2026, the official register publishes OPEC's telephone number 02 282 1000, hotline 1693, and weekday service hours of 08:30–16:30. OPEC also publishes a formal private-school status certificate service used for purposes including visas for foreign teachers and students. Where a listing and the school's documents do not align, OPEC is the authority that can clarify the school record.
What this check does not establish
- Visa approval: the consular or Immigration officer decides the application.
- Current attendance compliance: the public register does not publish an applicant-specific attendance record.
- A universal “BT5” document: we could not verify the old page's claim that one document called “Bor Tor 5” universally authorises ED visa letters. That claim has been removed.
- A universal attendance percentage or language test: no current national official source was found for the old page's fixed attendance threshold or blanket language-test statement, so neither is presented as a rule.
- Transfer outcomes: changing school can affect both enrolment and immigration status; the responsible school, education authority and Immigration office decide the required sequence.
Consulate figures are not universal
As checked on 25 July 2026, Phnom Penh publishes an ED fee of USD 80, visa validity of 3 months and an initial permitted stay not exceeding 90 days. Those figures apply to that embassy's published service; fees, documents and processing arrangements can differ at other missions. The official Thai e-Visa portal and the responsible Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate are the final pre-application sources.
Related guides
- Education (ED) Visa — Full ED visa requirements + 2026 rules (If you're going ED)
- Visa scams to avoid — Wider Pattaya scam landscape (Adjacent)
- DTV Visa — Includes Muay Thai / Thai cooking under "soft power" (ED alternative)