Hey everyone! 👋
I just wanted to take a moment to thank all the members here who contributed to this thread! Your input was incredibly helpful and guided me through the DTV-visa process. I’d like to share my experience too, I hope it might help someone else.
After reading through the thread, I decided to apply for my DTV visa in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam because (1) the requirements were clearly outlined earlier in this thread and (2) I had heard from a few buddies of mine who successfully obtained their DTV visas there. Here’s a quick overview of my situation:
I'm a non-EU, non-American citizen working remotely for a large western IT company.
Entered Thailand on a 60-day visa exemption a month ago and stayed until I traveled to Vietnam.
I was aiming at the 'Workcation' type of the visa.
So I booked an appointment online through the Consulate website and prepared the following documents:
Visa Application Form
Special for Ho Chi Minh Thai consulate, downloadable here, with a 4x6 cm photo glued in.
Certification of Work Letter
Issued a week before the appointment date, mentioning my position, salary, and confirmation that I’m allowed to work remotely from Thailand.
Contract
Quite standard and general, outlining parties' terms with the official signature and stamp.
Bank Statement
A 6-month statement from my Wise account showing a balance over 15,500 USD, issued a week before the appointment date.
Proof of Bank Account
Standard evidence doc from Wise proving I am the owner of the account.
Rental Agreement
A 1-year lease for my house in Thailand, expiring in 10 months. I made right after I arrived to Thailand.
340 USD in Cash
The visa application fee. I exchanged the currency at one of the Vietnamese authorized currency exchange counters (see here).
Upon arrival at the Consulate at the appointed time I showed the email on my phone confirming my appointment to the guard, who let me in. At the counter, I informed them that I wanted a DTV visa. They first asked for my passport and then the documents. Although they didn’t specify exactly which documents they needed, so I went ahead and gave them one by one as if it were up to me. The staff member carefully checked that my first name, last name, and passport number matched across all documents—that was essentially the entire verification process.
Then I handed over $340, but there was a small issue. The staff thoroughly examined the banknotes and discovered some tiny pencil marks (which I hadn’t noticed when I received them from the exchange counter). The staff member said they only accept clean banknotes and returned them to me. Concerned because I didn’t have any other USD cash, I examined the notes and found the marks. I asked if they had an eraser, and they provided one. So I erased the marks, returned the banknotes and they accepted then. Finally, I received a receipt with a date to collect my passport (in 2 working days). The entire process took about 5 minutes. Two days later, I came back and got my passport with the visa!
The strange thing though is the government sticker that was stamped right over the expiration year. I only noticed this after leaving the consulate, so it was too late to ask. I flew back to Thailand the next day and had absolutely no issues at the border. They simply asked if it was my first DTV visa (which seemed like a random question). I answered yes, and they stamped a 180-day stay permission in my passport. That was it.
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